Prolific author Francine Rivers returns to her romance roots with the February 6th release of THE MASTERPIECE, which the publisher describes as “a probing tale that reminds us that mercy can shape even the most broken among us into an imperfect yet stunning masterpiece.” When Francine and her husband, Rick, moved into a one-story home last year, they faced the painful task of parting with two-thirds of their book collection. But there’s one book in particular that Francine treasures above all else, as she explains in her Holiday Blog post, and is happy to give away to people who need and ask for it.
I love books, and my husband, Rick, is also a bibliophile. When we downsized into a one-story home in October 2016, we faced the grievous task of parting with two-thirds of our books. I don’t keep every book I read, but the ones I may read again --- and again. We gave away boxes of treasured books to our nephew, who owns a “gently used” bookstore, and shipped off eight more cartons to a prison ministry. We still had too many books when we moved in. So we added four wall shelves and still had to part with more: tabletop books from countries we’d visited, textbooks from college years, history books used in researching my novels. It was a painful process.
It wasn’t more than a week after letting go of so many that I found myself looking for a book I’d given away and now needed/wanted to reread. Amazon.com loves me. The postman, not so much.
Christmas is coming! When I give my devotional, EARTH PSALMS, as a gift, I’m giving a part of myself. I’m hoping the reader will enjoy my essays, the extra nature facts, and the beautiful pictures and artwork, but what I hope most is that each recipient will awaken to the amazing world God created and will discover earth psalms of their own.
What book do people need and ask for most often?
Our community recently went through a firestorm, and thousands lost their homes. One gentleman told me the possession he grieved most was his family Bible. When I sent a card to another, she said she didn’t have her Bible to look up a Scripture reference I’d inscribed. Rick and I were ready to give them what they missed. We keep a stock of Life Application Study Bibles and One Year Bibles on a shelf for that reason.
Books offer the gift of hours of entertainment, escape --- or enlightenment. Books can change the way we think and act. Good books are read again and again. They can last a lifetime.
When I give a Bible to a friend or new acquaintance, I’m offering them the gift of a library of 66 books filled with science, history, psychology, poetry, how our earth and mankind came to be, who God is, why we’re here, what went wrong. It’s filled with personal histories of people who faced trials and triumph, tribulation and tragedy. It’s a love story from beginning to end, detailing God’s passionate love for us. It’s a book filled with words of tenderness and power, death and resurrection, mind-altering insights, life-changing instructions. It shows how we can become a new creation, how to fulfill the deepest longing of our hearts, and what all of us will witness at the end of this world.
For those who came through the firestorm --- or any of the other myriad of catastrophes that have recently befallen our country --- the Bible holds promises from God on how He alone can bring beauty from the ashes. What better gift on the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ than His Book that offers hope for tomorrow --- and all the tomorrows to come?
