Wednesday, July 28, 2010

New Releases

To Save a Life DVD
Outreach Inc.
Outreach Inc., July 2010
To Save A Life is a powerful independent film about a popular teenager whose life spins out of control when one of his former friends commits suicide. Written by seasoned youth pastor Jim Britts, this Christian flick deals with some of the real-life challenges teens are facing today and their choices.

The Signature of God
Grant Jeffrey
Waterbrook Press, July 2010
As American society becomes more secularized, Christians need to know all the facts about the Bible. Dr. Grant R. Jeffrey has spent decades researching history, science, archaeology, medicine, and prophecy--finding that each discipline confirms the truth of Scripture. This revised and updated edition of The Signature of God proves that the Bible is not only accurate in its spiritual claims, but is completely reliable as well on matters of origins, medicine, history, and science. Historians of the ancient world--as well as recent archaeological finds--confirm the names of kings and kingdoms, and the dates of wars and mass migrations mentioned in the Bible. Recent breakthroughs in astronomy, physics, and medical science have shown that God's Word accurately described the universe and the processes of human life before scientific research caught up. And hundreds of fulfilled prophecies show that God revealed the future to his prophets in order to undergird the faith of his people. No matter how loudly the skeptics argue against Christian faith, only one conclusion makes sense: the Bible is God-breathed. You can believe every word, every claim, every prophecy, and every miracle. With no doubts.

Christians Are Hate-Filled Hypocrites...and Other Lies You've Been Told
Bradley Wright
Bethany House, June 2010
Christians are used to the stories of the media that pronounce the slow death of the church in the west. Backed up by sociological statistics and other sources of information, they often make the claim that Christians are really no different from their secular counterparts. But are they correct? In this short, but poignant book Christians Are Hate Filled Hypocrites.and Other Lies You've Been Told University of Connecticut sociologist Bradley R.E. Wright shatters these reports and shows them to be nothing but myth. For example Wright shows that:
  • Evangelicals are more respected in society today than they were 20 years ago.
  • Divorce rates of Christian couples are lower than those of non-believers
  • The percentage of young people who attend church has held steady over the past 20 years
The media, of course, would have us believe none of this. But yet it is true, and it is a testimony to the lives and health of the western church. Nevertheless all of these statements is true, but we've been told the opposite time and time again. Why is the church being misled? And hat is the true state of Christianity in America today? Wright shifts through the relevant data and shatters popular myths in the process. He reveals how Christians are doing when it comes to everything from marriage and morality to church growth and public perception. While not all the news is good, it turns there is a wealth of encouraging information that has been hidden from us. In this book you will get the truth behind the statistics you have been hearing and how the numbers are being manipulated, and discover what is really happening in American Christianity.

Fear God, Episode 1 DVD
Francis Chan
David C. Cook, June 2010
From the creators of Nooma comes the first DVD in a new series. Join Francis Chan as he explores the relationship between God and man throughout the Bible. You'll learn how a true fear of God is demonstrated through complete surrender---leading to the keeping of his commandments and the beginning of wisdom. Includes downloadable leader's guide. Approx. 15 minutes.

Great Hunting Stories: Inspiring Adventures for Every Hunter
Steve Chapman
Harvest House Publishers, July 2010
Bestselling author Steve Chapman (A Look at Life from a Deer Stand, over 230,000 copies sold) spins adventuresome hunting tales based on real-life excursions. Steve’s passion for God, family, and hunting make his stories entertaining and chockful of insights and encouragement for growing spiritually and relationally. As readers hike with Steve and hunt for whitetail, turkey, and other game, they’ll discover life is all about the hunt and the hunt is all about life, as shown by…
  • a hunter who helps save a strained father/son relationship
  • an elderly hunter who discovers he hasn’t lost his passion after all
  • a daughter and father team who struggle to keep hunting traditions alive
  • rabbit-hunting brothers who realize how fragile life can be

Woven into every story is appreciation for God’s magnificent creation and the desire to love Him, serve Him, and reach out to people in His name.

Blink
Revive
Provident, June 2010
Fresh from a slot on the Winter Jam 2010 Tour, Australian-bred Revive has only scratched the surface of its possibility. With its second Essential album, Blink, in the final stages of construction, the high-energy pop rock band—relocated in Atlanta—provides a perfect sonic link between contemporary Christian music and its mainstream peers.

Angel Song
Sheila Walsh & Kathryn Cushman
Thomas Nelson, July 2010
Angels eagerly watch over Annie Fletcher's every move. She just doesn't know it yet.
When Annie Fletcher returns to Charleston to see her younger sister, Sarah, receive her master's degree, she finds herself riding in the back of an ambulance, watching helplessly as Sarah fights for life. During the ride, Sarah appears to talk to someone who is not there, humming a melody Annie has never heard before. Neighbor Ethan McKinney is there to lend a shoulder when Sarah unexpectedly dies. And as a carpenter, Ethan volunteers to help Annie get the Fletcher family home into shape for selling. Ethan's presence is distracting, but what troubles Annie is her neighbor Tammy's 12-year-old son. Keith has Down Syndrome and the guile to believe he can see and hear angels. God begins to reveal Himself to Annie - both in her newfound friends and through heart-rending and clearly supernatural events. Annie discovers faith in God, finally experiencing the comfort that His angels really do surround us.

Berenstain Bears: Kindness Counts
Jan & Mike Berenstain
Zonderkidz, July 2010
Brother Bear loves everything to do with model airplanes, whether it's building, fixing, or flying them. But when he shares one of his prized planes with a younger cub will his kindness be returned?

Thursday, July 22, 2010

New Releases

Jesus Manifesto
Leonard Sweet
Thomas Nelson, June 2010
Should believers follow Christianity . . . or Christ? Should we point others to core values . . . or the cross? Charging that today's church has mistakenly framed conversion as a change of direction rather than a change in connection, Sweet and Viola offer a corrective "manifesto" featuring 10 crucial ways to restore the supremacy of Jesus himself. 176 pages, hardcover from Nelson.

In a Heartbeat
Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy
Henry Holt and Company, July 2010
First came the bestselling book, then the Oscar-nominated movie—the story of Michael Oher and the family who adopted him has become one of the most talked-about true stories of our time. But until now, Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy have never told this astonishing tale in their own way and with their own words. For Leigh Anne and Sean, it all begins with family. Leigh Anne, the daughter of a tough-as-nails U.S. Marshal, decided early on that her mission was to raise children who would become "cheerful givers." Sean, who grew up poor, believed that one day he could provide a home that would be "a place of miracles." Together, they raised two remarkable children—Collins and Sean Jr.—who shared their deep Christian faith and their commitment to making a difference. And then one day Leigh Anne met a homeless African-American boy named Michael and decided that her family could be his. She and her husband taught Michael what this book teaches all of us: Everyone has a blind side, but a loving heart always sees a path toward true charity. Michael Oher's improbable transformation could never have happened if Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy had not opened their hearts to him. In this compelling, funny, and profoundly inspiring book, the Tuohys take us on an extraordinary journey of faith and love—and teach us unforgettable lessons about the power of giving.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

New Releases

Born Again CD
Newsboys
Inpop Records, July 2010
The GRAMMY®-nominated and Dove Award-winning band newsboys has achieved what few artists have in their lifetime. They have sold over 6.5 million units, garnered five Gold albums and 26 #1 hits, and are renown for their heart-pumping live shows. Now, newsboys are more eager than ever to release their 15th studio project, BORN AGAIN, on July 13th courtesy of inpop records. When longtime members Jody Davis (guitar), Jeff Frankenstein (keys) and Duncan Phillips (drums) welcomed the vocal strengths, writing talents and boundless energy of Michael Tait (of the platinum-selling trio dc Talk) to the band in 2009, newsboys and their fans began to relish the positives and possibilities of this brand new start. Tait immediately, and easily, became part of the unique and tight newsboys unit. With headlining gigs across the U.S. and Canada along with a brand new stage show, the band is embarking on a momentous year with BORN AGAIN, a project chock full of fresh and innovative tunes. With songs penned by The Write Bros* (who also produced the project), newsboys, Mark Stuart, Steve Taylor and more, BORN AGAIN lives out its title with songs such as "When The Boys Light Up" and "Way Beyond Myself," as well as a new recording of "Jesus Freak" featuring KJ-52.

The Unshakable Truth
Josh McDowell
Harvest House Publishers, June 2010
The name Josh McDowell promises real-life, on-the-street Christian apologetics. McDowell, along with his son, Sean, draws on a lifetime of work to create this comprehensive handbook on what Christians believe, why they believe it, how it is relevant to life, and how they can pass it on to the next generation. The Unshakable Truth is uniquely positioned in the way it presents apologetics relationally, focusing on how right believing affects not only believers but also the people they encounter. The authors help readers…
  • understand God’s grand plan of creation, incarnation, and re-creation.
  • discover the 12 “truth statements” of Scripture and why they are credible and critical to living out the Christian faith.
  • experience the authenticity of faith through practical examples and real-life stories that demonstrate how relevant the gospel is to life.
A spiritual gold mine for pastors, leaders, parents, and youth workers—anyone wanting to reveal Christianity’s power in today’s life and culture.

The Outsider Interviews
Jim Henderson
Baker Books, June 2010
Statistics tell us that Christianity has an image problem. But what are the stories behind the stats? This question led Jim Henderson, Todd Hunter, and Craig Spinks to host a national interview tour with young non-Christians and Christians in Kansas City, Phoenix, Denver, and Seattle. They wanted to hear why Christians get such a bad rap and what we can do to improve. The Outsider Interviews is a DVB, a book you can watch. This DVD/book combination features films of the interviews, humorous and moving outtakes, and engaging chapters on a broad range of relevant topics including postmodernism, the Bible, homosexuality, judgmentalism, abortion, and evangelism. Inspired by David Kinnaman's bestselling book unChristian, The Outsider Interviews provides close encounters with what a new generation really thinks of Christianity and helps readers learn to live faithfully in a fast-changing world.


Transformational Church
Ed Stetzer and & Thom S. Rainer
B&H Books, June 2010
How are we doing? The church, that is. And how are we doing it? Congregations have long measured success by "bodies, budget, and buildings"--a certain record of attendance, the offering plate, and square footage. But the scorecard can't stop there. When it does, the deeper emphasis on accountability, discipleship, and spiritual maturity is lost. Ignoring those details, we see fewer lives transformed, Christian influence wane, and churches thin out--a situation that is all too familiar across North America today. It is time to take heart and rework the scorecard. According to Ed Stetzer and Thom S. Rainer, the authors of Transformational Church, "Too often we've highlighted the negative realities of the declining American church but missed the opportunity to magnify the God of hope and transformation." Based on the most comprehensive study of its kind, including a survey of more than 7,000 churches and hundreds of on-site interviews with pastors, Transformational Church takes us to the thriving congregations where truly changing lives is the norm. Stetzer and Rainer clearly confirm the importance of disciple making for all through active biblical engagement and prayerful dependence on God alongside of ever-increasing, intentional participation in mission and ministry activities. As the church engages these issues, the world will see the change:

* More people following Christ
* More believers growing in their faith
* More churches making an impact on their communities

The transformation starts now.

True Religion
Palmer Chinchen
David C. Cook, June 2010
Give your life away to change this world and God will change you…for the best. A rising voice in the missional movement, Palmer Chinchen challenges Christians to a new kind of spiritual formation—one focused on pouring out our life for others and radical dependence upon God. When we get out of our comfort zone, our souls are awakened—everything seems more alive and vibrant. So why don’t we live our faith that way? Why is it that our faith can easily become an old, tired routine instead of an exhilarating, God-honoring lifestyle? Discover why true religion involves engaging the problems in our world as we go with the good news of the gospel. And in the process of pouring ourselves out for others, we’ll see God radically transform our own hearts as well.

Jesus: The Only Way to God
John Piper
Baker Books, June 2010
If the evangelical church at large was ever too confrontational in its evangelism, those days are gone. In our shrinking, pluralistic world, the belief that Jesus is the only way of salvation is increasingly called arrogant and even hateful. In the face of this criticism, many shrink back from affirming the global necessity of knowing and believing in Jesus. In Jesus, the Only Way to God, John Piper offers a timely plea for the evangelical church to consider what is at stake in surrendering the unique, universal place of Jesus in salvation.

Coming Back Stronger
Drew Brees
Tyndale House Publishers, June 2010
When a potentially career-ending shoulder injury left quarterback Drew Brees without a team and faced with the daunting task of having to learn to throw a football all over again, coaches around the NFL wondered, would he ever come back? After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, leaving 85% of the city under water, many wondered, would the city ever come back? And with their stadium transformed into a makeshift refugee camp, forcing the Saints to play their entire 2005 season on the road, people questioned, would the Saints ever come back? It takes a special person to turn adversity into success and despair into hope—yet that is exactly what Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees has done—and with the weight of an entire city on his shoulders. Coming Back Stronger is the ultimate comeback story, not only of one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks, but also of a city and a team that many had all but given up on. Brees’ inspiring message of hope and encouragement proves that with enough faith, determination, and heart, you can overcome any obstacle life throws your way and not only come back, but come back stronger.

A Woman's Path to Emotional Freedom
Julie Clinton
Harvest House Publishers, June 2010
Julie Clinton, author, speaker, and president of Extraordinary Women, has met thousands of women across the nation and heard them share the deep cry of their hearts. Women are desperate to break free of the emotional bondage of the past—the guilt, the anger, the jealousy, and the sadness. Julie offers women real hope and the chance to be free, filled with joy, and able to be used by God. With gripping real-life stories as well as stories from women of the Bible, Julie shares specific help for each debilitating emotion. She also provides a Bible study for an in-depth look at God’s word and His provisions of grace and forgiveness. Readers will discover the perfect book for an individual seeking healing or for a small group Bible study. God can heal your damaged emotions.

The Last Operative
Jerry Jenkins
Tyndale House Publishers, June 2010
Jordan Kirkwood wants to go quietly into the sunset. His career as an NSA intelligence officer has taken a significant toll. His two adult children are little more than distant acquaintances. His wife has been patient and supportive, but he knows she has deserved better. That was part of the reason they were going to London. He wanted her to see Europe like a tourist. But that was before he was given intelligence information during the recent mission to Germany. The threat is grave—bigger than 9/11. And the risk is compounded by the fact that someone inside the NSA is involved. The most hidden place in Kirkwood’s past will have to be unmasked in order to meet the challenges of this mission.

Chrissie's Shell
Brooke Keith
Warner Press, June 2010
Chrissie is a little turtle with a big problem: she believes her shell is empty. She spends her days comparing herself with other animals and imagining what it would be like to be them, only to end up disappointed again and again when she finds out she can with God. She begs him to change her into a creature like the wonderful animals she has seen, but God has something better in mind. God directs her to the pond, where Chrissie finally captures a vision of herself as God sees her. She realizes her shell is not empty after all and that God loves her just the way she is.