New Release Books Review

Book Review | The Judgment - The Rose Trilogy #2 By Timothy Keller

2011-02-05T01:00:00.000-08:00

Product Details

Paperback: 336 pages

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0764206001

ISBN-13: 978-0764206009

Author: Beverly Lewis

Synopsis: Rose Kauffman is engaged to Silas Good, a well-liked Amish fellow, so why does she still pine for Nick Franco, the former foster son of the bishop? Especially now that Nick has left the Amish community under a cloud of suspicion after the death of the bishop's biological son? Will Rose marry Silas, even while struggling with romantic feelings for Nick?

Meanwhile, Rose's older sister, Hen, has returned to live at her parents' farm with her young daughter. Hen and her modern husband, Brandon, are separated by mutual agreement, although he is threatening to sue for custody of their daughter if Hen does not return soon. Will the judge rule in Brandon's favor? Is there any way Hen can reestablish her place among the People without sacrificing her marriage?

About the author: Beverly Lewis, raised in Pennsylvania Amish country, is a former schoolteacher, an accomplished musician, and an award-winning author of more than eighty books, many of which have appeared on bestseller lists, including USA Today and The New York Times. Her novel The Brethren won a 2007 Christy Award for excellence in Christian fiction. Beverly and her husband, David, live in Colorado.

Book Review | King's Cross: The Story of the World in the Life of Jesus By Timothy Keller

2011-02-05T00:53:00.000-08:00

Product Details

Hardcover: 256 pages

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0525952101

ISBN-13: 978-0525952107

Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches

Author: Timothy Keller

Synopsis: Reverend Timothy Keller, the bestselling author of The Reason for God, The Prodigal God, and Counterfeit Gods, now shares his deepest insights about the life of Jesus. He approaches that life through the Gospel of Mark, generally accepted to be the earliest of the four gospels. (Hand-selling tip: Reverend Keller has been praised for his "intellectual, brimstone-free sermons." He has been called "a C.S. Lewis for the twenty-first century.")

Kirkus Reviews

Exploring the life of Jesus through the Gospel of Mark.

Preacher and author Keller (Generous Justice: How God's Grace Makes Us Just, 2010, etc.) provides a fresh biography of Jesus from an evangelical standpoint. Focusing on Mark, the earliest, shortest and most direct of the four gospels, the author paints a picture of a savior who was sure of his own identity and fate while most of those around him were not. Keller locates various themes from Mark's narrative and discusses each in turn, grouped under two major headings: "The King," regarding Jesus' identity, and "The Cross," regarding his purpose. In discussing the identity of Jesus, the author describes him as a man both deeply imbedded within his culture and times while also living counter to them in many ways. Jesus never doubted his identity or his ability and indeed made it clear from the beginning that he was not merely the messiah, but something more than what his culture had expected in the messiah—he was God's son. Of course, writes Keller, few understood the magnitude of his identity and his message. Moving on to Jesus' ultimate purpose—or from a broader standpoint, the purpose of his incarnation—the author describes a man aware of his upcoming sacrifice, and indeed, a man in continual sacrifice, as he had descended from heaven to live on earth. This sacrifice is the true model for human love: "All real, life-changing love is substitutionary sacrifice." Keller's work is more than a description of Jesus; it is also peppered with pastoral advice. His goal is for the reader to better understand Jesus in order to better imitate his life. Unlike the many academic and sensational biographies of Jesus in recent years, this one takes faith in Jesus largely for granted. The narrative is well-researched, with numerous references to authors as diverse as C.S. Lewis and Franz Kafka, but Keller does not attempt to prove Jesus' divinity or find the "historical Jesus."

Captivating reading from a Christian perspective.

About the author: Timothy Keller started Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan in 1989. Today Redeemer has more than 5,000 regular Sunday attendees, plus the members of more than one hundred new churches around the world. Also the bestselling author of The Reason for God, The Prodigal God, and Counterfeit Gods, he lives in New York City.

Book Review | The Final Summit: A Quest to Find the One Principle That Will Save Humanity By Andy Andrews

2011-02-05T00:46:00.000-08:00

Product Details

Hardcover: 224 pages

Language: English

ISBN-10: 078523120X

ISBN-13: 978-0785231202

Author: Andy Andrews

Synopsis: David Ponder is back and this time the fate of mankind may be in his hands.

David Ponder is in a race against time. He's been chosen by the archangel Gabriel to lead a summit of fellow travelers, using their wisdom and experience to save mankind before all that is known is destroyed. Though reluctant, Ponder soon finds himself traveling to the most unlikely of places to interview the most fascinating of subjects such as Winston Churchill, Joan of Arc, and Abraham Lincoln.

Will the group come up with the answer in time? What could possibly be the one action that could turn the tides of history?

The Final Summit is the long-awaited sequel to The Traveler's Gift but will stand alone as its own compelling and important parable with truths for our times.

Book Review | Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist: Unlocking the Secrets of the Last Supper By Brany Pitre With Scott Hahn

2011-02-05T00:40:00.000-08:00

Product Details

Hardcover: 240 pages

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0385531842

ISBN-13: 978-0385531849

Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches

Author: Brany Pitre, Scott Hahn

Synopsis: In recent years, Christians everywhere are rediscovering the Jewish roots of their faith. Every year at Easter time, many believers now celebrate Passover meals (known as Seders) seeking to understand exactly what happened at Jesus’ final Passover, the night before he was crucified.

Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist shines fresh light on the Last Supper by looking at it through Jewish eyes. Using his in-depth knowledge of the Bible and ancient Judaism, Dr. Brant Pitre answers questions such as: What was the Passover like at the time of Jesus? What were the Jewish hopes for the Messiah? What was Jesus’ purpose in instituting the Eucharist during the feast of Passover? And, most important of all, what did Jesus mean when he said, “This is my body… This is my blood”?

To answer these questions, Pitre explores ancient Jewish beliefs about the Passover of the Messiah, the miraculous Manna from heaven, and the mysterious Bread of the Presence. As he shows, these three keys—the Passover, the Manna, and the Bread of the Presence—have the power to unlock the original meaning of the Eucharistic words of Jesus. Along the way, Pitre also explains how Jesus united the Last Supper to his death on Good Friday and his Resurrection on Easter Sunday.

Inspiring and informative, Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist is a groundbreaking work that is sure to illuminate one of the greatest mysteries of the Christian faith: the mystery of Jesus’ presence in “the breaking of the bread.”

About the author: Brany Pitre is one of the most exciting new Catholic scholars in this generation. A professor of sacred scripture at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans, Louisiana, he received his Ph.D. in New Testament and ancient Judaism from the University of Notre Dame, Indiana. He travels widely to speak about the Eucharist and its origins in ancient Hebrew tradition and he is the author of Jesus, the Tribulation, and the End of the Exile. Dr. Pitre currently lives outside New Orleans, Louisiana, with his wife Elizabeth, and their four young children.

Book Review | The Biology of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter, & Miracles By Bruce H. Lipton Ph.D.

2011-02-05T00:31:00.000-08:00

Product Details

Paperback: 240 pages

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1401923127

ISBN-13: 978-1401923129

Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches

Author: Bruce H. Lipton Ph.D.

Synopsis: With more than 100,000 copies sold of his self-published book, The Biology of Belief, Bruce Lipton teams up with Hay House to bring his message to an even wider audience. This book is a groundbreaking work in the field of new biology, and it will forever change how you think about thinking. Through the research of Dr. Lipton and other leading-edge scientists, stunning new discoveries have been made about the interaction between your mind and body and the processes by which cells receive information. It shows that genes and DNA do not control our biology, that instead DNA is controlled by signals from outside the cell, including the energetic messages emanating from our thoughts. Using simple language, illustrations, humor, and everyday examples, he demonstrates how the new science of Epigenetics is revolutionizing our understanding of the link between mind and matter and the profound effects it has on our personal lives and the collective life of our species.

About the author: Bruce H. Lipton, Ph.D. is an internationally recognized authority in bridging science and spirit and a leading voice in new biology. A cell biologist by training, he taught at the University of Wisconsin’s School of Medicine, and later performed pioneering studies at Stanford University. Author of The Biology of Belief, he has been a guest speaker on hundreds of TV and radio shows, as well as keynote presenter for national and international conferences.

Book Review | Jesus of Nazareth: Part Two, Holy Week: From the Entrance Into Jerusalem To The Resurrection By Pope Benedict XVI

2011-02-05T00:25:00.000-08:00

Product Details

Hardcover: 384 pages

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1586175009

ISBN-13: 978-1586175009

Author: Pope Benedict XVI

Synopsis: For Christians, Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God, who died for the sins of the world, and who rose from the dead in triumph over sin and death. For non-Christians, he is almost anything else-myth, a political revolutionary, a prophet whose teaching was misunderstood or distorted by his followers.

Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God, and no myth, revolutionary, or misunderstood prophet, insists Benedict XVI. He thinks that the best of historical scholarship, while it can't "prove" Jesus is the Son of God, certainly doesn't disprove it. Indeed, Benedict maintains that the evidence, fairly considered, brings us face-to-face with the challenge of Jesus-a real man who taught and acted in ways that were tantamount to claims of divine authority, claims not easily dismissed as lunacy or deception.

Benedict XVI presents this challenge in his new book, Jesus of Nazareth: From His Transfiguration Through His Death and Resurrection, the sequel volume to Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration.

Why was Jesus rejected by the religious leaders of his day? Who was responsible for his death? Did he establish a Church to carry on his work? How did Jesus view his suffering and death? How should we? And, most importantly, did Jesus really rise from the dead and what does his resurrection mean? The story of Jesus raises these and other crucial questions.

Benedict brings to his study the vast learning of a brilliant scholar, the passionate searching of a great mind, and the deep compassion of a pastor's heart. In the end, he dares readers to grapple with the meaning of Jesus' life, teaching, death, and resurrection. Jesus of Nazareth: From His Transfiguration Through His Death and Resurrection challenges both believers and unbelievers to decide who Jesus of Nazareth is and what he means for them.

About the author: Pope Benedict XVI is widely recognized as one of the most brilliant theologians and spiritual writers of our age. He has written many acclaimed spiritual and theological works that cover a broad range of important topics for modern man.

Book Review | Youcat By Cardinal Christoph Schonborn

2011-02-05T00:20:00.000-08:00

Product Details

Paperback: 300 pages

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1586175165

ISBN-13: 978-1586175160

Author: Cardinal Christoph Schonborn

Synopsis: Youcat is short for Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church, which is the official catechism for World Youth Day. Written for high-school age people and young adults, YOUCAT is an accessible, contemporary expression of the Catholic Faith. The popular format includes Questions-and-Answers, highly-readable commentary, margin pictures and illustrations, summary definitions of key terms, Bible citations, and quotes from the Saints and other great teachers. What's more, YOUCAT is keyed to the Catechism of the Catholic Faith, so people can go deeper. It explains:

What Catholics believe (doctrine)

How they celebrate the mysteries of the faith (sacraments)

How Catholics are to live (moral life)

How they should pray (prayer and spirituality)

The questions are direct and honest, even at times tough; the answers straightforward, relevant, and compelling. After the Bible, YOUCAT will likely become the "go-to" place for young people to learn the truth about the Catholic faith. Pope Benedict XVI wrote the foreword; Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, the editor of YOUCAT and the Archbishop of Vienna, Austria, wrote the afterword.

Book Review | Afterlives of the Rich and Famous By Sylvia Browne

2011-02-05T00:16:00.000-08:00

Product Details

Hardcover: 288 pages

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0061966797

ISBN-13: 978-0061966798

Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches

Author: Sylvia Browne

Synopsis: Get an All Access Pass to the Other Side

For decades on television, in consultations, and in packed auditoriums across the country renowned psychic Sylvia Browne has been asked one question again and again: “What is my favorite celebrity doing on the Other Side?” Now, for the first time, you can follow the red carpet into the heart of the spirit world. Browne reveals intimate details of how some of our most cherished actors, musicians, and public figures have fared since their deaths, giving us one more glimpse into the personalities we loved and lost. Both moving and rollicking, this is one book that’s truly impossible to put down!

Afterlives of the Rich and Famous features intimate afterlife accounts of Princess Diana, John Lennon, Heath Ledger, Marilyn Monroe, and other charismatic celebrities. By channeling her longtime spirit guide, Francine, Browne gained unrestricted access to a dimension most of us can only imagine, one in which telepathic communication is the norm and everyone occupies their healthy, thirty-year-old beautiful body. In candid reports, these stars reveal fascinating details about their new lives and the work they’re doing on the Other Side, many even sharing whether and where they intend to reincarnate.

With accounts written entirely in a trance state, Afterlives of the Rich and Famous offers an unprecedented look at life on the Other Side. You’ll find detailed descriptions as Browne brings the spirit world vividly to life and explains how we get there, from what transpires at the moment of death to the extraordinary welcome spirits receive. Afterlives of the Rich and Famous is a book that no one else could have written and a must-read for every fan of this extraordinary assembly of celebrities.

About the Author: Sylvia Browne is a number one New York Times bestselling author and world-famous psychic. She has appeared regularly on Larry King Live and the Montel Williams Show and has made countless other media and public appearances. She is also the founder of a church, the Society of Novus Spiritus, which celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary in 2011.

Book Review | The Twelfth Insight: The Hour of Decision By James Redfield

2011-02-05T00:10:00.000-08:00

Product Details

Hardcover: 240 pages

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0446575968

ISBN-13: 978-0446575966

Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 0.8 x 9.2 inches

Author: James Redfield

Synopsis: In December 21, 2012, the Mayan calendar will end. Many see it as an apocalyptic sign. But is it?

In The Twelfth Insight, the long-awaited fourth book in the beloved Celestine Series, we again follow our Hero and his close friend Wil. They have just received a portion of another ancient and mysterious manuscript that describes a secret approach to spirituality that is silently arriving in the second decade of the 21st Century. But the manuscript is only available in fragments.

To understand its full meaning for mankind, our Hero and Wil begin an urgent search to find the message in its entirety. As they embrace the power of Synchronicity and begin their search, they are confronted by powerful political forces and religious extremists that stand in the way of these spiritual revelations.

Utilizing what he calls the "parable effect," and based on his own sources, James Redfield explores the similarities and differences that exist among the world religions, revealing the essential messages contained within them that can energize our experience of spirituality-- and produce a new wave of integrity and reform that can transform our lives and our world. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

About the author: James Redfield is an American author, lecturer, screenwriter and film producer.

Book Review | Plain Wisdom: An Invitation into an Amish Home and the Hearts of Two Women By Cindy Woodsmall With Miriam Flaud

2011-02-03T13:12:00.000-08:00

Product Details

Paperback: 240 pages

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0307459349

ISBN-13: 978-0307459343

Author: Cindy Woodsmall, Miriam Flaud

Synopsis: Best-selling novelist Cindy Woodsmall might seem to have little in common with Miriam Flaud, a woman immersed in the culture of Old Order Amish. But with nine children and almost 60 years of marriage between them, Cindy and Miriam both have found the secrets to facing life with strength and grace. Whether enduring financial setbacks, celebrating new babies and times of prosperity, grieving the crushing losses in the deaths of family and friends, or facing disappointments with their respective communities—through it all they find guidance for each day by looking to God.

With poignant recollections, unexpected insights, and humorous tales, the two women welcome you into their unique friendship. You’ll also gain a rare glimpse into the traditions and ways of the Amish as Miriam recalls special occasions and shares family recipes throughout the book.

Plain Wisdom is a heartwarming celebration of God, womanhood, and the search for beauty that unites us all. So grab your cup and your quilt and settle in for a soul-comforting read with Plain Wisdom.

About the author: Cindy Woodsmall is a New York Times best-selling author of six novels whose connection with the Amish community has been featured on ABC Nightline and on the front page of the Wall Street Journal.

Miriam Flaud is an Old Order Amish woman who has lived within one of the most structured societies in the United States. She’s experienced the abundant joys of that lifestyle as well as troubled times. She and her husband have six children and five grandchildren.

Book Review | Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention By Manning Marable

2011-02-03T13:06:00.000-08:00

Product Details

Hardcover: 608 pages

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0670022209

ISBN-13: 978-0670022205

Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.6 x 1.8 inches

Author: Manning Marable

Synopsis: Years in the making-the definitive biography of the legendary black activist.

Of the great figure in twentieth-century American history perhaps none is more complex and controversial than Malcolm X. Constantly rewriting his own story, he became a criminal, a minister, a leader, and an icon, all before being felled by assassins' bullets at age thirty-nine. Through his tireless work and countless speeches he empowered hundreds of thousands of black Americans to create better lives and stronger communities while establishing the template for the self-actualized, independent African American man. In death he became a broad symbol of both resistance and reconciliation for millions around the world.

Manning Marable's new biography of Malcolm is a stunning achievement. Filled with new information and shocking revelations that go beyond the Autobiography, Malcolm X unfolds a sweeping story of race and class in America, from the rise of Marcus Garvey and the Ku Klux Klan to the struggles of the civil rights movement in the fifties and sixties. Reaching into Malcolm's troubled youth, it traces a path from his parents' activism through his own engagement with the Nation of Islam, charting his astronomical rise in the world of Black Nationalism and culminating in the never-before-told true story of his assassination. Malcolm X will stand as the definitive work on one of the most singular forces for social change, capturing with revelatory clarity a man who constantly strove, in the great American tradition, to remake himself anew.

About the author: Manning Marable is M. Moran Weston and Black Alumni Council Professor of African American Studies and professor of history and public affairs at Columbia University. He was founding director of African American Studies at Columbia from 1993 to 2003. Since 2002, he has directed Columbia's Center for Contemporary Black History. The author of fifteen books, Marable is also the editor of the quarterly journal Souls.

Book Review | Radical Love: An Introduction to Queer Theology By Patrick S. Cheng

2011-02-03T13:02:00.000-08:00

Product Details

Paperback: 160 pages

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1596271329

ISBN-13: 978-1596271326

Author: Patrick S. Cheng

Synopsis: Contextual theologies have developed from a number of perspectives — including feminist theology, Black theology, womanist theology, Latin American liberation theology, and Asian American theology — and a wide variety of academic and general introductions exist to examine each one.

However, Radical Love is the first introductory textbook on the subject of queer theology.

Queer theology is concerned with questions about the meaning of existence, as posed by lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual, and other "queer" seekers. The classic problems of theology apply: the problems of both natural and human evil; the problem of "God," or the ultimate source of the universe; the problem of the purpose of human life; the problem of ethical conduct; and the problem of human desire for eternal life.

Part One of this new book provides a historical survey of how queer theology has developed from the 1950's to today. Part Two is a substantive, but highly readable introduction to the themes of queer theology using the ecumenical creeds as a general framework. Topics include revelation, God, Trinity, creation, Jesus Christ, atonement, sin, grace, Holy Spirit, church, sacraments, and last things, as seen through the lenses of LGBT theologians.

About the author: Patrick S. Cheng is the Assistant Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology at Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Cheng holds a Ph.D., M.Phil., and M.A. in systematic theology from Union Theological Seminary in New York, a J.D. from Harvard Law School, and a B.A. from Yale College. He is a blogger with the Huffington Post and an ordained minister with the Metropolitan Community Churches.

Book Review | The Mass: The Glory, the Mystery, the Tradition By Donald W. Wuerl With Mike Aquilina

2011-02-03T12:56:00.000-08:00

Product Details

Hardcover: 224 pages

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0307718808

ISBN-13: 978-0307718808

Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1 inches

Author: Donald W. Wuerl, Mike Aquilina

Synopsis: An insightful and practical exploration of Catholicism’s most sacred tradition.

The Mass: The Glory, the Mystery, the Tradition is an engaging and authoritative guide to Catholicism’s most distinctive practice. And now, with the Church introducing revised language for the Mass, Catholics have a perfect opportunity to renew their understanding of this beautiful and beloved celebration.

With eloquent prose and elegant black-and-white photography, bestselling authors Archbishop Donald Wuerl and Mike Aquilina guide readers through the different parts of the Mass, from the entrance procession to the blessing and dismissal, capturing the deep meaning of elements that are at once ordinary and mysterious: bread and wine, water and candles, altar cloths and ceremonial books.

Step by step, they explain the specifics, such as the order of the Mass, the vessels used, the unique clothing worn, the prayers and responses, the postures and the gestures. Then they explore the rich historical, spiritual and theological background to each. Prayerful but practical, fact-filled but readable, The Mass prepares readers to participate more fully and appreciatively in the sacred rite at the heart of Catholic life.

About the author: Donald W. Wuerl is the Archbishop of Washington, D.C., and the bestselling author of The Catholic Way. He is known nationally for his catechetical and teaching ministry and for his efforts on behalf of Catholic education.

Mike Aquilina is the author of over 20 books, including The Mass of the Early Christians and Fire of God’s Love: 120 Reflections on the Eucharist. He appears regularly on EWTN with Scott Hahn.

Book Review | Inside the Revolution: How the Followers of Jihad, Jefferson and Jesus Are Battling to Dominate the Middle East and Transform the World By Joel C. Rosenberg

2011-02-03T12:50:00.000-08:00

Product Details

Paperback: 592 pages

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1414319320

ISBN-13: 978-1414319322

Author: Joel C. Rosenberg

Synopsis: In 1979, the Ayatollah Khomeini seized power in Iran, unleashed the Islamic Revolution, and changed the world forever. Three decades later, New York Times best-selling author Joel C. Rosenberg brings you a groundbreaking documentary film that takes you inside the three most dramatic movements of our time:

THE RADICALS—Why do Radical Muslims want to annihilate the United States and Israel? Why do they believe the Islamic Messiah’s arrival on Earth is “imminent” and the End of Days is at hand? How close are they to acquiring nuclear weapons and achieving their apocalyptic objectives?
THE REFORMERS—Aren’t there any Muslims who believe the Radicals are wrong? Is there any real hope such Reformers can create real democracies in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere?
THE REVIVALISTS—Is it really true that millions of Muslims are abandoning Islam and turning to faith in Jesus Christ? How is it happening? What are their stories?

Inside the Revolution is a 90-minute documentary film with extensive special features and exclusive interviews with:

Porter Goss, former director of the Central Intelligence Agency
Lt.-General (ret.) Jerry Boykin, former Delta Force commander and deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence
Hon. Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel
Senior Iraqi government officials
Joel C. Rosenberg, author and founder of The Joshua Fund

Filmed on location in Iraq, Turkey, Morocco, Israel, the United Kingdom, and Washington, D.C.

About the author: Joel C. Rosenberg is the New York Times best-selling author of The Last Jihad, The Last Days, The Ezekiel Option, The Copper Scroll, and Epicenter, with 1.5 million copies in print. A communications strategist based in Washington, D.C., he has worked with some of the world’s most influential and provocative leaders, including Steve Forbes, Rush Limbaugh, former Israeli deputy prime minister Natan Sharansky, and former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Once a political columnist for World magazine, he now writes commentaries for National Review as well as a weekly e-mail update known as “Flash Traffic” for business and political leaders. A front-page Sunday New York Times profile called him a “force in the capital.” He has also been profiled by the Washington Times and the Jerusalem Post and has been interviewed on ABC’s Nightline, CNN Headline News, FOX News Channel, The History Channel, MSNBC, The Rush Limbaugh Show, and The Sean Hannity Show.

Book Review | Uncommon: Finding Your Path to Significance By Tony Dungy With Nathan Whitaker

2011-02-03T12:40:00.000-08:00

Product Details

Paperback: 304 pages

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1414326823

ISBN-13: 978-1414326825

Author: Tony Dungy, Nathan Whitaker

Synopsis: The New York Times bestseller is now in softcover with a bonus chapter on how the “Dare to Be Uncommon” movement is reaching schools, teams, and families across the country and an update on Tony’s life since retiring as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. What does it take to live a life of significance? When Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy took home the trophy in Super Bowl XLI, fans around the world looked to him as the epitome of success. Athletic victory, professional excellence, fame and celebrity, awards and honors—he had it all. But even in that moment, he knew those achievements had little to do with his ultimate significance as a man.

Coach Dungy still passionately believes that there is a different path to significance—a path characterized by attitudes, ambitions, and allegiances that are all too rare but uncommonly rewarding. In the New York Times best seller Uncommon, Dungy reveals secrets to achieving significance that he has learned from his remarkable parents, his athletic and coaching career, his mentors, and his walk with God.

About the author: Tony Dungy is the #1 New York Times best-selling author of Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, & Priorities of a Winning Life, New York Times best-seller Uncommon: Finding Your Path to Significance. He led the Indianapolis Colts to Super Bowl victory in 2007, the first such win for an African American head coach. Dungy joined the Colts in 2002 after serving as the most successful coach in Tampa Bay Buccaneers history. He and his wife, Lauren, are the parents of six children. They live in Tampa, Florida.

Book Review | Son of Hamas: A Gripping Account of Terror, Betrayal, Political Intrigue, and Unthinkable Choices By Mosab Hassan Yousef With Ron Brackin

2011-02-03T12:34:00.000-08:00

Product Details

Paperback: 304 pages

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1414333080

ISBN-13: 978-1414333083

Author: Mosab Hassan Yousef, Ron Brackin

Synopsis: 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.

Book Review | The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have By Mark Nepo

2011-02-03T12:26:00.000-08:00

Product Details

Paperback: 434 pages

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1573241172

ISBN-13: 978-1573241175

Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5 x 1.1 inches

Author: Mark Nepo

Synopsis: The time when we walk in the shadow of death is, ironically, a time when we feel illuminated by life's true meaning. Poet and philosopher Mark Nepo has firsthand experience with this mystery--he had cancer. During his arduous recovery, he sought inspiration and guidance that would reflect his growing appreciation of life. Although this daybook is exactly what Nepo longed for as he struggled with a difficult disease, , it can be appreciated by all readers.

This collection of essays, one for every day from January 1 through December 30, offers a poet's sensibility and sensuality and gives the reader Nepo's well-harvested wisdom. "Water reflects everything it encounters," Nepo writes in a May 5 essay. "This is so commonplace that we think water is blue, when in fact it has no color.... But the water, the glorious water everywhere, has taught me that we are more than what we reflect or love. This is the work of compassion: to embrace everything clearly without imposing who we are and without losing who we are." After each entry, Nepo offers a short list of suggestions or questions to help carry the essay into the day. There are many inspirational daybooks out there. What sets this one apart is the mature poet's voice rising from a seasoned soul.

Product Review

“A year’s supply of inspiration every day and the perfect gift for yourself and your friends.”

By. Oprah Winfrey

The Book of Awakening by poet and teacher MARK NEPO provides small doses of what really matters, simple truths and stories from everyday lives, plus inspiration from the great wisdom traditions. Each day’s entry is accompanied by simple, yet profound, practices designed to help us live the life we want by being present to the life we have. For, in the words of St. Francis of Assisi,

“YOU ARE THAT WHICH YOU ARE SEEKING.”

“Each entry in this capacious and tender daybook widens both the eyes and the heart.”

By. Jane Hirschfield, author of Nine Gates and After

A daily guide for authentic living in hard times, The Book of Awakening is a book to keep your head high, your heart open, and your feet on the ground. “It is true,” Nepo writes, “If you can’t see what you’re looking for, see what’s there. It is enough.”

“Mark Nepo has written a beautiful book about life, informed by the shadows of death. I’ve been blessed and humbled by reading his words.”

By. Marianne Williamson

Book Review | Have a Little Faith: A True Story By Mitch Albom

2011-02-03T12:18:00.000-08:00

Product Details

Hardcover: 272 pages

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0786868724

ISBN-13: 978-0786868728

Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.5 x 1 inches

Author: Mitch Albom

Synopsis: Mitch Albom's first true-life story since Tuesdays with Morrie explores life through a unique journey: his search for the right words to eulogize a Man of God. Along the way‚ Albom — who walked away from a deeply religious background as a young man — rekindles his faith by sitting with and caring for the wise‚ funny‚ but slowly decaying man of the cloth. Together‚ they explore the things that pull us apart about faith‚ as well as the universal beliefs that pull us together.

Product Description

"Clear some space on your bookshelf for Mitch Albom's, Have a Little Faith, the story of a faith journey that could become a classic. Those who were born into faith, have lost faith, or are still searching will all be engaged and challenged by this powerful story of "finding faith" in relationships with others and with something greater than ourselves. Never satisfied with easy answers or soft platitudes, Mitch explores some of life's greatest mysteries and unanswered questions with great honesty, depth and self reflection. "

--Jim Wallis, CEO and Founder of Sojourners and author of The Great Awakening

What if our beliefs were not what divided us, but what pulled us together?

In Have a Little Faith, Mitch Albom offers a beautifully written story of a remarkable eight-year journey between two worlds--two men, two faiths, two communities--that will inspire readers everywhere.

Albom's first nonfiction book since Tuesdays with Morrie, Have a Little Faith begins with an unusual request: an eighty-two-year-old rabbi from Albom's old hometown asks him to deliver his eulogy.

Feeling unworthy, Albom insists on understanding the man better, which throws him back into a world of faith he'd left years ago. Meanwhile, closer to his current home, Albom becomes involved with a Detroit pastor--a reformed drug dealer and convict--who preaches to the poor and homeless in a decaying church with a hole in its roof.

Moving between their worlds, Christian and Jewish, African-American and white, impoverished and well-to-do, Albom observes how these very different men employ faith similarly in fighting for survival: the older, suburban rabbi embracing it as death approaches; the younger, inner-city pastor relying on it to keep himself and his church afloat.

As America struggles with hard times and people turn more to their beliefs, Albom and the two men of God explore issues that perplex modern man: how to endure when difficult things happen; what heaven is; intermarriage; forgiveness; doubting God; and the importance of faith in trying times. Although the texts, prayers, and histories are different, Albom begins to recognize a striking unity between the two worlds--and indeed, between beliefs everywhere.

In the end, as the rabbi nears death and a harsh winter threatens the pastor's wobbly church, Albom sadly fulfills the rabbi's last request and writes the eulogy. And he finally understands what both men had been teaching all along: the profound comfort of believing in something bigger than yourself.

Have a Little Faith is a book about a life's purpose; about losing belief and finding it again; about the divine spark inside us all. It is one man's journey, but it is everyone's story.

Ten percent of the profits from this book will go to charity, including The Hole In The Roof Foundation, which helps refurbish places of worship that aid the homeless.

About the author: Mitch Albom introduced the wisdom of a man named Morrie with the moving account of the time he spent with him before his death, Tuesdays with Morrie -- a #1 bestseller that became nothing less than a phenomenon. Albom followed up the blockbuster success of Morrie with several novels that took his inspirational message to new -- and bestselling -- heights. He has also penned sports-oriented nonfiction, and his popular newspaper columns have been collected into anthologies.

Book Review | The Christian Faith: A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims on the Way By Michael S. Horton

2011-02-03T12:08:00.000-08:00

Product Details

Hardcover: 1056 pages

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0310286042

ISBN-13: 978-0310286042

Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.5 x 2.1 inches

Author: Michael S. Horton

Synopsis: Michael Horton's highly anticipated The Christian Faith represents his magnum opus and will be viewed as one of—if not the—most important systematic theologies since Louis Berkhof wrote his in 1932.

A prolific, award-winning author and theologian, Professor Horton views this volume as 'doctrine that can be preached, experienced, and lived, as well as understood, clarified, and articulated.' It is written for a growing cast of pilgrims making their way together and will be especially welcomed by professors, pastors, students, and armchair theologians.

Features of this volume include: (1) a brief synopsis of biblical passages that inform a particular doctrine; (2) surveys of past and current theologies with contemporary emphasis on exegetical, philosophical, practical, and theological questions; (3) substantial interaction with various Christian movements within the Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodoxy traditions, as well as the hermeneutical issues raised by postmodernity; and (4) charts, sidebars, questions for discussion, and an extensive bibliography, divided into different entry levels and topics.

About the author: Michael S. Horton (Ph.D., University of Coventry and Wycliffe Hall, Oxford) is the J. Gresham Machen Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics at Westminster Seminary California. He is the president of White Horse Media, for which he co-hosts the White Horse Inn, a nationally syndicated, weekly radio talk-show exploring issues of Reformation theology in American Christianity. The editor-in-chief of Modern Reformation magazine, Horton is the author of more than 20 publications. His most recent book, People and Place: A Covenant Ecclesiology was awarded the 2009 Christianity Today Book Award for Theology and Ethics. Michael S. Horton ensena teologia y apologetica en el Seminario Westminster en Escondido, California, donde vive con su esposa Lisa y sus cuatro hijos. Es un prolifico autor, anfitrion de un programa de radio y editor de la revista Modern Reformation.

Book Review | God Never Blinks: 50 Lessons for Life's Little Detours 2011 By Regina Brett

2011-02-03T12:02:00.000-08:00

Product Details

Format: Paperback , 256pp

Language: English

ISBN-13: 9780446556514

ISBN: 0446556513

Author: Regina Brett

Synopsis: Already an internet phenomenon, these wise and insightful lessons by popular newspaper columnist and Pulitzer Prize finalist Regina Brett will make you see the possibilities in your life in a whole new way.

When Regina Brett turned 50, she wrote a column on the 50 lessons life had taught her. She reflected on all she had learned through becoming a single parent, looking for love in all the wrong places, working on her relationship with God, battling cancer and making peace with a difficult childhood. It became one of the most popular columns ever published in the newspaper, and since then the 50 lessons have been emailed to hundreds of thousands of people.

Brett now takes the 50 lessons and expounds on them in essays that are deeply personal. From "Don't take yourself too seriously-Nobody else does" to "Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift," these lessons will strike a chord with anyone who has ever gone through tough times and haven't we all?

About the author: Regina Brett has been a newspaper columnist for fourteen years, eight of them for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, where she was a finalist in 2008 and 2009 for the Pulitzer Prize in Commentary. She also hosts her own radio show, "The Sound of Ideas," on the Cleveland NPR affiliate and speaks regularly to companies and not-for-profit organizations.

Book Review | Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years By Diarmaid MacCulloch

2011-02-03T11:55:00.000-08:00

Product Details

Paperback: 1216 pages

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0143118692

ISBN-13: 978-0143118695

Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 2 inches

Author: Diarmaid MacCulloch

Synopsis: The National Book Critics Circle Award-winning author of The Reformation returns with the definitive history of Christianity for our time Once in a generation a historian will redefine his field, producing a book that demands to be read-a product of electrifying scholarship conveyed with commanding skill. Diarmaid MacCulloch's Christianity is such a book. Breathtaking in ambition, it ranges back to the origins of the Hebrew Bible and covers the world, following the three main strands of the Christian faith. Christianity will teach modern readers things that have been lost in time about how Jesus' message spread and how the New Testament was formed. We follow the Christian story to all corners of the globe, filling in often neglected accounts of conversions and confrontations in Africa and Asia. And we discover the roots of the faith that galvanized America, charting the rise of the evangelical movement from its origins in Germany and England.

This book encompasses all of intellectual history-we meet monks and crusaders, heretics and saints, slave traders and abolitionists, and discover Christianity's essential role in driving the enlightenment and the age of exploration, and shaping the course of World War I and World War II. We are living in a time of tremendous religious awareness, when both believers and non-believers are deeply engaged by questions of religion and tradition, seeking to understand the violence sometimes perpetrated in the name of God. The son of an Anglican clergyman, MacCulloch writes with deep feeling about faith. His last book, The Reformation, was chosen by dozens of publications as Best Book of the Year and won the National Book Critics Circle Award. This awe-inspiring follow-up is a landmark new history of the faith that continues to shape the world.

About the author: Diarmaid Macculloch is the author of The Reformation, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, and Thomas Cranmer, winner of the Whitbread and Duff Cooper prizes. The son of an Anglican pastor, he is Professor of the History of the Church at Oxford University and a celebrated presenter of his own TV series.

Book Review | The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven: A Remarkable Account of Miracles, Angels, and Life beyond This World By Kevin Malarkey With Alex Malarkey

2011-02-03T11:50:00.000-08:00

Product Details

Hardcover: 248 pages

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1414336063

ISBN-13: 978-1414336060

Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches

Author: Kevin Malarkey, Alex Malarkey

Synopsis: “God is amazing. I’m just a kid.” Alex Malarkey

We were made for so much more than the things of this world. Sometimes we can sense it . . . we have a restless, dissatisfied feeling that we don’t quite belong here, that this is not our final home.

Yet who do you know who has been to the next world? Sure, you may have heard stories of white light and tunnels and near-death experiences. But what if there was a person who had been to Heaven—who had actually walked through the gates—and stayed long enough to learn about the things of God? Would you be interested in what he had to say?

Meet Alex Malarkey. Alex and his dad, Kevin, were in a car accident so horrific that emergency workers recommended calling the coroner to the scene for Alex. For the next two months, Alex lingered in a coma. When he finally awoke, he revealed something amazing: He had spent time in Heaven with Jesus while unconscious and had come back with astonishing revelations about what he had seen, heard, and experienced.

You may be intrigued. You may be skeptical. You may be hungry to know more about what lies beyond life on earth. Join Alex on his journey . . . and your life may be changed forever.

“Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.” Mark 10:14

About the author: Kevin Malarkey is a Christian therapist with a counseling practice near Columbus, Ohio. He is a graduate of the College of Wooster and Ohio State University, where he earned his graduate degree. He and his wife have four children and attend a nondenominational evangelical church.

Alex Malarkey (11) is the youngest person in the world to have the Christopher Reeves surgery allowing him to breathe without a respirator. He can stand in a supportive frame for an hour at a time and, with the help of a special harness, can walk on a treadmill while helpers move his legs. He believes that he will walk on his own again.

Book Review | Unfamiliar Fishes By Sarah Vowell

2011-02-03T11:42:00.000-08:00

Product Details

Hardcover: 256 pages

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1594487871

ISBN-13: 978-1594487873

Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1 inches

Author: Sarah Vowell

Synopsis: From the bestselling author of The Wordy Shipmates, an examination of Hawaii, the place where Manifest Destiny got a sunburn.

Many think of 1776 as the defining year of American history, when we became a nation devoted to the pursuit of happiness through self- government. In Unfamiliar Fishes, Sarah Vowell argues that 1898 might be a year just as defining, when, in an orgy of imperialism, the United States annexed Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Guam, and invaded first Cuba, then the Philippines, becoming an international superpower practically overnight.

Among the developments in these outposts of 1898, Vowell considers the Americanization of Hawaii the most intriguing. From the arrival of New England missionaries in 1820, their goal to Christianize the local heathen, to the coup d'état of the missionaries' sons in 1893, which overthrew the Hawaiian queen, the events leading up to American annexation feature a cast of beguiling, and often appealing or tragic, characters: whalers who fired cannons at the Bible-thumpers denying them their God-given right to whores, an incestuous princess pulled between her new god and her brother-husband, sugar barons, lepers, con men, Theodore Roosevelt, and the last Hawaiian queen, a songwriter whose sentimental ode "Aloha 'Oe" serenaded the first Hawaiian president of the United States during his 2009 inaugural parade.

With her trademark smart-alecky insights and reporting, Vowell lights out to discover the off, emblematic, and exceptional history of the fiftieth state, and in so doing finds America, warts and all.

About the author

Name: Sarah Vowell

Current Home: New York, New York

Date of Birth: December 27, 1969

Place of Birth: Muskogee, Oklahoma

Education: B.A., Montana State University, 1993; M.A., School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 1996

Awards: Music Journalism Award, columnist, 1996

Book Review | Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion By Gregory Boyle

2011-02-03T11:35:00.000-08:00

Product Details

Hardcover: 240 pages

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1439153027

ISBN-13: 978-1439153024

Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 1 inches

Author: Gregory Boyle

Synopsis: For twenty years, Gregory Boyle has run Homeboy Industries, a gang-intervention program located in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, the gang capital of the world. In Tattoos on the Heart, he distills his experience working in the ghetto into a breathtaking series of parables inspired by faith. Arranged by theme and filled with sparkling humor and glowing generosity, these essays offer a stirring look at how full our lives could be if we could find the joy in loving others and in being loved unconditionally. From giant, tattooed Cesar, shopping at JCPenney fresh out of prison, we learn how to feel worthy of God's love. From ten-year-old Lula we learn the importance of being known and acknowledged. From Pedro we understand the kind of patience necessary to rescue someone from the darkness. In each chapter we benefit from Boyle’s gentle, hard-earned wisdom.

These essays about universal kinship and redemption are moving examples of the power of unconditional love and the importance of fighting despair. Gorgeous and uplifting, Tattoos on the Heart reminds us that no life is less valuable than another.

Book Review | Through My Eyes By Tim Tebow

2011-02-03T11:29:00.000-08:00

Product Details

Hardcover: 256 pages

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0062007289

ISBN-13: 978-0062007285

Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches

Author: Tim Tebow

Synopsis: Over the course of the last five years, Tim Tebow established himself as one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of college football and a top prospect in the NFL. During that time he amassed an unparalleled resume—winning two BCS national championships, becoming the first sophomore in NCAA history to win the Heisman trophy, and in the face of massive public scrutiny, being drafted in the first round of the NFL draft by the Denver Broncos.

Now, in Through My Eyes, Tebow brings readers everywhere an inspirational memoir about life as he chose to live it, revealing how his faith and family values, combined with his relentless will to succeed, have molded him into the person that he is today. As the son of Christian missionaries, Tebow has a unique story to tell—from the circumstances of his birth, to his home-schooled roots, to his record-setting collegiate football career with the Florida Gators and everything else that took place in between.

At every step, Tebow's life has defied convention and expectation. While aspects of his life have been well-documented, the stories have always been filtered through the opinions and words of others. Through My Eyes is his passionate, firsthand, never-before-told account of how it all really happened.

About the Author: Tim Tebow is one of the most accomplished players in college football history. A two-time winner of the NCAA National Football Championship with the University of Florida, Tim is also the first-ever sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy. He then went on to become a two-time winner of the Maxwell Award for the nation’s top football player, while also winning the Davey O’Brien Award for the nation’s best college quarterback and the James E. Sullivan Award for the most outstanding amateur athlete in any sport. He is the founder of the Tim Tebow Foundation which was started to bring faith, hope, and love to those needing a brighter day in the darkest hour of need, and in April 2010, Tim was selected in the first round of the NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. He lives in Colorado.