New Releases: July 23, 2009

Jesus: Why the World is Still Fascinated by Him
Tim LaHaye
David C. Cook, July 2009
Jesus. Love Him or hate Him, He’s everywhere. On our T-shirts, bumper stickers, and even the covers of leading news magazines, year after year. We see Him on the silver screen, in the headline crawl on the TV news, and on the homemade signs held up at ball games. Hotly debated, He remains the most conspicuous figure of all time, even twenty centuries after His inglorious death. Best-selling author Tim LaHaye and coauthor David Minasian look back through history and peer into the prophetic future to show us why the world’s “Jesus fascination” should come as no surprise; every generation since Christ has grappled with the question: Who was He? What does He mean to us here, today? After reading about Jesus’ life, legacy, and pervasive influence, you may find yourself connecting the dots of your own spiritual journey and answering the timeless question that came from the lips of Jesus Himself: Who do you say that I am?


Your Own Jesus: A God Insistent on Making it Personal
Mark Hall
Zondervan, June 2009
Too many people inherit somebody else’s Jesus, mimicking what they see in their family, friends, and pastors rather than facing the need to find their own Jesus. If we exist on someone else’s faith, we will miss the spiritual vitality and joy that comes from our own journey and in times of trouble we will find an empty well to draw from. Casting Crowns’ lead singer Mark Hall asks, “Do you have your own Jesus?” Why do you feel close to God one minute and so far away the next? Why does your faith seem empty? Why is it so easy to compromise with the world? Perhaps it’s because we have merely inherited someone else’s Jesus, relying on what we’ve seen and heard from family, friends, or pastors. A true storyteller and a teacher with a heart for ministry, Mark Hall traces the downward spiral caused by spiritual compromise with the world, and then charts the upward road to wholeness and health that comes when we claim our very own Jesus. You need to discover your own Jesus. The real Jesus. The one who wants you to be honest, committed, and uncompromising. The one who is waiting to have a relationship with you. Move past imitating a religion to experiencing a relationship that is vibrant, personal, and fulfilling.



Game Plan for Life: Your Personal Playbook for Success
Joe Gibbs
Tyndale, July 2009
Three-time Super Bowl and NASCAR champion Joe Gibbs’s Game Plan for Life is an “average Joe’s” guide to what the Bible has to say about the 11 most-important topics for men aged 20-50. Topics such as: finances, relationships, living a life of purpose, finding the right vocation, physical, emotional, and spiritual health, and overcoming sin and addictions. Edited by Jerry Jenkins, and featuring contributions from Randy Alcorn, Ravi Zacharias, John Lennox, Tony Evans, Chuck Colson, Josh McDowell, Don Meredith, Walt Larimore, Ron Blue, Ken Boa, and Os Guinness, Game Plan for Life shows readers how to live a balanced, God-centered, purpose-filled life, using examples of Coach Gibbs’s own storied championship careers as a backdrop. A perfect blend of sports and basic theology, Game Plan for Life is designed to bring God’s word home to sports fans of all generations.



Friday Night Light: Inspiration for the Game of Life
Kurt Warner
Zondervan, July 2009
Devotional featuring quotations, Bible verses, and motivational stories pertaining to those involved in high school football. A Game Plan for Winning…On and Off the Field. There’s nothing like the thrill of Friday night football. For the athletes, their family members, coaches, and fans, nothing compares to the rush of adrenaline before the big game or the satisfaction that comes from contributing to the team. This heart-stirring, give-your-all brand of inspiration that motivates players on the field is now available beyond the bleachers. Selected and edited by NFL legend Kurt Warner, this unique sports devotional combines the enduring tradition of Friday night football with the limitless potential of God’s Word, focusing on timeless virtues such as humility, teamwork, and respect. Following a football season from tryouts to the playoffs, each chapter begins with a short introduction about the life lessons that good sportsmanship teaches us. Each inspirational reading that follows includes a related prayer, a relevant quotation about the sport, and an appropriate Bible verse. Friday Night Light is a perfect gift for players, parents, and coaches striving to bring themselves and those they love closer to winning … on and off the field.