Jesus in Beijing: How Christianity Is Transforming China And Changing the Global Balance of Power


David Aikman - 2003
    Politics are being transformed by religion, namely in China—within the next thirty years, one-third of this potential superpower could be Christian.If this religious transformation occurs, China would be one of the largest Christian nations in the world.David Aikman, former Beijing bureau chief for Time, unveils this spiritual revolution, detailing the impending political-religious conversion of the People’s Republic of China and potential overthrow of its Communist Party through Jesus in Beijing: How Christianity is Transforming and Changing the Global Balance of Power.

Choosing to SEE


Mary Beth Chapman - 2010
    Together they began Show Hope, a nonprofit organization dedicated to caring for the world's most vulnerable children by providing financial assistance to families wishing to adopt, as well as increasing awareness of the orphan crisis and funneling resources to orphans domestically and internationally. Mary Beth serves as president of Show Hope and is a speaker for Women of Faith 2010 with her husband. She is also coauthor with Steven of the Shaoey and Dot series of children's picture books. Mary Beth and Steven have six children: Emily, Caleb, Will Franklin, and adopted daughters Shaohannah Hope, Stevey Joy, and Maria Sue, who is now with Jesus. The Chapmans live in Tennessee.www.MaryBethChapman.comEllen Vaughn is a bestselling author and inspirational speaker. Her recent books include It's All About Him with Denise Jackson (wife of Alan Jackson), which debuted at #1 on the New York Times nonfiction list. She is also coauthor with Chuck Colson of Being the Body. In addition to her nonfiction work, Vaughn is an award-winning novelist. She lives in the Washington, D.C., area with her husband, Lee.

To Destroy You is No Loss: The Odyssey of a Cambodian Family


Joan D. Criddle - 1987
    When Phnom Pehn fell, Teeda was fifteen years old and attending an English school in the city. As a pampered child of a well-to-do urban family, she was not prepared to endure the hardships and the horrors which she would soon be forced to experience.Upon the defeat of the Lon Nol Khmer Republic, Pol Pot founded Democratic Kampuchea and launched the economic plan of his French-trained associate, Khieu Samphan, who held that land was the source of all wealth. Khieu spurned technological and industrial development. According to him, only agricultural abundance and high prices for agricultural products could create economic prosperity. He viewed the Cambodian peasant as a “natural man” whose knowledge of agriculture was a sufficient education for anyone if supplemented with an elementary knowledge of reading, writing, and arithmetic. He also believed that educated urbanites had been so corrupted by Western ideas and values that they were a “useless” entity in the economic body unless they could be successfully re-educated --brainwashed -- and transformed into ideologically correct peasants; otherwise, he believed they should be destroyed, not being any “loss” to the country. Khieu’s plan was designed to be put into effect with “ruthless force.” And it was.As terrible, as horrible, as depressing as it is to learn how political and economic extremism can distort human perception and turn men into beasts, Teeda’s story is at the same time absorbing, edifying, and ennobling--even hopeful. She and her family are exemplars of human courage, determination, and resourcefulness. After four years spent in slave labor and another year in a frustrating attempt to escape with her family to the United States, their spirit of liberty was never crushed. If their destruction was “no loss” to the Khmer Rouge, their preservation has been a decided gain for the citizenry of the United States

The Devil in Pew Number Seven


Rebecca Nichols Alonzo - 2010
    In 1969, her father, Robert Nichols, moved to Sellerstown, North Carolina, to serve as a pastor. There he found a small community eager to welcome him--with one exception. Glaring at him from pew number seven was a man obsessed with controlling the church. Determined to get rid of anyone who stood in his way, he unleashed a plan of terror that was more devastating and violent than the Nichols family could have ever imagined. Refusing to be driven away by acts of intimidation, Rebecca's father stood his ground until one night when an armed man walked into the family's kitchen . . . And Rebecca's life was shattered. If anyone had a reason to harbor hatred and seek personal revenge, it would be Rebecca. Yet The Devil in Pew Number Seven tells a different story. It is the amazing true saga of relentless persecution, one family's faith and courage in the face of it, and a daughter whose parents taught her the power of forgiveness.

Yours, Jack: Spiritual Direction from C.S. Lewis


C.S. Lewis - 2008
    S. Lewis spent a good portion of each day corresponding with people via handwritten letters. Over his lifetime he wrote thousands of letters in which he offered his friends and acquaintances advice on the Christian life, giving away a bit of himself to each of these correspondents as he signed his notes with a heartfelt and familiar, "yours, Jack." Most of these letters are currently only available in their entirety—a collection consisting of three hefty tomes. Yours, Jack features the best inspirational readings and sage counsel culled from C. S. Lewis's letters, offering an accessible look at this great author's personal vision for the spiritual life.This thematic selection from his letters offers the freshest presentation of Lewis's writings since his death in 1963. Yours, Jack will showcase Lewis's remarkable teachings and vision for a new generation.

A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War: How J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis Rediscovered Faith, Friendship, and Heroism in the Cataclysm of 1914-18


Joseph Loconte - 2015
    R. R. Tolkien and C. S. LewisThe First World War laid waste to a continent and permanently altered the political and religious landscape of the West. For a generation of men and women, it brought the end of innocence—and the end of faith. Yet for J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, the Great War deepened their spiritual quest. Both men served as soldiers on the Western Front, survived the trenches, and used the experience of that conflict to ignite their Christian imagination. Had there been no Great War, there would have been no Hobbit, no Lord of the Rings, no Narnia, and perhaps no conversion to Christianity by C. S. Lewis.Unlike a generation of young writers who lost faith in the God of the Bible, Tolkien and Lewis produced epic stories infused with the themes of guilt and grace, sorrow and consolation. Giving an unabashedly Christian vision of hope in a world tortured by doubt and disillusionment, the two writers created works that changed the course of literature and shaped the faith of millions. This is the first book to explore their work in light of the spiritual crisis sparked by the conflict.

Assimilate or Go Home: Notes from a Failed Missionary on Rediscovering Faith


D.L. Mayfield - 2016
    L. Mayfield left her conservative Christian home to become a missionary to Somali Bantu refugees in Portland, Oregon. But after a decade proselytizing, she realized that she had not converted one single Muslim. “I am pretty much the worst missionary ever,” she despaired.Yet in her time working with these displaced people, Mayfield’s eyes were opened to something much bigger. “I started to read the Scriptures with new eyes, informed by the people who the Bible was written by and to—the people at the margins of society. And it was so much better than I could have believed. The blessings of Jesus were to be found in the most unexpected places. The kingdom is real, alive, and changing everything—liberating, setting free, healing, and preaching news that is actually truly good, in the here and now.”Assimilate or Go Home is the story of her awakening. Mayfield shows us how God’s love is transforming lives, and makes clear that instead of saving the world, we can join God’s party by loving all of our neighbors—especially those on society’s edge. With vulnerability and a touch of humor, Mayfield reflects upon how her faith was challenged, and urges all of us to reconsider our concepts of justice, love, and being a citizen of this world—and the kingdom of God.

Jonathan Edwards


George M. Marsden - 2003
    A controversial theologian and the author of the famous sermon Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, he ignited the momentous Great Awakening of the eighteenth century.In this definitive and long-awaited biography, Jonathan Edwards emerges as both a great American and a brilliant Christian. George Marsden evokes the world of colonial New England in which Edwards was reared—a frontier civilization at the center of a conflict between Native Americans, French Catholics, and English Protestants. Drawing on newly available sources, Marsden demonstrates how these cultural and religious battles shaped Edwards’s life and thought. Marsden reveals Edwards as a complex thinker and human being who struggled to reconcile his Puritan heritage with the secular, modern world emerging out of the Enlightenment. In this, Edwards’s life anticipated the deep contradictions of our American culture.Meticulously researched and beautifully composed, this biography offers a compelling portrait of an eminent American.

Love Has a Face: Mascara, a Machete and One Woman's Miraculous Journey with Jesus in Sudan


Michele Perry - 2009
    Bombs in the backyard. A nation torn by decades of war still on the brink. Can one life really make a difference here? Born without her left hip and leg, Michele Perry is no stranger to seeming impossibilities. So when she arrived in war-torn Southern Sudan-with little more than her faith in God's promises--she did what everyone told was crazy: she opened a home for orphaned children in the middle of guerilla warfare territory and has now become "mama" to over one hundred little lives. With a deft pen, she recounts unforgettable stories of life in the bush, stories that capture the reader with the stark realities of living in a war zone-and the power of God's love to transform them. Her own story is just as compelling as the ministry she is living. From working in the slums of India to finding her home in war-ravaged Africa, her life has been a journey deeper into the supernatural power of God. Captivatingly honest, readers will be swept up in one woman's poignant, spellbinding journey of love and the glimpses of God's tender grace and mercy in the midst of a broken and hurting world.

Jesus: A Biography, from a Believer


Paul Johnson - 2010
    His teachings have inspired discussion, arguments, even war, and yet few have ever held forth as movingly on the need for peace, forgiveness, and mercy. Paul Johnson's brilliant reading offers readers a lively biography of the man who inspired one of the world's great religions and whose les­sons still guide us in current times. Johnson's magisterial and revered book A History of Christianity is a masterpiece of historical writing on religion; and in his new book he returns to focus on a central figure in one of the world's dominant religions. Johnson's intelligent and conver­sational style, as well as his ability to distill complex subjects into succinct, highly readable works, make this book the ideal match of a major historian with a major subject. The result is an accessible biography and an insightful analysis of how Jesus is important in the present era.

The Preacher and the Presidents: Billy Graham in the White House


Nancy Gibbs - 2007
    They called him in for photo opportunities. They called for comfort. They asked about death and salvation; about sin and forgiveness. At a time when the nation is increasingly split over the place of religion in public life, THE PREACHER AND THE PRESIDENTS reveals how the world's most powerful men and world's most famous evangelist, Billy Graham, knit faith and politics together.

Truth and Transformation: A Manifesto for Ailing Nations


Vishal Mangalwadi - 2009
    Vishal Mangalwadi surveys the Gospel's power to reform society. Lessons gleaned from the Bible come alive when viewed through the lens of his own experience. Rather than simply suggesting that politicians invest more money in aiding the oppressed, Mangalwadi delves into the ideological roots of social oppression. he suggests that reform is never without controversy, and that reforming a culture's values is a necessary precursor to stable, lasting liberation for the oppressed. His book culminates with the Christian vision of hope in God's making all things new.

The Man Comes Around: The Spiritual Journey of Johnny Cash


Dave Urbanski - 2003
    He's timeless. His appeal spans over many decades and many generations. The Man Comes Around addresses why Cash is so important now and why he's always been important. It unpacks the anchor from which all Cash's artistry comes-his spirituality. From the cotton fields of Arkansas to the air fields of Germany, and from the streets of Memphis to the gospel road in Israel, this comprehensive, dripping-with-detail book on the spiritual journey of Johnny Cash will take the reader on an odyssey of earthy, workingman's music and war-torn, complex Christianity.

Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light: The Private Writings of the Saint of Calcutta


Brian Kolodiejchuk - 2007
    During her lifelong service to the poorest of the poor, Mother Teresa be

Hero Tales: A Family Treasury of True Stories from the Lives of Christian Heroes


Dave Jackson - 1996
    A black and white pencil illustration precedes each biography. 3 short stories about the individual then illustrate their virtues. Some virtues are repeated across several individuals. A Bible verse about the virtue and a discussion section of both comprehension and application questions completes each profile.Individuals and virtues covered are:Gladys Aylward: Confidence, Resourcefulness, CourageWilliam & Catherine Booth: Creativity, Boldness, DisciplineAmy Carmichael: Sacrifice, Compassion, ServanthoodAdoniram & Ann Judson: Truthfulness, Perseverance, DedicationDavid Livingstone: Thankfulness, Humility, DedicationMartin Luther: Vision, Courage, JoyDwight L. Moody: Repentance, Boldness, StrengthSamuel Morris: Peacemaker, Boldness, EncouragementGeorge Muller: Faith, Graciousness, TrustMenno Simons: Integrity, Loyalty, Sacrificial LoveMary Slessor: Courage, Mercy, PeacemakerHudson Taylor: Faith, Trust, ObedienceHarriet Tubman: Compassion, Joy, PerseveranceWilliam Tyndale: Vision, Patience, FaithJohn Wesley: Discipline, Boldness, Generosity The book ends with a list of the character qualities and which stories contribute to an understanding of each.This is book #1 in a series of 4 books.