The Girl in the Orange Dress

Margot Starbuck

IVP Books (InterVarsity Press)

softcover, 202 pages, $16

978-0-830-83627-7

Starbuck traces her emotional journey in The Girl in the Orange Dress: Searching for a Father Who Does Not Fail.

When she was a child, her parents felt blessed to adopt her and lavished her with love and assurance. Her sense of identity and value was shaken by their eventual divorce, though, and she began to feel responsible for the failure of relationships in her life and undeserving of any kind of love.

While Starbuck presented herself outwardly as upbeat, happy and marching to her own drumbeat, deep down she struggled with rejection. The battle in her heart drove her to pursue love from her father and the true love she ultimately found from her heavenly Father.

The Girl in the Orange Dress is a story of a search for identity and worth, and is an encouraging one for any reader who has grappled with disappointment and hurt from lost paternal relationships and faith in God as heavenly Father.

—Heidi Ippolito

The Jesus You Can’t Ignore

John MacArthur

Thomas Nelson

hardcover, 256 pages, $22.99

978-1-400-20206-5

Best-selling author and pastor MacArthur takes another look at who Jesus is in The Jesus You Can’t Ignore: What You Must Learn From the Bold Confrontations of Christ.

Through MacArthur’s portrayal, readers will discover a side to the Savior that is often overlooked. Rather than being politically correct, Jesus wasn’t afraid to engage the hypocrisy of His day in a quest to open the world’s eyes to truth. In His “righteous indignation,” He showed His determination to rid the world of lies and false doctrine.

MacArthur also warns against the dangers of obscuring the truth, which is especially relevant for postmodern readers.

This book is an important tool for those who are in the position of instructing others or who long to have a more personal perception of Jesus.

—Vickie B. Mathews

The Lost Commandment

Dave Greber

Kregel Publications

softcover, 256 pages, $13.99

978-0-825-42935-4

During the Last Supper, Jesus told His disciples He was giving them a new commandment in John 13:34, which provides the basis for Greber’s The Lost Commandment: Have We Missed What Jesus Really Wants?

Although the commandment is solely documented in the Gospel of John, Greber presents a strong case for Christ’s intent of the “new” commandment replacing the “Golden Rule.” He contrasts the meanings of the two commands, arriving at the one he feels is more in character with Christ’s message of unconditional love.

Greber also points out the Christlike qualities Christians should exhibit, including joy, humility, forgiveness and reconciliation. His tone is approachable and conversational, as he frequently dips into his own life for examples.

The lessons of The Lost Commandment are hardly groundbreaking, but still bear repeating to readers hoping to model the love of Christ to others.

—DeWayne Hamby

Faces in the Fire

T.L. Hines

Thomas Nelson

softcover, 400 pages, $14.99

978-1-595-54453-7

In Hines’ newest suspense thriller, Faces in the Fire, unexpected life events and bizarre situations work together to bring acceptance and cleansing by nothing less than fire.

Kurt Marlowe is an amnesiac whose past life unfolds before him when he listens to the voices of ghosts. Corrine spends her time learning how to be invisible, but when diagnosed with terminal cancer, she must open herself to the world she once feared. Grace abandons her family, but appears to discover her purpose through a bottle of tattoo ink that mysteriously reveals clues and names.

Through unlikely connections, these lives converge with an arsonist, terrorists and the Russian mob, but each finds the strength to step out in faith and become an instrument of salvation for themselves and others.

Though at times the plot seems over the top, Hines cleverly pieces together a fascinating story wit h a diverse cast of characters and the well-crafted themes of providence and redemption.

—Bonnie Bruner

Offworld

Robin Parrish

Bethany House Publishers

(Baker Publishing Group)

softcover, 368 pages, $14.99

978-0-764-20606-1

Parrish spins a speculative sci-fi tale in this futuristic thriller. Set in 2033, Offworld imagines four astronauts returning from Mars to a world abruptly purged of its population. With satellite images showing no human activity but an abnormally bright light in Houston, the team journeys from Kennedy Space Center to investigate.

En route they encounter Mae, a homeless survivor, and peril. The mission commander also recovers memories of a near-death experience on Mars that holds clues to the disappearance.

In the story, Parrish puts off his explanation of the disappearance so long that it may frustrate some readers. Also, the Christian subtext seems almost an afterthought. Still, Parrish’s knack for suspense makes Offworld an exciting read.

—John D. Leatherman

Religions of the Stars

Richard Abanes

Bethany House Publishers

(Baker Publishing Group)

softcover, 224 pages, $13.99

978-0-764-20648-1

Fresh from tackling the errors of Eckhart Tolle’s New Age manifesto A New Earth in his A New Earth, an Old Deception (Bethany House Publishers), Abanes broadens his focus on the religious influences espoused by Hollywood’s elite in Religions of the Stars: What Hollywood Believes and How It Affects You.

Abanes devotes a portion of the book to Tolle and student Oprah Winfrey’s New Age leanings, but also discusses other trendy religious worldviews like Scientology, Kabbalah and even Mormonism—all of which are on the rise among celebrities like Tom Cruise, Madonna and Gladys Knight, respectively.

The book is fair but forceful, giving Scripture-based rebuttals to contrast how each worldview opposes the central theology of Christianity, while also giving “CliffsNotes”-type summaries for readers unfamiliar with various religions. It also documents when and which celebrities infuse their belief systems into their work or personal lives.

Going against the notion that celebrities don’t believe in anything, Religions of the Stars is somewhat eye-opening, revealing beliefs and faith tenets of marquee names that may surprise some readers. It’s an easy read and well-researched, although it may not appeal to those uninterested in the trappings of Tinseltown.

—Hamby

Wrestling Prayer

Eric and Leslie Ludy

Harvest House Publishers

softcover, 256 pages, $13.99

978-0-736-92165-7

The Ludys, a husband-and-wife team who operate a ministry called Set Apart Life, have penned a rallying cry to rouse a slumbering church. In Wrestling Prayer: A Passionate Communion With God, they inspire readers to live a Christ-infused life as spiritual warriors. To this end, the authors mine Old Testament stories well known (Saul, David) and obscure (Jebus, Abishai), and share their own tribulation of miscarriage and joy of adopting a Korean child.

The Ludys impart helpful suggestions for flexing the spiritual muscle of prayer. They advise, for instance, that believers keep a prayer journal and find stories that build faith. The authors draw deep from the wells of Christian role models: Amy Carmichael, Corrie ten Boom, E.M. Bounds, Andrew Murray and Leonard Ravenhill.

Careful readers will glean that true prayer is not a selfish plea for a blessing; rather, it is sacred communion with God. Wrestling prayer is not easy work either. It requires discipline and sacrifice. The greatest enemy is oneself, and 21st-century pilgrims may be inspired to give up worldly distractions and pursuits after reading this book.

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