Part of Thomas Nelson’s “Signature Series,” the Providence Collection Family Bible ($59.99) includes approximately 200 full-color illustrations of biblical events from the Providence Collection. Readers of this keepsake Bible can record their family tree, faith events, special memories and more in its family record section. Readers can also chronicle prayer requests, praise reports and favorite Bible passages. Other features are: the complete text of the New King James Version, easy-to-read, 9-point type, top-of-page subject headings, footnotes and pages to record prayer requests, praise reports, and favorite verses and songs.

Barbour Publishing’s The KJV Study Bible: Women’s Edition comes in a leather-like format and includes approximately 6,500 contemporary notes for greater understanding of the King James Bible, along with dozens of topical study outlines especially for women. With individual book introductions and a combined dictionary concordance, this women’s edition Bible releases Feb. 1 and retails for $39.99.

Holman Bible Publishers expands its Holman KJV Study Bible offerings Feb. 1 with the various options, including the blue/taupe simulated leather edition with indexing ($69.99) and without ($79.99). The study Bible is modeled after its HCSB Study Bible, which won a Christian Book Award from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. It features 15,000 study notes, 141 photos, 62 timelines, 59 maps, 20 articles and essays and more.

ASK THE AUTHOR: Tosca Lee

Latest project: Iscariot (February).

Publisher: Howard Books.

Why did you write Judas’ story?

The idea of writing Judas’ story was suggested to me by an editor friend, and my initial response was: “No way.” I knew how much work it would take. But the idea of it wouldn’t stop following me around. There I’d be, traveling, sitting in a restaurant, scribbling scenes between Judas and his mother on the paper tablecloth. I wanted to discover the story, to know if he was like me ... or I, like him, if I might have done the same. But more than anything, I wanted to sit down at the side of Jesus. To stand near Him as He taught, to see the look on His face as He worked His miracles, to rest my head on His shoulder. And that’s what finally got me.

What type of research did you do for this novel and how long did it take you to write?

I went to Israel. I compiled a library of over 100 resources and a small panel of experts I could call on with questions. The book took a year and a half to research and two more to write. I owe a big, big thank you to my readers, who were (mostly—OK, kind of) patient through this long wait. 

Did any of your research surprise you?

Very much. The historical stage that Jesus walked onto was far more violent, far more tense and unstable and oppressive than we can appreciate today. The teachings of Jesus, so familiar to us now, were radical enough then to make Him a dangerous man to be around. For some, even, to call Him a madman. It’s a very different view from Roman-occupied first-century Israel.

In the book, why did you include events from Judas’ early life and the context of the harsh realities of Jewish life at that time?

I knew I had to set that stage, to show the harsh reality of life under Roman occupation and under Herod, the failed attempts by other would-be messiahs, and the swift consequences that came with their failures. The stakes were very high by the time Jesus started His ministry.

What is the heart of the story?

At the heart of this story is Jesus. This landless day laborer. This miraculous man who would not be controlled and never acted the way others expected. And it’s the story of those of us who think we know how God should act, and of our own shortcomings—and hopes. 

How has Judas’ story affected you personally?

I read the Gospels in a new light. I am continually moved by scenes like the healing of the leper, of the loving of the outcasts. It’s caused me to notice wrong less and love more.

What do you hope this novel will prompt readers to consider?

The unconventional and wild love of Jesus. Of a God who will not be controlled by our expectations, because He exceeds them every time.

What else would you say about Iscariot to Christian retailers?

This is Judas’ story, yes. It poses the question of whether you or I might have done the same. But this is ultimately a story about Jesus, of divine and human love. A story of you and me.

Christ for all Nations leader Daniel Kolenda urges believers to fully offer themselves in service to God

Author Daniel Kolenda knows adventure—and he urges believers to follow Jesus and find their own. Succeeding world-renowned evangelist Reinhard Bonnke as leader of Christ for all Nations (CFAN), he has led more than 15 million to Christ at CFAN events, mainly in Africa.

Drawing from personal experience and Scripture, Kolenda helps Christians discern God’s call in Live Before You Die: Wake Up to God’s Will for Your Life (978-1-616-38716-7, $14.99), releasing Jan. 8 from Passio, an imprint of Charisma House Book Group.

The goal isn’t “determining what you want but what He wants” because a Christian’s role is “to advance a cause greater” than oneself, he writes. 

Part 1 of Kolenda’s book addresses foundational questions such as, “Does God really have a plan for my life?” Kolenda gives biblical evidence that the answer is a clear yes and the “real reward” for following God is “God Himself.”

Part 2 reveals five secrets of discovering God’s will. Secret #1 is to seek God’s kingdom first. Others include hearing His voice and taking action. Kolenda urges readers not to die in the “wilderness of inaction” but to get moving, even when the path is difficult.

Next, Kolenda emphasizes the difference between knowing God’s will and fulfilling it, and discusses potential pitfalls, including fear and laziness, which can take many forms. He distinguishes effective action from mere busyness. 

In the end, Kolenda suggests things to do while waiting and tips for staying the course. He encourages readers not to despise small steps because “as you move forward in obedience and faith, He is going to reveal it all one step at a time.”

For more information, visit www.charismahouseb2b.com. To order, call Charisma House at 800-283-8494.

As founding pastor at Mars Hill Church in Seattle, author Mark Driscoll has counseled people struggling with every issue imaginable, including addictions, abuse and sexual perversion. But seeing many continue on paths of self-destruction, he realized that the “most fundamental problem” of the human race is identity crisis. 

“We don’t understand who we truly are—children of God made in his image—and define ourselves by any number of things other than Jesus,” he writes.

In Who Do You Think You Are? Finding Your True Identity in Christ (978-1-400-20385-7, $22.99), releasing Jan. 8 from Thomas Nelson, Driscoll describes 16 attributes of a Christian’s identity as found in the book of Ephesians. He begins by saying people are created image bearers of God. Christians are also “in Christ,” blessed, saved, adopted and victorious, according to Driscoll.

The chapter entitled “I Am Gifted” explores several “Spirit-empowered” gifts, as Driscoll calls them. He encourages readers to prayerfully consider how they are gifted and where they might serve.

What people choose to believe about themselves can dramatically “change the trajectory of [their] lives,” writes Driscoll. The good news is believers have a new identity in Christ, and once a Christian really knows and believes that, his “life will be changed forever.”

Driscoll has authored 12 books; his latest title, Real Marriage (Thomas Nelson, 2011), which he co-authored with his wife, Grace, hit No. 1 on the New York Times’ best-seller list.

For more information or to order, contact Thomas Nelson at 800-251-4000, or visit www.thomasnelson.com.

New York Times best-selling author and director of Ransomed Heart Ministries, John Eldredge explores the freedom that comes through holiness. In The Utter Relief of Holiness: How God’s Goodness Frees Us From Everything That Plagues Us, he examines the beauty of the genuine goodness available through Christ and guides readers through the process whereby God makes us whole and holy by His love. Releasing this month from FaithWords, this hardcover retails for $19.99. 

Christianity Lite ($14.99, softcover), releasing this month from Passio, an imprint of Charisma House Book Group, is a wake-up call to stop drinking a watered-down gospel that has no real effect on the Christian’s daily life. Author and pastor Glen Berteau believes many Christians want more of the blessings, promises and prosperity of faith, but less of the serving, holiness and sacrifice, and shows readers how to return to a faith that makes a difference. 

Written in the tradition of the C.S. Lewis classic The Screwtape Letters, Andrew Farley’s Operation Screwtape: The Art of Spiritual War ($17.99, softcover) is a modern-day fictional narrative in which Farley, a pastor and linguist, finds a mysterious electronic device. Translating the information it contains, he discovers a worldwide spiritual conspiracy. The novel is presented as a combat manual filled with strategies of the devil against believers, providing readers with solutions to triumphing over the enemy’s schemes. It releases this month from Baker Books (Baker Publishing Group).

J.R.R. Tolkien: The Making of a Legend ($16.95, softcover, Lion Books/Kregel Publications) brings the legendary J.R.R. Tolkien to life and explores the deep faith that inspired and informed his work. Author Colin Duriez has written several books about Tolkien and has contributed extensively to related reference works. The biography releases this month to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the publication of The Hobbit and following the December premiere of Peter Jackson’s film version of the story.

Releasing this month from David C. Cook is The Sacred Search ($14.99, softcover) by best-selling author Gary Thomas. Drawing from Scripture and the latest research, Thomas suggests making a wise choice for a mate is driven more by why a person gets married than who he or she marries. In a culture that encourages self-happiness, Thomas urges those considering marriage to be first committed to discovering God’s purposes for marriage and then choosing a spouse on that basis.

Former manager for The Beatles’ Apple Records company, Ken Mansfield chronicles his struggles with cancer and faith in Stumbling on Open Ground: Love, God, Cancer, and Rock ‘n’ Roll ($15.99, softcover). Mansfield candidly shares his story of battling cancer, wrestling with his faith and grappling with difficult questions. Releasing this month from Thomas Nelson, the book includes Mansfield’s personal prayers as well as contributions from his wife, Connie.

Using his research skills as an award-winning journalist, third-generation pastor John S. Dickerson has documented the very recent decline of the evangelical church. He warns of an impending evangelical crisis in The Great Evangelical Recession: 6 Factors That Will Crash the American Church…and How to Prepare ($14.99, softcover). Dickerson sites declining membership and increasing political divisions as part of the problem, and offers bold strategies toward a better future. Baker Books (Baker Publishing Group) releases the book this month.

Pat Schatzline, founder and president of Mercy Seat Ministries, uncovers and debunks the reasons many believe that God is mad at them. In Why Is God so Mad at Me? Dispelling the Lies Many People Believe ($14.99, softcover), which releases this month from Charisma House, Schatzline begins where people really are in their thoughts about God, examines 10 attributes of God’s character and aims to restore the true image of God’s extravagant love, generosity and grace.

Latest project: Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels (978-1-434-70469-6, David C Cook).

How is Christianity a “cold case”? When detectives investigate cold cases, they’re investigating events (murders) from the distant past for which there are often no living eyewitnesses and little, if any, direct or forensic evidence to make the case. Detectives learn how to evaluate and employ circumstantial evidence to demonstrate what happened at the scene of the crime. In a similar way, Christianity makes a claim about an event in the distant past for which there are no living eyewitnesses and little, if any, direct or forensic evidence.

What is your background as a detective? I’ve been working murders in Los Angeles County for 15 years and cold cases for the past 12. Many of these cases have drawn national attention and have been featured on FOX News, Court TV and Dateline NBC. Along the way, I came to appreciate the nature of circumstantial evidence and recognized the skills I developed as a cold-case detective would serve me well in my investigation of the claims of the New Testament Gospels.

What are some of the principles of investigation used in Cold-Case Christianity to evaluate the claims of the New Testament? I’ve identified 10 principles of investigation I believe will assist believers and skeptics as they evaluate the Gospel accounts. Cold-Case Christianity will help people to understand the importance of investigative presuppositions, the role of abductive reasoning, the power and nature of circumstantial evidence, the value of word choice in eyewitness statements and much more. The techniques we use as detectives are appropriate and relevant to the study of the claims of Christianity.

What made you change from a self-described “angry atheist” to a passionate defender of the gospel? When I first read through the Gospels, I observed “unintended eyewitness support” from one Gospel account to another. Like eyewitnesses I had interviewed at crime scenes, one Gospel writer would describe an event in a way that raised as many questions as it answered. The parallel testimony of another Gospel writer would then inadvertently answer the questions raised by the first account. This “eyewitness attribute” I observed in the Gospels intrigued me as an investigator. I eventually decided to use the tools of Forensic Statement Analysis to evaluate the Gospel of Mark. My conclusions forced me to take Mark’s account seriously. My journey toward Jesus began with this investigative approach to the Gospels.

Based on your extensive experience as a detective, how sound is the evidence for the case of Christianity? In the end, the case for Christianity comes down to the reliability of the Gospel eyewitnesses. We can attempt to evaluate the Gospel writers using the same criteria that jurors use when evaluating witnesses in criminal trials. Were the Gospels recorded early enough to have been written by true eyewitnesses? Can the claims of the Gospel writers be verified by external sources of evidence? Have the Gospel writers been accurate in the past? Has their testimony been delivered to us accurately over the ages? Are the Gospel writers too biased to be trusted? Cold-Case Christianity asks and answers these important questions. The conclusion: The New Testament Gospel accounts are reliable.

You encourage readers become “two-decision” Christians. What does that mean? Most of us recognize our spiritual journeys began with a decision; each of us decided to accept and trust Jesus for our salvation. But the Christian life is more than that initial decision. The apostle Peter said that each of us has to be ready to “make a defense” to anyone who questions us about our hope and trust in Jesus (1 Peter 3:15). Most of us, however, don’t feel properly prepared to defend the claims of Christianity or the reliability of the Bible. We need to make a second decision. “Two-decision” Christians make a second decision to engage their culture as good Christian case-makers.

How can Christian retailers promote Cold-Case Christianity? I am personally available to describe the nature of the book to retailers through Skype. I think you’ll quickly see that it occupies an unusual but important niche in Christian apologetics. I’d also be happy to do a presentation or devotional for bookstore staff utilizing principles in the book. Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to set up. In addition, PDFs of downloadable shelftalkers and bookmarks are available for use at the stores to help promote the book at www.coldcasechristianity.com.