Are you stuck for good ideas for Christmas gifts this year? Is there someone on your list who doesn’t need anything and won’t toss out any hints?
A gift subscription to the Tulsa Beacon would be nice. A lot of folks do that. At the giver’s request, we will send a Christmas card (not a holiday card) to the recipient.
Here are some books that I think would great make Christmas gifts, especially for young folks.
It Started In August by Bill Wise
Page Publishing, New York
Bill Wise is a good friend of mine and a retired biology teacher. He also teaches sometimes at Tulsa Community College.
This is his first book, a novel about a pair of small town boys who wind up in mysterious trouble after being tricked by a pair of young girls.
The boys must learn who they can trust.
Although this is fiction, it is full of wisdom from a very smart author.
Education In Crisis by State Rep. Chuck Strohm
This is an instructional book on the problems within the public education field in Oklahoma. Strohm lays out a blueprint for restoring academic success. He is well versed on the topic and at odds with liberals, the leadership of the teachers’ union and humanists.
This is not a long book but it is important.
Chicken Lips, Snake Legs & Jesus by Dr. Walker Moore
If you like Walker Moore’s weekly column, you will love this book. Filled with stories of humor and hope, he mixes his background growing up on a farm with his adventures in international Christian ministry.
Moore founded Awe Star Ministries and this year he retired from full-time work there. His column appears every week in the Baptist Messenger, the third largest paid circulation newspaper in Oklahoma.
Other books he has written include Escape the Lie; Journey to Freedom from the Orphan Heart; and Rite of Passage, Four Essential Experiences to Equip Your Kids for Life (includes a workbook).
This is a fun and easy read that will touch you and provoke thought.
Inside Out and Back-Wards : Stories of Humor & Hope for Life’s Journey by Dr. Walker Moore
This is Walker’s latest book and again, if you like his humor and faith messages, this is a perfect gift.
The Art of Learning & Self Development – Your Competitive Edge, by Jim Stovall and Ray H. Hull, PhD
We should never stop learning.
That’s the core message of this practical book from a very wise and accomplished author, Jim Stovall. If you read his weekly column in the Tulsa Beacon, you will understand that Stovall not only adeptly communicates the need to keep learning but he lays out practical steps to accomplish that noble goal.
Dr. Hull may be less familiar but he is a notable public speaker and good friend of Jim Stovall.
The Stoning of Sally Kern by former State Rep. Sally Kern
(Front Line Publishers)
In 2011, Rep. Sally Kern, wife of a Baptist preacher, chronicled what happened when she was secretly taped relating her views – which were based on the Bible about homosexuality.
That started a firestorm. It started with hateful, vulgar emails and accelerated with death threats so real that they were investigated by the FBI. Ellen Degeneres, a lesbian married to another woman, ridiculed Sally Kern on national television.
In all the firestorm, homosexual advocates sent a message that disagreement with their views would not be permitted in America. It is a sobering story told in detail in this important book.
The Grow and Protect Investment Strategy (Evidence and Inspiration) by John K. Harris, Ph.D.
(Amazon)
A former professor of accounting at The University of Tulsa, John K. Harris is an expert on historically based stock market research. This is a rapidly changing field but Harris offers some sound, Christian-based advice to folks who want to better manage their assets.
Black Robe Fever by Gary L. Richardson
(Tate Publishing)
Tulsa attorney Gary Richardson’s story parallels the Great American Dream. From humble beginnings, Richardson has risen to one of the most successful attorneys in Oklahoma. And he did this while adhering to Christian values.
Pointers in Proverbs by Dr. Jim Furr
(Xulon Press)
Jim Furr has had tremendous success in several fields. A West Point graduate and former Army captain, he left the military to get a master’s degree and his doctorate at Dallas Theological Seminary. He became a teaching pastor for 17 years at churches in Arkansas and California. Now, he lives in Tulsa and is on staff of CRU (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ).
In this book, he relays the wisdom of the Book of Proverbs in light of his life experience, particularly in the traditional values of the U.S. Army.
There are a lot of really good books that would make a fine Christmas gift. I don’t read them as much as I should because of my schedule.
Tulsa needs more readers. Give someone a gift subscription to the Tulsa Beacon or a fine book by a local author for Christmas and the impact will last.