Ann Spangler, whose best-selling books include Praying the Names of God and Praying the Names of Jesus, helps readers more fully understand the richness of God’s character as found in His names in Scripture. The Names of God Bible, edited by Spangler, restores more than 10,000 occurrences of specific names of God—such as Yahweh, El Shadday, El Elyon and Adonay—to help readers connect with the Hebrew roots of the Christian faith. With the complete text of God’s Word Translation, The Names of God Bible also features prayers and devotional readings. Available this month, it comes in hardcover for $34.99 and in mahogany or black Duravella in a Hebrew name design for $49.99. 

 Written in everyday English, the Common English Bible translation was created through the work of 118 biblical scholars from 22 faith traditions and field tests by 77 reading groups. Employing the new translation, the CEB Compact Thin Bible is a portable, small-format edition that is thinner than an inch and offers the increased legibility of 6.5-point type. The Bible releases Sept. 1 from Abingdon Press in a DecoTone Pomegranate Flourish design and retails for $24.95.

Abingdon Press is offering the new Common English Bible translation in an affordable New Testament edition for holiday ministry outreach. The CEB Christmas Outreach New Testament comes in softcover in a double-column text format for $1.99 and is available Sept. 1. It also comes in a Christmas Outreach Kit.

 The Personal Size Giant Print Reference Bible in the New King James Version from Thomas Nelson features giant-print type in a readable and portable edition. Available Sept. 13 in dove gray Leathersoft design with gilded-silver edging, it retails for $44.99.

 The distinctive voice of the late country singer Johnny Cash is featured in the newly repackaged CD edition of Johnny Cash Reads the New Testament. Its features include the entire New King James Version New Testament on 16 compact discs and a 16 full-color Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash photographs in a double slipcase. Available Sept. 6, it retails for $49.99.

 Available Sept. 30, The MacArthur Study Bible in TruTone, brown/crimson is a new edition of the best-selling Bible by John MacArthur. The personal study notes of the veteran pastor-teacher are placed below the Bible text with virtually every scripture having a matching note. Retailing for $74.99, this English Standard Version edition from Crossway also features Bible text in 8.5-point type, study notes in 7.5-point type, more than 140 two-color maps, charts, timelines and illustrations, introductions to each Bible book, 80,000 cross-references, an extensive concordance, Bible reading plans and more.

Top Pick

The Second Messiah

Glenn Meade·

Howard Books

hardcover, 464 pages, $22.50

978-1-451-61184-7

Reading similarly to both a Thoene novel and·The Da Vinci Code,·best-selling author Meade’s·The Second Messiah·will keep readers on the edge of their proverbial seats.

The story revolves around Jack Cane’s archaeological dig and the discovery of an ancient scroll that dates back to the time of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Written in a strange code as well as ancient Aramean, the scroll claims there was a second messiah who may have lived at the time of Jesus—an idea that strikes fear at the heart of the Vatican and the nation of Israel and leads them to bury its evidence.·

A strange accident that predates the murder of a prominent archaeologist makes Cane wonder if the two incidents are related, and a chase ensues through Europe and the Middle East.

The Second Messiah·reads quickly and will hold the reader’s attention with its many plot twists. In the story, Meade also addresses the problem of suffering in an insightful comment from the pope. Fans of fiction tied to news headlines will enjoy this geopolitical thriller. Recommended for readers of Joel C. Rosenberg.

—Jennifer Toth

Surprised by Oxford

Carolyn Weber 

Thomas Nelson

softcover, 384 pages, $16.99

978-0-849-94611-0

Surprised by Oxford offers a host of delightful gifts for readers looking for depth and breadth in their summer reading. When Weber heads to the oldest-surviving English-speaking university in the world, she’s prepared for rigorous study and mental challenge—but not to find herself drawn to Christians who challenge her broken thinking and hostile heart. A friend she calls “TDH” introduces her to real Christianity, endures her anger, feminist leanings and skepticism, as well as her heartfelt questions about faith.

Readers can expect challenging questions and answers about a true life of faith; rich history that seeps from the walls of Oxford; and enough literary references to delight the heart of any aficionado—from Homer to Donne, Tolstoy to Bono and, of course, C.S. Lewis (the title perhaps an allusion to Surprised by Joy) and the Bible. 

Weber has written an astute, stimulating memoir of her conversion to Christ, as well as her year at Oxford. Readers will walk the city’s ancient streets and along with Weber feel her heart change.

—Ann E. Byle

A Confident Heart

Renee Swope 

Revell/Baker Publishing Group

softcover, 208 pages, $13.99

978-0-800-71960-9

Swope, radio host and speaker with Proverbs 31 Ministries, encourages women who struggle with self-doubt to get out of the cycle of defeat in A Confident Heart: How to Stop Doubting Yourself & Live in the Security of God’s Promises. 

Swope opens up about her own lack of confidence and what she has done to combat it. Having heard whispers of doubt in her own life, she helps readers confront such thoughts as “I’m such a failure” and “I don’t have anything special to offer.”

From her insecurity as a child of divorce, wondering if she was worth keeping, to doubting her ministry calling, Swope tells many a story women can relate to and encourages them to understand the heart of God, who is for them. Practical and personal, A Confident Heart doesn’t offer a quick fix, but aims to help readers discover the value of their inheritance in Christ and claim God’s promises for themselves.

—Christine D. Johnson

Hell is Real (But I Hate To Admit It)

Brian Jones

David C. Cook

softcover, 272 pages, $14.99

978-0-781-40572-0

Jones, senior pastor at suburban Philadelphia’s Christ’s Church of the Valley, had a secret: As a graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary and during his first four years of ministry, he didn’t believe in hell. Prominent theologians such Clark Pinnock rejected the doctrine of hell, after all. What’s more, Jones rationalized that earthly life is hellish enough and admitted that he “liked being liked,” avoiding confrontation about theological matters.

But he was confronted by biblical texts—including the words of Christ—on the existence of hell, and now in Hell is Real (But I Hate to Admit It) shares his journey of coming to believe in the reality of eternal punishment. His goal: to help the church recover “the all-consuming conviction that overtakes you when you realize that hell is real, and that it is within your power to help people avoid going there.”

Written in a candid, conversational tone, Hell is Real is peppered with deep insights from theologians and literary figures. Hell is Real is an important, challenging work in light of Rob Bell’s recent controversial book, Love Wins.

—Brian Smith McCallum

Courageous

Randy Alcorn

Tyndale House Publishers

softcover, 400 pages, $14.99

978-1-414-35846-8

From the creators of Fireproof comes Courageous: Honor Begins at Home, a novelization based on a screenplay by movie-making brothers Alex and Stephen Kendrick.

Set in the same town as Fireproof—Albany, Ga., where the Kendricks’ church happens to be—Courageous follows the lives of law enforcement officers Nathan Hayes and Adam Mitchell and their partners. At home, Nathan is the spiritual leader of his household, but Adam, though a professing Christian, is not taking his role at home seriously, leaving his wife frustrated and family relationships deteriorating.

When the unimaginable happens, Adam must decide whether or not to deal with the tragedy and let God turn it into something good. During this time of rebuilding, he develops The Resolution—a father’s pact—which becomes his testimony in church.

Although some readers may find some similarities with Fireproof, Courageous has a wider variety of characters and storylines, with an intriguing, fast-paced plot. Alcorn’s novelization is not just about policemen facing down gang members, but also about their responsibilities as Christians, fathers, husbands, friends and community leaders.

—Jean Breunle

The Art of Mentoring

Darlene Zschech

Bethany House (Baker Publishing Group)

hardcover, 192 pages, $19.99

978-0-764-20934-5

Former Hillsong worship leader and church co-pastor Zschech believes every person needs to know he or she is “valued and completely valuable.” This belief has enabled her to develop gifted, young musicians into great worship leaders. She encourages, praises and supports her teams in their successes and downplays their failures while expecting them to work diligently. 

Leadership expert John Maxwell influenced Zschech to teach the “why” behind the “what” in training others to lead, which she does in The Art of Mentoring: Embracing the Great Generational Transition with 14 values taken from the Scriptures.

Although the book would benefit from personal examples, The Art of Mentoring is a thought-provoking read for busy leaders.

—Eilene Ishler

Change Agent

Os Hillman 

Charisma House

softcover, 256 pages, $14.99

978-1-616-38182-0

A leader in the faith-at-work movement, Hillman calls out the desire inherent within every person to make a difference in the world in Change Agent: Engaging Your Passion to Be the One to Make a Difference. Through profiles, biblical and contemporary, he shows how God assigns individuals a destiny, preparing them to make an impact.

Hillman reminds believers not to focus only on the gospel of salvation—which is a starting point, but can lead them to wait for Jesus, not work toward His return—rather than the gospel of the kingdom. He encourages Christians to see even their everyday tasks as kingdom work and calls them to influence aspects of culture: business, government, media, arts and entertainment, education, the family and religion. 

Simply written and well organized, Change Agent takes readers through the six stages of how God prepares His change agents, cautioning them that spiritual warfare is necessary. Recommended for the believer who knows there must be something more to the Christian life or who wants to influence the culture for God.

—Nicole Anderson

God Wins, a response to Rob Bell’s New York Times best-seller Love Wins (HarperOne), discusses the nature of heaven, hell and the destiny of mankind. Written by Mark Galli, senior managing editor of Christianity Today magazine, God Wins includes a group discussion guide. The August release from Tyndale House Publishers retails for $12.99.   ?Insights on Revelation—the latest in the series “Swindoll’s New Testament Insights” by Charles R. Swindoll— defends a dispensational premillennial framework for reading the last book of the Bible. The Zondervan hardcover comes out this month and retails for $25.99.   ?Jennifer Grant’s Love You More: The Divine Surprise of Adopting My Daughter is an intimate family memoir on the adoption process. Journalist Grant, already a mother of three, shares the personal, often humorous story of how she and husband David adopted a 15-month-old girl from Guatemala. The $15.99 Thomas Nelson book releases this month.   ?The Great Books Reader by John Mark Reynolds, general editor and director of Biola University’s Great Books program, features excerpts and essays on the most influential books in western civilization, from Homer to Chesterton. Releasing this month, the substantial hardcover volume from Bethany House/Baker Publishing Group retails for $34.99.   ?FrontLine, an imprint of Charisma House, releases the 2012 Biblical Guide to Voting this month. The voting guide addresses 22 key political issues, allowing the reader to make informed decisions at the polls from a biblical foundation. Issues such as illegal immigration, prison reform, Israel/Middle East and American exceptionalism are included in the book, which retails for $9.99.   ?In Love, Sex, and Happily Ever After, Craig Groeschel gives readers hope that there is such a thing as a loving marriage that goes the distance. Releasing Aug. 16, the Multnomah Books title retails for $14.99.

Top Pick 

Lion of Babylon

by Davis Bunn

Bethany House (Baker Publishing Group)

fiction, hardcover, 384 pages, $22.99

978-0-764-20993-2

softcover, 384 pages, $14.99

978-0-764-20905-5

Best-selling author Bunn takes readers on an entertaining, suspenseful, hopeful adventure in modern-day Iraq in Lion of Babylon. 

Marc Royce is called away from his job as a forensic accountant to re-enter his life as a State Department operative. His best friend, along with two other Americans and one Iraqi, has gone missing, and neither the American nor the Iraqi government is offering answers. Marc teams with an Iraqi attorney, a former Iraqi special forces soldier and the nation’s top religious leader to uncover what becomes more than a kidnapping for ransom. 

Faith, both Muslim and Christian, plays a big role as Marc and his friends come to understand that the kidnappings are tied to an underground movement created to build a new Iraq. Unseen enemies will stop at nothing to destroy the movement and install their leadership. 

Bunn has created an Iraq that offers seeds of hope sown by the only Reconciler capable of bringing the sharply divided country—and region—into harmony. His writing is taut, his message clear: Hope comes from God alone.

—Ann E. Byle

Auto/Biography

Growing Up Amish

Ira Wagler

Tyndale House Publishers

softcover, 288 pages, $14.99

978-1-414-33936-8

More than a story about a Plain man and his primitive community, Growing Up Amish is a memoir of one man’s struggle with God. Born in an Old Order Amish community in Aylmer, Ontario, and later moved to Bloomfield, Iowa, Wagler had 10 siblings, a loving mother and a strict father highly regarded for his newspaper writings.

From age 17, Wagler came and went from home, unsettled and closed in even when he chose to join the church and become engaged. Drifting from place to place and living in rebellion, he always came back, mainly out of fear of eternal damnation.

An encounter with Sam Johnson—an intelligent young man born “English,” but who opted to join the Amish—led to Wagler’s new birth at age 26. Though finally at peace, he subsequently left his people for the last time, but this time without fear.

Growing Up Amish unveils what Amish life is like on the inside. Beyond that, this well-told story will leave the Christian rejoicing that a prodigal has come home.

—Christine D. Johnson

My Life and Lesser Catastrophes

Christina Schofield

Chosen (Baker Publishing Group)

softcover, 144 pages, $12.99

978-0-800-79511-5

In My Life and Lesser Catastrophes: An Unflinchingly Honest Journey of Faith, Schofield shares the story of the motorcycle accident that left her husband, Allen, a quadriplegic.

With Allen, a campus minister, confined to a wheelchair, Schofield had to learn to care for him as well as their toddler. She also had to allow herself to accept help and to lean fully on God.

With scriptural references and anecdotes, My Life and Lesser Catastrophes showcases the author’s humor and wit. The book’s chapter titles also are a break from the ordinary—“Fried Chicken and Priorities,” for example. 

Not just an account of a wife’s new role as caregiver, My Life is about a woman’s faith in God. This touching book is a reminder that even in life’s frailest moments, God is present to comfort and carry His children.

—Jean Breunle

Christian Life

 
Face to Face With God

Jim Maxim

Whitaker House

softcover, 192 pages, $10.99

978-1-603-74286-3

In Face to Face With God: A True Story of Rebellion and Restoration, author Maxim tells how as a teenage alcoholic, he found himself face to face with God after a tragic auto accident—one that destroyed his looks, but renewed his life. 

While in the hospital, Jesus appeared to him, Maxim writes. With little knowledge of God, he was headed to Marine boot camp when he found a Gideon Bible, its words satisfying his thirsty soul. He also developed a pattern of praying that God would help him make faith come alive in the hearts of others, accounts of which he shares along with key scriptures.

The military proved a testing ground for his faith, but also an opportunity to have his appearance restored through reconstructive surgery. Today, as a businessman, Maxim does his work as unto the Lord. 

An evangelist at heart, Maxim urges readers to follow Christ. Christians will benefit from the book’s rich resources for those who want to share their faith.

—Eilene Ishler

Thor Ramsey’s Total Money Meltdown

Thor Ramsey

Moody Publishers

softcover, 160 pages, $12.99

978-0-802-40075-8

For many readers, wondering if the author is related to Dave Ramsey will likely be the first reaction to Thor Ramsey’s Total Money Meltdown—and he isn’t. After the author establishes that he has read the personal finance expert’s books, he shares his own story of loss, debt and renewal.

A Christian comedian known for his work on the “Thou Shalt Laugh” series, Ramsey uses humor to draw the reader and then explains how he overcame his own financial battles to finally succeed at reducing his debt level to zero by the time he finished writing the book. He found that what seemed impossible could only be accomplished through his understanding of God’s love and commitment. 

Total Money Meltdown offers entertainment, yes, but more importantly, the tools for how to begin to hope again for those in debt. By disclosing his Starbucks addiction, then how his wife shredded his credit cards, Ramsey admits his own failure, but also shares his triumph, hoping to inspire readers on their own financial journey.

—Jennifer Toth

What’s Your Secret?

Aaron Stern

David C. Cook

softcover, 208 pages, $14.99

978-1-434-70230-2

Sometimes it takes a light touch to tackle a potentially life-altering topic—a touch Stern, a college and twentysomethings pastor, employs in What’s Your Secret? Freedom Through Confession.

Acknowledging that everyone has secrets—which have the power to harm—Stern shares the fallout of his own secrets and calls readers to take the path to freedom, which starts with the act of confession. Encouraging readers through success stories, Stern also cautions them to admit their secrets to the right people—and offers guidance on how to identify the wrong people. 

But, he writes, confession is only the start of the journey. In the book’s second half, he challenges the reader to see sin for what it is and repent instead of opting for a quick self-help fix. 

Stern urges readers to keep only the good secrets—the secrets of their good deeds, building their treasure in heaven. What’s Your Secret? is applicable to the life of any Christian and offers an important corrective in this image-driven age.

—Johnson

Fiction

Fallen Angel

Major Jeff Struecker and Alton Gansky 

B&H Books

softcover, 400 pages, $14.99

978-1-433-67140-1

Black Hawk Down survivor Major Struecker lends his military knowledge to author Gansky for an engaging thriller in Fallen Angel. The title refers to an American Angel-12 spy satellite knocked from orbit by the Chinese, eager to seize and copy its military secrets.

Sergeant Major Eric Moyer leads a covert team into Siberia to retrieve the downed satellite and the first team that was sent in, captured and tortured into confession by a rogue Russian military squadron hoping the satellite would further their goal of restoring the Soviet Union. The Chinese deploy a secret salvage team as well. 

Meanwhile, in South Carolina, Moyer’s teenage daughter, Gina, disappears, and ransom videos surface demanding Moyer’s mission be halted. As military and civilian police search for Gina, the president tracks the three-way race for the Angel, ready if necessary to launch a surgical strike to destroy it and everyone around.

Fallen Angel’s bicontinental intrigue engages the reader despite the lack of a consistent point of view. Struecker and Gansky also interlace the suspense with the spiritual inclinations of believing men sworn to protect their nation.

—John Leatherman

With 12,000 concise study notes, the ESV Student Study Bible provides numerous new features, including nearly 900 "Did You Know?" facts, 120 new Bible character profiles and 15 new topical articles. It also features a new glossary of key terms, more than 80 full-color maps and illustrations, an extensive concordance and 80,000 cross-references. For high school and college students, the English Standard Version edition from Crossway is available this month in hardcover at $37.99 or in TruTone navy or taupe at $54.99 each.

Edited by Philip Yancey and Tim Stafford, the NIV Student Bible from Zondervan has sold more than 5 million copies and is getting a new design this month. Available in a variety of formats, including hardcover ($34.99), the new-look Bible features the New International Version text, a three-track reading plan, book introductions and overviews, short commentary on specific verses, a subject guide, glossaries and eight pages of maps with an index.

With thousands of notes and commentaries from respected conservative scholars, The King James Study Bible from Thomas Nelson includes doctrinal footnotes, personality profiles, archaeological information, special articles, in-text maps and more than 5,700 annotations in a unique format. Available July 5, the Leathersoft Bible retails for $69.99.

In the Maxwell Leadership Bible, NKJV: Briefcase Edition, leadership expert John C. Maxwell presents biblical instructions to equip and encourage leaders. Features include two-color design, in-depth articles on The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership as seen in the lives of Bible characters; and articles on The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader. There are also more than 100 biographical profiles and hundreds of short articles and read-as-you-go notes on mentoring. Available in Leathersoft, the $29.99 Bible releases July 5.

In celebration of the 10th anniversary of The Message, NavPress is re-releasing it in its original reader's-version edition. Formatted in a single column and with no verse numbers, The Message 10th Anniversary Reader's Edition is available in jacketed hardcover for $39.99 and in pewter/black bonded leather for $64.99. Set in 11-point type, this limited edition includes a ribbon marker, maps and charts, and ships July 15.

Auburn University head football coach Gene Chizik's All In: What It Takes to Be the Best releases July 5 from Tyndale House Publishers. Co-authored by David Thomas, the book chronicles the faith and career of Chizik, who in two years took the Iowa State Cyclones from a record of five wins and 19 losses to undefeated and later became the AP SEC Coach of the Year of the 2010 National Champions Auburn Tigers.   ?

International in its scope and contributors, The Dictionary of Christian Spirituality by Glen G. Scorgie, general editor, releases this month from Zondervan. The 864-page hardcover volume retails for $39.99.   ?

Shaunti Feldhahn continues her best-selling research-based series on men and women with this month's release of For Women Only in the Workplace: What You Need to Know About How Men Think at Work. A veteran of Wall Street and Capitol Hill, Feldhahn offers insights into the expectations and perceptions of men in the work environment. The Multnomah Books title retails for $15.99.   ?

Launching a new Barbour Publishing series, 40 Days to Better Living: Optimal Health provides manageable steps to better health. Readers choose the areas of life they want to improve and follow Dr. Scott Morris' 40-day plan. The compact $7.99 book also features scriptures and prayers.   ?

Stories of Faith and Courage From the Vietnam War by Larkin Spivey is the latest entry in the "Battlefields & Blessings" devotional series from God and Country Press, an imprint of AMG Publishers. The $16.99 book releases this month.   ?

Fans of the mother road will appreciate the nod to the nostalgic, cross-country highway in Route 66: A Crash Course in Navigating Life With the Bible (Monarch Books/Kregel Publications). Written by Krish Kandiah, the July book can be used independently or in a group and retails for $13.99.