Thursday, October 28, 2010

Thanksgiving Books

Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving
Eric Metaxas
This entertaining and historical story shows that the actual hero of the Thanksgiving was neither white nor Indian, but God. In 1608, English traders came to Massachusetts and captured a 12-year old Indian, Squanto, and sold him into slavery. He was raised by Christians and taught faith in God. Ten years later he was sent home to America. Upon arrival, he learned an epidemic had wiped out his entire village. But God had plans for Squanto. God delivered a Thanksgiving miracle: an English-speaking Indian living in the exact place where the Pilgrims land in a strange new world.


Thank You for Thanksgiving
Dandi Daley Mackall
Many families have the tradition of telling what they are thankful for at Thanksgiving dinner. Follow one boy's Thanksgiving Day, and his struggle with what to say, when he is last in line to share what he is thankful for. Clever rhyming text and fun illustrations will make the reading of this book one of your family Thanksgiving traditions. What's a kid like me to do? Talk to God and say what s true. Lord, I give thanks for You. And thank You for Thanksgiving!

My Thanksgiving Prayer
Crystal Bowman
Oversized die-cut format with a great value price. My Thanksgiving Prayer---This book features a child thanking and praising God for the big and small joys of life. Children will delight in the colorful pictures and catchy rhyme. And they'll love the oversized board book.

The Berenstain Bears Give Thanks
Jan and Mike Berenstain
The Little Lights Berenstain Bear series helps children learn how God wants them to live every day. The Berenstain cubs act out the first Thanksgiving---complete with costumes, props and a full Thanksgiving feast. But will Sister Bear's pet turkey play the part of dinner? The Berenstain Bears Give Thanks teaches how God provided for the pilgrims and reminds children of God's many blessings.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

New Releases

The Twelfth Imam
Joel Rosenberg
Tyndale, October 2010
As the apocalyptic leaders of Iran call for the annihilation of Israel and the U.S., CIA operative David Shirazi is sent into Tehran with one objective: use all means necessary to disrupt Iran’s nuclear weapons program, without leaving American fingerprints and without triggering a regional war. At extreme personal risk, Shirazi executes his plan. A native Farsi speaker whose family escaped from Iran in 1979, he couldn’t be better prepared for the mission. But none of his training has prepared Shirazi for what will happen next. An obscure religious cleric is suddenly hailed throughout the region as the Islamic messiah known as the Mahdi or the Twelfth Imam. News of his miracles, healings, signs, and wonders spreads like wildfire, as do rumors of a new and horrific war. With the prophecy of the Twelfth Imam seemingly fulfilled, Iran’s military prepares to strike Israel and bring about the End of Days. Shirazi must take action to save his country and the world, but the clock is ticking.

In the Company of Others (Father Tim series, v. 2)
Jan Karon
Penguin Group, October 2010
With Home to Holly Springs, New York Times-bestselling author Jan Karon launched a new series, The Father Tim Novels, featuring the retired Episcopal priest that her readers have come to love. Soon after returning from Mississippi, Father Tim and Cynthia travel to Ireland for a long-planned trip to do genealogical research on the Kavanaghs and to meet up with Cousin Walter and his wife Katherine, whose arrival is delayed. That's all right, Father Tim and Cynthia have settled into Broughadoon, the country lodge that Cynthia declares the most beautiful sight she has ever seen. Father Tim is delighted to return to this paradise and reacquaint himself with the gracious owners, Liam and Anna Conor, and meet what turns out to be a colorful cast of guests-including a group of friends, all widows, from Atlantal; a cheery brace of fishermen; and the resident Jack Russell terrier, Pud, who insists that Father Tim stop acting busy and play with him. But something is amiss in this paradise: Cynthia startles a burglar in their room and, panicked, sprains her ankle badly. Later, the owner's prized possession, a valuable painting by a renowned Irish painter, George Barret Sr, that he inherited from his father, is stolen. Are family secrets somehow behind these crimes? Jan Karon has said this is her favorite novel, and she has said it is about the powerful need to confess. Several people in the novel are harboring secrets; their confessions, their sorrows, and their reconciliations make this a compelling page turner that readers will find deeply affecting.

Christmas! A Newsboys Holiday
Newsboys
Inpop, September 2010
Join Michael Tait and the Newsboys for a shimmering Christmas EP! This great stocking-stuffer features five cherished holiday favorites, including "Jingle Bell Rock," "O Holy Night," and others.


Christmas with a Capital C
Go Fish
Go Fish Kids Records, September 2010
Join this rocking a cappella group for fresh pop arrangements of holiday favorites! This re-release of Snow includes "Joy to the World," "We Three Kings," "Away in a Manger," "Christmas Time," "It's About the Cross," "The Little Drummer Boy," "White Christmas," "Christmas and You," and the title track---plus "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee" and "Mary, Did You Know?"

Can't Wait Till Christmas
Mike Huckabee
Putnam, October 2010
When Huckabee was a boy, he used to sneak a look at his Christmas presents and then wrap them back up before Mom and Dad found out. The scheme worked until Mike didn't clean a muddy football before re-wrapping it. Discover how a little boy's curiosity and impatience led him to understand the true meaning of Christmas! Ages 4 to 8. Jacketed hardcover.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

New Releases

A Million Ways to Die
Rick James
David C Cook, Sept. 2010
We talk a lot about resurrection. What about the death that must come first? Through story and biblical insight, Rick James reminds us that when Jesus tells us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him, he is describing a path of death, not a path to death. Giving up our own plans in order to meet someone else’s needs. Allowing God to shape our dreams, even as we lose a relationship, a job, a hoped-for future. Being alert to these daily opportunities to die to ourselves is how we discover that every act of dying, done in faith, leads to spiritual growth. As we learn to embrace the little deaths of everyday existence, we lose our taste for lifeless religiosity. Our appetite for a thriving, vibrant life in Christ grows—and our own experience motivates others to live out their extraordinary mission on earth. In truth, death is not an ending. It is the only way to experience abundant life.

Unlocked
Karen Kingsbury
Zondervan, October 2010
Before You Take a Stand ... You Got to Take a Chance. Holden Harris is an eighteen-year-old locked in a prison of autism. Despite his quiet ways and quirky behaviors, Holden is very happy and socially normal---on the inside, in a private world all his own. In reality, he is bullied at school by kids who only see that he is very different. Ella Reynolds is part of the 'in' crowd. A cheerleader and star of the high school drama production, her life seems perfect. When she catches Holden listening to her rehearse for the school play, she is drawn to him ... the way he is drawn to the music. Then, Ella makes a dramatic discovery---she and Holden were best friends as children. Frustrated by the way Holden is bullied, and horrified at the indifference of her peers, Ella decides to take a stand against the most privileged and popular kids at school. Including her boyfriend, Jake. Ella believes miracles can happen in the unlikeliest places, and that just maybe an entire community might celebrate from the sidelines. But will Holden's praying mother and the efforts of Ella and a cast of theater kids be enough to unlock the prison that contains Holden? This time, friendship, faith, and the power of a song must be strong enough to open the doors to the miracle Holden needs.

Wow Hits 2011
Various artists
EMI, September 2010
2011 two CD collection containing 30 of the biggest modern Christian artists and the year's biggest hits. Features tracks from Casting Crowns, Chris Tomlin, Kutless, Jeremy Camp and many others.


North Point Christmas
North Point Music
North Point, September 2010
North Point Christmas is a new collection of Christmas classics along with soon-to-be Christmas standards as seen through the modern worship stylings of North Point Community Church. The CD features eleven songs from worship leaders, such as Dove Award winner Seth Condrey, Todd Fields, and Eddie Kirkland, along with other well-known vocalists from North Point. The project is produced by Nathan Nockels (Passion, Laura Story, Tim Hughes) and mixed by Ainslie Grosser (Christy Nockels, Nicole C. Mullen, Newsboys). North Point Community Church is led by best-selling author, communicator, and pastor Andy Stanley. Launched in 1995, North Point Ministries is now one of the fastest growing and most influential Christian organizations in America. Each Sunday, over 25,000 adults attend services at one of three North Point campuses in the Atlanta area, while many more attend North Point's nearly 30 strategic partner churches in the U.S. and around the world.

iShine Worship Mania
Various artists
Provident, October 2010
Track Listing:
1) Your Grace Is Enough
2) I Am Free
3) You Reign
4) You Never Let Go
5) City On Our Knees
6) Indescribable
7) Revelation Song
8) Everlasting God
9) Lead Me To The Cross
10) Mighty To Save

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

New Releases

The Grace of God
Andy Stanley
Thomas Nelson, September 2010
"Grace. It's what we crave most when our guilt is exposed. It's the very thing we are hesitant to extend when we are confronted with the guilt of others-especially when their guilt has robbed us of something we consider valuable. Therein is the struggle, the struggle for grace. It's this struggle that makes grace more story than doctrine. It's the struggle that reminds us that grace is bigger than compassion or forgiveness. That struggle is the context for both. When we are on the receiving end, grace is refreshing. When it is required of us, it is often disturbing. But when correctly applied, it seems to solve just about everything. This struggle is not new; it has been going on since the beginning."
-Andy Stanley

We find in the pages of Scripture that the stories found there often mirror our own stories, and that we too need the very thing we do not deserve: the grace of God. From the beginning, the church has had an uneasy relationship with grace. The gravitational pull is always toward graceless religion. The odd thing is that when you read the New Testament, the only thing Jesus stood against consistently was graceless religion. The only group he attacked relentlessly was graceless religious leaders. Even now as you think about grace, there might be a little voice in your head whispering, "It can't be that easy!" "What about obedience?" "What about disobedience?" "What about repeated misbehavior?" "What about bad habits?" "What about justice?" "What about repentance?"

It's this tension that makes grace so slippery. But that's the beauty and the truth of grace. We don't deserve it. We can't earn it. It can't be qualified. But God gives it to us anyway because he loves us unconditionally. The story of grace is your story. And as you are about to discover grace plays a larger role than you imagine.

My Life is Not My Own: Following God No Matter the Cost
Bill Bright
Regal Books, September 2010
There are only a handful of modern-day believers who have had as lasting an impact on the world as Bill Bright, who founded Campus Crusade for Christ in 1951 with his wife, Vonette. In My Life Is Not My Own, written before his death in 2003, Dr. Bright contends that his kingdom victories had little to do with his own excellence and everything to do with becoming a “royal slave” to the King of kings. In this challenging yet encouraging account of his journey toward total surrender to Christ, Dr. Bright examines a perspective common to first-century Christians: The earliest believers did not see themselves as God’s hired servants or as temporary slaves who could work off their debts and go free; instead, they viewed themselves as “royal slaves,” permanent members in God’s household, under His authority and called to His business. Readers will be dared, by the biblical revelation and by Dr. Bright’s personal story, to make the ultimate choice and become slaves of Jesus Christ.
DR. BILL BRIGHT was founder and chairman of Campus Crusade for Christ. He was a best-selling author of more than 100 books and booklets, including Come Help Change the World and A Man Without Equal. More than 2.5 billion copies of Dr. Bright’s booklet Have You Heard of the Four Spiritual Laws? have been distributed. Dr. Bright passed away in 2003.

The One Year Love Language Minute Devotional
Gary Chapman
Tyndale, September 2010
Are you and your spouse speaking the same language? He sends you flowers when what you really want is time to talk. She gives you a hug when what you really need is a home-cooked meal. The problem isn’t love—it’s your love language. The One Year Love Language Minute Devotional is your daily guide to how to express heartfelt love to your spouse.

Teen-ology: The Art of Raising Great Teenagers
Jim Burns
Bethany House, September 2010
Raising a teen is not an easy job. The challenges parents face can be overwhelming--"What happened to my sweet-tempered kid?" "How do I help her make better choices?" "I'm afraid my teen is going to walk away from his faith." "How do I teach my teen to stay pure?" "Is this teen behavior normal?!" In Teenology, author Jim Burns covers all these issues and more. His no-holds-barred approach tackles even the most sensitive topics, providing parents with the answers and advice they need to raise their teens to become responsible adults. An invaluable section on common problems and solutions addresses everything from curfew to bullying to pornography and beyond. Don't overlook this must-have resource!

The Way Home DVD
Lions Gate Home Entertainment, September 2010
A missing child. A family in crisis. A faith tested. In their darkest hour, God gives hope. Dean Cain stars as Randy Simpkins, a husband and father torn between the demands of his job and family. Asked by his wife to watch their two-year-old son, Joe, for a few minutes, he becomes distracted by work. When he returns, Joe is gone. He and his wife search desperately for their missing son through the vast countryside. But as their fear grows, the community responds - hundreds of supporters uniting behind the family in a powerful spiritual journey that will test the couple’s love and faith, and forever change a community.

The Jesus Movie: Read and Share DVD Bible
Thomas Nelson, September 2010
Experience the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Based on the art style of the Read and Share® Bible, The Jesus Movie transports children to Nazareth for the story of Jesus' birth, follows his life and miracles along the shores of Lake Galilee and ends in Jerusalem with his arrest, crucifixion and resurrection-all in one dramatic 80-minute movie. The excitement and joy of Jesus' life, the danger and conflict with the Pharisees, the challenge and growth of the disciples-it's all here in a simple, straightforward narrative.