New Releases

NIV People's Bible: Your Visual Guide to the Bible's Most Searched Verses
Zondervan, May 2011
The People's Bible is a visual guide to the most-searched verses of the Bible. It's like having millions of people at your fingertips, calling out the Scripture portions they turn to most often. The People's Bible includes the full text of the New International Version (NIV) Bible, the world's most popular modern English Bible. And with the help of BibleGateway.com, the number-one Bible search site, the most-searched verses are visually weighted to help you discover the places where other readers are finding just what they need.

So Long, Insecurity Group Experience
Beth Moore
Tyndale, May 2011
Tailored for use in a small women's group Bible study setting or a book club, this Group Experience version of Beth's popular book, So Long, Insecurity, takes an in-depth look at what security really means. Discover what the Bible has to say about image, society, and relationships. As you delve into your personal journey toward security, you'll get to know the One who gives that security more intimately.

Love & War
John & Stasi Eldredge
WaterBrook Press, May 2011
Why is marriage so hard? Sometimes it can be compared to throwing Cinderella and Huck Finn into a submarine and closing the hatch! Offering insights from their own marriage, the Eldredges explore flaws that can drain relationships---fear, self-centeredness, doubt, emotional pain, and self-protection---to help couples fight against Satan's attack on their union.


Thriving at College
Alex Chediak
Tyndale, May 2011
Going to college can be exciting, anxiety inducing, and expensive! You want your child to get the most out of their college experience-what advice do you give? Thriving at College by Alex Chediak is the perfect gift for a college student or a soon-to-be college student. Filled with wisdom and practical advice from a seasoned college professor and student mentor, Thriving at College covers the ten most common mistakes that college students make-and how to avoid them! Alex leaves no stone unturned-he discusses everything from choosing a major and discerning one's vocation to balancing academics and fun, from cultivating relationships with peers and professors to helping students figure out what to do with their summers. Most importantly, this book will help students not only keep their faith but build a vibrant faith and become the person God created them to be.

The Constantine Codex
Paul L. Maier
Tyndale, May 2011
Harvard Professor Jonathan Weber is finally enjoying a season of peace when a shocking discovery thrusts him into the national spotlight once again. While touring monasteries in Greece, Jon and his wife Shannon--a seasoned archaeologist--uncover an ancient biblical manuscript containing the lost ending of Mark and an additional book of the Bible. If proven authentic, the codex could forever change the way the world views the holy Word of God. As Jon and Shannon work to validate their find, it soon becomes clear that there are powerful forces who don't want the codex to go public. When it's stolen en route to America, Jon and Shannon are swept into a deadly race to find the manuscript and confirm its authenticity before it's lost forever.


Hope Rekindled (Striking a Match Book 3)
Tracie Peterson
Bethany House, May 2011
At long last, Deborah Vandermark is preparing for her own wedding...but the groom suddenly goes absent. Tragedy has befallen Christopher's family in Kansas City, upsetting the doctor's future with Deborah. With five siblings now under his care, can he return to Texas and impose a ready-made family on Deborah?
Deborah herself finds her resolve faltering as her fears about marriage and career start to overwhelm her. How can she marry and be a mother to Christopher's siblings, and still be able to pursue her work and training as a physician? When an old adversary reveals a contract that may spell ruin for Vandermark Logging, Deborah's life seems to be spiraling out of control. How can God possibly work this for good? And can Christopher and Deborah find a way to claim the future they long to share when so much stands in their way?

New Releases

The Ambition
Lee Strobel
Zondervan, May 2011
A corrupt judge in a mob murder case. A disillusioned pastor, hungry for power. A cynical reporter, sniffing for a scandal. A gambling addict whose secret tape threatens the lives of everyone who hears it. New York Times bestselling author Lee Strobel weaves these edgy characters into an intricate thriller set in a gleaming, suburban megachurch, a big-city newspaper struggling for survival, and the shadowy corridors of political intrigue. The unexpected climax is as gripping as the contract killing that punctuates the opening scene.

Departures: Two Rediscovered Stories of Christy Miller and Sienna Jensen
Robin Jones Gunn
Multnomah, May 2011
Christy Miller and Sierra Jensen cross paths on their way to summer vacations that reveal what a gift it is to have a true Forever Friend. 
Now Boarding at Gate 10
After her high school graduation, still aching from Todd’s departure, Christy joins her family on a trip to Wisconsin to visit relatives. While there, she reunites with Matthew, an old friend from junior high. When Matthew starts to show a romantic interest in Christy, she realizes this summer vacation could change everything she thought her future would be.
 In the Event of a Water Landing
Fifteen-year-old Sierra Jensen can’t wait to spend her summer vacation with her friend Jana at a pristine lake in Montana. But when they arrive, it becomes clear that Jana’s only interest is acquiring a boyfriend. Sierra just wants to hang out with the guys as friends, but Jana turns every encounter into a possible romantic relationship. As their friendship begins to suffer, Sierra wonders if it’s possible to find a Forever Friend who will listen to you, laugh with you, and keep your confidences.

New Releases

Head Over Heels: How to Fall in Love and Land on Your Feet
James Dobson
Regal Books, May 2011
Everybody wants to fall in love, but so many relationships end in heartbreak instead of happily-ever-after. Now one of the nation’s most trusted voices on family relationships, Dr. James Dobson, offers this practical guide to love—what it is and what it isn’t—for couples and dating singles. First and foremost, Dr. Dobson wants everyone who is looking for love to understand the myth vs. the reality of emotions, and Head Over Heels includes the one-of-a-kind “What Do You Believe About Love? Quiz” to help readers separate fact from fiction. With gentle frankness, he discusses the joy and beauty of sex in marriage as well as the destruction and heartbreak that sex outside of marriage inevitably brings to hearts, minds and bodies. Also included is a learning/discussion section with questions and Scripture references for personal or group study, plus a poignant, heart-warming letter from Dr. Dobson to his beloved wife, Shirley.

On the Verge
Alan Hirsch and Dave Ferguson
Zondervan, April 2011
The church is on the verge of massive, category shifting, change. Contemporary church growth, despite its many blessings, has failed to stem the decline of Christianity in the West. We are now facing the fact that more of the same will not produce different results. Our times require a different kind of church---an apostolic, reproducing, movement where every person is living a mission-sent life. Many of the best and brightest leaders in the contemporary church are now making the shift in the way they think, lead, and organize. Motivated partly by a vision of the church as ancient as it is new, and with a driving desire to see Biblical Christianity establish itself in Western cultural contexts, we are indeed seeing a new form of the church emerge in our day. Hirsch and Ferguson call this 'apostolic movement' because it is more resonant with the form of church that we witness in the pages of the New Testament and in the great missional movements of history. In this book, Hirsch and Ferguson share a rich array of theology, theory, and best practices, along with inspiring stories about leaders who have rightly diagnosed their churches' failure to embrace a biblical model of mission and have moved toward a fuller expression of the gospel. On the Verge will help church leaders discover how these forerunners and their insights are launching a new apostolic movement---and how any church can get involved.

New Release Review

Leaving
Bailey Flanigan series; book 1

by Karen Kingsbury
Zondervan, 2011

Reviewed by Diane Busch

Although this is Book 1 of the Bailey Flanigan series, it reads like the continuing story of all your favorite characters, if you have been reading Karen Kingsbury novels for a few years.  It picks up where "Take Four" (Book 4 of the Above the Line series) left off.  Yet, if you have never read these previous book, you can start here and not miss a beat.

Beloved Bailey Flanigan pursues her dream of being on Broadway.  Cody Coleman pursues his dream of being a football coach. And the saga of their "on again, off again" relationship continues. Her future is uncertain; his future is uncertain. Will there futures ever merge?

Throughout the book you have the opportunity to experience life in several places, as Bailey and her family live in Bloomington, Indiana, but they travel to New York City and Malibu, California.  You also get the sense of what it would be like to be famous and followed by cameras and reporters everywhere you go.

Bailey's Christian life is an example that all young women should aspire to.  There is much to be learned from these fictional characters about family life, prayer and being a follower of Christ in all circumstances.

Many thanks to Zondervan who provided this book free of charge for the purpose of review.

New Release Review

Unplanned (the documentary) DVD
by Abby Johnson

Focus on the Family 2011
Tyndale House Publishers
Franklin Films

Reviewed by Diane Busch

The Unplanned documentary is the true story of Abby Johnson who began as a volunteer at Planned Parenthood when she was a college student because she wanted to help women.  After graduation, she worked her way up in the organization until she was the director of a Texas Planned Parenthood clinic.  Abby grew up in a Christian home that was pro-life, but she was convinced she was doing the right thing in helping women in crisis.  She was so brain-washed with the rhetoric she was taught, that she even had two abortions herself before she was married and didn't think of it as killing her babies but ending pregnancies.  In the DVD you hear her tell her story along with comments from her parents and others in her life.  You also hear from some of the Christians who prayed for her during this time.  It wasn't until one day when she was asked to actually assist with an abortion, that she was faced with the reality that abortion was killing a baby and that she could no longer support that.

This was a very well produced DVD with videography and narration interspersed with the interviews.  Her story is told gently and compassionately and conveys a compelling pro-life message.   Quiet, loving, and praying protesters outside the clinic were much more effective, than loud obnoxious ones, who don't show the love of Jesus.  The power of prayer is also a strong theme in this story--prayers of family, friends, and compassionate protesters.

I would recommend this DVD and the book to anyone who is on the fence about abortion or who feels that abortion is the solution to an unplanned pregnancy.  It would also be great for youth groups to watch together and discuss.

I received a complimentary copy of the Unplanned DVD from Tyndale House Publishers for review purposes.

If you would like to win a free copy of this DVD, please comment to this post.  We will choose one winner on May 11 @ 12:00 p.m. to receive a certificate  for 1 free copy of the Unplanned DVD.

Also sign up to participate in the Unite for LIFE webcast featuring Abby Johnson on May 17 @ 8:00 p.m. at www.uniteforlifewebcast.org.

New Releases

Captivated Deluxe Edition CD
Nicole C. Mullen
Marantha, May 2011
Award-winning singer/songwriter Nicole C. Mullen is an insightful communicator, an inspiring performer, and---above all else---a worshiper! This deluxe CD of on-your-knees music includes the radio single "Kingdom Come," "Lead Me" (with the Katinas), "I'll Praise Your Holy Name," "My Shepherd," "I Need You," "Forgive Me," and "A Song for You"; plus extended arrangements, music videos, interviews, and more.

Listen to the Sound CD
Building 429
Provident, May 2011
The Christian pop rock band has a new album with tracks that include: Made For You, Right Beside You, One Foot, Listen To The Sound, War Zone, Where I Belong, You Save Me, Walls Are Coming Down, Love Has Been Spoken, and Awaken Us.

Adventures in Odyssey The Green Ring Conspiracy vol. 53
Focus on the Family, Feb. 2011
First, a backpack filled with money is found in Gower's Field; then, a mysterious man survives a nearby plane crash; and an underworld errand boy has possession of a special cell phone. This new adventure puts your kids' favorite Odyssey characters at the center of intrigue, suspense, and a scheme of international proportions! Ages 8 to 12. Four CDs.