New book: The Art of Parenting by Dennis Rainey and Barbara Rainey

The Art of Parenting: Aiming Your Child's Heart Toward God by Dennis Rainey and Barbara Rainey - Dennis and Barbara Rainey have spent decades helping families find biblical help to strengthen and transform family relationships. Through radio broadcasts, conferences, and other events, they have been teaching on the foundations necessary for building godly families. Now they bring insights and expertise gleaned from those years of ministry, as well as from their own personal experience of raising six children, to The Art of Parenting. Expanding on parenting themes shared with FamilyLife audiences in person and on the radio, Dennis and Barbara offer trusted advice on how to establish Christian values in your home.

In The Art of Parenting, Dennis and Barbara will help you to experience God's truth and apply his Word in your family by focusing your attention on four crucial elements in your children's lives:

1. Identity--understanding who they are in Christ
2. Character--learning to live wisely and honorably
3. Relationships--fostering godly connections with others
4. Mission--understanding why they are here

When you apply biblical truths in these four areas, you can feel confident your children will have a foundation they can build upon for the rest of their lives.

Book information:

Title: The Art of Parenting: Aiming Your Child's Heart Toward God

Authors: Dennis Rainey and Barbara Rainey

Call number: 249.2 RAI

New book: Confronting Christianity by Rebecca McLaughlin

Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World's Largest Religion by Rebecca McLaughlin - Although many people suggest that Christianity is declining, research indicates that it continues to be the world's most popular worldview. But even so, the Christian faith includes many controversial beliefs that non-Christians find hard to accept. This book explores 12 issues that might cause someone to dismiss orthodox Christianity--issues such as the existence of suffering, the Bible's teaching on gender and sexuality, the reality of heaven and hell, the authority of the Bible, and more. Showing how the best research from sociology, science, and psychology doesn't disagree with but actually aligns with claims found in the Bible, these chapters help skeptics understand why these issues are signposts, rather than roadblocks, to faith in Christ.

Book information:

Title: Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World's Largest Religion

Author: Rebecca McLaughlin

Call number: 137 MCL

New book: The Beauty of the Cross by Tim Chester

The Beauty of the Cross: Reflections for Lent from Isaiah 52 & 53 by Tim Chester - Delight in the beauty of Christ afresh this Easter

Some of the richest prophecies about the cross of Christ can be found in Isaiah chapters 52 and 53 (the last of the 'Servant Songs'). Take time to go through these familiar yet extraordinary chapters in the run up to Easter with this Lent devotional by Tim Chester. You will be thrilled and challenged as you see how Jesus matched every part of every prophecy, and brought glory to his name through his beautiful sacrifice on the cross.

Contains 47 days of short, stirring reflections as well as a link to an original song, See Jesus Stripped of Majesty.

Book information: 

Title: The Beauty of the Cross: Reflections for Lent from Isaiah 52 & 53

Author: Tim Chester

Call number: 244 CHE

New book: The Art of Rest by Adam Mabry

The Art of Rest: Faith to hit pause in a world that never stops by Adam Mabry - If you're feeling weary… wishing life were more sustainable… searching for a way to rest without feeling guilty… suspecting that you'd enjoy godly rest if only you knew what it was… look no further.

This warm, realistic, humorous book will show you how rest is different to what you thought it was, and more important than you've realized.

The world never stops. But you can. You need to. And it's wonderful. It's time to learn the art of rest.

Book information:

Title: The Art of Rest: Faith to hit pause in a world that never stops

Author: Adam Mabry

Call number: 201 MAB

New book: Plugged In by Daniel Strange

Plugged In: Connecting your faith with what you watch, read, and play by Daniel Strange - Whether it's TV boxsets, Instagram stories or historical novels, we all consume culture. So it’s important that we are neither bewitched by it—buying into everything it tells us—or bewildered by it—lashing out in judgement or retreating into a Christian bubble.

Dan Strange encourages Christians to engage with everything they watch, read and play in a positive and discerning way. He also teaches Christians how to think and speak about culture in a way that plugs in to a bigger and better reality—the story of King Jesus, and his cosmic plan for the world.

It’s possible to watch TV and read novels and play video games in a way that actually feeds our faith, rather than withers it. It’s even possible for you—yes, you—to be that person who starts off talking to a mate about last night’s football and ends up talking about Jesus.

So be equipped to engage with culture and use it for God.

Book information:

Title: Plugged In: Connecting your faith with what you watch, read, and play 

Author: Daniel Strange

Call number: 201 STR

New book: Remaking a Broken World by Christopher Ash

Remaking a Broken World: The Heart of the Bible Story by Christopher Ash - Our world is fractured on every level—from the family to international relations. The news constantly reports broken relationships, strife-ridden communities and warring nations.

So what hope is there for a world of fractured relationships? Discover the Bible's surprising answer: the local church.

This revised and updated edition of Christopher Ash's Bible overview takes readers through the big sweep of Scripture, following the theme of scattering and gathering God's people. It shows how the local church is at the heart of the Bible story and at the centre of God's plan for remaking a broken world.

This book will refresh your love for the local church, and give you new hope for the hurting world around you.

Book information:

Title: Remaking a Broken World: The Heart of the Bible Story

Author: Christopher Ash 

Call number: 201 ASH

New book: Pray Big by Alistair Begg

Pray Big: Learn to Pray Like an Apostle by Alistair Begg - So many of us struggle with prayer. Many books have been written on the subject and there's a reason for that. Prayer comes hard to most of us, in most seasons. And when we do pray, we often don't know what to say. What is it that my Father loves to hear about? What are the best things I could pray for my family, my church, and myself?

I want to pray bigger, and better. And I want you to enjoy praying like that too. And to do that, we need to discover how to pray as the apostle Paul did. Paul clearly enjoyed prayer, and was excited about it. He expected his Father in heaven to hear what he said, and to act in other people's lives accordingly. He prayed and then was "watchful in it with thanksgiving" (Colossians 4 v 2), ready to see how God would be pleased to answer his prayers.

This book focuses on Paul's prayer for his friends in the church in Ephesus, that he recounts to them in Ephesians 1 v 15-23 and 3 v 14-21. The truths that underpin and shape his prayers for them will motivate us to pray and set us an example.

So be inspired by the Apostle Paul to pray bigger and pray better as we look to our heavenly Father to do more than all we ask or imagine!

Book information: 

Title: Pray Big: Learn to Pray Like an Apostle 

Author: Alistair Begg

Call number: 245 BEG