TOP PICK

Now I Walk on Death Row

Dale S. Recinella

Chosen (Baker Publishing Group)

softcover, 320 pages, $14.99

978-0-800-79505-4

Autobiography

Recinella was a high-powered attorney with endless money and big dreams, but his heart was empty and broken. On the heels of closing a huge deal for the Miami Dolphins, he gave his life to Jesus in a rock-bottom decision, a moment in which “I will lose every illusory thing I have thought important, and be given everything that really matters,” he writes in Now I Walk on Death Row: A Wall Street Finance Lawyer Stumbles Into the Arms of a Loving God. 

Recinella records his long journey from penthouse to death row is this powerful tale of asking, “Did Jesus really mean what He said?” and receiving answers only God can give. He and his family move from mansion to inner-city apartment, from Florida to Rome and back again. They make decisions together, serve the poor and reach out to the mentally ill. He finds his true heart ministering to Florida’s prison population and, eventually, its death-row inmates. 

Recinella’s faith shines brightly in this memoir, with a foreword by Dallas Willard, that will have readers asking themselves how they can truly serve Jesus. —Ann E. Byle

CHRISTIAN LIFE

My Heart, The Holy Spirit’s Home

Lynda Hunter Bjorklund

Regal Books

softcover, 224 pages, $14.99

978-0-830-75753-4

My Heart, The Holy Spirit’s Home: A Woman’s Guide to Welcoming the Holy Spirit Into Your Daily Life should be read with Bible in hand. Author and speaker Bjorklund offers it as a guide to Christian women of all denominations on developing a relationship with the Holy Spirit.

Rather than debating the subject of tongues, she asserts that the Spirit-filled believer can use the gift as a means of worship and communication with God. She then introduces the work of the Holy Spirit as Helper, Power and Authority, and leads the reader to explore His work in building character, assigning abilities and fulfilling one’s purpose in life.

While encouraging women toward a more dynamic relationship with God, Bjorklund closes with a caution to trust, but verify with the Scriptures all guidance on this subject. My Heart, The Holy Spirit’s Home serves as a resource for women who truly want to welcome the Holy Spirit into their daily lives. —Eilene Ishler

To Be Perfectly Honest

Phil Callaway

Multnomah Books

softcover, 224 pages, $13.99

978-1-590-52917-1

In To Be Perfectly Honest: One Man’s Year of (Almost) Living Truthfully Could Change Your Life. No Lie., readers are in for plenty of insightful, laugh-out-loud humor. Callaway, best-selling author and popular conference speaker, begins by recounting a fateful assignment from his editor: to be entirely truthful for a year, and to record the entire experience.

But the result is not merely funny. As his journey into the honesty dare unfolds, Callaway offers a humble, perceptive look at the falsehoods in our hearts and in our churches. No ground is safe from inspection—among other things, Callaway examines sermons, church members, annual Christmas letters and how we read the Bible.

Though Callaway was reluctant to take the assignment—as a humorist, “I lie for a living,” he says—readers will be glad that he did. His delightful knack for mingling hard truths with sheer hilarity will appeal to a wide range of readers, including those who appreciate year-of books such as A.J. Jacobs’ The Year of Living Biblically. —Dave Stuart Jr.

FICTION

A Place Called Blessing

John Trent with Annette Smith

Thomas Nelson

softcover, 192 pages, $15.99

978-0-849-94618-9

A Place Called Blessing: Where Hurting Ends and Love Begins brings the five elements from Trent’s classic best-seller The Blessing to life in story form. When 5-year-old Josh’s parents die in a car accident, he and his two older brothers find themselves placed in foster care and living in separate homes. 

Later, as a young adult, Josh’s desires are simple—find a job, a place to live and buy a car—and at 18 he strikes out on his own. When his ability to trust and love again is put to the test, the story takes a seemingly impossible twist. With God gently at work in Josh’s life, he ends up in a place where he receives the gift of the blessing.

Trent’s fans as well as readers of Andy Andrews’ parables will appreciate this short but powerful read. The book also includes discussion questions, allowing readers to apply the five elements of The Blessing. —Jean Breunle

The Ambition

Lee Strobel

Zondervan

hardcover, 288 pages, $24.99

978-0-310-29267-8

A name well known in Christian publishing, Strobel crafts a gripping legal thriller in his debut novel, The Ambition. In it, the former Chicago Tribune legal reporter demonstrates his intimate knowledge of the inner workings of the justice system. 

When the Illinois governor needs to fill a vacant Senate seat, Chicago megachurch pastor Eric Snow sees a new arena for his ministry. Viewing his evangelical image as a political liability, Snow’s advisors push him to resign from the church as atheist investigative journalist Garry Strider plumbs the church for Pulitzer-grade scandal. 

Strider finds nothing to report besides a series of miraculous healings. Meanwhile, a disgraced mob lawyer with a secret that could devastate Snow’s main opponent seeks absolution at the church and inadvertently embroils both Strider and Snow in a murderous plot.

Strobel’s multiple viewpoints can be disorienting, and some of the myriad subplots do not resolve. Still, the plot is engaging and exciting while staying grounded in the Christian faith. —John Leatherman

LEADERSHIP

Passing It On

Myles Munroe

FaithWords

hardcover, 256 pages, $19.99

978-0-446-58047-2

Servant leadership, a contradiction to some, motivated Jesus to wash His disciples’ feet. Munroe, a motivational speaker and business consultant, expounds on this topic and encourages mentoring in Passing It On: Growing Your Future Leaders.

Challenging leaders to build on their legacy, he asserts that it is only in appointing a successor that they will truly succeed. Rather than waiting until retirement nears, leaders should identify their replacement early, Munroe says, since doing so is “the first act of a visionary leader.”

Offering biblical examples of mentoring, Munroe shows that Jesus prepared Peter and his disciples for the cross by helping them see that they were to continue His vision. The greatest test for a leader is the willingness to love, he asserts, seeing this principle as one that guided each of the biblical mentors in choosing their successor.

Passing It On is an inspiring call to action for any who desire to become an effective leader in any vocation, including those in developing nations. —Jennifer Toth

The Irresistible Church

Wayne Cordeiro

Bethany House (Baker Publishing Group)

hardcover, 176 pages, $19.99

978-0-764-20885-0

A best-selling author and pastor at New Hope Christian Fellowship in Honolulu, one of the nation’s fastest-growing churches, Cordeiro lays out a strategic framework for pursuing change and improvement, in The Irresistible Church: 12 Traits of a Church Heaven Applauds. 

With a foreword by Willow Creek’s Bill Hybels, Cordeiro’s book defines an irresistible church as a body of believers that is “alluring, magnetic, and relentless in its persuasion.” It is an attractive community that cannot be ignored. Cordeiro outlines a dozen traits of an irresistible church, including that it continuously learns, hungers for the presence of God and follows a plan.

Each chapter concludes with an action item, and Cordeiro includes a study guide with discussion questions and Bible studies. This work will make an excellent year-long curriculum or simply serve as a tool to get small groups or church leadership talking. Readers will appreciate Cordeiro’s humble, God-dependent insights and his emphasis on making church irresistible to God, not only to people.  —Brian Smith McCallum

With 1 million copies in print and 17 weeks on the New York Times Paperback Nonfiction list, Heaven Is for Real topped the Times' March 27th list. From Thomas Nelson, the book by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent has also held its own on several other charts, including USA Today and CBA's Top 50.   

In Mr. Awana: Sixty-Plus Years of Changing the World for Christ, Art Rorheim, co-founder and president emeritus, tells how Awana Clubs International started in 1950. The account of Awana's growth and impact includes a foreword by John Ankerberg. From Grace Acres Press, it is available through Spring Arbor and retails for $19.95.   ?

DeVon Franklin, vice president of production for Columbia Pictures, shares how being bold about his faith has helped him to excel in the film industry, in Produced by Faith: Enjoy Real Success Without Losing Your True Self. Written with Tim Vandehey, the Howard Books title ships May 3 and retails for $23.   ?

Best-selling author R.T. Kendall looks at a hallmark of the Christian life in The Power of Humility: Living Like Jesus, to release May 3 from Charisma House. Using personal illustrations and biblical examples, Kendall examines various types of pride and shows it is impossible to be Spirit-filled and self-righteous at the same time. The book retails for $14.99.   ?

Will Jesus Buy Me a Double-Wide?, a Zondervan title from Karen Spears Zacharias, has been nominated in the Nonfiction category for The 2011 Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA) Book Award. Southern independent booksellers will vote on the finalists, and winners will be picked by a jury of SIBA booksellers and announced in July.   

?A former contestant on The Biggest Loser, Abby Rike tells the story of the tragic death of her husband and two young children in Working It Out: A Journey of Love, Loss and Hope (FaithWords, May 4). The hardcover book retails for $21.99.

The People's Bible: Your Visual Guide to the Bible's Most Searched Verses from Zondervan highlights the most inspiring verses of the New International Version based on searches users have made on the popular site BibleGateway.com. Font sizes and boldness vary, reflecting the frequency with which each verse was searched. It also includes a subject index. Releasing in May, the jacketed hardcover Bible retails for $19.99. 

With 14-point type and bold black-letter text, the ESV Giant Print Bible is useful for preaching, teaching and public reading, as well as for personal use. Its sewn binding, durable cover and lifetime guarantee ensure that it will last for years of regular use. Releasing May 31, the English Standard Version Bible from Crossway comes in TruTone, brown for $69.99 and in genuine leather, black for $89.99.

With a special introduction from pastors Charles F. Stanley and Andy Stanley, the NIV & KJV Side-by-Side Bible, Large Print sees the New International Version (NIV) alongside the King James Version (KJV), making it easy to compare the two translations. Releasing in May from Zondervan, the large-print parallel edition retails for $39.99. 

Danteck Group is releasing two King James text-audio Bible products May 1. Both narrated by Alexander Scourby along with other actors and actresses, the KJV NowBible Color Audio/Visual Bible Reader (4 GB) retails for $179.99 and the KJV NowBible Mini-Color Audio/Visual Bible Reader (4 GB) for $139.99. Each serves as an electronic and audio Bible with the complete KJV in viewable text and synchronized audio narration. Users can listen to the Bible through the built-in speaker or earphones. The NowBible Color features a 3.2-inch TFT true color touch screen and measures 2.6 by 4.5 by 0.6 inches, while the NowBible Mini-Color has a 2.4-inch screen and measures 2 by 4 by 0.6 inches. Both have Quick Jump navigation and a U-disk function with cable for transporting and charging.

Top Pick

Radical Together

David Platt

Multnomah Books

softcover, 192 pages, $14.99

978-1-601-42372-6

Christian Life

Platt—best-selling author of Radical, a call to authentic Christian living for the individual—turns his attention to the church in Radical Together: Unleashing the People of God for the Purpose of God.

As pastor of The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Ala., Platt is in the process of working out the implications of the gospel in the local church. With that in mind, he examines six "essential" ideas, including that the gospel that saves us from working for our salvation in order to show our faith by our works, and that believers should be living—and longing—for the end of the world. 

Humbly admitting his own shortcomings, Platt acknowledges he and his church on the journey, too, but are experiencing some wonderful outcomes as members choose to adopt needy children, learn to make disciples and mobilize for ministry—no matter where in the world it may be.

Radical Together will be challenging and inspiring for pastors and believers committed to learning about God's plan for the local church, as well as fans of Platt's first book.  —Christine D. Johnson

Christian Life

Revise Us Again

Frank Viola

David C. Cook

hardcover, 144 pages, $16.99

978-1-434-76865-0

Each life is a story, an unfolding narrative heavily molded by one's family of origin and environment. In reality, Viola asserts, an individual's script often works on an unconscious level and may not be aligned with God's best. Known for helping believers find a deeper Christian life, Viola urges readers to return to God's script in Revise Us Again: Living From a Renewed Christian Script.

The author focuses on 10 key areas, including how God speaks to believers and how the Holy Spirit works in followers' lives. Particularly interesting is Viola's discussion of "Christianeze," those Christian slogans and cliches that inhibit authenticity and mask the truth. He concludes with a reminder of the true gospel of the "new creation," pointing readers to 2 Cor. 5:17. 

Revise Us Again will challenge and refresh believers. Most importantly, it will help them solidify their identities in Christ by "putting off the old" and "putting on the new," as the apostle Paul writes in Ephesians.  —Brian Smith McCallum

Weird

Craig Groeschel

Zondervan

hardcover, 240 pages, $19.99

978-0-310-32790-5

Groeschel, senior pastor of LifeChurch.tv and best-selling author of The Christian Atheist, offers another unusual title in Weird: Because Normal Isn't Working.

Asserting that normal people are often overwhelmed with the demands of everyday life and live with strained relationships, Groeschel is out to prove that running with the crowd isn't all its cracked up to be. Applying the principles of God's Word to modern-day issues, including time, money and sex, he invites the reader to follow the narrow path in their Christian walk—and be "weird."

Challenging readers to consider if they are living a normal life just to fit in, Groeschel invites them to turn and follow Christ. He describes what it means to be a believer, sharing his own struggles and revelations. 

This easy-to-read book has a youthful feel, and Groeschel often uses humor as he describes his own "weird" life. Weird will challenge any Christian, young or old, to re-evaluate his or her own lifestyle. —Adela L. Diaz

Fiction

An Eye for Glory

Karl Bacon

Zondervan

softcover, 368 pages, $16.99

978-0-310-32202-3

In a historical novel timed for the sesquicentenary of the start of the Civil War, first-time author Bacon gives a first-person account of the frontlines of battle in An Eye for Glory: The Civil War Chronicles of a Citizen Soldier.

Told through narration and letters, An Eye for Glory follows Connecticut shopkeeper and family man Michael Palmer, who, feeling a moral duty, enlists in the Union army despite his wife's objections. He fights at Antietam, Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, where his lifelong buddy dies. Outraged, he kills a Confederate soldier at Gettysburg with excessive malice and feels he has lost his soul. After the war, at his wife's urging, he returns the soldier's Bible to his widow and experiences the true depth of God's grace.

Michael's journey of descent and redemption unfolds slowly and seems almost a subplot to the narrative of the larger war. Still, with attention to detail, An Eye for Glory offers an engaging look at the everyday experiences of Civil War soldiers. —John Leatherman

The Deepest Waters

Dan Walsh

Revell (Baker Publishing Group)

softcover, 304 pages, $14.99

978-0-800-71980-7

Just married, Laura and John Foster are excited about their future together. On their way back East aboard the steamship SS Vandervere, where John will be reunited with his family to introduce his lovely bride, a hurricane brews in the Atlantic, destroying the ship they are on and leaving little hope.

Fearing her husband's death, Laura struggles with how God could be so cruel as to put someone so wonderful as John in her life only to remove him so soon. But facing an unknown future, she bears witness to the miracle-working hand of God and His faithfulness to turn tears into joy.

Inspired by real-life events from 1857, where God did bring about one miracle after another, The Deepest Waters reminds the reader that even in hopeless situations, God is still at work. Walsh's emotional work matches the compelling storytelling of best-selling romance author Nicholas Sparks. —Heidi L. Ippolito

Relationships

Project Dad

Todd Cartmell

Revell (Baker Publishing Group)

softcover, 224 pages, $12.99

978-0-800-71999-9

"God made me to be a great dad." That is the thought that Cartmell, father of two and licensed clinical psychologist, wants his readers to begin with in Project Dad: The Complete Do-It-Yourself Guide for Becoming a Great Father. 

With this groundwork in place, Cartmell proceeds with practical, biblical advice that is generously seasoned with tongue-in-cheek humor that dads will appreciate.

The book is organized into five key areas, each of which Cartmell links to a body part: eyes, mouth, heart, hands and feet. Throughout the book, readers will discover the significance of these body parts as they learn God-honoring ways to look at, talk to, connect with, act toward and lead their children.

Thankfully, Cartmell is quick to differentiate between being a great dad and being a perfect dad. Encouraging his readers to admit their mistakes and seek God for growth, he takes them on a journey of faith that will benefit fathers and their families.—Dave Stuart Jr.

Theology

Love Wins

Rob Bell

HarperOne

hardcover, 224 pages, $22.99

978-0-062-04964-3

Best-selling author and pastor Bell trades his to-date Zondervan home for its parent-company's broader religion imprint in Love Wins, a book some will see as similarly taking him from familiar evangelicalism to more open-ended spirituality.

Though he never uses the word "universalism," it is a summary—and judgment—likely to be made as he presents what is subtitled, "A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived."

Many will disagree with some of his reflections, which seek to rise above simple "in or out" pronouncements, but they also may be stretched in their understanding of what the Bible means when it talks about eternity, heaven and hell.

While pointing to what he sees as the church's "long tradition of Christians who believe that God will ultimately restore everything and everybody," Bell's trademark reflectiveness and wonder at the immensity of God's love ultimately emphasizes the importance of how people's view of the hereafter shapes their lives in the here and now.  —Andy Butcher

The Complete Visual Bible from best-selling author Stephen M. Miller features highlights of all 66 biblical books in brief text and in paintings, photographs, maps and other graphic features. The 528-page softcover volume releases this month from Barbour Publishing at $19.99 retail.   ?

In Undefending Christianity, Dillon Burroughs leads readers through a reassessment of hot-button topics such as what it means to be a friend of sinners and how believers should relate to homosexuals. The Harvest House Publishers title releases this month and retails for $11.99.

Max Lucado answers questions on a broad range of topics—from personal morality to societal issues—in Max on Life, releasing this month from Thomas Nelson. The best-selling author offers short replies with his thoughts on relationships, the hereafter and more in the hardcover book retailing for $24.99.   

?In Half the Church, author and speaker Carolyn Custis James aims to help readers recapture God’s global vision for women. She calls on women to become a compassionate force for good. The Zondervan book releases this month and retails for $18.99.   ?

Andy Andrews brings back character David Ponder in The Final Summit: The Quest to Find the One Principle That Will Save Humanity. In the new book, releasing this month, mankind is on the brink of disaster, but Ponder and historical figures—travelers—convene in a final summit to discover the words that can save humanity. The Thomas Nelson title retails for $19.99.   ?

Veteran newspaper reporter Frank Stanfield tells the story of grace and forgiveness in the wake of a heinous crime in Unbroken: The Dorothy Lewis Story, releasing this month from Kingstone Publishing. Lewis—a widow who was raped and shot, and whose two young daughters were murdered—today exhibits the strength she found in Christ. The book retails for $14.99.

Portable enough to travel anywhere, the ESV Personal Size Reference Bible is larger and more readable than the ESV Compact Bible, but not quite as big as the ESV Thinline Bible. The black-letter English Standard Version text is presented in a single-column paragraph format to be read like a book. The new edition features 7.4-point type, introductions to each Bible book, cross-references, ribbon marker and Smyth-sewn binding. A free ESV Bible Resources download is also available. The TruTone, brown CrossWeave design from Crossway releases this month and retails for $29.99.

The Take Action Bible, NKJV features real-life stories and full-color photos of people who are putting their faith into action. Their actions range from raising money with a lemonade stand to relocating on the mission field. Readers are challenged to follow their examples with 52 ideas for how to put God’s Word into action. The Thomas Nelson edition retails for $14.99 in softcover and $29.99 for Leathersoft mink/earth brown.

Abingdon Press releases a limited-edition New Testament with Psalms in the readable Common English Bible translation. The New Testament With Psalms (DecoTone blue/slate gray) features a two-column format, 9-point type, a Bible reading plan and full-color maps exclusively from National Geographic. Also available in DecoTone pink/chocolate brown, the new edition releases this month and retails for $20. 

With more than 1,000 "Life Lessons" from pastor and best-selling author Max Lucado, The Lucado Life Lessons Study Bible, NKJV aims to help readers discover how they can apply the Bible to their own lives. The New King James Version Bible comes in various Leathersoft editions, including burgundy, and releases April 19. It retails for $69.99.