This year we had the most interesting crop of books I think I’ve ever seen submitted, ranging from subjects like pain and penguins, God, death, historical fiction, starting out as a writer, and parenting. One book talks about how God plants the seeds of greatness in our lives, another is an in-depth, well researched teaching on the baptism of the Holy Spirit, while another is a heart-wrenching story of abuse. One psychological mystery reminded me of watching The Sixth Sense while another about death notices felt a little like the Twilight Zone. Some were funny, even irreverent, some very encouraging, and some serious and hard to read for the difficult content.

After two months of intense reading, I honestly cannot remember a more spirited, discussion-filled board meeting. So often the choices have been clear-cut and need little discussion. This year, every book made us think and hash over the merits and flaws. We all had our personal favorites. In the end, we chose the books and articles and poems that we agreed are best written and handle their subjects most successfully, but every piece submitted gave us a lot to think about. Jennie Gillespie, President, SDCWG

2005 Winners: Left to Right - Dr. Carrie Carter, Dr. Verna Linzey, Rebecca Farnbach, Jack Cavanaugh