Rick Warren, author of the mega best-seller The Purpose Driven Life (Zondervan), returns with The Hope You Need, releasing next month. The Purpose Driven Life, published in 2002, became the No. 1 all-time best-selling hardcover nonfiction book in publishing history.

"My motivation as an author has always been the message, not the market, and I have been waiting for the right time, until I had something to say that would speak to the personal and societal problems we all face," Warren said. "With unemployment in some parts of the country running as high as 15%, many individuals—including my own congregation—are feeling the pinch of this recession, and are in need of hope."

The Hope You Need was inspired by an eight-part sermon series Warren preached at his Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., and focuses on the power in the prayer that Jesus taught His disciples. Warren explains each phrase of the prayer, offering encouragement and inspiration for readers.

"Look around and you quickly find broken hearts, broken dreams, broken homes, broken economies, broken systems and broken people," Warren said. "I'm broken in many places, and you are, too, but we all hate to admit it. So we spend enormous amounts of time, energy and resources trying to cover up, hide and deny our human brokenness. Every so often, we run out of steam, get tired and discouragement rushes in. This book is about what to do when that happens."

The Lord's prayer "is profound, yet simple," said Warren. "Not a single word is wasted. ... The message of hope needs no promotion, just distribution. You don't have to promote water to people dying of thirst. You just need to tell them where to get it."

Zondervan's national media campaign in support of the release will include media appearances and viral marketing through social networks and the book's Web site, www.thehopeyouneed.com.

To order, call Zondervan at 800-727-1309, or visit www.zondervan.com.

Editor's note: The Hope You Need has been delayed to 2010. Zondervan is now anticipating a first quarter 2010 release.

Living with a kingdom focus is the theme of Until The Whole World Hears (6-02341-01352-9, Beach Street Records/Reunion Records/Provident-Integrity Distribution), the latest studio album from GRAMMY Award-winning group Casting Crowns.

"Our main purpose, above all else, is to know Him more," said singer-songwriter Mark Hall.

The title track comes from an e-mail signature from Roger Glidewell, Hall's mentor in student ministry, who closed his messages with the phrase, "Until the whole world hears." Hall said, "Those simple words are a challenge to be intentional with the way we live our lives."

"To Know You" centers on the apostle Paul's struggles and fears, and brings them down to a personal level, while "Always Enough" was inspired by a fellow churchgoer's death while serving in Afghanistan. "When things that are constants in our lives are stripped away, that's when we have to know He's always enough," Hall said.

Until The Whole World Hears showcases the signature sound of Casting Crowns and its members: Mark Hall, Megan Garrett, Melodee DeVevo, Hector Cervantes, Chris Huffman, Juan DeVevo and new member Brian Scoggin, who replaced drummer Andy Williams. For the first time on a Crowns' album, Cervantes and Juan DeVevo add their vocals to Hall's on the worshipful "At Your Feet."

In an effort to connect others to the powerful theology of hymns, the album includes modern re-inventions of songs Hall grew up with, including "Glorious Day (Living He Loved Me)" (from the hymn "One Day"), "Joyful, Joyful" and "Blessed Redeemer," which features violinist Melodee DeVevo as lead vocalist and includes the group's home congregation from Eagle's Landing First Baptist Church in the Atlanta suburb of McDonough, Ga.

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

Album marks singer's return since family's loss of daughter last year

Beauty Will Rise is a collection of 12 songs from Steven Curtis Chapman, created in the 18 months since the loss of his daughter Maria in a tragic auto accident. Part lament, part praise, part grief, part hope, part wrestling and part pondering, the tracks are "personal psalms," Chapman said.

Though the account of Noah's Ark has been presented time and again in numerous styles and formats, Master Books believes it has a fresh perspective on the familiar subject in Noah's Floating Animal Park (978-0-890-51576-1, $9.99), released last month.

Author Janine Suter teamed with illustrator Richard Gunther to present a more realistic ark than often depicted and to highlight scriptural points many times overlooked. Using vivid colors and illustrations, the book combines humor and rhyme to help kids understand the Flood and the global impact we still see today.

Suter, who refers to her writing as "Dr. Seuss meets Henry Morris," said she was pleased to be able to share foundational truths in a new way. "I really wrote these books to show that it could be done. … God's truth can be presented in a popular 'storybook' style without being untrue to the text," she said.

The book is one of three in an apologetics series by Suter with Master Books—an imprint of New Leaf Publishing Group—this fall. Its companion titles are The Not-So Super Skyscraper and The Day the World Went Wacky, which tell of the Tower of Babel and the Garden of Eden.

New Leaf President Tim Dudley said that in considering new titles, one of the first questions for a publisher must be, "Can we find a market for this material, especially if it is a topic that has been dealt with before?"

With New Leaf having produced many other books on Noah, there was also the issue of: "What makes this product stand out from the others that have been done previously? If you can't answer that question, then maybe the market doesn't need it. If you see something special in the content or unusual in the presentation, then the project is definitely one to consider."

For Dudley, the standouts of Suter's new book were "illustrations that all ages can enjoy, as well as making the biblical truth easy to relate to and very creatively presented, including a great explanation of animal kinds that every child can understand."

To order Noah's Floating Animal Park, call New Leaf at 800-999-3777 or go to www.masterbooks.net.

Stacey Drake is publicist for New Leaf Publishing Group.

Homelessness and the hungry are highlighted in the release of The Hungry Planet Bible Project: New Testament (Tyndale House Publishers), which released in October. The New Testament, created for mass distribution to food pantries, homeless shelters and charitable organizations, includes a page for a note of encouragement and introductory material about helping the poor. The New Testament retails for $1.99 and was released in conjunction with The Hungry Planet Bible Project: No Room At The Inn devotional.

Thomas Nelson is releasing the King James Commentary Bible, Large Print Edition this month. The Bible offers a more readable-size print, full-featured commentary, doctrinal notes, maps, concordance, charts, tables, study articles, book introductions and cross-references to key prophecies and miracles. The Commentary Bible will release in hardcover for $19.99, black or burgundy bonded leather for $34.99 each or black or burgundy bonded leather with thumb index for $44.99 each.

Zondervan is releasing this month The NIV Stewardship Bible, centering on God's design for life, the environment, finances, generosity and eternity. Endorsed by Crown Ministries, Dave Ramsey and Prison Fellowship, the Bible uses a variety of features to lead readers through a stewardship study as it relates to all areas of life. It includes 366 Exploring Stewardship notes, profiles of individuals, notes on challenges to stewardship, quotes on stewardship from Christian leaders and additional articles and helps. The Bible is available in a hardcover edition for $39.99 and a black/caramel Italian Duo-Tone edition for $69.99.

Students are the target audience for The Fire Bible, Student Edition: New International Version, released last month from Hendrickson Publishers. The Bible, created by Life Publishers International, centers on the work of the Holy Spirit, represented by fire in the Bible. It features the NIV text, a concordance, Themefinders track with 12 important topics running through the Scriptures, book introductions, bottom-of-page notes, 45 in—text maps and charts, cross-reference system, 80 key issue articles, commentary from a Pentecostal perspective, a subject index for topical studies and a glossary. The Bible is available in softcover for $24.95, hardcover for $29.95 and black imitation leather for $49.95.

Stephen Arterburn's "Every Man" series is the inspiration for the Every Man's Bible, releasing this month from Tyndale House Publishers. The new Bible has thousands of notes on topics for men, including work, sex, competition and integrity, and more from Christian leaders Arterburn, Tony Evans, David Jeremiah, Gordon MacDonald, Bill McCartney, J.I. Packer, Joseph Stowell, Chuck Swindoll and others. It also includes "Someone You Should Know" profiles of great and less-than-great Bible characters. The Bible releases in a black/brown LeatherLike Duo-Tone for $39.97.

Written to address the problem of suffering, Finding Purpose Beyond Our Pain gives advice for facing pain directly. The authors, psychiatrists Meir and Henderson, classify types of suffering into seven categories—injustice, discipline, failure, death, rejection, loneliness and loss—and examine how each can bring their "gifts" into a person’s life.