LA UNION, PUEBLA, MEXICO (ANS March 16, 2017) -- It was back in 1972 when Manuel Arenas, a Totonac Indian, born in a primitive hut in Zapotitlan, Mexico, and who turned out to be a brilliant young Indian man, began reaching out to his own people with what was then called the Totonac Bible Center, Inc.
Right from his early days, Manuel exhibited a fiery curiosity about life beyond the green canyons that hemmed his village, and the course of his life changed radically when he met an American Wy
World Magazine recently asked several Christian authors what one book would they like to see on a list of books read by most Christians. Author Carolyn McCulley chose Paul David Tripp's Lost in The Middle, "with its helpful teaching on trusting and obeying God when life doesn't turn out the way one expects."
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (ANS -- March 8, 2017) - WestBow Press will release a new missions challenge book this month from author Billy [Bill] Bray. The book is in production now and is expected to be available in bookstores for graduation gift-giving.
Titled "Called to All: How I Discovered the Power of a Yielded Life," it is primarily a spiritual challenge to the next generation of student leadership. Bray says it answers the question every spiritually-minded student must ask, "Is God calling me
DONCASTER, UK (ANS - March 8, 2017) -- The Church of England faces a stark choice of either conforming to current fashion with "easily swallowed soundbites" or of being vigorously counter-cultural, according to one of its most outspoken bishops.
In a new book, Faith, Freedom & the Future (Wilberforce Publications), Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali comments on what he describes as a "dumbed-down" version of the christening service.
VISTA, CA (ANS - March 4, 2017) -- The worldwide refugee crisis is a complex issue with no easy answers. It is hard to imagine what it feels like for a child to arrive on a foreign shore hungry, wet, exhausted... Or what it is like for the parents taking such a risk in hopes of giving their children a brighter future.
Robert and Robin Jones' book, The Refugee Crisis: Thru the Eyes of the Children, gives us a glimpse of what this looks like -- particularly through the eyes of innocent children
Wait is a four-letter word. Coincidence? I think not. We're all waiting on something from God: true love or a baby, a job or a cure. And the period between answers can feel like a place where dreams-and faith-go to die.
ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO (ANS - December 22, 2016) -- Just a few days ago I was having tea with noted archeologist, Dr. Steven Collins. Amidst our normal archeology discussion, we hit upon the topic of approaches in apologetics, namely classical and evidential. Being that I was tutored in both areas [1], and Steve, as an archeologist, leans towards evidential [2], our conversation was lively and informative. Our conclusion -- and I think many would agree -- is that both approaches are needed: God
VISTA, CA (ANS - December 21, 2016) -- David Teems' book, Tyndale: The Man Who Gave God an English Voice is both eloquent and enlightening. Not only was the Bible not available in plain English for anyone to read, but those who were able to read it in its original languages found themselves in great danger -- danger of imprisonment, torture and death.
I typically post an article every Monday on ten things all Christians should know about a particular topic. Although my focus today is again on ten things, the ten things are the best books of 2016. With so many excellent volumes released this year, I have decided to include an extended list of Honorable Mention books that could easily have been included in the Top Ten. So here they are, in descending order.
I'm thrilled to announce that my new book is now available for pre-order. In approximately two months, in February of 2017, Zondervan will release Practicing the Power: Welcoming the Gifts of the Spirit in Your Life. They have set up an entire website that provides details on how you may pre-order the book, along with a free sample chapter and Matt Chandler's gracious Foreword.
The web address is www.practicingthepower.com.
Here is the short description of what the book entails:
ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO (ANS - December 15, 2016) -- Let me be up front: I hated mathematics during my junior and senior high school years. The lowest grades I received in school were in math, and I often worked hard to get out of my math classes ("Mom, I have a headache" was a common call). But something changed: with the help of a tremendous math teacher in college, and with some hard work, I began to love math. Let me repeat: I love math; but this doesn't mean that I'm good at it. I'm not
"Why Christmas? provides an attractive, joyous, and rich overview of the meaning of the coming of Christ into the world. Parents and children alike will be grateful for the wealth of clear and biblically-faithful teaching this small book offers. To use this book with your children is to give them one of the best Christmas gifts they could ever receive."
-Bruce A. Ware, Professor of Christian Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
A genuinely remarkable, but easily misunderstood exhortation in the OT is the one we find on the lips of David in Psalm 37:4. Let’s look at it for a moment in its broader context.
“Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to t
ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO (ANS - November 14, 2016) --The book Hitler's Religion by Dr. Richard Weikart is like the 1951 playoff series between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants. In this game, New York Giants outfielder Bobby Thompson hit a three-run homerun in the ninth inning, helping the Giants secure the win from a 4-2 deficit, leading them to the World Series. It's been dubbed the "shot heard 'round the world."
After The Cheering Stops: An Ex-NFL Wife's Story of Concussions, Loss, and The Faith that saw her Through
SAN DIEGO, CA (ANS-November 14, 2016) -- “If I’d only known that what I loved the most would end up killing me and taking away everything I loved, I would have never done it.”
These were among the last words spoken to Cyndy Feasel by her late husband, Grant Feasel. He was talking about playing professional football.
DONCASTER, UK (ANS - November 11, 2016) -- As a journalist of more than 40 years, I am well used to deadlines. But I take my hat off to fellow writer Richard Roe for daring to tackle the ultimate deadline. In his excellent book, Beyond the Final Curtain (Zaccmedia), he addresses an issue most of us try all our lives to avoid - what happens when we die.
It may well be a taboo subject not suited to livening up a party, but it's not as morbid as it sounds, and is both well written and hugely ins
VISTA, CA (ANS - September 24, 2016) -- New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Cahn brings us another remarkable book, The Book of Mysteries.
Similar to Cahn's New York Times bestseller, The Harbinger, Cahn's latest book also uses fictional narrative to bring forth biblical truths. ("The teacher" represents Jesus.) Yet this book is not a novel. With 365 short chapters, The Book of Mysteries is more of a daily devotional.
ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO (ANS - September 8, 2016) -- I don't recall the first time I heard the name of Lutheran scholar, theologian, and apologist, John Warwick Montgomery. Maybe it was in connection with apologist Josh McDowell, who quoted from him in his influential book Evidence that Demands a Verdict. Or maybe it was my youth pastor Ross Suave who had a knack of introducing me to formidable Christian thinkers. I'm not too sure.
ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO (ANS – June 20, 2016) -- Summer officially began today (Monday, June 20th); with summer comes vacations, and hopefully with vacations comes reading.
Though most of these book recommendations are theologically oriented (all released this year), I think a few can be read, digested, and enjoyed by any reader interested in the Christian life. I highly recommend all five.
According to a news release, Veronica Karaman was fully focused on pursuing her own career when she got the news that her elderly mother had just six months to live due to a terminal heart condition. Although they'd never been emotionally close, Veronica chose a new mission -- a new kind of championship -- for her life, and that was to reach her 85-year-old mother's heart before she died. It seemed this mother/daughter duo had very little in common, until the day Veronica took her mother to the
"We wanted to tell the story of the First Emperor of China with some spiritual aspects to this historical reality that we thought merited adding a fantasy element," said Godawa, author of the Biblical fantasy series Chronicles of the Nephilim. "Much like the Chinese action movies, this is an element that adds a heightened reality."
If you have ever wondered what it's like to be a Chaplain with the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team, facing disasters and heartbreak, you can now read all about it in Ginger Rogers news book, "He Goes Before Us."
A bullet stopped. A crashing helicopter stabilized. Generational abuse broken. The unexpected success of an autistic boy. A son set free from drug addiction. These are just a few of the dynamic themes captured in a new book, Amazing Modern-Day Miracles, 52 True Stories to Strengthen Your Faith (Harvest House Publishing) compiled by first-time author Suzanne Frey.
Very soon Crossway Publishers will release John Piper's new book, A Peculiar Glory: How the Christian Scriptures Reveal their Complete Truthfulness (304 pp.). I can't recommend this excellent book too highly. If you want another opinion or two about its value, consider these endorsements below.
