New Releases: March 17, 2009

The Principle of the Path
Andy Stanley
Thomas Nelson, March 2009

There is often a tension between where we want to end up in life and the path we choose to get there. We fail to see that having good intentions is never good enough. Like Charlie Brown, we wrongly believe there's something to be said for trying hard. We need to understand why, in spite of our good intentions, we may have ended up at the wrong destination with our finances, our marriages, our careers, or a host of other dreams. So how do we get from where we are to where we truly want to be? The Principle of the Path is a road map to proper direction and discipline. Includes Extensive Study Guide.

Never Give Up!
Joyce Meyer
Faithwords, March 2009

Joyce Meyer is probably better equipped than anyone when it comes to never giving up. She overcame an abused childhood, a bad marriage and extremely limited opportunities to become one of the most popular author/speakers in the world. JoyceMeyerMinistries was the first ministry in America to be headed by a woman, and it's one of the largest in the world. If anyone knows how to hold on to a dream and realize it, it's her. Packed with examples of people who pursued their goals relentlessly, the book profiles nearly fifty individuals who prevailed against all odds. From the builder of the Brooklyn Bridge to the chemists who invented Post-It notes we meet people like Bessie Coleman, an African-American who had to go to flight school in Paris in order to learn how to fly. But she did, becoming the first woman in America to earn her pilot's license in 1920.

The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived
Steven Scott
Waterbrook Press, March 2009

Just as the sun blinds our eyes to a sky filled with stars, Jesus’ deity can blind us to the unseen riches of His humanity. In The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived, Steven K. Scott reveals the hidden treasures to be found in Christ’s life as a human. When you learn from Jesus’ life on earth, your own life will be propelled to a whole new level of achievement, happiness, and success. As you look at Jesus’ life, you will learn how to:

•Find new meanings that will raise your life to new heights.
•Develop missions that will produce greater creativity and productivity.
•Communicate messages that will move the minds and hearts of your listeners.
•Act in a manner that attracts others, increases your value, and heightens your self-esteem.
•Adopt a method that accelerates extraordinary success.
•Discover your incredible worth.
•Give and receive a type of love that is truer than any you have experienced before.
Let the greatest Man who ever lived turn your purpose-driven life into a purpose-accomplished life!

Put Your Dream to the Test
John Maxwell
Thomas Nelson, March 2 009

What's the difference between a dreamer and someone who achieves a dream? According to best-selling author Dr. John Maxwell, the answer lies in answering ten powerful, yet straightforward, questions. Whether you've lost sight of an old dream or you are searching for a new one within you, Put Your Dream to the Test provides a step-by-step action plan that you can start using today to see, own, and reach your dream. Dr. Maxwell draws on his forty years of mentoring experience to expertly guide you through the ten questions required of every successful dreamer: The Ownership Question, The Clarity Question, The Reality Question, The Passion Question, The Pathway Question, The People Question, The Cost Question, The Tenacity Question, The Fulfillment Question, The Significance Question. More importantly, Dr. Maxwell helps you to create the right answers, giving you principles and tips to so you can make good decisions and maximize every moment to achieve your dream. Don't leave your dream to chance. This book is a must-have and can make the difference between failure and success.

A Love to L ast Forever
Tracie Peterson
Bethany House, March 2009

All Beth Gallatin has really wanted out of life is to settle down in one town, with one man, and raise a family. But with her father's roaming ways, she's always been denied that dream; instead, she found solace in reading romantic books. With her father's passing, she can, for the first time, dare to claim the rugged Montana frontier as her home. Nick Lassiter has loved Beth since she first came to town, but she's always seemed to think of him more as a brother. Just when he finally gets Beth to consider him, however, a challenger threatens the affection growing between them. But neither Nick nor Beth is prepared when they must face the consequences of Nick's complicated past. As a past fraught with unwise choices and guilt invades their world, can Nick and Beth find a love that will last forever?

Work in Progress: An Unfinished Woman's Guide to Grace
Kristin Armstrong
Faith Words, March 2009

When Kristin Armstrong was in the pit of her divorce, she eagerly read every spiritual book and devotional she could get her hands on out of a hunger to connect with someone who knew exactly what she was going through and how she felt. Now, at a time when society offers so many conflicting messages about what it means to be a woman, Kristin invites readers to discover grace as a way of life. Using real-life anecdotes, biblical wisdom, and insight born of hard experience, Kristin teaches women the twelve traits of grace, inviting reflection and interaction. Warm, engaging, and practical, WORK IN PROGRESS examines what God has to say about being His kind of woman in the twenty-first century.


The Fight of Your Life
Jeffrey Dean
Multnomah, February 2009

Christian parents today feel replaced as the primary influence in their teen’s lives--undermined at school, invaded by the web, and in the dark about what’s really going on. Truth is, says teen expert Jeffrey Dean, parents don’t know the half of it! In The Fight of Your Life, Dean offers a frank, solutions-oriented plan for parents who want to protect their teens from dangerous choices and guide them toward God’s best–and are ready to fight to make it happen. First Dean gives parents a shocking but invaluable inside view of what teens are up against. Then he helps parents discover their irreplaceable role in their kids’ success. Along the way he tackles hot button issues--sex, partying, porn, cheating and eating disorders--and coaches parents on how to protect and grow a healthy relationship with their teens.


Really Woolly: The Tree of Life
DaySpring, February 2009
When the tree that Jacob and Gracie love playing in is cut down to make room for a new road to Woollyville, the two learn a valuable, God-honoring lesson of losing something we love for the greater good of the future. The newest Really Woolly adventure, this 30-minute DVD also includes a FREE Online Event Experience.

New Releases: March 12, 2009

Take Everything
Seventh Day Slumber
Bec Records, March 2009

Seventh Day Slumber follows a string of successful studio albums with a sincere worship offering, blending their edgy hard rock style with a solid set of Christian classics and cherished songs of worship. Take Everything includes "Lead Me To the Cross," "How Great is Our God," "I Can Only Imagine," and nine more.

Intentional Walk: More devotions for baseball fans
Poland, Hugh
Judson Press, March 2009

From the author of Judson Press's best-selling Steal Away: Devotions for Baseball Fans comes another volume of inspiration for fans of America's favorite pastime. Features stories about the Branch Rickey, Curt Schilling, Frank Pastore, Ted Williams, Rube Waddell, and Ty Cobb, and draws spiritual insight from these modern parables. The book is divided into four sections: Getting to First, Sliding into Second, Rounding Third, and Heading for Home. Each chapter begins with a Scripture, includes a sidebar quote from a baseball player or coach, and concludes with a daily application for the reader's own "Intentional Walk."

Inside the Revolution
Rosenberg, Joel
Tyndale, March 2009

Inside the Revolution takes you inside the winner-take-all battle for the hearts, minds, and souls of the people of the Middle East. It includes never-before-seen profiles of the Radicals, the Reformers and the Revivalists. It explains the implications of each movement and the importance of each leader–not only through the lenses of politics and economics but through the third lens of Scripture as well. Today, wars and revolutions define the modern Middle East, and many believe the worst is yet to come.

• How real and serious is the threat of Radical Islam to American national security eight years after 9/11?
• Are there any Muslim leaders who oppose the violence of the Radicals—and is there any hope that such leaders will come to power in key countries in the Middle East?
• What is God doing in the Middle East—and is there any hope that Muslims will find faith in Jesus Christ?
• How can we as Christians help strengthen our brothers and sisters who love Jesus in the Muslim world, and how can we reach out to Muslims here at home?

Thriving Despite a Difficult Marriage
Misja, Michael and Misja, Chuck
NavPress, March 2009

Is your marriage failing to meet your "happily ever after" expectations? Is your spouse unresponsive to you, refusing to change? Offering hope and a unique perspective, the Misja brothers---both Christian psychologists---explain that God's standard for your marriage is primarily faithfulness, not happiness. Learn how to maintain meaning, purpose, godliness, endurance, and optimism for your not-so-perfect relationship. 160 pages, softcover from NavPress.

The Power of a Praying Church
Omartian, Stormie
Harvest House Publishers, March 2009

Believers are promised God’s powerful presence when they gather with others in prayer. Now bestselling authors Stormie Omartian (more than 10 million books sold) and her longtime pastor, Jack Hayford, look at the life–changing benefits and world–changing effects that result from praying with others. Readers will see how they can

• strengthen their personal prayer times with God
• experience the joy of finding a prayer partner
• change their lives by becoming part of a dynamic prayer group
• uncover the far–reaching power of a praying church
• discover how in the world they can make a difference

As they boldly enter into close fellowship with other believers to effect change in the world, they will touch lives and needs with the power of the Father in heaven.

Take One
Kingsbury, Karen
Zondervan, March 2009

Two unknown producers struggle to fulfill their dreams to change lives through the power of film. With millions of investors’ dollars on the line, everything starts to fall apart and they realize they may be in over their heads. Is it possible to beat the odds and make a movie unlike anything ever done before? Or, will they lose everything in the process?

New Releases: March 3, 2009

The Hole in Our Gospel
Richard Stearns
Thomas Nelson Publishing, February 2009

It's 1998 and Richard Stearns' heart is breaking as he sits in a mud hut and listens to the story of an orphaned child in Rakai, Uganda. His journey to this place took more than a long flight from the United States to Africa. It took answering God's call on his life, a call that hurtled him out of his presidential corner office at Lenox-America's finest tableware company-to this humble corner of Uganda. This is a story of how a cor porate CEO faced his own struggle to obey God whatever the cost, and his passionate call for Christians to change the world by actively living out their faith. Using his own journey as an example, Stearns explores the hole that exists in our understanding of the Gospel. Two thousand years ago, twelve people changed the world. Stearns believes it can happen again.


My Sing-Along Bible (The Beginner's Bible)
Zonderkids, February 2009

Introduce your child to God’s Word in the most memorable way – through song! My Sing-Along Bible features eight popular Bible stories using the child-friendly art from The Beginner’s Bible, the bestse lling story Bible of our time with over 6 million copies sold. Corresponding classic Christian songs will inspire your children to grow in their faith and understanding of the Bible. Also includes two bonus songs for added fun: “Praise Him All Ye Little Children” and “If You’re Happy and You Know It”. The Beginner’s Bible is the perfect starting point for children as they discover the life and fun of the Bible, just like millions of children before.


Apologetics for a New Generation
Sean McDowell
Harvest House, February 2009

Many teenagers leave home for college but don’t take their faith with them. Popular writer and speaker Sean McDowell offers a solution for this problem: a new way of approaching faith that addresses the questions the emerging generation is asking and that incorporates a radically humble and relational approach. An impressive list of contributors including Dan Kimball (They Like Jesus but Not the Church), Brian Godawa (Hollywood Worldviews), and Josh McDowell show that today’s apologetics must employ...

• a clear connection with everyday life
• an invitation for people to express their doubts and wrestle with tough questions
• a culturally savvy understanding of the way secular people view Christians
• an engaging methodology that captures the imagination before engaging the mind
• a strong emphasis on the resurrection and how it changes everything

This resource is imperative for leaders who are ready to engage a new generation with the claims of Christ.

Thrive, Don't Simply Survive
Karol Ladd
Howard Publishing, February 2009

Life is unpredictable and often doesn't turn out as we'd planned. The things that matter most to us -- marriages, children, careers, families, and friends -- sometimes fall apart and leave us only with deflated dreams. Whether you're struggling with the big issues of life or simply over- whelmed by the demands of every single day, Karol Ladd's powerful biblical principles will give you the help you need. In this book, you will discover how to redefine your unexpected life, and you'll learn concrete skills that will help you move past simply surviving and into a thriving life that is lived passionately and with joy.New purpose and hope await you just beyond the cover of this book.


Significant Living
Jerry & Shirley Rose
Whitaker House, March 2009

They say life begins at fifty. Is that just an advertising slogan? Can we really begin again? Whether you are a baby boomer or approaching middle age, authors and veteran TV personalities Jerry and Shirley Rose show you how to make the second half of your life exciting, full, and significant. Maybe you have had happy years raising a family but now have time to explore new opportunities. Maybe your jobs have felt like dead ends, and you have struggled your whole life to discover purpose and joy in living. Perhaps you have had a full career but now are lacking passion in life. Regardless of our circumstances, many of us do not know how to redirect our lives toward significance. We need guidance. We need a road map to give us direction for finding the meaning God wants our lives to have. You can reinvent your life and make it truly significant! It is never too late to find your purpose and continue growing spiritually, emotionally, intellectually, relationally, and vocationally. Join Jerry and Shirley in a celebration of life and faith after fifty as you find renewed meaning and significance for the second half of your life!

New Releases: February 25, 2009

Innocence & Instinct (CD)
Red
Provident/Sony, February 2009

For people who haven't heard the first effort, Red's style is best described as melodic modern rock. The songs run the mix from displaying hard and heavy headbang-inducing riffs (Death of Me, Fight Inside) to softer, chill-at-night ballads if I must (Take It All Away, the cover of Ordinary World). Don't expect any soloing. This band is all about well-written lyrics that convey a very positive message, and well-executed vocals from both the lead and backup vocalists. Overall, I think the style can be likened to a cross between 10 Years (melodic) and Pillar (hard and heavy).



The Jesus Chronicles: Luke's Story
Tim LaHaye & Jerry Jenkins
Putnam Praise, February 2009

Luke never met Jesus. Unlike the other Gospel writers, he never witnessed Jesus perform miracles or heard Him impart the Word that healed the souls of so many. No, his was a belief built on faith alone, like that of believers today. And his Gospel, filled with the stories of the Lord’s divinity, speaks to the hearts of Christians everywhere. In Luke’s Story, we follow him as he rises from Greek slave to university-educated physician. Along the way, he meets Saul of Tarsus, a formidable Hebrew debater who becomes both Luke’s role model and greatest competitor. Luke is intrigued but skeptical when he hears tales of a man named Jesus who purportedly performs great miracles of healing. But the dramatic story of the conversion and redemption of Saul, now called Paul, and the miraculous healing of one of his own patients by prayer, irreversibly changes Luke’s spiritual life. He pledges himself to Christ and makes the life-changing choice to write a Gospel based on years of interviewing believers about their conversions and listening to stories of the Lord’s life from those who knew Him—most important, His mother, Mary. Luke wrote his Gospel to appeal to women, nonbelievers, and the disenfranchised. The result is scripture rich in the miraculous stories of Jesus that touches people all over the world today.



An Untroubled Heart
Micca Campbell
David C. Cook, March 2009

Micca Campbell knows all too well the unpredictable nature of life. As the 21-year-old mother of an infant son, her world was shattered when she lost her husband to a tragic accident. Reeling from her loss, Micca feared for her future, and struggled to overcome her aching loneliness. Yet in her darkest moment, she discovered God's remedy for our deepest fears. Micca presents a woman's guide for living a carefree, worry-free life. She explores the anxieties of every woman's heart from insecurities, to finances, to marital challenges, to raising healthy children. With her distinctive southern flair and casual humor, Micca shares remarkable insights for finding freedom from fear. You'll be encouraged to lay down your worries, trust in your Heavenly Father, and embrace a life marked by peace and joy. (Includes Bible Study questions at the end of each chapter.)

Lost and Found
Stetzer, Stanley, Hayes
B & H, February 2009

Who are the young unchurched, and how can they be reached with the good news of Jesus Christ? In a poll result highlighted by CNN Headline News and USA Today, nearly half of nonchurchgoers between the ages of twenty and twenty-nine agreed with the statement, "Christians get on my nerves." Now, researchers behind the larger study present Lost and Found, a blend of dynamic hard data and modern day parable that tells the real story of an unchurched generation that is actually quite spiritual and yet circumspect, open to Jesus but not the church. As such, Lost and Found is written to the church, using often-surprising results from the copious research here to strike another nerve and break some long established assumptions about how to effectively engage the lost. Ed Stetzer and his associates first offer a detailed investigation of the four younger unchurched types. With a better understanding of their unique experiences, they next clarify the importance each type places on community, depth of content, social responsibility, and making cross-generational connections in relation to spiritual matters. Most valuably, Lost and Found finds the churches that have learned to reach unchurched young adults by paying close attention to those key markers vetted by the research. Their exciting stories will make it clear how your church can bring searching souls from this culture to authentic faith in Christ. Those who are lost can indeed be found. Come take a closer look.

Quite Confidence for a Woman's Heart
Elizabeth George
Harvest House, March 2009

This inspiring devotional journey through Psalm 23 encourages women to walk ever more closely with God. Bestselling author Elizabeth George shows women 12 truths that will help them in every season of life. As readers discover how David, a man of faith and failure, overcame his challenges and built his trust in God, they will uncover strength for their own journey as they embrace promises of: provision for all that a woman needs, healing of brokenness and past wounds, comfort for the trials, protection for their physical and spiritual journey, and guidance for decisions and choices. God’s assurances create a powerful foundation for every woman to stand on and depend on as they live out a life of faith and hope with an unfailing confidence in Christ.

New Releases: February 18, 2009

Experiencing The Spirit
Henry & Melvin Blackaby
Multnomah, February 2009

The first Christians “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6) shaking the gates of hell even in the face of severe persecution. The result: People all around “were filled with wonder and amazement” (Acts 3:10). What can give Christians today the same impact? God’s Holy Spirit is ready to answer that for us in an awesome way, as Henry Blackaby and his son Mel Blackaby make clear in Experiencing the Spirit. You’ll see how the proof of the Spirit’s presence is our awareness of God’s personal assignments for us, plus our supernatural enablement to carry out those assignments. You’ll find essential clarification on the difference between natural talents and spiritual gifts. You’ll explore the dynamics of being filled with the Spirit through intimate relationship with Him, committed obedience, and radical departure from sin. Instead of considering what you can do for God with your abilities and talents, you’ll be encouraged here to seek what God wants to do through you supernaturally by His Spirit, empowering you beyond your personal competence and capacities.



Gigi's Ginormous Sneeze (DVD)
Thomas Nelson, March 2009

It's the perfect day with several fluffy feet of new snow! Gigi and Frances have all kinds of fun planned, but without warning, somebody comes down with a serious cold. When great disappointment strikes, what's the most important thing to do? Based on Philippians 4:6-7. This includes 2 fully-animated videos on one DVD!




It's a Green Thing
Melody Carlson
Multnomah, February 2009

For the first time that she can remember, Maya Stark is beginning to feel like a “normal” teenager. Even with her mother in jail for drug possession and her pop-star father away on his comeback tour, Maya’s new life with her uncle Allen and cousin Kim is coming together. Summer vacation’s just beginning, and with a new job, a new boyfriend, and a new car (hybrid, of course), things are finally starting to look up. But that doesn’t mean life is about to get any easier. Maya’s still devoted to living Green, and her uncle offers her a Green column in his newspaper. With the opportunity to make a difference in the town’s attitude toward the environment, Maya wonders how this fits with her newfound commitment to Christ. And if she can really consider herself a Christian when her feelings toward a fellow youth group member are anything but loving…



Finally Alive
John Piper
Christian Focused Publications, February 2009

Why is the church so ineffectual and characterized by the mosaic generation as unchristian? The term born again has been devalued both in society and in the church. Recent social studies surveys have shown that those who regard themselves as born again Christians have the same tendency to divorce as people who aren't Christians at all! In these surveys, being born again is defined by what people say they believe. The New Testament defines Christians very differently. Piper defines new birth biblically and helps us to embrace the reality of it. I hope that showing that the new birth is not in our control helps make pastors and other Christians desperate for the supernatural in their ministries



His Name Is Jesus
Max Lucado
Thomas Nelson, March 2009

This is Max Lucado's first book that journey's from the birth of Christ to His resurrection. Drawing from his classic writing on Jesus combined with new reflections and breathtaking art, Max Lucado again opens our eyes and hearts to the life and work of the Savior in a way that will change lives forever. "Jesus was, at once, common and not; alternately normal and heroic. One minute blending in with the domino players in the park, the next commanding the hell out of madmen, disease out of the dying, and death out of the dead." Who was this man who spoke as easily with kids and fishermen as widows and waves? It is the question that has echoed down through the centuries to us today, and here is a visually stunning book that answers aspects of that question.



Franchising McChurch: Feeding Our Obsession with Easy Christianity
Thomas White & John Yeats
David C. Cook, February 2009

We live in a fast-food nation where the service is efficient, the products are peer-tested, and size is king. And this consumer-driven approach is seeping into the church. Across the country churches are creating entertaining, pop culture-savvy services that feel more market-driven than ministry focused. And what's on the menu? A proven blend of dynamic music, high-tech dazzle, and topical teachings. And just like any successful product, churches are launching campuses that build on their brand. Franchising McChurch takes an honest look at the rise of consumer-minded ministries. Candid and compelling, it calls us back to the heart of Christ's church and shares the Biblical design for delivering meaningful, life-changing ministry in a fast-food world.