Megachurch leader encourages godly dependence rather than self-reliance

In Unmerited Favor, Joseph Prince, senior pastor of Singapore's New Creation Church and Bible teacher on the TV program Destined to Reign, wants believers to know that they are not limited by the constraints of their own abilities, but that they can rely on God's grace to put them at the right place and at the right time for life's opportunities.

"Many people don't realize that salvation is much more than being saved from hell for heaven," Prince told Christian Retailing. "In this book, I elaborate further on the definition of 'salvation'—soteria in Greek—which denotes an all-encompassing wholeness, completeness and success."

That success encompasses every aspect of life, not only as it relates to material possessions, but also wholeness in families, marriages and careers, Prince said.

"If we as parents desire to see our children succeed in life and enjoy lives that are meaningful and blessed, how much more does our loving Father in heaven want the same for His children?" he asked.

The title of the book refers to the fact that the whole life Jesus offers isn't something that can be earned. It is the very core of the gospel, the "new covenant," said Prince, adding: "There is nothing we can do to merit, deserve and earn God's favor today—it comes only by way of the cross alone."

Prince contrasts this unearned favor with "self-centered" favoritism.

"Unmerited favor is about being dependent on Jesus for your success, whereas favoritism is depending on your own efforts to become successful," he said. "Favoritism requires you to maneuver, manipulate and position yourself for success, and it results in all kinds of compromises."

Unmerited Favor will benefit from a significant media campaign that will include mentions on Prince's program, promotion on his Web site, a 30-day Christian radio blitz and print advertising.

For more information, visit www.strangbookgroup.com. To order, call Strang Book Group at 800-283-8494.

Sheila Walsh opens up her life to readers in Beautiful Things Happen When a Woman Trusts God (978-1-400-20243-0, $21.99, Thomas Nelson), releasing Feb. 16. The author, a popular speaker at Women of Faith events and a TV talk show host, shares her journey from fear to freedom.

Walsh's depression took her from the television studio to a psychiatric ward before her fears were reduced to one question from God: Do you trust Me? Having previously told about her emotional and spiritual free fall in Honestly, she writes in the new book that "now I'd like to tell the rest of my story."

Walsh writes about the 10 biblical figures that have taught her the most about trusting God, including Anna, Mary and Martha, Paul, Tabitha and Gideon. "I think I am more like Gideon than Tabitha," she writes. "At certain points in my life I've felt God calling me to places I didn't want to go because others would do a better job than me."

Walsh draws from those characters and her own life to illustrate the importance of trusting God.

"I can say that learning to trust changes everything; no matter how painful the transformation, you will not regret a moment lived, tear shed or fear faced along the way," writes Walsh. "That's because when you are called out of crippling fear, you are not returned to business as usual. There is a world of breathtaking wonder wrapped up in trusting God with everything you have and everything you are. You will discover you are free."

For more information or to order Beautiful Things Happen When a Woman Trusts God, contact Thomas Nelson at 800-251-4000, or visit www.thomasnelson.com.

Beth Moore draws from personal experiences to address familiar topic

Beth Moore, a favorite teacher and speaker among women, deals with a pressing issue facing women today in So Long, Insecurity: You've Been a Bad Friend To Us. The idea for the book, she said, stemmed from her last Bible study release on the life of Esther.

"We touched on (insecurity) just enough (for it) to come wide awake in my soul," she said. "If God has something on His mind that He wants me to research toward and listen to Him about, He'll make it to where I can't get enough of it—and that was true with (this subject)."

Moore said that everywhere she turned, she began to see the effects of women struggling with insecurity in their lives, from the casual attendees of her live events to women in political life she met at the National Day of Prayer event in Washington D.C.

"It spans professions and vocations," she said.

The topic of insecurity is "complicated" for Christian women, the author believes, because of issues of pride and humility.

"I especially felt in some ways that Christian women had an extra complication with it," she said. "Because, how do we grow in our sense of God confidence and security without getting it all messed up into lack of humility and all those other types of issues? It's complicated for a woman of God that wants to be a humble servant before Him and have a heart that's pleasing to Him."

Instead of diving into research, which the author normally does when preparing for a study, she drew from personal encounters with women who shared their stories with her. "Not a single woman I've met in the past year has been safe around me," she said.

So Long, Insecurity will be promoted extensively in February through a Church Communication Network (CCN) prayer simulcast followed by a four-city book tour. Moore will also address the subject of insecurity in an April CCN simulcast.

To hear a podcast of the interview with Moore, visit www.christianretailing.com.

For more information or to order, call Tyndale House Publishers at 800-323-9400 or visit www.tyndalebooksellers.com.

In its nearly 30-year career, the 285-voice Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir has distinguished itself with six GRAMMY awards, nine Dove Awards, an RIAA Gold video certification, two No. 1 hits and more than 4 million in album sales. Known for songs such as "Praise You" and "Midnight Cry," the choir is using its latest offering to "declare" God's name globally.

Declare Your Name (0-00768-47302-3, Integrity Music/Provident-Integrity Distribution), was released Nov. 17.

It features Israel Houghton on the upbeat "I'll Sing of Your Love" and Paul Baloche on the acoustic ballad "Helpless." Pop star Jonathan Butler shows up for "Coming Back" and the Caribbean-flavored "It All Belongs to You." Alicia Olatuja's soprano soars on the "Wonderful to Me," while the set closes with the hand-clapper "Declare Your Name."

All 13 songs were composed by choir founder Carol Cymbala and her in-house song-writing team that includes choir director Onaje Jefferson and assistant director Jason Michael Webb.

"One of the objectives that we had was to be able to create—with God's help—songs that the world could sing," said Webb, referring to uncomplicated songs with easy refrains and moderate vocal modulations. "The basic thing we can understand is that the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, and everything we see He created and it all belongs to Him. All of the songs relate to that."

The release will be promoted in part with a karaoke contest in January. Contestants will download an instrumental track from the CD and record a new version that will be posted on YouTube. The winners will receive a trip for two to New York City to perform the song with the choir.

To order, call 800-333-9000 or visit www.provident-integrity.com.

Give Yourself Away, the 16th recording from GRAMMY-nominated NewSong, signals a new era of music and ministry for the legendary group. After 28 years together, the November release is NewSong's debut on its new imprint, His Honor Music.

The project represents a series of firsts for the band, including an innovative marketing campaign.

"We've had fantastic label partners in the past, but this gives us even more flexibility to do things on occasion that are a little more radical," said NewSong founding member Eddie Carswell.

Testing that statement, every Give Yourself Away CD sold will contain an extra copy of the album intended for giveaway.

Give Yourself Away finds NewSong partnering for the first time with one of Christian music's most acclaimed producers, Charlie Peacock, for 10 tracks that showcase the band's modern pop sensibilities and tight harmonies. Longtime fans also will be pleased to hear the soulful lead vocals of Russ Lee in the mix again.

Carswell, Lee and Peacock are among the project's key songwriters, with such names as Matthew West and Sanctus Real's Matt Hammitt also contributing. The debut single, "That's What Mercy Is," was penned by Carswell and West.

NewSong's annual Winter Jam Tour Spectacular has become one of the largest tours in all of the music industry, and this year's tour saw more than 60,000 decisions for Christ. In 2010, the tour will kick off Jan. 8 and will hit more than 40 cities.

To order, call EMI CMG at 800-877-4443 or visit www.emicmgdistribution.com.

Best known for distributing DVDs and books, Wesscott Marketing is expanding its inspirational gift offerings with a new line of eight wall crosses, released for fall.

Handcrafted in the U.S.A. by LaVern's Wooden Crosses, the crosses are made of premium red oak, with two of them—the 3-Layer Curved Rope Cross and the 3-Layer Reverse Curved Rope Cross—featuring a middle layer of black walnut. Catholic customers may be interested in the Straight Rope Cross with Corpus, which bears a pewter representation of the body of Christ.

"Today people are looking for the basics and they're looking for them at affordable prices," said Tim Hetchler, founder and president of Wesscott Marketing, an 11-year-old independent Christian sales and distribution company. "Crosses make a really great statement of faith and they're powerful in their message."

Available in varying sizes, the crosses have different features; one comes with a dove and another with praying hands.

The only small cross available, the Straight Rope Cross, retails for $9, and the only large cross, the Straight Rope Cross with Corpus, is priced at $23. The medium-size crosses, which vary in dimensions, retail as follows: Jesus Cross ($13), Straight Slotted Cross ($11), Straight Slotted Cross with Dove ($15), Straight Slotted Cross with Hands ($15), 3-Layer Curved Rope Cross ($21) and 3-Layer Reverse Curved Rope Cross ($13).

"Going into gifts wasn't an overnight decision, although it did come quickly once we found what we were looking for," Hetchler said. "I've been thinking about a gift strategy for over a year, and although selling gifts is new to Wesscott, it's not something I'm unfamiliar with."

Prior to founding Wesscott, Hetchler worked with Billy Graham's World Wide Pictures and World Wide Publications, where he sold Joni Eareckson Tada's artwork. Today, Wesscott sells Joni's annual planners.

The Minneapolis-area company will continue to add to its gift lines in the future. "We're not overly aggressive moving into gifts, but we are starting to look at gifts more from various vendors," Hetchler said.

For more information or to order the wall crosses, go to www.wesscottmarketing.com or call 800-375-3702.