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

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

TOP PICK: Fiction

The Judas Gospel

Bill Myers

Howard Books

softcover, 320 pages, $16.99

978-1-439-15354-3

Judas had another plan for Jesus, but his dream fell through when Jesus chose to proclaim the truth through His death and resurrection. In Myers’ supernatural thriller The Judas Gospel, the betraying disciple gets another chance to “proclaim His truth my way.” Jesus allows Judas—reimagined as a contemporary Jude Miller—to “sell” God to the public via fragile, spiritually gifted Rachel Delacroix. 

Rachel’s healing gift is the perfect vehicle to market God, except that she also has dreams about a serial killer that seem to implicate her. Add to the mix a rookie cop attracted to Rachel, a pair of veteran detectives, a beautiful psychiatrist and a bunch of demons attached to a troubled kid—Myers blends it all in a taut tale of spiritual strength, horrific evil and marketing genius. 

Readers will find much to ponder in this strangely riveting story as Rachel’s pastor-father does his best to find the true message of God amid a cacophony of success and fame; his job is difficult, yet God’s truth always stands strong despite humanity’s deepest evil.

—Ann E. Byle

Christian Life

More Than Ordinary

Doug Sherman with Terra McDaniel

NavPress

softcover, 240 pages, $14.99

978-1-615-21616-1

Author and businessman Sherman shares his unique take on Christian living in More Than Ordinary: Enjoying Life With God. In a testimony that baffles even some of his pastor friends, as a disgruntled teenager he meets Christ in the form of a man and surrenders his life. Thereafter, he claims Christ appears to him in a physical presence, figuring directly into all of his actions.

Sherman uses a variety of analogies to elucidate his vision of the ideal Christian walk, but the one to which he returns throughout the book is that of God or Christ as a parent. If God is a parent, Sherman argues, He is interested in every aspect of His children’s lives, no matter how trivial, and wants to train His children to go into the “family business” of bringing souls to Christ.

Sherman sets high standards for his readers, insisting on finding witnessing opportunities in the most mundane of activities, such as shopping or pumping gas. Still, believers will find Sherman’s approach to Christianity refreshing and inspiring.

—John Leatherman

Response-Able

Matthew Hagee

Charisma House

softcover, 240 pages, $15.99

978-1-616-38136-3

Written by a sixth-generation pastor who is a son of well-respected author and pastor John Hagee, Response-Able: Lessons From My Father About Life…and Making a Difference is a play on words, aiming to heighten the reader’s curiosity. Explaining the title in the foreword, John Hagee says that the response-able Christian is “always able to make an intelligent and godly response.”

Presented in an informal, easy-to-read manner, Response-Able brings a fresh perspective to the areas of personal, social, financial, educational and political responsibility. This work lays the foundation for making a difference in the believer’s life and explains what it means to live by principle and not by passion. Real-life anecdotes and scriptural references illustrate what it means to be response-able.

With a clear, straightforward approach, Hagee shows that as life’s circumstances continually change, the ability to respond is always there. Thought-provoking and potentially life-changing, Response-Able is not just practical in application, but also empowering and motivating.

—Jean Breunle

True North

Gary Heim & Lisa Heim

Kregel Publications

softcover, 320 pages, $16.99

978-0-825-42751-0

Difficult circumstances—from mundane frustrations to soul-shattering trauma—assail us and few learn to suffer well. The Heims provide a compass in True North: Choosing God in the Frustrations of Life, which features a foreword by Christian psychologist Larry Crabb.

The couple—who have served as counselors, professors and church leaders—explain that believers have a choice in how they respond to life’s challenges. They can “head south” when they focus on themselves, which fosters grumbling and grasping, or face north—toward God—which results in gratitude and giving. What makes this work especially helpful is that the authors disclose how they have coped with their own struggles.

Drawing from the well of spiritual and psychological insight, the authors quote from literary scholar C.S. Lewis, spiritual director Henri Nouwen and psychiatrist M. Scott Peck. 

With discussion questions at the end of each chapter, True North is suited for individuals as well as group study. It will help readers connect or reconnect to God in the midst of trials.

—Brian Smith McCallum

The Waiting Place

Eileen Button

Thomas Nelson

softcover, 240 pages, $15.99

978-0-849-94625-7

Newspaper columnist and commentator Button gives a vibrant snapshot of life in The Waiting Place: Learning to Appreciate Life’s Little Delays. 

She chronicles life’s delays, sometimes with humor, sometimes with pain. At times, she observes, life’s delays are so filled with meaning that their purpose is obvious; at other times, they are simply to be endured.

Button writes with such clarity that her experiences will be well-recognized by the reader. From her early teen years waiting for her mother to finish styling her hair through marriage, the birth of two healthy children, financial hardship and the trauma of a child born with multiple birth defects, she learns to wait time and again. When her husband accepts God’s call to become a senior pastor in Michigan, she must leave the people in Pennsylvania who have loved and supported them through their son’s crisis.

Even while thinking “This is so not the life I dreamed of living,” Button has a simple encounter that causes her to hear God’s voice clearly, and offers encouragement to her readers to wait and listen in their own “little delays.”

—Eilene Ishler

Fiction

Broken Wings

Carla Stewart

FaithWords

softcover, 320 pages, $13.99

978-0-446-55656-9

Stewart’s Broken Wings is an intriguing tale of an unexpected friendship between two women of different ages and stages of life. From the fateful night when Mitzi Steiner meets the distressed Brooke Wooden, she cannot help but want to learn more about the young woman who reminds her so much of her mother—both having allowed the men in their lives to abuse them.

Mitzi is one half of a popular jazz duo who reigned for 30 years on the music scene. The other half is her husband, Gabe Steiner, who is battling Alzheimer’s. 

Brooke, meanwhile, is engaged to the “perfect” man, the handsome Lance Evans who is aiming to become Tulsa’s next district attorney. But Lance has a temper, leaving Brooke with hard decisions to make. 

As one woman deals with the love of her life’s battle with illness and the other struggles with an unhealthy relationship,  they lean on each other and find healing. 

—Adela L. Dia

Relationships

A Love That Multiplies

Michelle & Jim Bob Duggar

Howard Books

hardcover, 288 pages, $19.99

978-1-439-18381-6

Viewers of TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting want to know how Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar have raised obedient children who embrace their parents’ faith, and why they are willing to have more, even after their 19th, Josie, was born premature. 

As their oldest children enter adulthood, how have they been prepared for courtship and marriage? How will they afford college? And what do they believe about women having careers? These questions and more are addressed in A Love that Multiplies: An Up-Close View of How They Make It Work. 

Whether readers want to know how the family prevailed through Josie’s months in the hospital or if they are simply curious about Duggar life, their questions are answered here. The couple shares candidly their faith and how they have overcome their struggles in this well-written work.

—Tammy Tiansay

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

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

No Safe Haven

Kimberley Woodhouse and Kayla R. Woodhouse

B&H Books (B&H Publishing Group)

softcover, 352 pages, $14.99

978-1-433-67116-6

Fact meets fiction in this taut adventure written by a mother-daughter team. 

In real life, daughter Kayla has a rare nerve disorder, a condition mirrored in the story in Andie Tikaani-Gray, 12-year-old daughter of Jenna and Marcus Gray. Andie and Jenna have been alone for a year since Marcus was killed, their lives finally beginning to find peace. 

But a plane crash turns their world into a race for safety and even for their lives. Mysterious passenger Cole Maddox is certainly hiding something, but Andie and Jenna need his help to survive the harsh Alaskan landscape and the dangerous men who want them dead. As the trio battles to make it off Sultana Mountain, forces larger than they know are gathering to demand AMI, a weapon Marcus created—and died for. Can Cole protect “his girls” long enough to find AMI and save their lives? 

The authors Woodhouse have created a novel of high adventure, exhilarating suspense, powerful divine protection and enough love to bring tears all around. Aside from action-adventure fans, potential readers will include those who have seen the family’s story on ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. 

—Ann E. Byle

A Simple Blessing

Michael W. Smith with Thomas Williams

Zondervan

hardcover, 176 pages, $18.99

978-0-310-32756-1

GRAMMY- and Dove Award-winning recording artist Smith was so moved by the hurt and failures expressed by fans at his concerts that he fashioned a blessing for them. A Simple Blessing: The Extraordinary Power of an Ordinary Prayer expands on the roots and results of the blessing.

Drawn from the Scriptures, it is not a promise of riches or fame, but rather one to equip the Christian to live a life of God-ordained blessing. With co-author Williams, Smith explains his blessing in six short chapters. With its outward focus, the blessing requires Christians to give to those whom God would bless through their hands and hearts.

This small, well-written book is relevant to any Christian. Readers will learn more about Smith’s experience of marriage, family, career and mission, and fans will appreciate the heart of ministry that motivated him to offer such a blessing.

—Eilene Ishler

Getting to Heaven

Don Piper and Cecil Murphey

Berkley Books

hardcover, $25.95, 320 pages

978-0-425-24028-1

Piper and Murphey, the pair behind the New York Times best-seller 90 Minutes in Heaven and Heaven Is Real,reunite to tackle the subject of heaven again in Getting to Heaven: Departing Instructions for Your Life Now. Piper again relays his story of dying and visiting heaven, this time coupled with stories from others and Jesus’ final days.

Inspired by the authors’ interactions with readers anxious about the afterlife, the book explores the subject to offer a sense of peace and calm. They present dying not as something to fear, but as a transition into a paradise free from worry, disease and sorrow. 

At the end of each chapter, reader challenges—such as “If you know you will die in the next 90 minutes, who are the people you need to forgive?”—are presented for further contemplation.             

In Getting to Heaven, Piper and Murphey offer a guidebook on the eternal reward promised by Christ for His followers, with scriptural descriptions alongside observations that include Piper’s own visit.

—DeWayne Hamby

Naked Spirituality

Brian D. McLaren

HarperOne

hardcover, 288 pages, $25.99

978-0-061-85398-2

McLaren—author, pastor, speaker and statesman of the Emergent movement—compels readers to drop all pretenses of religion in Naked Spirituality: A Life With God in 12 Simple Words. This book endeavors to strip down one’s relationship with God until there is only a love for Him and one’s neighbors remaining.

To guide readers in doing this, McLaren uses 12 words—such as No, Yes and Sorry—that have helped remind him of the various “doable and durable” spiritual disciplines he has used in various stages of his life. Readers may identify with the trajectory of McLaren’s story as he journeys from an initial simplicity of belief through the confusion that can come from life in the contemporary church to eventual harmony.

One unharmonious element in this book is its ambiguity of language in the introductory chapters, which may leave some readers confused as to whether or not McLaren believes that adherents of all world religions worship the same God.

—Dave Stuart Jr.

Verily, Verily

Jon Sweeney

Zondervan

hardcover, 224 pages, $18.99

978-0-310-32025-8

Why would anyone want to read the stodgy King James Version (KJV)—with its “thees and thous”—when more palatable and accurate translations exist? Sweeney offers a host of reasons in Verily, Verily: The KJV—400 Years of Influence and Beauty.

Not only is the KJV the most widely printed and circulated version, but it also embodies the most literary power, he argues. Completed in 1611 and marking its 400th anniversary this year, the KJV has profoundly impacted Western culture. Its phrases (such as “to see the handwriting on the wall”) are embedded in our collective unconscious. Moreover, the KJV has influenced poets (Emily Dickinson), presidents (Abraham Lincoln) and civil rights leaders (Martin Luther King Jr.). 

Verily, Verily contains helpful appendices, including a glossary of archaic words, as well as links to Web sites for parallel Bibles. Readers of Sweeney’s work, at minimum, will discover a newfound respect for the heritage and impact of the KJV.  

—Brian Smith McCallum

The Vampire Defanged

Susanna Clements 

Brazos Press (Baker Publishing Group)

softcover, 208 pages, $14.99

978-1-587-43289-7

Author Clements studies how Christianity figures into vampire fiction in The Vampire Defanged: How the Embodiment of Evil Became a Romantic Hero. In chronological order, she explores Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Anne Rice’s “The Vampire Chronicles,” Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charlaine Harris’ “Southern Vampire Mysteries” and Stephenie Meyer’s “The Twilight Saga.”

Defanged might be a simple compare-and-contrast if not for a clear progression toward the secular in the genre. Dracula is sin personified, but with each successive interpretation Clements examines, vampires have more free will—the foundation of a soul—and Christian theology matters less in the vampire universe. With “Twilight,” faith is almost nonexistent. Vampires can seemingly have it all: romance, family, physical perfection and cannibalism-free immortality. Appropriately, Meyer’s vampires have no fangs.

For Christian fans of vampire fiction, Defanged makes a useful reference point. Understanding the ideas behind the mythology helps the reader to separate theology from simple entertainment.

—John Leatherman

The Map Across Time

C.S. Lakin

Living Ink Books (AMG Publishers)

softcover, 288 pages, $14.99

978-0-899-57889-7

Lakin retells two fairy tales—The Water of Life from Grimm’s Fairy Tales and Prince Ivan and the Firebird, a Russian fairy tale—in a new and compelling way in The Map Across Time, book two in “The Gates of Heaven” series. She offers an adventure-filled story with loving relationships, as well as treacherous characters. 

The king’s son Adin—whose prominent birth defects include one leg shorter than the other—uses a unique map to take him into the past to discover the origins of an ancient curse that plagues the kingdom of Sherbourne. His twin, Aletha, follows in his footsteps as they travel through time, attempting to save the kingdom, their family and future—and follow their destiny. 

Readers of the prequel, The Wolf of Tebron, will want to continue this epic adventure. The use of “magic” and “spells” may confuse some, and these words should be discussed with younger readers.

—Jennifer Toth