It's a New Year and Another New Beginning

   I bet many of you are just glad that Christmas and New Years are over and are ready for Spring.  We have a lot of exciting plans for 2014 at West Hills Baptist Church.  All one has to do is take a look at the calendar each month on our church web site to see what has been planned for this new year.   But wait...I want to talk a little about Christmas first.   More specifically, a present that I received from a dear old friend.   It is not a gift that I particularly wanted, nor was it one that I had asked for.   But, you know what?  It was one that I really needed.

   Just imagine that you could sit down with Jesus each day and have a short conversation with him.  Do you wonder what you would talk about?  It seems that we all have something to say but few of us are really willing to listen.  My special gift was a tiny little book only about 6" tall and 4" wide and maybe 1" thick.  It was on the best seller list for 2013 in Christian Books.  It is called simply Jesus Calling.

   This book is a devotional, written to be enjoyed every day of the year.  Barely three weeks into 2014,  I have already learned so much.  In only 24 days, Jesus has spoken to me directly and has given me insight into my life.  He has encouraged me like no other, forgiven me, loved me dearly, gently chastised me, and taught me that His peace is the treasure of treasures.

   Today's reading states:

"My Peace is the treasure of treasures; the pearl of great price.   It is an exquisitely costly gift, both for the Giver and the receiver.  I purchased this Peace for you with My blood.  You receive this gift by trusting Me in the midst of life's storms.  If you have the world's peace--everything going your way--you  don't seek My unfathomable Peace.  Thank Me when things do not go your way, because spiritual blessings come wrapped in trials.  Adverse circumstances are normal in a fallen world.  Expect them each day.  Rejoice in the face of hardship,  for I have overcome the world."
                                                     Matthew 13:46, James 1:2, and John 16:33

   Today's reading was just this one short paragraph.  Look at each sentence carefully and imagine hearing the voice of Jesus.  He makes everything so simple.

  Do you have someone in your life who loves you enough to give you this book?  My book was already used when it was given to me. This person knows me probably better than anyone with the exception of my husband.  We have known each other for almost fifty years!  He read this very same book last year.  The giver was my oldest son and I am very proud to say, he is one of my very best friends.

  Donations 

Donations continue to come into our Library on a regular basis.  Without your donations we would not be able to continuously have new and interesting media available for you.  Many different donors have contributed to our inventory during the last four months.  We would like to thank all of you.

We made a recent trip to McKay's Book Store in Nashville and  traded some of our duplicate donated books and were able to get several new books for the Library.  We purchased one book that had been on our Wish List for a VERY long time.

If you have a love for books,  a few hours a month that you would like to serve others, we would be happy to have you join us on the Media Library Committee. 

Update:  Thanks Claudia for joining our Library Committee.  Claudia will be working in the Library at least one Sunday morning beginning in March.