Journal of a Happy Woman

Author: June Strong, Reviewer:  Alice Ray

As I was browsing in the library to find a book to review, I found myself scanning the titles on the shelves, looking for just the right book. But instead, I was thinking, oh, that’s a good one; no, that one; ooh, that one looks good, I haven’t read it yet. Finally, I told myself, just pick one already!! So, I chose an oldie but a goodie.

‍    “September. This should have been my birthday month. To arrive in the world with the air so winy, the skies so blue, and the land sleeping under its late summer haze would have been a royal beginning indeed. But I was fated to be a March child, and, of course, there is something to be said for daffodils after all. At any rate, now that I have made the decision to gather up some fragments of my life and enclose them within a book, it shall know the joy of a September birth.”

‍    With such golden words opening this book, one can’t help but read on. June Strong is on my list of authors of whom I’ve read several of their books. Project Sunlight was my first favorite of hers; then came Song of Eve. If you’ve never read these, please hunt for them! You won’t be sorry!

‍    Journal of a Happy Woman is the autobiography of this talented woman. Wife of one, mother of six (four were adopted), June is the epitome of the happy housewife. She and her family lived (at the time of writing the book) on a farm in northwestern New York state. When I read this book years ago, I couldn’t help but be somewhat envious of her apparently idyllic life. Included in the book are some of her family-tested recipes and some poetry—some original, some not.

‍    Now, you men reading this are probably thinking, that sounds like a girly book. And it most likely is. But who knows? You might enjoy it, too. It’s in the church library, so come and check it out. If this one doesn’t quite suit you, there are dozens and dozens of other great books from which to choose.

Hearts of Faith,
How We Became Seventh-day Adventists

Author: David J.B. Trim, Reviewer:  Alice Ray

(The following review and author bio is taken from the back cover of this book.)

Expectation, exultation, bewilderment, and despair—these were the emotions amid which the Seventh-day Adventist Church was conceived. Hearts of Faith recounts the story of the transition from the weeping that followed the Great Disappointment of October 22, 1844, to the hopeful emergence of the infant Seventh-day Adventist Church 19 years later.

Though the story of the church’s history has often been told, this critical span has been largely left out, as if the formation of the church was an inescapable outcome of the Great Disappointment. This book reveals however, that the 19-years interval was crucial, and the events that unfolded did not have a predetermined outcome. The choices of the pioneers shaped the denomination they would go on to establish and its impact on the world for generations.

Hearts of Faith briefly reviews the Millerite Adventist movement, explores the history of Sabbatarian Adventists, and reflects on the vital development of a common identity among those who held fast to the blessed hope of Christ’s soon return.

D.J.B. Trim was born in Bombay, India, to missionary parents and spent his childhood in Sydney, Australia. Educated in Australia and England, he earned a bachelor of arts in history from Newbold College and a doctorate in history from King’s College in London. A prolific author, Trim has edited or coedited 10 books, and his other publications include more than 150 articles and chapters in scholarly journals, popular magazines, and books. He has served as director of the Office of Archives, Statistics, and Research at the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists since 2010.

This is a new book in our church library and may be checked out at any time. In light of the planned Pioneer Day on October 19, 2024, you are encouraged to read this book and others that outline the birth, adolescence, and maturing of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Know your church history!!

Noah: The Chosen One

by Bradley Booth

“Can someone help me out over here?” Noah shouted, gesturing to the crowd in the marketplace. “These boys are trying to rob me!” With a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach, he began to realize that no one was going to come to his aid. No one cared.

The boy with shoulder-length, jet-black hair circled Noah and blocked his pathway. “Your money pouch, sir! … Make it quick! We’re not going anywhere until we get our money!”

“Your money!” Noah raised his fist angrily. “What do you mean your money? This is my money!” This is ridiculous, Noah thought. Two striplings want to rob me in the street and no one has the decency to come to my aid. What’s this world coming to?

The Bible doesn’t tell us much about the pre-Flood years or about Noah, even though he’s one of the most famous of all Bible characters. Using all that is given to us about the man and his times and extra-biblical information about antediluvian technology, Bradley Booth weaves a fascinating story of Noah and his call to build an ark. 

The reader will soon grasp the parallels between the pre-Flood world and humanity’s bent toward evil and the times we’re living in today. Just as Jesus said, “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark” (Matt. 24:37–38 NIV).

This book is available in our church library. The sequel to this volume is titled Noah: The End of the World and is available at the Adventist Book Center online.

Prayer Warriors

A Story of Power

By Celeste Perrino Walker

Have you ever wondered what goes on in the unseen world of heaven and the angels, both good and evil, when you pray? If so, you’ll enjoy reading Celeste Perrino Walker’s trilogy: Prayer Warriors, Guardians, and Prayer Warriors: The Final Chapter.

‍    “Her silver hair wrapped neatly in a bun, her gnarled hands clasped tightly in prayer, the old woman’s lips moved soundlessly until she felt the warmth of the sun begin to shine through the window. ‘Glory to God in the highest and peace to His people on earth!’ the old woman shouted with abandon. ‘Hallelujah!’ she cried, lifting her crippled hands up and clapping them together with joy, heedless of the fiery pain in her joints.

‍    “Around the old woman, scores of angels congregated. One, a recording angel, paused in his duties long enough to smile at the uncensured joy of the old woman. The rest, commissioned to bring the constant requests of the old woman to the throne of heaven, bustled back and forth, kept continually busy by her prayers that seemingly never ceased.”

‍    An imaginative peek behind the veil that separates the visible world from the invisible allows us to see the vital role that prayer plays in the lives of both the pray-er and the prayed for. You’ll follow the lives of the varied characters in the story as they struggle with real-life issues, some of which may resonate with you and your struggles. You’ll come to understand perhaps just a bit better just how important it is for us to pray, both for our own problems and for those of others. The battle between good and evil is brought forcefully to light as you read of the way that the evil angels put into our minds thoughts of discouragement and doubt. Then you’ll remember that Jesus commissions His angels to come to our rescue literally, emotionally, and spiritually.

‍    You’ll find this book and its two companions in the church library, where a host of other excellent books are just waiting for you to come check them out and immerse yourself in a good read.