Christian Retailing

Bonus Web Review: Scream Print Email
Written by Staff   
Thursday, 26 February 2009 12:00 AM America/New_York

alt
Dellosso's newest supernatural thriller, Scream, is a fast-paced journey centering on Mark Stone, a man experiencing a personal crisis. Mark’s marriage is falling apart because of his bad decisions while his faith is nonexistent because of the heavy-handed nature of his family.

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Online Q&A: Joni Eareckson Tada Print Email
Written by Staff   
Wednesday, 25 February 2009 12:00 AM America/New_York
Online Exclusive: alt
Close Up with Joni Earekson Tada

“People identify with my honesty in this wheelchair. I'm not afraid to admit that I wake up in the morning desperately asking God for help to face the day” – Joni Earekson Tada

Currently resides in: Calabasas, California

Current Project: A Lifetime of Wisdom (978-0-310-27342-4, Zondervan, $21.99)

Currently reading: Searching for Home by Craig Barnes (Brazos Press/Baker Publishing Group)

After so many books through the years, why was it time to share this 'legacy' message right now?
This year marks my 60th birthday and just a little over 40 years I've spent in a wheelchair. So many people—especially people with disabilities—are wondering how God can be so good in a world full of so much pain and suffering. I wrestled with that question when I was first injured and I answer it straight-on in A Lifetime of Wisdom.

Who is the target reader?
Anyone who has succumbed to discouragement—even despair—as a result of problems that overwhelm.

How have you found your experience making a connection for your readers?
People identify with my honesty in this wheelchair. I'm not afraid to admit that I wake up in the morning desperately asking God for help to face the day. I think most people wake up that way, but don't realize it.

What's the most important thing you've learned?
That God doesn't take His hands off the wheel for a nano-second when tragedies hit us.

What role does prayer have during a person's trials?
Everything. Prayer is our IV line to the blood of Christ which not only cleanses us, but restores, heals, refreshes and rejuvenates us with mercies that are new not just every morning, but every afternoon and evening.

Do you have any other projects you're currently working on?
I'm working on a book about healing. Yikes.
 
Bonus Web Review: BoneMan's Daughters Print Email
Written by Staff   
Monday, 23 February 2009 04:57 PM America/New_York
altBoneMan's Daughters
Ted Dekker
Center Street (Hachette Book Group)
hardcover, 416 pages, $24.99
978-1599951959

BoneMan's Daughters, the first general market targeted release from popular fiction author Dekker, is just as intense and suspenseful as Dekker's Christian market releases, including the best-seller Three. The book takes the reader on an emotional and spiritual journey, as the author puts the characters through hell on earth, tearing them down to an extreme point of vulnerability. .

After being taken by the serial killer Boneman, who breaks the bones of his victims without breaking their skin, Bethany is able to identify with her captor. She is very much aware of the shallowness of her mother's love, and is scarred by the abandonment of her father, Ryan Evans. After a traumatic experience of his own, however, Ryan seeks to rescue her while wondering if he will find her too late, after she has already been broken and killed.

The overall theme deals with the issues of the pain of abandonment and rejection. It is a picture of the importance of a father in the lives of not only their children, but their children's mother as well. Longtime Dekker readers will once again be captivated by this book, although some Christian readers may find some of the language (PG-type slang and by-words) in the mainstream-targeted book questionable.
-Jon Grubbs
 
Book Reviews-March 2009 Print Email
Written by Various   
Tuesday, 17 February 2009 04:20 PM America/New_York

Top Pick

Latter-Day Cipher

Latayne C. Scott

Moody Publishers

softcover, 368 pages, $13.99

978-0-802-45679-3

latter day cipherA series of murders has rocked Salt Lake City, the headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), in the thriller Latter-Day Cipher. Whoever is responsible for the murders is trying to point each crime to doctrines of the Mormon church, posing each victim to represent a punishment for those leaving the church or going against its teachings.

Selonnah Zee is a reporter assigned to do a story on the history and architecture of the Mormon temples, but is drawn into investigative reporting when the murders begin.

While in the city, Selonnah stays with her cousin Roger, a network features reporter and devout Mormon, and his family. His role is to put the right “spin” on the evidence to draw attention away from the church, putting him in direct conflict with Selonnah.

Latter-Day Cipher involves the reader not only in a page-turning murder mystery, but also in the struggles of those who must face their own shaken beliefs. A former faithful Mormon, author Scott is sympathetic to those struggles, and attempts to look compassionately at the process of making the hard decision to change.

—Sandra Furlong

Inside the Revolution

Joel C. Rosenberg

Tyndale House Publishers

hardcover, 576 pages, $24.99

978-1-414-31931-5

inside revPolitical commentator Rosenberg’s fiction titles, including Dead Heat and The Copper Scroll, have been popular for their insight into current world events. Inside the Revolution, a nonfiction work on the Middle East, digs deeper into the conflict.

Rosenberg argues that three simultaneous revolutions are transpiring in and transforming the Middle East. Fittingly, he organizes his text into three parts: Radicals, Reformers and Revivalists. Radicals are those Muslims who are bent on restoring the caliphate and building a global empire. Reformers are Muslims who challenge Jihadism and endorse Jeffersonian democracy, and Revivalists are Muslims who are disavowing their theology and embracing Christianity.

For the book, Rosenberg distilled information from speeches, texts, manifestos, Web sites, videos and interviews with notable figures. Readers will especially enjoy “Making Way for the Messiah,” a veritable Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about the Bible’s vision of the future.

The size and length of Inside the Revolution may be off-putting initially, but Rosenberg writes in a succinct, engaging style. Fans of his work as well as those interested in current events, the Middle East, Islam and the end times will devour this book.

—C. Brian Smith

The Principle of the Path

Andy Stanley

Thomas Nelson

hardcover, 176 pages, $19.99

978-0-849-92060-8

prin pathIn The Principle of the Path: How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be, pastor and author Stanley examines various life principles, such as “what goes up must come down” and the idea that if a person knows where they are and how to get to where they want to be, they will achieve their life goals and dreams. The opposite is also true.

Stanley says that honesty plays a huge role in achieving one’s goals as well. Some people want to achieve certain goals, but they are not honest about the choices they make. The principle of the path allows for people to borrow from others’ paths through counsel, observation and imitation Ultimately, however, following and accepting the path that God has outlined through His laws will bring the most satisfaction, peace and fulfillment.

The Principle of the Path, an encouraging and exciting read, gets right to the heart of the matter through Stanley’s natural humor and engaging writing style.

 
Top businessman uses Jesus’ words as model Print Email
Written by Staff   
Monday, 09 March 2009 05:18 PM America/New_York

For successful businessman Steven K. Scott, the new book The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived: Secrets for Unparalleled Success and Unshakable Happiness From the Life of Jesus (978-1-400-07464-8, $19.95, WaterBrook Press) is a labor of love.

Although the author used principles from Proverbs in his previous book The Richest Man Who Ever Lived (WaterBrook Press), when his publisher subsequently asked him for a follow-up based on the principles of Jesus, he hit a roadblock after compiling two months’ worth of notes.

“(I told the publisher) ‘I can’t write this book,’ ” he said. “Jesus Christ wasn’t about success. He came to redeem man. I cannot dilute His message.”

After praying, Scott felt compelled to write the introduction, which then became the book’s first chapter. As he kept making notes, he woke up in the middle of the night with six words on his mind that encapsulated the ministry of Christ, providing the basis for the book: Meaning, Mission, Message, Manner, Method and Mission Accomplished.

“He did six things that made Him different than any other human being on Earth,” Scott said. “If any one of us does (the) six same things, we would see a much deeper level of fulfillment, and we would accomplish infinitely more in our lives.”

For more information, visit www.randomhouse.com/waterbrook. To order, call Random House Customer Service at 800-733-3000.

 
‘Worst case’ scenario offers encouragement Print Email
Written by Staff   
Monday, 09 March 2009 05:16 PM America/New_York

zahnd book'God - Inspired Blueprint' Found in King David's Response to Personal Crisis

In What to Do On the Worst Day of Your Life, Brian Zahnd delivers a timely message of hope in the midst of major trials, based on timeless truths found in a largely overlooked episode in the life of King David.

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