Wilkinson said the book is the "flip side" of The Prayer of Jabez, which detailed praying in four areas of an individual's life. With its main focus on others, You Were Born For This, he said, is about serving people and being a vessel for God to make a difference in their lives.

"It's taking The Prayer of Jabez to the miracle power," he told Christian Retailing. "It's about, 'How do I serve other people in such a way that God shows up?' "

Wilkinson said his original plan was to deliver a manuscript developing some of the concepts of a previous book, The Dream Giver. In a meeting with publishing executives, however, the focus soon shifted to miracles the author had witnessed, and the idea for the new book was born.

"We switched our whole publishing agreement and wrote a new book; it was unexpected," he said.

Wilkinson said there are three ways God can deliver miracles—through Himself, through His angels and through "His normal way of delivering miracles"—other people.

"The average person doesn't believe that they can be used in delivering miracles to people," he said. "When they realize it doesn't have to be so complicated or totally unpredictable, but you can follow God's ways, then you're going to be able to watch a miracle take place."

For more information, visit www.
randomhouse.com/waterbrook, or to order, call Random House Customer Service at 800-733-3000. For an extended audio interview with Wilkinson, visit www.christianretailing.com.

'Crazy Love' author returns with a strong, new challenge to churches

"I know there's some that's supernatural, but a lot of the things we do are the result of human effort that would have happened at a business meeting, a rally, a feel-good meeting we can create," Chan said. "There are so many different venues to where what we're doing in church really looks the same as what they're doing in the world."

Chan writes that the Holy Spirit brings about a different type of result, one evidenced by spiritual fruit such as love, joy, patience—traits that are missing in many churches.

"When the Holy Spirit comes on us, there'll be a noticeable difference between us and the unbelievers around us or the cult members around us," he said. "We're not seeing that difference. In many ways, we're seeing unbelievers with more joy than we see in the churches nowadays and more life than we see in the church."

Chan believes the Christian life calls believers to what some may see as "crazy," but is a life truly guided by biblical principles. Regarding the concern about spiritual abuse and excess, he said: "Let's not let the fear of what we might become guard us. Let's let the biblical boundaries guard us from messing up our lives."

The author and pastor is known to not just talk the talk. When Chan and his wife decided to donate the proceeds from his Crazy Love best-seller, some of his friends wondered if giving away all of the money was too extreme of a step.

"I know my own tendencies and spending what I'll regret rather than giving it away and enjoying the blessings of giving and enjoying the rewards for eternity," he said. "It's not like this noble thing we've done, but knowing my own sinful tendencies, we'll be happier for eternity."

Forgotten God will be promoted through a high-profile national publicity campaign, including print, online and broadcast media as well as street team promotion.

To order, call 800-323-7543, or visit http://bookstores.cookministries.com. For an extended audio interview with Chan, visit www.christianretailing.com.

In addition to promotional efforts in the U.S., Grupo Nelson's launch in key countries throughout Latin America includes the best-selling author's September tour of Monterrey and Mexico City, taking the message of his book to the streets of Mexico.

"There already exists a great deal of expectation among many important leaders and pastors in the country who hope that this message will impact many," said Claudia Duncan, marketing director for Grupo Nelson. "There is no better time to share this message than now."

Lucado's book began as a sermon series for his San Antonio church, where the author said that he was surprised to discover how many were living "in a state of fear."

In his first major book since 2007's 3:16, Lucado addresses common concerns such as running out of money and the fear of death, offering ways to face them with faith. Evidence that God is trustworthy is drawn from Jesus' encounters in Scripture with people in frightening situations.

For more information, visit the publisher's Web site, www.gruponelson.com. To order Sin temor, call 800-322-7423, ext. 1893.

First published in English as Stand: A Call for the Endurance of the Saints by Crossway Books in 2008, the collective response from contributors such as John MacArthur, Randy Alcorn, Jerry Bridges and Helen Roseveare is that Christians must stand and face the daily challenges of life.

Each contributor brings decades of experience to their writing, from MacArthur's longtime shepherding of a church to Alcorn's involvement in the culture wars, and from Bridges' patience through suffering to Roseveare's courageous constancy on the war-torn mission field.

Piper's chapter examines the meaning of getting old to the glory of God. "Retirement" should be about aging in ways that make God, not the treasures of this world, look glorious, he suggests, resisting the typical American dream of retirement, and instead being set free by a superior satisfaction in Jesus.

The book closes with Taylor's interviews with contributors, through which he gives a little more insight into the men and women and their personal stories.

Pastor of preaching and vision at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Piper's many books include When I Don't Desire God and What Jesus Demands From the World, both of which are also available from Editorial Portavoz in Spanish.

For more information on Cómo perseverar hasta el final, visit www.portavoz.com. To order, contact Editorial Portavoz at 877-733-2607.

In response to demand from retailers, Whitaker House is releasing its first two Spanish fiction titles this month—translations of two contemporary novels by Sharlene MacLaren, the company's top-selling fiction writer.

"Both Christian and general market retailers have been asking us for good Spanish fiction for quite some time, but we wanted to wait for books that would translate well," said Vice President Bob Whitaker Jr.

En medio de la tormenta (Through Every Storm, 978-1-603-74165-1, $9.99), MacLaren's 2007 debut novel, revolves around a couple coming to grips with the loss of a child. Un largo camino a casa (978-1-603-74164-4, $9.99), released in English by Whitaker House last fall as Long Journey Home, explores the relationship between an abused single mother and an embittered former pastor who flee their respective hometowns in an effort to escape their problems and end up as neighbors.

The protagonists in both books grapple with survival, loss, bitterness, betrayal and abuse. Though the storylines, characters and settings vary, the threads of hope and redemption throughout both texts are themes that transcend cultural and language barriers, Whitaker said.

"We felt the universal issues addressed in these two books—along with their success in the English versions—provided the perfect scenario to test the market for Spanish fiction," Whitaker said. "The fact that both are also modern stories that could take place anywhere in the world contributed as well."

Whitaker House Bilingual Sales Associate Diane Rogers introduced the new fiction titles in May at Expolit, where she said interest was high. "The general Spanish fiction market is booming with novels, short stories, novellas and graphic novels—popular with both men and women," Rogers said. "Many at Expolit were optimistic that the growing hunger for Spanish fiction will cross over into the Christian market as well."

Besides exposure at Expolit and the International Christian Retail Show, Whitaker House featured the new titles in a mailing to 4,000 retailers worldwide.

"It's too early to tell whether Spanish fiction will take off for us or not," Whitaker said, "but we've had some good pre-sales and are cautiously optimistic."

For more information on Whitaker fiction, visit www.whitakerhouse.com. To order, call 800-444-4484.

Cathy Hickling is director of publicity for Whitaker House.

"(The CD is) about stepping out, being who God has called you to be and not being afraid," Nicole said. "I believe when we look different, when we carry something different, people are going to see that, and they are going to want it too."

Among the highlights of the album are the upbeat "How We Roll" and "Headphones," written to a young girl dealing with the pressures of fitting in. Nicole penned "Feel the Light" for a friend who had been molested by her father at 14, while "Have Your Way" was inspired by a family member going through difficult times.

The album's first single and title track has already claimed the No. 1 spot on the Radio & Records CHR chart, and the singer plans to share the message of The Lost Get Found with young girls attending The Revolve Tour this fall.

"My fans want a pop record," Nicole said. "When they come to my concerts, they want to have fun, and I love it. That's in my personality to have fun, but at the heart of who I am is worship, and I want to see people's lives changed. I want to reach those who are hurting. It's what I believe God wants me to do."

To order, call 800-877-4443, or visit www.emicmgdistribution.com.