New Releases

Bringing Up Girls
James Dobson
Tyndale Publishers, April 2010
You’ve got daughters? Then you’ve got questions. Parents, teachers, and others involved in shaping the character of girls have a lot on their minds:

• Are girls really fundamentally different from boys? If so, should they be treated differently?
• Whoever said that girls are “sugar and spice and everything nice” never met my teenager. What can I do?
• My adolescent daughter seems to be on an emotional roller coaster. One minute she’s giddy with excitement; the next she’s moody and withdrawn. Is this normal?
• As a mom, I so badly want to be “best friends” with my daughter. Why isn’t it working out the way I dreamed?
• How does a dad’s role in his daughter’s life influence her character and decisions—including her eventual choice of a husband?
• How can grandparents contribute to raising a healthy granddaughter?
• What’s the best way to educate girls?
• How are girls affected when their parents divorce?
• What should we be doing to shape the next generation of women?

In Bringing Up Girls, Dr. James Dobson, America’s foremost authority on parenting, tackles these and many other questions, offering wisdom and encouragement based on a firm foundation of biblical principles.

Imaginary Jesus
Matt Mikalatos
BarnaBooks, March 2010
Imaginary Jesus is an hilarious, fast-paced, not-quite-fictional story that's unlike anything you've ever read before. When Matt Mikalatos realizes that his longtime buddy in the robe and sandals isn't the real Jesus at all, but an imaginary one, he embarks on a mission to find the real thing. On his wild ride through time, space, and Portland, Oregon, he encounters hundreds of other Imaginary Jesuses determined to stand in his way (like Legalistic Jesus, Perpetually Angry Jesus, and Magic 8 Ball Jesus). But Matt won't stop until he finds the real Jesus-and finally gets an answer to the question that's haunted him for years. Be warned: Imaginary Jesus may bring you face-to-face with an imposter in your own life.

Giving Church Another Chance
Todd Hunter
IVP Books, February 2010
Everybody wants to be spiritual. But nobody wants to be religious. Everybody is looking for a rich spiritual life. But nobody is looking to church.As a pastor, Todd Hunter found himself disillusioned, burned out and needing to drop out of traditional forms of church. He experimented with house churches and other options but was still dissatisfied. Eventually he found himself sneaking off to worship services on Sunday mornings with surprising results.What did the historic spiritual practices of church do for him? How did they lead to a life of centered peace, chart a path to simplicity and cause him to reach out to others while focusing on the glory of God?Walk with Hunter on this journey to find spiritual riches in a surprising place. You might just give church another chance.

The Bride Collector
Ted Dekker
Center Street, April 2010
He loves them because they are beautiful. He kills them because he loves them. A virtuoso killer is carving a path of death across the west, intent on killing only the most beautiful women, all in the name of love. He has claimed six victims and slipped through the FBIÂ’s fingers, each time leaving behind a hand written note and a bridal veil. Full of surprising wit and hair-raising twists that will keep you riveted to the end, The Bride Collector will haunt you with a new way of looking at beauty, love and the world in which you live.

The First Three Gears
Relient K
Gotee Records, April 2010
Combining their self-titled album with The Anatomy of the Tongue in Cheek and Two Lefts Don't Make a Right . . . but Three Do, this collection offers rock 'n' roll for listeners of all ages. Includes "Wake Up Call," "Nancy Drew," "Sadie Hawkins Dance," "Breakfast at Timpani's," "Mood Rings," "College Kids," "Gibberish," and more, plus five bonus tracks. Three CDs.

New Releases

Letters to God
Patrick Doughtie and John Perry
Zondervan, February 2010
Inspired by the major motion picture Letters to God, this novel is for readers eager to read more of this inspiring story. Tyler, a nine-year-old boy, is stricken with incurable brain cancer and begins to write letters to God. He turns his suffering into spiritual lessons for his widowed mother, his embittered adolescent brother, and a troubled postman. This story of hope will help readers from all walks work toward greater understanding of God's presence and care.

Letters to God
Patrick and Heather Doughtie
Zonderkidz, February 2010
'I thought maybe God didn't hear me, so I decided to write him a letter.' In his search for a special compass, a young boy writes a letter to God and reveals, to himself and others, the miracle of God's hand in every situation. This book is inspired by the true story of Tyler, whose life is told in the major motion picture Letters to God. Patrick and Heather Doughtie, authors and parents of the real-life Tyler, share the endearing story of their son's inspiring and contagious faith.

Letters to God Journal
Zondervan, February 2010
This journal inspired by the major motion picture Letters to God is an appealing and innovative tool for helping people build stronger, more fulfilling prayer lives. Building on the popularity of the film, in which a dying boy shares his fears, hopes, and dreams with God through letters, this easy-to-use journal helps unlock the mystery of prayer by enabling users to talk with God the way they would pour out their hearts in letters to their best friends. Complete with examples and Scripture verses on prayer, it offers the practical, yet inspired advice that both instructs and motivates. Readers will be able to turn to one of the blank journal pages and start praying.

Prayer: Your Own Letter to God
Andre Dugger
Zondervan, February 2010
Inspired by the major motion picture Letters to God, this insight-filled guide offers Christians creative, practical advice on how to strengthen their relationship with God. Writing their own letters to God, readers of all ages---both newcomers to faith and lifelong prayer warriors---will develop and strengthen their prayer lives. Hands-on strategies and exercises, featured at the end of each chapter, ensure this book will be used and studied over and over again. Readers will rely on it not only for help in writing to God daily, but also for: * Clear, concise descriptions of prayer * Guidance on how to pray * Thoughts on for whom and for what to pray * Insight into why to pray and when to pray Written by the real-life pastor of the young boy portrayed in the movie, this book is a practical primer for prayer that will build on the powerful message of the film as it inspires believers for years to come.

If I Could Ask God Anything
Kathryn Slattery
Tommy Nelson, March 2010
Awesome Bible answers for curious kids!
If I Could Ask God Anything is a unique kid-friendly book jam-packed with clear, fresh answers to important questions about God, faith, prayer, and Christianity in language that children can understand. Using kid-friendly language, established author Kathryn Slattery tackles "toughies" such as:

• If God is invisible, how do I know He is real?
• Did Jesus live on Earth before or after the dinosaurs?
• Why should I go to church?
• When I die, do I become an angel with a halo and wings?
• How can the Holy Spirit help me?
• Does God stop loving me when I sin?

This book will help young readers establish a closer relationship with God as well as help parents nurture their child’s mind and spirit with this well-rounded, Scripture-based guide.

The Telling
Beverly Lewis
Bethany House, April 2010
Grace Byler leaves Bird-in-Hand in a fancy car to search for her mother in Ohio. But what if Lettie Byler doesn't wish to be found? Meanwhile, Lettie continues her private quest to find the missing piece of her life. As clues take her from state to state, she is increasingly torn between the family she has left behind and the yearning for her long-lost child. Struggling to come to terms with a grave medical diagnosis, Heather Nelson is determined to forgo traditional medicine--to her father's chagrin--in hopes of finding answers and healing in Amish country. But first, she offers to drive her Amish friend, Grace Byler, to Ohio Amish country. Will mother and daughter, and one seriously ill graduate student, find the answers they long for? Or will "the telling" cause them all further pain?

Book Review

Deliberate Simplicity : How the church does more by doing less
by Dave Browning
Zondervan 2009

This is a good book for church leaders or ministry leaders. It inspires us to pare down and be simpler, so we can actually reach more people for Christ. Less can be more. The main concept is an alternative to the mega church model. We (Christians) should GO out where the people are; not ask the people (non-Christians) to COME to us (in our church building). Browning encourages us to worship in public spaces and convene in homes. Increase; include; "go viral". Not to be a large church with programs that are for the church goers; but be out in the community as multiple smaller cells doing whatever ministry work God is calling and leading us to at that time.

Browning writes through his experiences as part of Christ the King Community Church International, a nondenominational multisite church with locations in twelve states and seven countries. He uses scripture to show that this model of multiple small churches that are part of the larger body of Christ is how the early church went about fulfilling the great commission. It is easier to turn a small boat, than it is a larger vessel, as we follow God and join Him where he is at work around us. The deliberately simple church is focused on doing a few things and doing these few things well. If a program doesn't help us love God and love people better, it doesn't continue.

6 Elements to the New Equation: Minimality, Intentionality, Reality, Multility, Velocity, Scalability (they all work together)
Keep it simple. Keep it missional. Keep it real. Keep it cellular. Keep it moving. Keep it expanding.

Reviewed by Diane Busch

New Releases

Start Here: Doing Hard Things Right Where You Are
Alex & Brett Harris
Multnomah, March 2010
You want to do hard things.
But you don’t know where to start. You are changing the world around you. But you are tired and burned out. You feel called to do the extraordinary for God. But you feel stuck in the ordinary.
Do Hard Things inspired thousands of young people around the world to make the most of the teen years. Now Alex and Brett Harris are back and ready to tackle the questions that Do Hard Things inspired: How do I get started? What do I do when I get discouraged? What’s the best way to inspire others? Filled with stories and insights from Alex, Brett, and other real-life rebelutionaries, Start Here is a powerful and practical guide to doing hard things, right where you are. Are you ready to take the next step and blast past mediocrity for the glory of God?
START HERE.

Here Burns My Candle
Liz Curtis Higgs
WaterBrook Press, March 2010
A mother who cannot face her future. A daughter who cannot escape her past.
Lady Elisabeth Kerr is a keeper of secrets. A Highlander by birth and a Lowlander by marriage, she honors the auld ways, even as doubts and fears stir deep within her. Her husband, Lord Donald, has secrets of his own, well hidden from the household, yet whispered among the town gossips. His mother, the dowager Lady Marjory, hides gold beneath her floor and guilt inside her heart. Though her two abiding passions are maintaining her place in society and coddling her grown sons, Marjory's many regrets, buried in Greyfriars Churchyard, continue to plague her. One by one the Kerr family secrets begin to surface, even as bonny Prince Charlie and his rebel army ride into Edinburgh in September 1745, intent on capturing the crown. A timeless story of love and betrayal, loss and redemption, flickering against the vivid backdrop of eighteenth-century Scotland, Here Burns My Candle illumines the dark side of human nature, even as hope, the brightest of tapers, lights the way home. A reader's guide and Scottish glossary are included.

Take Three (Above the Line Series vol. 3)
Karen Kingsbury
Zondervan, March 2010
Chase Ryan and Keith Ellison set out to change the world with their films---and they are finally seeing their dreams come true. The dedicated producers are deep in negotiations with America's top young movie star to play the lead in their next inspirational movie. But life takes a sudden turn for Chase, removing him from Jeremiah Productions permanently. In the process, Keith brings on one of the Baxter family members and the moviemaking continues. At the same time, a crisis hits Keith's daughter, Andi, and Keith feels helpless to respond. Devastated by the consequences of her wrong actions, Andi ventures out on her own and decides on a course of action that could destroy her. Meanwhile, Bailey Flanigan is caught up in her own drama with Cody Coleman. A Campus Crusade retreat gives them time alone along the shores of Lake Monroe and lets them face a possibility they've avoided for years. Will Keith keep the passion he had at the start of his filmmaking---and will there be enough passion left over for his hurting daughter? Or has their quest to change American culture become nothing more than a quest for fame?

New Releases

The Christian Atheist: Believing in God but Living as if He Doesn't Exist
Craig Groeschel
Zondervan, March 2010
The more I looked, the more I found Christian Atheists everywhere.' Former Christian Atheist Craig Groeschel knows his subject all too well. After over a decade of successful ministry, he had to make a painful self admission: although he believed in God, he was leading his church like God didn't exist. To Christians and non-Christians alike, to the churched and the unchurched, the journey leading up to Groeschel's admission and the journey that follows---from his family and his upbringing to the lackluster and even diametrically opposed expressions of faith he encountered---will look and sound like the story of their own lives. Now the founding and senior pastor of the multicampus, pace-setting LiveChurch.tv, Groeschel personal journey toward a more authentic God-honoring life is more relevant than ever. Christians and Christian Atheists everywhere will be nodding their heads as they are challenged to take their own honest moment and ask the question: am I putting my whole faith in God but still living as if everything was up to me?

Son of Hamas
Mosab Yousef
SaltRiver, March 2010
Since he was a small boy, Mosab Hassan Yousef has had an inside view of the deadly terrorist group Hamas. The oldest son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef, a founding member of Hamas and its most popular leader, young Mosab assisted his father for years in his political activities while being groomed to assume his legacy, politics, status . . . and power. But everything changed when Mosab turned away from terror and violence, and embraced instead the teachings of another famous Middle East leader. In Son of Hamas, Mosab Yousef--now called "Joseph"--reveals new information about the world's most dangerous terrorist organization and unveils the truth about his own role, his agonizing separation from family and homeland, the dangerous decision to make his newfound faith public, and his belief that the Christian mandate to "love your enemies" is the only way to peace in the Middle East.

Untamed: Reactivating a Missional Form of Discipleship
Alan & Debra Hirsch
Baker Books, February 2010
Discipleship is costly. Are we willing to critique and even challenge much we've been taught for the sake of the kingdom? For this is the radical nature of the discipleship to which Jesus calls us. He did not allow the outside culture to hold him captive; instead he established the kingdom of God and turned the world on its head. Jesus was untamed, and he calls his church to be the same. In this provocative and compelling book, internationally known missiologists Alan and Debra Hirsch overthrow culturized understandings of theology and culture, and cast a vision for a distinctly mission-shaped way of living the Christian life. Written for any Christian serious about issue of discipleship, Untamed covers such topics as church, humans as bearers of the image of God, family life, culture, and sexuality. Through it all they seek to answer the question, how are we to think and live day to day as followers of Jesus? Each chapter ends with suggested practices to help readers begin to live out the book's principles as well as questions for group discussion.

10 Minutes to Powerful Prayer
Stormie Omartian
Harvest House Publishers, March 2010
Are you new to prayer? Do you desire a deeper depth to your prayer life? If so, Stormie's new bedside book, 10 Minutes to Powerful Prayer, can help you out. Inside you'll find 10 suggestions that might help you make your prayer time more meaningful and rewarding.


An Invitation to Prayer for Mothers
Jack Countryman
Thomas Nelson Books, March 2010
As a mom, what's the most powerful tool you have at your disposal? Prayer! Equipping you to access the true Source of guidance, encouragement, and patience, more than 90 alphabetically arranged prayers with Scripture help you become open to God's will, know his peace, and raise your children to godly adulthood. Includes journaling space.

Her Mother's Hope (Marta's Legacy vol. 1)
Francine Rivers
Tyndale House, March 2010
The first in an epic two-book saga by beloved author Francine Rivers, this sweeping story explores the complicated relationships between mothers and daughters over several generations. Near the turn of the 20th century, fiery Marta leaves Switzerland determined to find life on her own terms. Her journey takes her through Europe and finally lands her with children and husband in tow in the central valley of California. Marta's experiences convince her that only the strong survive. Hildie, Marta's oldest daughter, has a heart to serve others, and her calling as a nurse gives her independence, if not the respect of her mother. Amid the drama of WWII, Hildie marries and begins a family of her own. She wants her daughter never to doubt her love-but the challenges of life conspire against her vow. Each woman is forced to confront her faulty but well-meaning desire to help her daughter find her God-given place in the world.

No Distance Too Far (Home to Blessing vol. 2)
Lauraine Snelling
Bethany House, March 2010
Astrid Bjorklund wants to use her medical training to serve God and feels that He might be leading her in the direction of missionary work. Smarting from a misunderstanding with Joshua Landsverk, the young man she thought she loved, she heads east to a missionary training school, hoping to eventually use her skills in some remote outpost in Africa.When she is called home unexpectedly to help in a family medical emergency, Astrid learns of a deadly measles outbreak on the nearby Indian reservation. She immediately senses the Spirit tugging her to help the Indians and wonders if her "mission field" is not so far away as she had imagined. But if she follows God's call, will love pass her by?

Passion Awakening CD
Passion Band
Sparrow Records, February 2010
sixstepsrecords presents Passion's latest disc, highlighting some of the best moments of Passion 2010 in Atlanta, GA with over 22,000 university students. The album will feature new music from Chris Tomlin, David Crowder*Band, Charlie Hall, Matt Redman, Christy Nockels, Kristian Stanfill and more. Uniting tens of thousands of university students in an effort to make God's fame known in the campuses and churches of the nation, the Passion movement continues to gain momentum. According to Passion founder and leader, Louie Giglio, "At the heart of it all, Passion exists to see a generation stake their lives on what matters most. For us, that is the fame of the One who rescues and restores, and our opportunity to amplify His name in everything we do. Having completed in 2009 a six-continent, seventeen-city World Tour, we are convinced more than ever that God is raising up a generation all around the globe that is passionate about making their lives count for His fame. From London to Jakarta, Tokyo to Johannesburg, Sao Paula to Sydney we have seen their faces and had the privilege of saying with them, "Greater things have yet to come and greater things are still to be done." That's true globally, and in the cities and campuses of our nation, and why we are so excited about Passion Twenty Ten. More than simply an event, Passion Twenty Ten is another step in a journey that is all about finding true meaning as we take our places in a story that is so much bigger than ourselves. It's about trading in small dreams for a role in a grand epic that is shaping history and has no end. And it's a rare chance for tens of thousands of university-aged young people to gather from across the US and around the world to celebrate their common faith and purpose."

Pieces of a Real Heart CD
Sanctus Real
Sparrow Records, February 2010
Sanctus Real returns with their new studio album Pieces of a Real Heart. Working with acclaimed producers Chris Stevens (TobyMac, Sanctus Real, Matthew West) and Jason Ingram & Rusty Varenkamp (Tenth Avenue North, Rush of Fools, Bebo Norman) this album finds the band maturing and growing as songwriters and individuals. Pieces of a Real Heart is the sound of a rock band retaining their aggressive edge but incorporating more diverse musical instrumentation and sounds Their debut single "Forgiven" explores the theme of forgiveness in a profound and simple way. "The working-out of forgiveness is so key to our growth and maturity as followers of Jesus," says lead singer Matt Hammitt. "The very idea that we have been forgiven for so much wrong - moves, reforms, transforms and heals us. As we were framing `Forgiven' around this concept, we realized that this was such a fundamental aim for all of us - to forgive and be forgiven." The standout track "Lead Me" is further evidence of the band's musical and lyrical growth, as the song follows a husband striving to lead his wife and family.

The Jesus Series - Easter Read and Share DVD Bible
Gwen Ellis
Thomas Nelson, January 2010
It's Easter morning, and your 3- to 7-year-olds are alive with excitement. Now's the perfect time to share the most joyful news of all! Animated straight from the pages of Gwen Ellis's Read and Share Bible, this uninterrupted presentation tells the story of Jesus' last and greatest week on Earth. Belongs in every Easter basket! Dove approved. Approx. 30 minutes.

This Little Prayer of Mine
Anthony DeStefano
Waterbrook Press, February 2010
Nothing Compares to Childlike Faith.
I know you're up in heaven, God,
and can hear my voice from there.
I'm just a little child.
Will you answer my short prayer?
So begins this delightful book that affirms God's readiness to answer our prayers, no matter what our age. With engaging rhymes and beautiful illustrations, This Little Prayer of Mine assures children that God is always near--watching, listening, caring, and eager to respond to their requests. They'll also learn that prayer isn't just about asking for things, but about sharing their feelings of sadness and uncertainty as well as of thanksgiving and joy. Most importantly, This Little Prayer of Mine reminds children—and those who love them—that they can trust God to tenderly care for them, no matter what the future holds.