Whispering Winds Blog

The Author

Marian Korth, the author of this blog, also writes books. The first book Marian started to write was about hospitality. As a bed-and-breakfast owner, she thought she had learned a lot about hospitality and she wanted to share what she had learned. She titled her book Come, Lord Jesus, Be Our Guest: Adventures in Hospitality, and she began to write. A few years later when she was almost ready to publish the book, she decided to publish another book first, for practice, to learn the ins and outs of self-publishing. She selected 52 posts from her first two years of blog posts, edited them and organized them into a book. She titled this book Listening for God: 52 Reflections on Everyday Life. Later that same year she published her hospitality book.

A few years later, Marian, who is also a church organist, decided to write a series of books about the stories behind some of her favorite hymns. The title of the series is Talking with God through Music. The first book in the series served as a small prototype to obtain feedback from readers about the best format for future books in the series. The prototype includes stories behind 31 hymns that were based on Psalms from the Old Testament of the Bible. The second book in the series, Hymns of Peace and Comfort, includes stories of more than 50 hymns on the theme of peace and comfort. The third book, Hymns for All Seasons, tells the stories of over 100 seasonal hymns – Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, and even hymns for secular holidays like Independence Day and Thanksgiving.

A brief description of each of Marian’s five books is given below. The books can be purchased directly from Marian by emailing MarianKorth@gmail.com and requesting the book(s) you would like to purchase and providing your mailing address. She will mail them to you along with an invoice for the book(s) plus shipping costs.

LISTENING FOR GOD:
52 Reflections on Everyday Life

A collection of 52 short essays that originally appeared as blog posts on the Whispering Winds Blog. Each reflection is about an experience that made Marian think God was trying to tell her something.

• What was God saying when the squirrel threw hickory nuts down at Marian and her dog Abbey as they were on their walk?
• Why did the county jail inmates sing “Jesus Loves Me” in the women’s worship service?
• What is God saying about keeping to-do lists when there seem to be constant interruptions day after day after day?
• Did God have a message for us the day the goose family landed on the pond?

Discover how God talks to us through everyday happenings.

Price: $10 (includes sales tax)

COME, LORD JESUS, BE OUR GUEST:
Adventures in Hospitality

Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest. And he came – as a homeless man, a stranger, a friend.

Marian Korth and her partner, Mim Jacobson, have served breakfast to thousands of overnight guests in their home, but they didn’t bother to offer a cup of coffee to a homeless man huddling on their doorstep one cold winter morning. Why didn’t they welcome him into their home?

Marian has more to learn about hospitality, even after sixty years of adventures in hospitality. She can tell stories about being hospitable (or not) from:

• Growing up on a small dairy farm in Wisconsin
• Living in Chicago for twenty years
• Returning to Wisconsin and turning their farmhouse into a bed and breakfast
• Providing end-of-life care for guests who live with Marian and Mim in their home
• Transforming their bed and breakfast into a spiritual retreat center

In these stories Marian reflects on what God may be trying to tell her about being hospitable.

Price: $10

Talking with God through Music Series:

REFLECTIONS ON MY FAVORITE PSALM-BASED HYMNS

This is a book of stories about 31 different hymns, all of them based on a Psalm from the Old Testament of the Bible. Basic information about the hymn, such as the writer of the words, the composer of the music, the Psalm being referenced, and the history of the hymn are included. In most cases, two pages are devoted to each hymn.

Some of the hymns include:

• Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow
• Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
• Halle, Halle, Hallelujah!
• On Eagle’s Wings

This short book was intended to serve as a prototype. The readers were requested to provide feedback to help Marian design future books in the series.

Price: $5

HYMNS OF PEACE AND COMFORT

This is a book of stories about 51 different hymns, all related to the theme of “Peace and Comfort.” For each hymn, the melody line and verses are shown, followed by the basic facts of the hymn – who wrote the words, what scripture the text relates to, who composed the music, and the name of the tune. The selection ends with some kind of story. It may be what prompted the author to write the hymn. Or, what impact the hymn has had on individuals or globally. Or what experience Marian has had with the hymn personally. Some of the hymns are:

• Let There Be Peace on Earth
• Peace in the Valley
• Just a Closer Walk with Thee
• What a Friend We Have in Jesus
• Sweet, Sweet Spirit

Price: $15

HYMNS FOR ALL SEASONS

The third book in the Talking with God through Music series examines more than a hundred favorite hymns, addressing all seasons of the year. Some hymns date back to the earliest centuries after Christ’s ministry on earth. Others were written within the past few decades. All have a story, just waiting to be shared. Some of the hymns are:

• Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus
• Joy to the World
• We Three Kings
• Jesus Christ Is Risen Today
• Spirit of the Living God
• Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory
• Lift Every Voice and Sing
• Now Thank We All Our God

Price: $20