Well, heidy-ho there good neighbors!

What better way to start off the week than with a nice little giveaway from the generous people over at Baker Publishing Group & Graf-Martin Communications?

Yep, that’s right… if you’re into all things Plain – or if you like collecting phrases and sayings from different cultures / people groups – this is something you’ll be very interested in!

The book is:

Amish Proverbs:

Words of Wisdom from the Simple Life 

by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Fisher has spent a great deal of time with the Amish and has collected more than 200 proverbs which cover all aspects of life, from finances to faith to family, as well as overcoming life’s frustrations. Proverbs help point us all toward wisdom, toward good judgment, toward God’s teachings.

A couple of my favorite proverbs from the book are:

“A sweater is a garment worn by a child when his mother feels chilly.” (p.71)

“Those who fear the future are likely to fumble the present.” (p.105)

…and possibly my favorite of all…

“Instead of complaining that the rosebush is full of thorns, be glad that the thornbush has roses.” (p.138)

Now that’s a different way of looking at things!

I’ve been asked to post a proverb or saying that was common from my mother or father when growing up, but honestly, I can’t think of anything specific that was said over and over again. I think the closest we had to a family proverb was, “God gave you a brain… use it!” …a phrase that I know was said to me and each of my siblings on multiple occasions when we we did something stupid or refused to solve a problem / couldn’t see the consequences of an action / or did anything requiring thought that we didn’t think through.

In addition to the proverbs, Fisher provides some insight into the Amish community, their faith, and their social life, along with some reflections of her own on God’s role in the Amish way of life.

Sound interesting? You can win a copy!

Contest is open to residents of Canada and the U.S. (sorry, international readers… another time!).

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post with your NAME and EMAIL address, and share a proverb from your own household – one you grew up hearing, or maybe one you say now! Contest is open until Sept. 6th.

Please feel free to Tweet, Facebook, or blog about the contest, and I’d love it if you followed my blog (RSS readers count too!). While this won’t get you extra entries (since I want to keep it simple), I’d greatly appreciate it… and I promise to do the same for you if I enter one of your contests in the future.

About the Author 

Suzanne Woods Fisher is the CBA bestselling author of The Choice, The Waiting, Amish Peace, and Amish Proverbs. Her interest in the Anabaptist cultures can be directly traced to her grandfather, W. D. Benedict, who was raised in the Old Order German Baptist Brethren Church in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Benedict eventually became publisher of Christianity Today magazine. Suzanne is the host of a radio show called Amish Wisdom and her work has appeared in many magazines. She lives in California.

(Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.)