Unfaithful by Gary and Mona Shriver

Get the truth about adultery recovery from a couple who's been there.

Statistics show that one in every four marriages is impacted by infidelity.  If you haven't experienced the searing pain of unfaithfulness, odds are you know someone who has.  The affects of infidelity are devastating and have destroyed many families, but adultery doesn't have to be an automatic death sentence for your marriage.  You can trust again.  You can restore intimacy.  You can have a relationship that you will both cherish for a lifetime.

Fifteen years ago, Gary and Mona Shriver experienced the devastation caused by adultery.  After saving their relationship, the Shrivers wrote Unfaithful (David C Cook, November 2009), the true story of how God restored their unraveling marriage.  Raw and transparently honest, the Shrivers' story alone is an inspiration, offering hope and practical strategies for healing.  In this revised version, the authors add new information on emotional affairs and share real life stories of betrayal and complete healing. 

As co-founders of Hope and Healing Ministries, a Christian peer support ministry for couples in adultery recovery, the Shrivers have seen countless broken marriages restored and transformed into intimate relationships built on love, respect, and trust.  Unfaithful is a lifeline for couples with no hope in sight.  It is also a useful resource for ministers, counselors, as well as friends and family of couples struggling to recover after a spouse has strayed.

With updated content and new discussion questions, Unfaithful is an ideal resource for small group studies or support groups.  This revised version also offers a recovery timeline from a couples' perspective, a helpful addition for couples wondering what the healing process will look like.

"We can now say with absolute sincerity that we have fully healed from the adultery," the Shrivers share. "Our marriage is strong and mutually satisfying.  We have love and trust.  And we can only encourage you with the fact that it is worth the journey."

About the authors:After going through therapy to save their marriage from a devastating affair, Gary and Mona Shriver searched in vain for another couple who could offer them tangible hope that they could heal.  Responding to this need in their community, the Shrivers cofounded Hope & Healing Ministries, Inc., an adultery recovery peer support ministry.  They are members of the Association of Marriage and Family Ministries (AMFM) and participants of the AMFM ministry team for Reconciling Troubled Marriages.  The Shrivers are also members of the Stanislaus County Healthy Marriage Coalition in California.  They have shared their story of hope many times on The 700 Club, Focus on the Family, and RBC's Words to Live By. Gary, who owns an audio and video production facility, and Mona, a former nurse active in women's ministries, have been married thirty-three years and have three grown sons.  They reside in Turlock, California.

 Unfaithful by Gary and Mona Shriver

David C Cook   November 1, 2009

ISBN: 978-1-4347-6533-8/285 pages/softcover/$14.99

www.davidccook.com 

Few topics have divided the 20^th century evangelical church as deeply as the study of speaking in tongues. According to Pentecostal doctrine and tradition, the manifestation of tongues is a necessary evidence to confirm the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Among other evangelicals, the gift of tongues ceased when the last apostle died. In some churches-and even some seminary classrooms-discussions about tongues are taboo.

Author Glenn Brown has been an ordained Assemblies of God minister for over fifty years. A retired Navy chaplain, he served in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marines before pastoring churches for eighteen years. In his new book, Pentecost Revisited, Brown takes a fresh look at both the Pentecostal view and the opposing views of tongues, searching the Scriptures to resolve the conflict. His conclusion: the doctrines and traditions on both extremes of the debate are scripturally inaccurate, and both groups are missing God's true purpose for speaking in tongues, as revealed in the Bible. Read more

Five songs from singer/author/speaker Ginger Millermon's AMAZED CD will be offered as free download resources for the new online community for women, Prayergates.com. Based around excerpts from Beth Moore's best-selling book Praying God's Word, Prayergates.com has partnered with Lifeway Worship to offer free resources that fit the "theme" of each month's chapter study.

"I am so honored to have my songs be used alongside Beth Moore's book," says Millermon. "My hope is that these songs will serve as comfort and encouragement to all the women involved with PrayerGates.com."

One of the five songs to be featured will be "Speak Peace" which climbed to # 9 on the national Inspirational radio charts. Three songs from Millermon's critically-acclaimed CD became top 10 hits, and all five of the songs chosen by PrayerGates.com were either written or co-written by Millermon. Read more

Since his parents were basically absent from his life, author Terry Miller was raised by extended family.  It has taken many years for those wounds to heal, and they did, but not without leaving scars.  In The Mountain Beyond, he passes on the gems of wisdom he unearthed through the choices and consequences of his youth, as well as the spiritual lessons he has learned along the way.

Q&A for Terry Miller, Read more

Bruce Marchiano is an actor, author and international speaker best known for his portrayal of Jesus as a man of joy and passion in the film, The Gospel According to Matthew.  He is also the founder and president of Marchiano Ministries, a non-profit organization reaching out to people both spiritually and practically in the USA and across the world.  Marchiano Ministries is principally focused on ministering to the needs of South Africa, where Marchiano frequently speaks, sponsors crusades, builds churches, has established a Bible School and provides entrepreneurial opportunities for the unemployed. Bruce is preparing to return to the screen as the creative force behind Jesus...No Greater Love, (see www.NewJesusMovie.com) a new word-for-word adaptation of the Gospel of John.  God has given Marchiano a vision to make the gospel film that will reach the next generation-complete with awe-inspiring cinematography, cutting-edge special effects and a scope that stretches from "in the beginning" to the glorious reappearing of Jesus. Marchiano's portrayal of Jesus in The Gospel According to Matthew is just a glimpse of what Jesus...No Greater Love holds in store.

  Read more

If you have ever prayed "thy kingdom come...," then Living in the Overlap is must reading for you. Sharing his own journey, yet in a strong biblical framework, Steve invites us all to enter, understand, and grow in the Kingdom of God...here and now! Thanks, Steve.

Terry Meeuwsen
Co-host, The 700 Club

Because of his fascination with Scripture and its message, Steve Schaefer has repeatedly explored the land of the Bible. His experiences include hot-air ballooning over eerie Cappadocian rock formations in Turkey, trekking through the ancient "rose red" city of Petra in Jordan, sloshing through Hezekiah's serpentine aqueduct in Israel, and scaling Jebel Musa (traditionally identified as Mount Sinai) in Egypt. But he now invites readers to embark on a different kind of biblical adventure in his new book, Living in the Overlap: How Jesus' Kingdom Proclamation Can Transform Your World.
He grew up in a Christian home and accepted Jesus as his Savior at age ten. His family attended a small Baptist church in Pennsylvania. But when he got involved with the Christian youth group Campus Life in high school, he met kids whose love for Jesus blew him away. Their faith in God helped them cope with everything from taking tests to losing loved ones. He began to want what they had.

Shortly after midnight on New Year's Day of his sophomore year he made a decision that changed his life.

"I watched the ball drop in Times Square on television as we rang in the new year, and I felt that this was a time for a new beginning," he says. "I got out my Bible and came to John 8:36 which says, ‘So if the Son sets you free, you will indeed be free' (LB). I wanted the freedom I had seen in my Christian friends. So I got on my knees and told God I wanted him to be in the driver's seat of my life." That began his adult life of faith. Read more

I just finished Pat Conroy's new book, South of Broad. When I read Conroy I get so caught up in the language-in the cadence and tempo of it-that I sometimes lose track of story. His style, at least for me, can overwhelm the plot. As a result, I find myself wallowing around in all this glorious construction, content to soak in the beauty of how the author's arranged 100,000 English words.

 This may seem like harmless self-indulgence; like the epitome of "reading for pleasure." But it's not a wise way to read. There is more to books-even those as pretty and popular as Conroy's-than aesthetics alone. Which prompts the question, especially for those of us who read for pleasure: How am I supposed to read this novel?

T.S. Eliot encouraged people to read everything, especially popular fiction, from an ethical and theological perspective. In an age like ours, he said (and this was in 1932), when there's so little common agreement on ethics, mores, and values-we need to scrutinize everything we read. 

Most of us have assumed, Eliot observed, that there's no connection between literature and theology. But fiction has always been judged by a moral standard. The problem, he pointed out, is that those judgments are made according to the moral conventions of the time, and when those conventions are detached from any theological background, they're nothing more than habit. When our values are detached from their theological underpinning, they're wide open to alteration. And then, Eliot explained, literature-and especially popular literature-becomes an agent of moral change.

Our judgment of what is acceptable or objectionable becomes a matter of what the culture is used to-and what shocked the last generation is "calmly accepted" by the current one.  Some find satisfaction in our cultural "progress"; they note how our adaptability is evidence of development and growing tolerance. But it is instead, Eliot claimed, proof of an insecure and rickety foundation. Which underscores the naïveté of separating literary judgments from religious convictions. 

Today, we tend to judge literature by its aesthetic value only-the way I read Pat Conroy. But this, says Hans-Georg Gadamer, a contemporary German philosopher, contemplates literature as a work of art, "without giving thought to its truth or significance." 

When we wallow in around in aesthetic construction we're not paying attention to what is said as much as to how the author says it. This "aesthetic distancing" Gadamer points out, places the question of truth at arm's length. And all writers, no matter how popular, no matter how accessible or easy to read-from Pat Conroy to Dan Brown to Stephanie Meyer-are conveying "truth."

It is the literature we read with the least effort, Eliot warned, that has the easiest and potentially most menacing effect. It's popular novelists, he insisted, who have the most impact on the culture, and on us. It is they, therefore, and their books that need the most scrutiny.  

Sources used:

Eliot, T.S., Religion and Literature, 1932

Gallagher, Susan and Lundin, Roger, Literature Through the Eyes of Faith. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1989

Richard Doster is the editor of byFaith magazine. He is also the author of two novels, Safe at Home and Crossing the Lines, both published by David C.Cook Publishers

"When my wife died and the valley of grief was thrust upon me, I looked long and hard for books on grieving written from a Christian male perspective. I wanted to know what I, as a Christian man confronted-no, overwhelmed-by grief could expect as a process. I found several excellent books about grief, but no real manual that would be like a trail for me to follow through the valley. So in writing this book, my aim is to help grieving men all I can by sharing what I believe to be common male experiences along the way." - Tom Mason

Q & A with Tom Mason Read more

There is certainly no shortage of counseling and self-help books lining the shelves of Christian bookstores today.  Why Did God Give Us Emotions? is destined to distinguish itself from the rest.  With simple, straightforward verbiage (no pop psychology terms here), practical steps to follow, and twenty years of wisdom and insight, Reneau Peurifoy's book is essential reading for pastors, counselors, and those struggling with emotional issues as well as the general reader who wants to understand this wonderful, yet often mysterious gift and gain skills for managing emotions more effectively.  Also included is a section of discussion questions, making Why Did God Give Us Emotions? an ideal vehicle for small group study.

Q&A with Reneau Peurifoy Read more

"In both of our practices, we constantly see people who view health too narrowly. Many people think of health as dropping pounds, lowering blood pressure, etc. These are all good, healthy things, but when the underlying motive is simply to look better physically, that is evidence that a patient doesn't really understand the meaning of 'health.' After working with so many patients, we have seen that before a patient can make lasting changes in any area of life-and this includes physical health-they must take a step back and look at the bigger picture of their life."

Q & A with David and Sonya Cameron Read more

A special interactive section on the New York Times website known as Healthguide Patient Voices features an interview with Beth Chilcoat, widow of David Chilcoat who died of ALS (a.k.a. as Lou Gehrig's Disease) in 2006. Beth's story is one of only six interviews conducted with ALS patients and family members for the Healthguide Patient Voices: ALS feature. Beth recently compiled the new book, NOBODY TELLS A DYING GUY TO SHUT UP, from her husband's personal journal kept during his three-year struggle with the disease that eventually took his life. (LINK: NY Times Patient Voices)

Mentioned in the New York Times piece, NOBODY TELLS A DYING GUY TO SHUT UP takes the reader from David Chilcoat's diagnosis ("Today we really got a kick in the shorts") to the end ("Needless to say, I was confused. At times, when things do not make sense, it is hard to know what is really true."). After grieving for her husband for over a year, Beth made the decision to take David's 1000-plus page journal and edit it into book form to aid other families who may be going through a similar crisis.

"The book is only able to include a small fraction of the moment by moment answers to prayers that we experienced as we tried to leave this horror in God's hands and trust Him to give us what we needed," says Beth. "David kept his journal online and it helped so much to hear people's reactions and encouragement. At first, we appreciated the fact that we could see God using our pain for good as it seemed to encourage and challenge other people's faith. Then one day, it dawned on us how much we were being strengthened by the need to focus on what God was doing in our lives in order to write weekly about our journey."

For more than a decade, the Chilcoats worked with Young Life, a worldwide ministry dedicated to introducing adolescents to Jesus Christ and helping them grow in their faith. David and Beth helped to establish the Young Life chapter in the Columbus, Ohio area that today is headed by one of their sons, Michael. David later went to law school and practiced law for over 25 years before his diagnosis of ALS in 2003. Together, the Chilcoats raised a family of four children and have nine grandchildren.

Though Beth had entered the publishing world before as a cookbook author, she was reluctant to take on the challenge of editing David's journal that was read by thousands of people across the globe. Faced with the reality of death, David chronicled the experience of living in the midst of dying, revealing a candid account of parallel progression -- physical decay and spiritual growth. In compiling the book, Beth chose the title from a phrase that David used often: NOBODY TELLS A DYING GUY TO SHUT UP. It began as a difficult process to relive the three-year ordeal, but the book eventually became a healing balm for Beth.

"One thing we learned through the process was not to spend our energy protecting one another or keeping our thoughts and fears to ourselves," says Beth. "We needed all our energy just to cope and get through every day. We agreed early to tell it like it was. We told friends and family to ask us how we were doing only if they really wanted to know. We didn't have the energy for pretense. We shared everything candidly with one another. It wasn't easy at times, but it definitely was the only way we could do it.

"From the worst days of intense pain and fear to the days when we were able to laugh in spite of it all, this book is a forthright, honest struggle of a man wrestling with his own death. And I pray it becomes a beacon of hope and encouragement to people who face equally dire circumstances. The reality is we are all on a journey toward death. The only difference for us was that Dave and I had a defined timetable. And we did the best we could to make the most of our time together."

Beth was recently a seminar speaker at the annual Xenos Summer Institute where authors and speakers such as Kay Arthur and Joni Eareckson-Tada have appeared. Beth is currently scheduling seminars entitled "Life in the Valley" to help equip people who face difficult challenges. For more information, visit: www.BethChilcoat.com
###

The Church of Facebook by Jesse Rice

A revolution is taking place, one profile at a time.  Online social networks like Facebook and MySpace are connecting people like never before.  With hundreds of millions of users, they're creating almost limitless potential to redefine our personal worlds.  It's a movement that's changing how we form relationships, perceive others, and shape our identity. 

In his new book, The Church of Facebook (David C Cook, October 2009) author Jesse Rice takes a deeper look at the movement which, at its core, reflects our need for community.  "Our longing for intimacy, connection, and a place to belong has never been a secret, but social networking offers us a new perspective on the way we engage our community," Rice states.  This new perspective raises new questions: How do these networks impact our relationships?  In what ways are they shaping the way we think of ourselves?  And how might this phenomenon subtly reflect a God who longs to connect with each one of us? 

The Church of Facebook explores these ideas and much more, offering a revealing look at the wildly popular world of online social networking.  "The new landscape of social networking tells us two basic things:  One, we have a deep desire to be known.  And, two, we are faced with a technology that both enables and hinders the intimacy we're looking for," Rice says.  From personal profiles to status updates, author Jesse Rice takes a thoroughly entertaining and insightful look into what Facebook reveals about us, and what it may mean for the future of "community." 

Social networking is no fad; it has become a fact of life, especially for teens and twenty-somethings.  The Church of Facebook is essential reading for parents and pastors who want to understand this trend and its impact on their children and congregations.  Rice's discussions will engage social networkers of all ages and stages who are wrestling with the very real issues of identity, meaning, purpose, and friendship within the context of virtual communities. 

In the end, The Church of Facebook moves readers toward understanding God's work in the body of Christ, the church.  Driven by Rice's thought-provoking questions, observations, humor, and heartfelt storytelling, The Church of Facebook challenges readers to consider new perspectives regarding their social networking habits and how those habits may point to deeper heart issues and, ultimately, our hunger for Jesus.

Author Bio: Jesse Rice is a writer and musician and served for eight years as the Contemporary Worship Arts Director at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, a large and thriving congregation in the heart of Silicon Valley.  Jesse has a Master's in Counseling Psychology and is an authority on the search for meaning in a fast-paced, hyper-connected world.  He is a sought-after worship leader and speaker with more than fifteen years of experience working with college students and young adults.  Jesse and his wife, Katie, live in Portland, OR.  

The Church of Facebook by Jesse Rice

David C Cook/October 2009

ISBN: 978-1-4347-6534-5/192 pages/softcover/$12.99

www.davidccook.com   www.churchoffacebook.com

Faith Path by Mark Mittelberg

New study based on Mark Mittelberg's Choosing Your Faith reveals how non-Christians think and empowers believers to reach them

Many Christians cringe at the thought of talking with non-Christians about faith.  It's almost like trying to explain music to a deaf person or a painting to someone who is blind.  But one important thing any Christian can do is understand their friends-listen to them and consider how they think.  Then it becomes possible to truly communicate God's truth.

Now there is an exciting new resource for church groups and individuals with a heart to more effectively engage unbelievers in faith conversations.  Based on Mark Mittelberg's book Choosing Your Faith, the eight-lesson Faith Path workbook (David C Cook, October 2009) is designed to be used in a group with the Faith Path DVD and builds on Mittelberg's sensible, evenhanded approach to evangelism.

"Faith.  Everybody lives by it-even skeptics and atheists!  That's right.  Everyone you know trusts something they believe in but can't prove or know absolutely.  They take it on faith," Mittelberg says.  "If you want to talk to your friends about your faith, it helps to understand what they believe and how they got there.  Because badgering people to change their minds just doesn't work."

DVD segments include teaching from Mittelberg, as well as short interviews with fascinating people talking about the faith paths they were on before they came to Christ.  Approaches such as relativism, traditionalism, mysticism, authoritarianism, and others are explored.  Interviews seen on the DVD are then discussed in a thought-provoking, enjoyable group format, as well as in workbook entries. Among other things, participants will learn to recognize the danger of paths that lead away from Christ and will deepen their own faith in Christ and reinforce their reasons for believing.

No other DVD/workbooks exist for Choosing Your Faith (workbook includes leader's guide materials), so Faith Path-with live interviews and audience interaction-promises to set new trends for learning how to engage others in spiritual conversations.

"Relativists, traditionalists, mystics, authoritarians, and others...they're all here.  And after you understand how these folks think about faith, you can help them find a trustworthy pathway to truth," Mittelberg says.  "Because no matter what your friends believe, they still matter to God."

Author Bio: Mark Mittelberg is a best-selling author, sought-after speaker, and a leading outreach strategist.  He is the author of Choosing Your Faith, coauthor (with Lee Strobel) of The Unexpected Adventure, and coauthor (with Bill Hybels and Lee Strobel) of the Becoming a Contagious Christian curriculum.  He previously served as the evangelism director for Willow Creek Community Church and the Willow Creek Association.  Mark earned a master's degree in philosophy of religion from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.  He lives in Southern California with his wife, Heidi, and their two teenage children.

Faith Path (Workbook & DVD) by Mark Mittelberg

David C Cook/October 2009

 Workbook-ISBN: 978-1-4347-6513-0/softcover/141 pages/$12.99   DVD-ISBN: 978-1-4347-6514-7/$24.99

www.davidccook.com

The Last Word by Kathy Herman

Heart-pounding suspense meets heart-challenging truth as best-selling author Kathy Herman returns to Sophie Trace in her new page-turner, The Last Word (David C Cook, October 2009).  Based on Romans 1:16, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the gentile," Herman's second installment in the Sophie Trace series triumphantly demonstrates God's miraculous ability to heal the broken. 

This theme comes to life in Vanessa Jessup, a twenty-year-old college student who becomes pregnant while having a secret love affair with her psychology professor and has to make a choice: either end the pregnancy or end the relationship.  The biblical truths she learned growing up prompt her to choose life and to go home to the refuge of her parents' counsel and a right relationship with God.  

When Vanessa arrives home, her mother, Sophie Trace Police Chief Brill Jessup, is stunned to see that she's pregnant-and by one of her professors.  While Brill is glad her middle daughter rejected the father's abortion ultimatum, she's also hurt that Vanessa ignored her upbringing and angry that the professor has disappeared without as much as a nickel of child support. 

But that's not all Brill's got on her plate.  One of her detectives has been killed, and the attacker has threatened to come for her next.  When a second cop is wounded, public criticism mounts as Brill attempts to stay alive long enough to catch the perp.  And she's trying to find the deadbeat dad as Vanessa struggles to make decisions about her future.  

In spite of Brill's best efforts to stay safe, the murderer finally kidnaps and threatens to kill her and then commit suicide.  As her life hangs in the balance, Brill becomes concerned that her attacker is about to die and is not saved and refuses to be silenced in her witness of God's love for him.  In a show of grace under pressure and fierce determination, Brill will manage to have the last word, even if it kills her. 

Author Bio: Best-selling suspense novelist Kathy Herman has written fifteen novels, including CBA bestsellers The Real Enemy, Tested by Fire and All Things Hidden, since retiring from her family's Christian bookstore business.  Kathy and her husband, Paul, have three grown children and five grandchildren and live in Tyler, Texas.

The Last Word Book 2: Sophie Trace Trilogy by Kathy Herman

David C Cook/October 2009

ISBN: 978-1-4347-6785-1/390 pages/softcover/$14.99

www.davidccook.com   www.kathyherman.com

The Blue Umbrella by Mike Mason

What would happen if all the world's weather was controlled by one man with a blue umbrella?  If your mother had been killed by lightning, would you trust this man?  This is the decision facing 10-year-old Zac Sparks in Mike Mason's new page-turning fantasy novel, The Blue Umbrella (David C Cook, October 2009).  Probing the depths of good and evil, the first in Mason's series for 9 to 12 year olds is a superbly written children's story with deep spiritual resonance.  

When Zac Sparks's mother dies, he's sent to live in Five Corners with his cruel old Aunties.  It isn't long before Zac knows something strange is going on.  Five Corners is populated with weird characters-a midget butler, a girl who doesn't speak, a blind balloon seller, and a mysterious singer who is heard but not seen.  Then there's the Aunties' father, Dada.  Zac's first encounter with Dada is so terrifying he faints dead away. 

The one bright spot is Sky Porter, the proprietor of the general store across the street, a friendly soul who encourages Zac-when the Aunties aren't looking-and shows him a kindness that is sadly lacking from his dismal life.  But Sky isn't what he seems either, and when Zac learns Sky's amazing secret he realizes, to his dismay, that this wonderful man may have a very dark side as well. 

Discovering that Dada is an evil magician who is intent on stealing the ultimate treasure, Zac knows many lives are at stake, including his own.  With time running out, he must turn to the one person who might be able to help: Sky Porter.  Can Zac trust him? 

In the vein of Lewis and Tolkien, Mason has crafted a fantasy that will certainly appeal to fans of Harry Potter, The Golden Compass, Lemony Snicket, and The Chronicles of Narnia.  "In this era of climate change, when weather is arguably the most important issue facing the world, a story that dramatizes the human role and responsibility in creating weather is highly relevant and timely," says Mason.  "The Blue Umbrella is permeated with a sense of awe at the power and beauty of weather, and it asks the question: Who is behind all this?"  

Author Bio:Mike Mason is the best-selling, award-winning author of The Mystery of Marriage, The Gospel According to Job, Practicing the Presence of People, and many others.  He has an M.A. in English and has studied theology at Regent College.  He lives in Langley, BC, Canada, with his wife, Karen, a family physician.  They have one daughter, Heather, who is pursuing a career in dance and the arts.  The Blue Umbrella is Mike's first novel.

The Blue Umbrella by Mike Mason

David C Cook/October 2009

ISBN: 978-1-4347-6526-0/425 pages/softcover/$14.99

www.davidccook.com - www.mikemasonbooks.com

When You Lose Someone You Love by Richard Exley

There is nothing more devastating than the death of a loved one.  And whether it comes suddenly and unexpectedly, or at the end of a long and painful illness, every death is experienced anew, a shocking loss that takes your breath away and leaves you disoriented and lost. 

Grief is mysterious, misunderstood, and experienced differently from individual to individual.  Yet there are certain universal elements to the grieving process.  In When You Lose Someone You Love: Comfort for Those Who Grieve (David C Cook, October 2009), author Richard Exley offers a compassionate handbook on grief.  The book is written as a series of letters between a pastor and a parishioner he seeks to comfort.  As he offers understanding to a man suffering a profound loss, the pastor shows that grief is a healthy process that God can use to mend broken hearts. 

When we lose someone we love, we are often overwhelmed by the strong emotions and confusion that come like tidal waves in our lives.  Sometimes we hardly recognize ourselves or the world in which we live.  Exley's personal and empathetic epistle communicates the mercy and grace of the heavenly Father to grieving people. 

"I have chosen the 'letter style' because it affords me the opportunity to speak to you directly and in a very personal manner," Exley says.  "This is not a book about grief; rather, it is comfort extended to those who are even now walking through the valley of the shadow of death." 

This book is the perfect gift for anyone suffering a profound loss.  It has been endorsed by many a reader who, having drawn great comfort from its pages, has passed it along to a grief-stricken friend or loved one.  Pastors and ministries that regularly interact with grieving people should keep multiple copies of When You Lose Someone You Love on hand.         

Revised and updated, this twentieth anniversary edition features prayers and scripture meditation, as well as a new introduction and epilogue.  Simple, profound, personal, compassionate ... When You Lose Someone You Love tenderly walks the grief-stricken through sorrow to peace and, eventually, renewed joy.

Author Bio:

Richard Exley is the author of twenty-nine books and has written both fiction and nonfiction.  His articles have appeared in numerous magazines, including Leadership Journal, Charisma, Ministries Today, The Pentecostal Evangel, Advance, Enrichment, and New Man.  He has served as senior pastor of churches in Colorado and Oklahoma, hosted several popular television and radio programs, including the nationally syndicated Straight from the Heart, and appeared on the 700 Club, Richard Roberts Live, Action Sixty, the former PTL, The New Jim Bakker Show, and The Harvest Show.   

When You Lose Someone You Love by Richard Exley

David C Cook/October 2009

ISBN: 978-1-4347-6480-5/128 pages/softcover/$9.99

www.davidccook.com

The Longview by Roger Parrott

Many of today's ministries suffer from a near-sighted vision.  Too often leaders choose easy solutions over principled, long-term strategies.  The results can be devastating, as ignored issues become full-blown crises, and small problems become big challenges.

The Longview (David C Cook, October 2009) is a fresh approach to leadership that will transform how readers make decisions and address problems.  Author Dr. Roger Parrott offers proven, practical principles drawn from scripture and his renowned career in educational leadership.  Parrott issues readers a timely challenge: Defy the trends of short-sighted goal-making for quick returns by learning to lead for long-term significance.

America is paying the price of short-term decision making (i.e., sub-prime mortgages, Bernie Madoff, health care costs, General Motors bankruptcy, et al).  As more ministries adopt the prevailing short-term pattern, they move closer to the same outcome-the quick payoff-at the cost of a future crisis.  The Longview calls for a seismic shift in the leadership attitudes and actions of readers.  Parrott is a seasoned, practical leader who is not afraid to challenge younger leaders to lead for lasting impact, not fleeting bragging rights.  The book offers practical insights from both scripture and his own experience.  Both young and seasoned leaders will uncover a solid foundation for success for any ministry, organization, or business.

"Our theology and our ministry passion draw us to talk about longview outcomes as our heart's desire, but we have been duped into fostering a generation of leaders, board members, employees, and constituencies who value short-term gain over longview significance," says Parrott.  In The Longview, he further explains that because this shortview corporate culture has so permeated the church today, those in ministry have loosened their grip on the biblical model for leadership.  The time is right for rising leaders to break free from the short-term leadership patterns of the past and set their sites on the horizon to ensure a life of leadership that will be honoring to God and bring us back to principles that will allow the church to make a transformational difference in the world. 

"The best leaders understand they should always be held accountable for the long-term before they are rewarded for their immediate results," says Parrott.  "The Longview will give leaders nitty-gritty practical applications to break free from the pattern of aiming for nearsighted remedies instead of long-term solutions."

Endorsed by Ken Blanchard and a host of significant ministry leaders, The Longview will produce a seismic shift in the leadership attitudes of readers-it will revolutionize the way you lead.

Author Bio: At age thirty-four Roger Parrott became one of America's youngest college presidents.  Parrott is currently the president of Belhaven College, an innovative liberal arts institution recognized as the leading evangelical college in the Arts.  He earned a PhD in higher education administration from the University of Maryland.  Parrott serves in leadership of the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, Mission America Coalition, and Council for Christian Colleges and Universities.  He has advised a wide variety of ministries in the US and internationally. 

The Longview by Roger Parrott, Ph.D.

David C Cook/October 2009/ISBN: 978-1-4347-6749-3/hardcover/255 pages/$16.99

www.davidccook.com - www.thelongview.info

Speaker/singer Shannon Perry kicked off her new national women's conference this month entitled If The Shoe Fits. Perry decided to use the events to support Dress for Success, a worldwide charitable organization that promotes the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. After her first conference in the Houston area, Perry took over 200 pair of gently-worn shoes to the local Dress for Success affiliate.

"We had so many women respond with such generosity to our request for shoes," says Perry. "This is such a worthwhile charity and especially now when so many people are out of work and looking for jobs. I just wanted to be able to use our conference as a place for all of us to help women who are struggling."

Dress for Success Houston provides interview suits, confidence boosts and career development to more than 3200 women annually. With suits from Dress for Success Houston, women not only look their best, they feel their best and they have the confidence to succeed. An independent 501(c) (3) corporation registered in the state of Texas, Dress for Success Houston is part of a world-wide network and is an affiliate to 94 Dress for Success organizations. Read more

When you imagine Jesus, who do you see? For millions of people, the first image that comes to mind is the version they saw in a movie. Films about Jesus have been, at times, wooden and boring, with the actor portraying him as an aimless drifter. At other times, he's a raving fanatic. Hollywood productions, in particular, have often featured a physically puny, helpless-looking Jesus. If Christians want to reach the next generation with the Gospel, we will have to do better than this. It's time for a movie that captures the true character of Christ as revealed in Scripture-heroic, passionate, winsome, the Living God made man. The time is now, and the best part is you can be a part of the movement that brings that movie to the world.

Fifteen years ago, Bruce Marchiano was hired to play Jesus in the word-for-word dramatization of The Gospel According to Matthew. Marchiano's portrayal shattered every stereotype. Reviewers often refer to him as "the happy Jesus," whose passion, affection and love were a breath of fresh air to Christians and sparked the curiosity of countless seekers. During the making of the film, Marchiano witnessed firsthand the influence of investors' visions for commercial success on the integrity of the gospel. He vowed that if he were ever calling the shots, he would make a Jesus film free from the conflict of the for-profit system. Little did he know that God would call him to fulfill that vow. Read more

God Sightings: The One Year Companion Guide

People are suggesting that they want more of God and less of the stuff that gets between them and their relationship with God.  A recent Barna study revealed that 75% of Christians polled say they sense that "God is motivating people to stay [spiritually] connected but in different ways and through different types of experiences than in the past." 

Group Publishing and Tyndale House Publishers have heeded that call and joined together to provide a unique, interactive Bible reading experience called God Sightings^TM where people can experience God in a refreshing and non-traditional way.  For the first time ever, the complete tools needed to make the pages of Scripture come alive and see God manifested in everyday life and events are now available.  By reading God Sightings: The One Year Bible and God Sightings: The One Year Companion Guide, whether in book form or online, users will become participants in something so profoundly simple and powerful that it changes their lives.  Through the first-of-its-kind free website, www.MyGodSightings.com, users will encounter something that is already out there but is often missed: God's expressed love in the lives and circumstances of others.  Materials for God Sightings are available for individuals to use alone, with groups, as a church-wide campaign or even in online communities. 

By using the God Sightings website, groups or individuals can publicly or privately share their thoughts about Scripture and captured "God Sightings" with other people anywhere in the world at any time.  The private online community also offers a unique opportunity for groups or families separated by distance or time to look for God together.  It is ideal for military spouses separated by war, parents whose children are in college in another city or distant friends who want to stay in touch.  It's a chance to witness and share God's presence even when separated by hundreds or thousands of miles.

The God Sightings products include The One Year Bible (New Living Translation or New International Version ), The One Year Companion Guide, The One Year Small Group Leader Guide, and The One Year Launch Kit for Pastors and Ministry Leaders.  When used, these beautiful and inviting books along with the easy to access website will provide a renewed faith and passion for the Word.  The One Year Bible, today's #1 selling annual reading Bible, leads people to experience God on a daily basis. And when paired with The One Year Companion Guide, they will begin to see God's magnificent presence reaching out to change their lives in ways that will startle awe and excite them as never before.

 www.MyGodSightings.com

God Sightings: The One Year Companion Guide - ISBN: 97807644-39254 - Paperback $9.99

God Sightings: The One Year Small Group Leader Guide - ISBN: 97807644-39261 - Paperback $9.99

God Sightings: The One Year Bible (NLT) - ISBN: 9781414334424 - Paperback $12.99

God Sightings: The One Year Bible (NIV) - ISBN: 9781414334431 - Paperback $12.99

God Sightings: The One Year Launch Kit (NLT) - ISBN: 9780764440083 - Includes promotional DVD $69.99

God Sightings: The One Year Launch Kit (NIV) - ISBN: 9780764439278 - Includes promotional DVD $69.99