To New York Times best-selling author and former psychotherapist Kevin Malarkey, total surrender to God is a “beautiful defeat,” and he wants others to find purpose and hope through the surrendered life.

Releasing this month, A Beautiful Defeat: Find True Freedom and Purpose in Total Surrender to God (9781400206391, $16.99, Thomas Nelson), explains that what Malarkey calls a “messy” journey starts with bold honesty about oneself.

It is not true that “good” Christians do not wrestle with sin, asserts Malarkey, and so he adds that the important question is: Will we struggle well?

To model the honesty that’s needed in this process, Malarkey confesses some of his own not-so-tidy sins. He humbles himself, hoping to encourage others to do the same.

“I’m going to stake everything on the belief that our path to God is through and with our struggles, not by sidestepping or hiding them,” he writes.

His appeal for authenticity is the first of two calls in A Beautiful Defeat. Understanding the three sources of sin is imperative, says Malarkey. The Bible refers to these as the flesh, the world and Satan. Malarkey describes them as: “you, where you live, and who runs the place.”

The second call is for surrender. The author tells readers that the life God intends can only be realized after relinquishing control. Using many anecdotes, he offers 10 steps to the surrendered life, which “makes sense of the mess and is filled with richness and purpose for today … and hope for tomorrow.”

These steps include defining one’s mission, wearing spiritual armor and being part of a team. The crux of surrender is dying to self daily, says Malarkey, citing Luke 9:23. He refers to it as both “the most challenging teaching in the entire Bible” and “the central teaching of the Christian life.”

Above all, he stresses that the surrendered life is about letting go and trusting God with our circumstances and the results.

To order, call 800-251-4000, or visit thomasnelson.com.

Ecclesia pastor Andrew Farley dissects theological ‘double-talk’ to reveal ‘new way of living’ out one’s faith

Andrew Farley says he became addicted to evangelism in college. He taught Bible studies on campus, witnessed at a halfway house and preached on the train. He used every assignment in speech class to lecture about salvation. He even burst into a seminar and pushed aside the speaker to share the gospel. If he went to bed feeling as though he hadn’t evangelized enough that day, he would leave his dorm at night and preach some more. But Farley was miserable.

In Relaxing With God: The Neglected Spiritual Discipline, which Baker Books (Baker Publishing Group) releases this month, Farley says in hindsight, he sees all of that feverish activity as focused wrongly—on himself. It perpetuated a cycle he describes as “commit, try hard, fail, feel horrible, then confess and recommit to try even harder, only to have your hopes of renewal shattered all over again.”

But that was 23 years ago. Since then, he writes: “God taught me some truths that literally saved my life. And what God taught me is in this book.”

Farley is now lead pastor of Ecclesia: Church Without Religion and best-selling author of several books, including  The Naked Gospel.

Farley asserts in his new book that many slip into performing for God, which only causes unrest, while Jesus, on the other hand, promised that His followers would find rest.

He aims to sort out what he calls “double-talk” and shows believers a new way to live—to “live from rest on a daily basis.”

Farley emphasizes new-covenant theology and the freedom that comes from enjoying Christ’s completed work.
“Christ is the end of the law for us,” he writes, reminding readers that no one can add to what the Savior has done.

Topics include God’s forgiveness, a believer’s new identity and the type of good works that issue from resting in God.

“It’s all about fixing your eyes on the finished work of Jesus Christ,” Farley writes. “In so doing, Jesus promises ‘rest for your soul’ (Matt. 11:29).”

Relaxing With God concludes with a five-week Bible study.

To order, call 800-877-2665 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Award-winning journalist and blogger Emily T. Wierenga tells her story of restoration in Atlas Girl: Finding Home in the Last Place I Thought to Look (softcover, $14.99). The author, who battled anorexia, left her parents’ home at age 18 to escape their rigidity and to search the globe for God. When her mother was diagnosed with brain cancer, Wierenga returned home, where her heart and body were finally able to heal. Baker Books (Baker Publishing Group) releases this memoir July 3.

Leslie Ludy—best-selling author of 10 books, including the best-seller When God Writes Your Love Story—gives moms permission to abandon the pursuit of perfection and encourages them to rest in God, in Set-Apart Motherhood: Reflecting Joy and Beauty in Family Life. Ludy comes alongside readers as a mother with several young children and helps them keep Christ at the center of their parenting. The book includes questions for personal study and group discussion. NavPress releases the softcover book, which retails for $13.99, July 14, with Tyndale House Publishers distributing.

The Greek word for “grace” is the title of a David C Cook release July 1. Charis: God’s Scandalous Grace for Us (softcover, $14.99) is written by Preston Sprinkle, professor at Eternity Bible College, author of Fight: A Christian Case for Non-Violence and co-author with Francis Chan of the New York Times best-seller Erasing Hell. In Charis, Sprinkle shows how the Old Testament repeatedly reveals a gracious God who delights in redeeming the unredeemable.

Laying a biblical foundation for motherhood, Stephanie Shott, founder of The M.O.M. Initiative, has written to encourage moms in their journey and equip congregations to mentor mothers in the local church and in the community, including crisis pregnancy centers and homeless shelters. The Making of a Mom: Practical Help for Purposeful Parenting ($12.99, Revell/Baker Publishing Group) will be available in softcover July 14. Study questions in each chapter are suitable for individuals or small groups.

In Teach Us to Want: Longing, Ambition and the Life of Faith (softcover, $16), Jen Pollock Michel shares her story of fear and loss to guide readers into understanding human desire in light of the gospel. IVP Crescendo (InterVarsity Press) releases the book this month. Michel is a regular contributor to Christianity Today’s Her.meneutics webpage and Moody Bible Institute’s daily devotional Today in the Word.

Love. Period. When All Else Fails by Rudy Rasmus will be available in stores July 8. Rasmus leads the 9,000-member St. John’s United Methodist Church in Houston and co-founded Bread of Life, which distributes nine tons of food to the hungry each week. In this Worthy Publishing release, Rasmus calls believers to reject hate and apathy and to love one another as Jesus intended, regardless of class, race, gender, orientation—or past deeds. Love. Period. retails for $14.99 in softcover.

Erin Davis, author of several books, including The Bare Facts with Josh McDowell, addresses a disconnect in Connected: Curing the Pandemic of Everyone Feeling Alone Together ($14.99, B&H Books). Davis points out that even though technology allows people to be increasingly connected, people are struggling with loneliness, and she outlines the remedy for this hidden ailment. Connected is available this month in softcover.

At the end of the month, Let’s All Be Brave: Living Life With Everything You Have by Annie F. Downs will be in stores. In this Zondervan title (softcover, $15.99), Downs, an author, blogger and speaker, encourages readers to grasp the courage they possess deep inside and live with boldness the life they long to live. This collection of essays includes questions, advice and scripture to help readers resist fear and step forward.

Howard Books introduces another Duck Commander title this month. The Women of Duck Commander by the stars of Duck Dynasty releases in hardcover ($25.99), e-book ($13.99) and unabridged audio ($29.99) April 1. The division of Simon & Schuster has sold more than 5 million units by the Robertson family with four titles landing on the New York Times best-seller list.

Jim Daly, president and CEO of Focus on the Family, does not assume men who are good Christians are automatically good fathers. Rather, Daly seeks to equip fathers in developing thriving families through love, grace, patience and fun in The Good Dad: Becoming the Father You Were Meant To Be ($15.99, softcover), written with Paul Asay. This Zondervan resource for fathers-to-be and fathers with children of all ages is available in stores April 22.

To help believers understand how to protect themselves from ongoing sins and spiritual attacks, Perry Stone analyzes and explains all the pieces of the Ephesians 6 spiritual gear in his Charisma House book releasing this month. In There’s a Crack in Your Armor: Key Strategies to Stay Protected and Win Your Spiritual Battles ($16.99, softcover), Stone teaches the seven most common factors that wear down one’s spiritual strength, four strategies to overcome spiritual battles and more.

Having researched all of the writings of C.S. Lewis writings for a 2013 biography, Alister McGrath, professor at King’s College London and head of its Center for Theology, Religion and Culture, has now written a series of imagined lunches with Lewis. In If I Had Lunch With C.S. Lewis: Exploring the Ideas of C.S. Lewis on the Meaning of Life (Tyndale House Publishers, April), McGrath propounds Lewis’ thoughts on big questions, including “Does God exist?” and “Why does God allow suffering?” This hardcover book retails for $17.99.

Best-selling author and entrepreneur Bob Buford provides an up-close perspective on the life and legacy of Peter Drucker, notable management expert and prolific author whose writings helped shape modern business, in Drucker and Me: How Peter Drucker and a Texas Entrepreneur Conspired to Save the World ($19.99, hardcover). Buford tells the story of meeting and learning from Drucker, then working with him to revolutionize modern nonprofits and churches. Worthy Publishing releases this title April 15.

In Hope Runs: An American Tourist, a Kenyan Boy, a Journey of Redemption (April 18), the leader of social innovation at Twitter, Claire Díaz-Ortiz, and Samuel Ikua Gachagua, once an orphan in a Kenyan children’s home, share how God dramatically changed their lives for the better after they met in Kenya. Gachagua is now a fellow with Global Citizen Year, a post-high school bridge program that equips emerging leaders. Hope Runs will be available from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, for $21.99 in softcover. 

Danette Joy Crawford, host of the television program Joy in the Morning, offers a blueprint for change for those experiencing trials in her April 15 Destiny Image release, Total Turnaround: 12 Keys to Breakthrough in Every Area of Your Life ($11.99, softcover). With humor and candor, Crawford leads readers through Scripture-based help for victories such as overcoming doubt, finding freedom from depression and experiencing a renewed prayer life. 

Broke: What Financial Desperation Revealed About God’s Abundance ($16) is an honest portrayal of how author Caryn Rivadeneira discovered God’s presence in the midst of financial struggle and dealt with questions about His goodness. Rivadeneira is an author, blogger and former editor at Christianity Today’s magazines. Broke, an IVP Crescendo book from InterVarsity Press, includes questions for group discussion and an appendix of spiritual disciplines.

With the 2014 election cycle underway, Ralph Reed argues the importance of reinforcing America’s spiritual foundation and reforming the nation’s legal, cultural and moral base with the fundamental principles of America’s founding fathers in Awakening: How America Can Turn From Moral and Economic Destruction Back to God’s Blessing (hardcover, $22.99). Reed advised presidential candidates for the last six elections; he is chairman of the Faith and Freedom Coalition and a regular commentator on CNN, NBC, CBS and FOX News. Worthy Publishing releases Awakening on March 18.

Pat Schatzline urges believers to fulfill the particular assignments God has ordained for them for the sake of His kingdom in I Am Remnant: Called by Grace to Rise Up and Change the World. Schatzline emphasizes that God can use anyone who is willing, no matter how insignificant they may feel. He is president of Mercy Seat Ministries and one of the founders of The Summit Church in Birmingham, Ala. Passio, an imprint of Charisma House, releases the book, retailing for $14.99, March 4.

Incognito: Lost and Found at Harvard Divinity School (Howard Books, March 4) is Andrea Raynor’s memoir of overcoming the challenges and stereotypes at Harvard Divinity School and becoming an ordained minister. With humor and candor, Raynor shows how God made clear the call for her life, often working in unexpected ways. She went on to serve as a chaplain at Ground Zero after 9/11 and continues ministering through hospice work. Available in hardcover, the book retails for $24.

Zondervan releases a memoir by Amy Clipston of the love that led her to donate a kidney as part of a organ-matching program to save her husband’s life. The Gift of Love: One Woman’s Journey to Save a Life ($14.99, March 4) is Clipston’s true story of almost losing her husband to kidney disease and the sacrifice she made—against all odds—to keep their family together. Readers of Clipston’s Amish-themed novels likely will be drawn to learning more about her real life.

Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, award-winning author of humorous nonfiction and host of the radio program “All Things Southern LIVE,” shares her journey to intimate friendship with God in a WaterBrook Press title available March 18. In Heart Wide Open: Trading Mundane Faith for an Exuberant Life With Jesus ($14.99), Tomlinson’s honesty and transparency provide practical inspiration for those willing to draw closer to God.

Encouragement for expectant mothers is available March 4 in A Blessing on the Way: Counting Each Day While You’re Expecting, which presents short inspirational readings for each of the 280 days of pregnancy. Also included are notes about a baby’s development. This Abingdon Press title ($14.99) is co-authored by Sue Christian, a pastor’s wife and author of her own books, and her daughter, Meg Christian, a novelist. 

Wife of megachurch pastor and TV host Rod Parsley, Joni Parsley draws from her popular blog, “Joni’s Journal,” to walk readers through the ups and downs of her daily life in Tapestry of Faith: Discovering God’s Beautiful Design in the Laughter, Tears, and Struggles of Life. Parsley writes with transparency about many of the same issues everyone faces day to day and the God who can be trusted in every circumstance. Parsley’s book (Charisma House, $13.99) is on sale in stores March 4.

Margot Starbuck explores God’s unbounded love in Not Who I Imagined: Surprised by a Loving God, which releases this month from Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group, for $14.99. A regular contributor to several magazines, including Today’s Christian Woman, Starbuck shows believers who are forgetting the gospel of grace and feeling as though they don’t measure up that God loves and accepts His children just as they are in the here and now.

As an extension of the Loveology event he hosted in 2011, John Mark Comer, pastor of Bridgetown: A Jesus Church in Portland, Ore., has written Loveology: God. Love. Marriage. Sex. and the Never-Ending Story of Male and Female, on sale in stores Feb. 4. Two-thousand college-aged adults attended Comer’s teaching series on the theology of love. His book discusses the roles of men and women in relationships based on God’s plan for love, not American culture’s view of love and romance. Loveology is a Zondervan hardcover book retailing for $19.99. 

Tyndale House Publishers is releasing an unusually titled memoir Feb. 4 by Melanie Shankle, The Antelope in the Living Room: The Real Story of Two People Sharing One Life ($14.99, softcover). New York Times best-selling author Shankle blogs at TheBigMama.com and is known for her uplifting humor. The new book is the story of her own marriage—the joys and challenges, including the day her husband hung an antelope head on their wall.

Best-selling author and blogger Holley Gerth offers hope to women in You’re Going to Be Okay: Encouraging Truth Your Heart Needs to Hear, Especially on the Hard Days. Using encouragement and questions for reflection, Gerth shows women how to live with joy regardless of circumstances. Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, releases the book for $15.99 (softcover) Feb. 4. Retailers also
may know Gerth’s name from her DaySpring line of cards and gifts.

Ray Bentley gives students of eschatology something to think about with his Feb. 18 WaterBrook Press release on prophecy and the Middle East. The Holy Land Key: Unlocking End-Times Prophecy Through the Lives of God’s People in Israel ($14.99, softcover) by Bentley with Genevieve Gillespie draws attention to prophetic signs of the end times as revealed in Scripture, in nature and in the lives of Israelis today. Bentley is pastor of Maranatha Chapel near San Diego and host of the daily national program “Maranatha Radio.”

In Saved But Still Enslaved: Breaking Free From Strongholds, Bobby Davis, pastor of Life Church in Cookeville, Tenn., offers keys to overcoming
seven strongholds, including fear, shame and unforgiveness. Davis speaks from his own experiences, having found freedom from drug and alcohol addiction through the ministry of Teen Challenge. On sale in stores this month, this Chosen/Baker Publishing Group title retails for $11.99.

Saloma Miller Furlong, with husband David Furlong, tells her story of leaving Amish life in Bonnet Strings: An Amish Woman’s Ties to Two Worlds (softcover, $15.99). Furlong left the Amish community at age 20, only to return to it for two more years before departing for good. Her
story of leaving the first time was featured on the PBS American Experience program “The Amish.” Herald Press releases Bonnet Strings on Feb. 3 

Drawing from scripture, neuroscience and his own research, Charles Stone shows how ministry leaders can avoid falling into negative leadership patterns in his InterVarsity Press book releasing this month. People-Pleasing Pastors: Avoiding the Pitfalls of Approval-Motivated Leadership is an IVP Praxis title retailing for $16 (softcover). Stone has more than 30 years of experience in pastoral ministry and is CEO of StoneWell Ministries, where he coaches church leaders.

“The Art of Living Intentionally in a Chaotic World” is the subtitle for Tsh Oxenreider’s Notes From a Blue Bike. Oxenreider uses stories from herown life and travels to coach women on how to live in greater alignment with their values and passions. The author is founder of the Simple Mom online community dedicated to the art and science of living life simpler. Thomas Nelson releases Notes in hardcover ($22.99) Feb. 4.

Christian psychologist and certified addictions counselor Rhona Epstein teaches readers to work with their body chemistries to break free from addictive eating in Food Triggers: End Your Cravings, Eat Well, and Live Better. Epstein shares insights learned through her own battle with compulsive eating as a teen and offers a broad mind/body/spirit approach for recognizing triggers that keep people caught in a cycle of food abuse. Worthy Publishing releases Epstein’s book this month in softcover for $14.99.

Table in the Darkness: A Healing Journey Through an Eating Disorder is the first-person account of Lee Wolfe Blum’s anorexia and exercise addiction. Eighteen years into her own recovery, Blum is an educator in eating disorders and addictions at the Melrose Institute for Eating Disorders in St. Louis Park, Minn. Her book explains the self-critical thoughts that drove her to an eating disorder, her hospitalization for depression and the help that brought her hope and healing. IVP Crescendo releases Blum’s book in softcover for $15 this month.

Award-winning journalist Edward Gilbreath, an editor-at-large for Christianity Today, examines “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. in IVP Books’ Birmingham Revolution: Martin Luther King Jr.’s Epic Challenge to the Church (softcover, $16). Written 50 years ago, the letter speaks to today’s church as well, Gilbreath asserts, as race continues to play a part in shaping society and the church must consider what part it will play in the ongoing challenges. The book releases this month.

In Praying for Your Husband From Head to Toe: A Daily Guide to Scripture-Based Prayer, Sharon Jaynes offers women practical help for praying effectively for their husbands. Part 1 lays the foundation of the power and purpose of prayer, Part 2 is a 30-day prayer guide, and the appendix includes an invitation to a 30-Day Prayer Dare. Jaynes is author of 17 books and co-founder of Girlfriends in God, a ministry focused on bringing Christian women together. This $14.99 Multnomah Books title releases in softcover this month.

B&H Books releases Jordan Easley’s Life Change: Finding a New Way to Hope, Think and Live in softcover this month for $14.99. Easley is teaching pastor and campus director at Long Hollow Baptist in Hendersonville, Tenn. He has also served in the ministries of Ed Young Sr. and Charles Stanley. In his book, Easley examines stories of life change from the Gospel of Mark, showing how true change comes from a healthy relationship with God, who enables His people to do what they are not capable of themselves.

Andy’s Stanley’s subtitle for his new book, How to Be Rich, is “It’s Not What You Have. It’s What You Do With What You Have.” The acclaimed pastor shows in the book that cultivating a life of generosity is the secret to true happiness and wealth.  Based on a series of sermons he preached that saw his church members give more than $5 million to Atlanta charities and provide another 34,000 volunteer hours, How to Be Rich challenges today’s American consumerist lifestyle. On sale in stores Dec. 31, the Zondervan release retails for $14.99.

The sequel to Jordan Rubin’s New York Times’ best-seller The Maker’s Diet releases this month in hardcover from Destiny Image. In The Maker’s Diet Revolution: The 10-Day Diet to Lose Weight and Detoxify Your Body, Mind and Spirit ($21.99), Rubin discusses new diet and health tips he has learned, the compromise of America’s food supply, the importance of organic foods and quality water, healing chronic illnesses and more. Rubin is the founder of Garden of Life, a health and wellness company. 

Wm. B. Eerdmans releases a biography for classical music fans this month. Joseph Haydn is the subject of Playing Before the Lord: The Life and Work of Joseph Haydn (softcover, $24) by Calvin R. Stapert, professor emeritus of music at Calvin College. Recounting Haydn’s life from humble beginnings to musical greatness, the book shows how Haydn’s devout Catholic faith influenced his music. It also includes listening guides to several of Haydn’s well-known works.

A personal friend of the Billy Graham family, Hanspeter Nuesch, director of Campus Crusade for Christ in Switzerland for 30 years, has penned Ruth and Billy Graham: The Legacy of a Couple. Focusing on Billy and Ruth, this Baker Books/Baker Publishing Group title is designed to help couples who are in ministry together. Billy Graham endorsed the book, while daughter Gigi Graham wrote the foreword and assisted the author with factual details and the more than 100 photographs in the book. Available in hardcover, the biography is on sale in stores this month for $19.99.

Skye Jethani shows how a biblical vision of the future can infuse a person’s work today with new purpose and dignity in Futureville: Discovering Your Purpose for Today by Reimagining Tomorrow. Thomas Nelson releases this book, which includes discussion questions, Jan. 14 for $15.99. Jethani, who is executive editor of the Leadership Media Group at Christianity Today, emphasizes that the future is brighter than readers might think.

NavPress releases the newest book from Greg Laurie on Jan. 14. As It Is in Heaven: How Eternity Brings Focus to What Really Matters (hardcover, $19.99) is not simply another description of heaven. Rather, it details how a scriptural understanding of what goes on there provides direction and inspiration for how we live now. Laurie is the author of more than 70 books and pastor of the multi-campus Harvest Christian Fellowship in California., one of the largest churches in America. 

In Raised From the Dead: The Miracle That Brings Promise to America, evangelist and founder of Christ for all Nations Reinhard Bonnke details the miracle that occurred in the basement of a small African church while he delivered a sermon upstairs. Bonnke says the miracle confirmed that God was truly calling him to move his ministry to America. Whitaker House releases Raised From the Dead ($14.99) on Jan. 8.

New York Times best-selling author Jentezen Franklin says in The Fearless Life: Live Worry-Free No Matter What Happens ($12.99) that believers do not have to live in fear and worry about anything—neither finances, family, health nor danger. On Jan. 7, Charisma House releases Franklin’s book, in which he shows believers how to live confidently and keep the enemy from stealing their peace and joy.

For longtime students of Scripture and those new to its study, John Piper offers 50 meditations for a deeper understanding of God in A Godward Heart: Treasuring the God Who Loves You (Multnomah Books). Author of more than 50 books, including Desiring God, Piper is founder of Desiring God and chancellor of Bethlehem College and Seminary. He served as senior pastor at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, for more than 30 years. Available Jan. 21, A Godward Heart retails for $14.99.

In August 2013, Antoinette Tuff, a staff member at an Atlanta elementary school, single-handedly prevented a gunman who had entered the school from pulling the trigger on his gun. With Alex Tresniowski, Tuff tells her story in Prepared for a Purpose: An Inspiring True Story of Faith, Courage, and Compassion in Crisis, which Bethany House (Baker Publishing Group) releases Jan. 21. Tuff explains how God used all her life experiences, even the painful ones, to prepare her for that moment. Her book retails for $24.99 in hardcover.

Zondervan releases Rachel Macy Stafford’s Hands-Free Mama ($15.99). The book’s lengthy subtitle sums up the book: “A Guide to Putting Down the Phone, Burning the To-Do List, and Letting Go of Perfection to Grasp What Really Matters!” Stafford is a married mother of two, a blogger and a self-described victim of the “disease of distraction.” Using personal anecdotes, reflections and questions, she presents practical ways to live a less distracted life. The book is available Jan. 7.

Christy-award-winning best-selling author Lynn Austin shares her personal struggle with spiritual dryness and finding the renewal of her faith on a trip to the Promised Land in Pilgrimage: My Journey to a Deeper Faith in the Land Where Jesus Walked. Using fiction techniques like those in her biblical series “Chronicles of the Kings,” she brings the Holy Land to life and interweaves insights from the Scriptures. Bethany House (Baker Publishing Group) releases Austin’s book in softcover this month for $14.99.

In Heaven Wins: Heaven, Hell and the Hope of Every Person, Don Richardson examines the doctrine of salvation and argues that most people—rather than a small percentage—will make it to heaven. To make this case, he discusses God’s use of general revelation to prepare people for the special revelation of the gospel. Richardson’s mission classic Peace Child tells his story of working among a Stone Age tribe in New Guinea. Heaven Wins is available in softcover this month from Regal Books ($14.99).

Watershed Moments: Turning Points That Change the Course of Our Lives by Gari Meacham (softcover, $14.99) releases this month from Zondervan. Meacham teaches a Bible study to more than a thousand women each week at Second Baptist Church in Houston. She is also known as the wife of former pro-baseball player Bobby Meacham. In Watershed Moments, she encourages her readers to explore often-overlooked turning points in life, including change, unraveling and overcoming, and to see them as opportunities for their spiritual awakening.

In Encounters With Jesus: Unexpected Answers to Life’s Biggest Questions, New York Times best-selling author and renowned pastor Tim Keller shows how Jesus changed every person he met by leading them to life-transforming answers. The book also reveals how people can be changed today through encounters with Christ. The hardcover comes out this month from Dutton Adult (Penguin Group) for $19.95.

A Million Little Ways: Uncover the Art You Were Made to Live by Emily P. Freeman (softcover, $13.99) encourages women to see the creative imprint of God within them and to let it shine through in a myriad of ways. Freeman, best-selling author of Grace for the Good Girl, shows the artistic potential of women in simple words, gestures and attitudes. Her Revell (Baker Publishing Group) book releases this month.

Kregel Publications releases family relationships title Related by Chance, Family by Choice: Transforming Mother-in-Law and Daughter-in-Law Relationships by Deborah DeArmond this month (softcover, $13.99). DeArmond has worked nearly 30 years as a leadership trainer and executive coach. With the help of her three daughters-in-law, she conducted extensive research for the book, which provides scriptural help for all aspects of these relationships encouraging women to move from simply being related to being members of a truly spiritual family.

Andy Crouch, executive editor of Christianity Today, examines the nature of power in Playing God: Redeeming the Gift of Power. Bringing to light key scriptures related to worship and justice, Crouch reveals constructive uses of power that allow believers to join in God’s creative, redeeming work in the world and which lead to the human flourishing God intends. This month IVP Books releases Playing God in hardcover for $25.

David Wang and Georgina Sam, authors of Still Red, have partnered once again for a new release from Regal this month. Christian China and the Light of the World (softcover, $15.99) is an insider’s look at the growing urban church in China. It includes miraculous stories of the Holy Spirit’s work there, where the Christian movement is said to be in the tens of millions. Wang has been active in ministry in China for more than 45 years; Sam works with the Hosanna Foundation and writes for the Still Red blog.

Bob Fu, a former pastor in the underground church in China, tells his story of imprisonment, escape and battle for human rights in God’s Double Agent: The True Story of a Chinese Christian’s Fight for Freedom (Baker Books/Baker Publishing Group). Fu fled to the United States where he now runs ChinaAid, a nonprofit that advocates for the underground church in China, political dissidents and the people who defend them. Written with Nancy French, this softcover book is available this month and retails for $19.99.

Hope in Front of Me: Find Purpose in Your Darkest Moments is the memoir of American Idol finalist and Billboard Top 100 recording artist Danny Gokey (with Ben Stroup). After his young wife, Sophia, died from an unexpected heart condition, Gokey became depressed. Yet on his journey of healing he learned that although it might not be apparent, hope is always present. NavPress releases Gokey’s inspirational story at $19.99 in hardcover this month.

New York Times best-selling author of The Noticer and The Traveler’s Gift Andy Andrews has written a new book coming out this month from W Publishing Group (Thomas Nelson). Written in Andrews’ unique blend of allegorical fiction and inspiration, The Noticer Returns: Sometimes You Find Perspective, and Sometimes Perspective Finds You (hardcover, $19.99) begins as Andy finds Jones, the noticer, once again, and Jones brings the gift of perspective to the town of Orange Beach.

In What Happens When I Die?: True Stories of the Afterlife and What They Tell Us About Eternity, Bill Wiese, New York Times best-selling author of 23 Minutes in Hell, shares stories of near-death experiences, deathbed visions and visits to heaven and hell. Wiese also shows how these encounters align with Scripture and answers numerous questions about the afterlife that people ask him as he speaks about his own supernatural experience. Charisma House releases this book in softcover for $14.99.

B&H Publishing Group releases Set Free: Discover Forgiveness Amidst Murder and Betrayal, written by Stephen Owens and New York Times best-selling author Ken Abraham, this month. The softcover retailing for $14.99 tells Owens’ story of forgiving his mother for hiring a hit man to murder his father. After his mother went to death row, Owens did not see her for decades. Then God brought the two together again, setting them free—one literally and one figuratively—to be reconciled to each other.

Called to Stay: An Uncompromising Mission to Save Your Church is the debut book by former journalist Caleb Breakey, who urges millennials not to abandon the church. He advises members of his generation on how to put their passion to use for the church and inject their desire for truth and conviction into their fellow believers. Harvest House Publishers releases Called to Stay in softcover for $11.99.

Journalist Lindsey O’Connor tells her story of waking from a two-month coma following childbirth in The Long Awakening: A Memoir. O’Connor was close to death several times, but awoke without any memory of the coma. Then she faced the daunting task of putting her life back together despite multiple severe medical challenges and discovered much about herself in the process. Her story comes out this month from Revell (Baker Publishing Group) for $17.99 in softcover.

Heavy metal legend David Ellefson from the band Megadeth has written My Life With Deth: Discovering Meaning in a Life of Rock & Roll (with Joel McIver). Releasing from Howard Books this month (hardcover, $24), Ellefson’s book tells the band’s behind-the-scenes story and his own uplifting journey of overcoming addiction, embarking on a life of faith and ministering to unchurched people globally through MEGA Life! Ministries, a contemporary worship service.