10 Lies Men Believe

J. Lee Grady

Charisma House (Strang Book Group)

softcover, 240 pages, $14.99

978-1-616-38137-0

Following up his 10 Lies the Church Tells Women, Grady, best-selling author and former Charisma magazine editor, offers the counterpart for men, 10 Lies Men Believe: The Truth About Women, Power, Sex, and God-and Why It Matters. 

Tackling such common beliefs as "A real man is defined by material success", "Real men don't need close male friendships" and "Real mend don't cry", Grady addresses the roots of these lies, counters with wisdom based on the Scriptures and affirms men as God has fashioned them. 

Grady speaks plainly about sex , male pride and priorities, yet asserts that spiritual breakthroughs are possible.  Men will relate will to him, as he opens up about his own insecurities and personal life.  

Each Chapter-beginning with sometimes startling quotes from sources ranging from movie actors to church fathers-includes discussion questions and a brief prayer. The book closes with an appendix offering keys to spiritual power in a man's life, including how to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

-Christine D. Johnson

Deep Like Me

Rick Bundschuh

Regal Books

softcover, 192 pages, $12.99

978-0-830-74688-0

In Deep Like Me: Extremely Profound Thoughts on Faith From a Disciple in Over His Head, Bundschuh, a teaching pastor and popular conference speaker, provides 31 short-essay examples from his own life, showing how following Jesus is not a prescribed walk of faith.

With wit and humor, Bundschuh offers hope and encouragement to believers struggling in their spiritual walk. With a reassuring voice, he lets them know they are not alone if they are questioning their faith, or the theology or actions of others—such as holding a John 3:16 sign at a football game.

In discussing topics such as honesty, judgment and forgiveness, the author challenges readers to think for themselves and consider what Jesus is really saying in His teachings rather than swallowing everything they’ve been taught.

Readers will enjoy Bundschuh’s conversational style. With Scriptures to reinforce each life lesson, Deep Like Me will support readers in their own spiritual journey.

—Nicole Anderson

Hope for Your Heart

June Hunt

Crossway

softcover, 224 pages, $14.99

978-1-433-50397-9

Biblical counselor and radio host Hunt adds the encouraging Hope for Your Heart: Finding Strength in Life’s Storms to her numerous books on the subject. With insights gleaned from her longtime counseling ministry and award-winning radio programs, she focuses on biblical hope as an anchor for the soul. 

Hunt describes the kinds of anchors used by sailors depending upon the situation and the need. She likens the function of an anchor to the role of Christ in the believer’s life, whether in safe harbor or severe storms. The reader will learn many interesting facts about the oceans and how navigating them relates to life’s circumstances. Experiences from Hunt’s own life and those seeking counsel underscore the effective role of God’s Word as the believer’s sure hope. 

Hunt shows that Christian hope is much more than wishful thinking or mere sentimentalism. Each chapter centers on a Scripture passage and emphasizes the power of hope to heal. Written for all Christians, Hope for Your Heart will also aid pastors and counselors in their ministry.

—Eilene Ishler

Lazarus Awakening

Joanna Weaver

WaterBrook Press

hardcover, 240 pages, $19.99

978-0-307-44496-7

Best-selling author of Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World and Having a Mary Spirit, Weaver concludes her look at New Testament siblings Martha, Mary and Lazarus in Lazarus Awakening: Finding Your Place in the Heart of God.

With sometimes humorous real-life illustrations, Weaver instructs and inspires readers with the story of Lazarus’ resurrection. Taking readers step by step through the story, she helps believers who question God’s love, just as Mary and Martha did. She helps readers move beyond “why” and learn that even in difficult circumstances, God is trustworthy.  She challenges believers to not get too comfortable in the tombs of their old selves and urges them to pull off the graveclothes that hinder freedom in Christ.

Well-written and insightful, Lazarus Awakening will not disappoint Weaver’s fans. It also includes a 10-week Bible study. 

—Johnson

The Brotherhood

Jerry B. Jenkins

Tyndale House Publishers

hardcover, 384 pages, $24.99

978-1-414-30907-1

softcover, pages, $14.99

978-1-414-30922-4 

Author Jenkins gives a look inside the life of a policeman struggling with his faith in The Brotherhood, the first in the “Precinct 11” series. Set in the near future, the book takes a frank look at the question of why God allows suffering.

Raised Christian but never passionate about his faith, Chicago police officer Boone Drake shuns religion after an accidental fire claims his wife and 3-year-old son. An expected promotion lifts him out of depression until a wrongful brutality charge threatens to end his career. When the case gets dismissed, he begins to appreciate the value of prayer. 

Reassigned to the Organized Crime Division, he finds himself positioned to topple all four of the gangs terrorizing Chicago and finally accepts that God has an unknowable yet masterful plan for his life.

Jenkins’ simple, expressive style brings gangland Chicago to life, and though some readers may find the resolution simplistic, Boone’s struggle to make sense of God’s sovereignty is easily relatable for believers.

—John Leatherman

Words

Ginny L. Yttrup

B&H Books (B&H Publishing Group)

softcover, 352 pages, $14.99

978-1-433-67170-8

Ten-year-old Kaylee Wren has a giant vocabulary—evidence of hours spent pouring through the pages of her mother’s dictionary. However, Kaylee doesn’t speak, and why would she?

Abandoned by her parents, molested by her mother’s former boyfriend time and again in a cabin in the redwoods, Kaylee has every reason to shut herself away emotionally. The many words she has collected in her mind are her only companions, a hollowed redwood her only refuge. 

Kaylee’s future seems hopeless until, from the security of her tree, she spots gifted artist Sierra Dawn Bickford. Tormented by the death of her newborn daughter 12 years earlier—a result of drug use during pregnancy—Sierra needs a chance to be the mother she always wanted to be, and she gets that chance with Kaylee. 

Beautifully written, Yttrup’s first novel is also captivating, as the story is told from both Kaylee’s and Sierra’s perspectives. Words vividly demonstrates how lives can be saved by the healing power of Jesus.

—Sarah Stegall

Luke: The Gospel of Amazement

Michael Card

IVP Books (InterVarsity Press)

softcover,  284 pages, $18

978-0-830-83835-6

Luke: The Gospel of Amazement is the first release in the “Biblical Imagination Series,” which will also engage the rest of the canonical Gospels. In the series, Card, an award-winning musician, pays homage to his mentor, scholar William Lane, who taught him how to read the Bible with “informed imagination,” linking the mind and heart. 

Card, who holds a master’s degree in biblical studies, works his way through Luke’s Gospel not line by line, but with blocks of text and bigger themes. For instance, he explains that Luke serves as a bridge between the Old Testament faith of waiting for Christ to the New Testament faith of following Him. 

Readers will come to understand that Luke was not an eyewitness. Rather, he was a meticulous historian as well as a doctor, a Gentile and perhaps even a slave. 

Though Card taps into the discoveries of scholars, his work is accessible to the lay reader. Overall, he lives up to his goal of providing a fresh, rich approach to the biblical text.

—Brian Smith McCallum

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