Tuesday, September 30, 2014

New book - The Best Kept Secret of Christian Mission

Title: The Best Kept Secret of Christian Mission: Promoting the Gospel with More Than Our Lips
Author: John Dickson
Call number: 266 DIC









This book comes out of years of reflection, failures, and some successes in the task of reaching out to others with the gospel. Many Christians think of the task of mission as an entirely verbal activity, when perhaps the best kept secret of New Testament teaching about mission is that it involves a whole range of activities that explicitly promote Christ to the world and draw others to him, and only a few of them involve speaking. Without diminishing or downplaying the importance of speaking the gospel, John Dickson shows that, on the other hand, downplaying the range of activities that promote Christ to the world has its own set of problems. It can make those who are not confident about speaking --- of anything, let alone Jesus --- feel inadequate and self-conscious in the task of reaching out to others. Equally, it can make those who do have a flair for speaking feel as though they are fulfilling Christ's mission just by talking. But the reality is that the Lord wants our whole life, not just our lips, in the task of bringing the gospel to the world. Every facet of our lives can be used by God to promote the news of his power and mercy. In this practical guide to the biblical art of sharing your faith, John Dickson offers refreshing insight into the ways that all Christians can and should be involved in spreading the good news of Jesus. While not all Christians are called and gifted to become evangelists, we are all called to promote the gospel through a wide range of activities---prayer, financial partnership, good deeds, godly lives, public worship, daily conversation, etc. --- with and without our lips. As readers engage with this book, grapple with its arguments and hear the stories of people coming to faith, they will be inspired to see the whole of life as significant for bringing the gospel to the world, and they will be liberated out of guilt and self-consciousness in evangelism into becoming perfectly natural promoters of Jesus Christ.

Sunday, September 28, 2014

New book - Telling the Truth: Evangelizing Postmoderns

Title: Telling the Truth: Evangelizing Postmoderns
Editor: DA Carson
Call number: 264 CAR









"A pre-modern baseball umpire would have said something like this: 'There's balls, and there's strikes, and I call 'em as they are.' The modernist would have said, 'There's balls, and there's strikes, and I call 'em as I see 'em.' And the postmodernist umpire would say, 'They ain't nothing until I call 'em.'" With that humorous quote, Ravi Zacharias illustrates the challenge postmodernism poses to Christians passionate about evangelism. How do you communicate truth to a world that isn't sure what truth is - or even if truth is? How do you commend spiritual absolutes to people who insist there are none? If you've puzzled, even struggled, over such questions, this book is required reading, Telling the Truth provides informed insights on the heart of the Gospel, the soul of postmodern culture, and their complex interface. This book is a compilation of thoughts and strategies from twenty-nine prominent practitioners of contemporary evangelism. Originating at a three-day conference held at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Telling the Truth draws on knowledge gained in the trenches by Ravi Zacharias, Kelly Monroe, D.A. Carson, Ajith Fernando, and other notables. It will open your eyes to how the contest for souls is fought, guerilla-style, at a multitude of fronts: relationships, the university, ethnicity, reason and emotion, the pulpit, communications ... in short, the broad spectrum of human experience and values. You'll be challenged to discern between the unchanging Gospel and the flexible means by which we communicate it. Telling the Truth can help you lay the groundwork necessary to point biblically uninformed, postmodern men and women toward an encounter with non-negotiable truth -- an absolute revealed in the Bible that points to the reality of sin and the need for a Savior.

Friday, September 26, 2014

New book - When the Game Is Over, It All Goes Back in the Box

Title: When the Game Is Over, It All Goes Back in the Box
Author: John Ortberg
Call number: 201 ORT









What can we take with us to the kingdom of God? In When the Game Is Over, It All Goes Back in the Box, bestselling author, pastor, and consummate storyteller John Ortberg tells us we can take pretty much only what we brought to the game. Everything else goes back in the box - the cash atop the corporate ladder, the vacation home at the lake, and the status vehicle in between. All the tokens, game pieces, and prizes are left behind when you walk away from the table. The only real 'winnings' you claim and keep are your own soul and the love you have for Christ and each other. If you think you might need a better game plan - one that offers an eternal perspective - this strategy-filled playbook walks you through what it takes to really win big at the game of life.

Saturday, September 20, 2014

New Veggie Tales DVD - Where's God When I'm S-Scared?

Title: Where's God When I'm S-Scared? - A Lesson in Handling Fear
Call number: DVD[C] VEG










Where's God When I m S-Scared? contains two hilarious, fully computer-animated stories that teach kids a biblical perspective on handling everyday fears. Tales From The Crisper: After watching a scary Frankencelery movie, five year-old Junior Asparagus gets some help from an unlikely duo. Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber come to Junior's rescue with a rollicking song, teaching him that God is bigger than anything he might be afraid of. Daniel and the Lions Den: The second segment takes us from Junior's bedroom to ancient Babylon as the VeggieTales gang stages a musical adaptation of the classic Bible story. Larry the Cucumber, playing the role of Daniel, finds himself in deep trouble thanks to the king s conniving wisemen, a trio of slippery scallions. In the end, Daniel learns that even in the lions den, he is still in God's hand!

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

New Veggie Tales DVD - Sumo of the Opera

Title: Sumo of the Opera - A Lesson in Perseverance
Call number: DVD[C] VEG










Get ready for the event of the century and a lesson in perseverance as The Italian Scallion (Larry the Cucumber) challenges Apollo Gourd for the World Veggie-Weight Title! Can Scallion stick with it and finish the match? Can he keep his eye on the prize? Watch as The Italian Scallion learns when you finish what you start, you always come out the winner!