This month the Vine has many new and different items for you to look over. If you hurry you might be lucky enough to get From the Heart for Habitat: a collection of recipes by Saint Joseph United Methodist Church. Here is a collection of many recipes from salads to main dishes that are from members of our congregation. Each has complete directions for a perfect meal. Also, in the back of the book are many hints for baking, different herbs and spices napkin folding, microwave hits and many more. Rush in before these are all gone.

Now, moving on to another great group of books.

The first book is American Gospel God The Founding Fathers and the Making of a Nation by Jon Meacham. Here is a book that looks at our American leaders, starting with George Washington and ending with George Bush, telling us how they wrestled with God, personally and publicly.

Next is the book, Unveiling Islam, an Insider’s Look at Muslim Life and Beliefs by Ergun Mehmet Caner and Emir Fethi Caner. In this book the authors bring to its readers the entire scope of Islam, its practices, ethics and beliefs, including the primary differences between Christianity and Islam. The authors were raised as Sunni Muslims and have lived the Muslim life. Today, as Christians they truly can give us the information for us to understand what Islam is.

Moving on is God’s Top 10; Blowing the Lid Off the Commandments by Anne Robertson. Each commandment is examined and then explained to us so we can understand how we can relate to it today. Ms. Robertson is a United Methodist minister in Massachusetts and has also written the book Blowing the Lid Off the God Box: Opening Up to a Limitless Faith.

Next is a book for men by John Eldredge, Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man’s Soul. Here the dreams of boyhood are talked about and why they are forgotten. What happens to those dreams as boys grow up and become men? In Wild at Heart John Eldredge invites men to recover the masculine heart, as seen in the image of a passionate God. He also, invites women to discover the secret of a man’s soul and to delight in the strength and wildness men were created to offer.

Check out Amazing Grace, A History of Indiana Methodism 1801-2001 by E. Carver McGriff. This isn’t your typical history book but a blend of facts and anecdotes that will draw you along with the story. The author has skillfully woven movements of social change and the life of the church together into a colorful narrative.

And last, a book for all, but speaks to all mothers is Mothers of Influence, Inspiring Stories of Women Who Made a Difference in Their Children and Their World. Here is a collection of stories by everyday mothers who made an extraordinary difference in their world. Just a few of these great mothers are Morrow Coffy Graham, Alberta Williams King, Jenna Hawkins Bush, and Nancy Hanks Lincoln. Also, Bathsheba, Hannah, Rachel and Mary, mother of Jesus. Our mothers are our first teachers and what they teach us will last a lifetime.

Well, those are our picks for this month. Hope you find one to your liking. While you are in the Vine, look around and see all the other wonderful items that are there.

Check out the sale items as well.

Until next month…live, laugh and love.