I have recently found
two more books that will appeal to women in these final days of
summer. Whether you plan on spending a few relaxing days at the
beach or just an afternoon in the backyard, these slender volumes
should provide just the amount of uplift you need.
Tug of War:
Choosing between Zion and Babylon, by popular Time Out for
Women speaker and writer Mary Ellen Edmunds,demonstrates how
the “obvious” choice between happiness, light, and peace
on the one hand and worldliness, darkness, and misery on the other is
not quite so clear-cut as it appears.
Edmunds contrasts the
seemingly relentless pursuit of “more” with gratitude for
and increased awareness of blessings, and questions what kinds of
messages our values are teaching our children. Personal examples and
scriptural insights, along with questions to ponder, make this Time
Out Classic a worthwhile and doable read. (Deseret Book 2013, 64
pages in hardcover, $10.99.)
Another Time Out
speaker, Laurel Christensen, contributes The Faith Experiment
to the cause of LDS women living more sanely. “What
stands in the way of your being the person you want to be?” she
asks. It’s a question she has asked herself. The book relates
her solution to putting limits on ourselves:
“Consider
the possibility that God sees the potential for your life in a way
that you have not seen yet — or are afraid to see. He is ready
for you to become the person He has always known you to be.”
Although her experience
with losing weight and finishing a half-marathon may not be
Everywoman’s metaphor, her delightful telling of that journey,
plus the invitation to pray, think, and live with faith will
resonate with many. (Deseret Book 2013, 55 pages in hardcover,
$10.99.)
Laurie
Williams Sowby has been writing since second grade and getting paid
for it since high school. Her byline ("all three names, please")
has appeared on more than 6,000 freelance articles published in
newspapers, magazines, and online.
A
graduate of BYU and a writing instructor at Utah Valley University
for many years, she proudly claims all five children and their
spouses as college grads.
She
and husband, Steve, have served three full-time missions together,
beginning in 2005 in Chile, followed by Washington D.C. South, then
Washington D.C. North, both times as young adult Institute teachers.
They are currently serving in the New York Office of Public and
International Affairs
During
her years of missionary service, Laurie has continued to write about
significant Church events, including the rededication of the Santiago
Temple by President Hinckley and the groundbreaking for the
Philadelphia Temple by President Eyring. She also was a Church
Service Missionary, working as a news editor at Church Magazines,
between full-time missions.
Laurie
has traveled to all 50 states and at least 45 countries (so far).
While home is American Fork, Utah, Lincoln Center and the
Metropolitan Museum of Art have provided a comfortable second home.
Laurie
is currently serving a fourth full-time mission with her husband in
the New York Office of Public and International Affairs. The two
previously served with a branch presidency at the Provo Missionary
Training Center. The oldest of 18 grandchildren have been called to
serve missions in New Hampshire and Brisbane, Australia.
