New book - The Case for the Real Jesus by Lee Strobel

The Case for the Real Jesus: A Journalist Investigates Current Attacks on the Identity of Christ by Lee Strobel - Has modern scholarship debunked the traditional Christ? Has the church suppressed the truth about Jesus to advance its own agenda? What if the real Jesus is far different from the atoning Savior worshipped through the centuries? In The Case for the Real Jesus, former award-winning legal editor Lee Strobel explores such hot-button questions as: 

• Did the church suppress ancient non-biblical documents that paint a more accurate picture of Jesus than the four Gospels? 
• Did the church distort the truth about Jesus by tampering with early New Testament texts? 
• Do new insights and explanations finally disprove the resurrection? 
• Have fresh arguments disqualified Jesus from being the Messiah? 
• Did Christianity steal its core ideas from earlier mythology? 

Evaluate the arguments and evidence being advanced by prominent atheists, liberal theologians, Muslim scholars, and others. Sift through expert testimony. Then reach your own verdict in The Case for the Real Jesus.

Book information:

Title: The Case for the Real Jesus: A Journalist Investigates Current Attacks on the Identity of Christ

Author: Lee Strobel

Call number: 137 STR

New book - The Case for Faith by Lee Strobel

The Case for Faith: A Journalist Investigates the Toughest Objections to Christianity by Lee Strobel - In his #1 bestseller The Case for Christ, Lee Strobel examined the claims of Christ, reaching the hard-won verdict that Jesus is God’s unique son. In The Case for Faith, Strobel turns his skills to the most persistent emotional objections to belief—the eight “heart barriers” to faith. This Gold Medallion-winning book is for those who may be feeling attracted to Jesus but who are faced with difficult questions standing squarely in their path. For Christians, it will deepen their convictions and give them fresh confidence in discussing Christianity with even their most skeptical friends.

Book information:
Title: The Case for Faith: A Journalist Investigates the Toughest Objections to Christianity
Author: Lee Strobel
Call number: 137 STR

Tale of Three Trees - A musical presentation by the Cherubim Choir

New book - The Case for a Creator by Lee Strobel

The Case for a Creator: A Journalist Investigates Scientific Evidence That Points Toward God by Lee Strobel - During his academic years, Lee Strobel became convinced that God was outmoded, a belief that colored his ensuing career as an award-winning journalist at the Chicago Tribune. Science had made the idea of a Creator irrelevant — or so Strobel thought.

But today science is pointing in a different direction. In recent years, a diverse and impressive body of research has increasingly supported the conclusion that the universe was intelligently designed. At the same time, Darwinism has faltered in the face of concrete facts and hard reason. Has science discovered God? At the very least, it’s giving faith an immense boost as new findings emerge about the incredible complexity of our universe.

Join Strobel as he reexamines the theories that once led him away from God. Through his compelling and highly readable account, you’ll encounter the mind-stretching discoveries from cosmology, cellular biology, DNA research, astronomy, physics, and human consciousness that present astonishing evidence in The Case for a Creator.

Book information:

Title: The Case for a Creator: A Journalist Investigates Scientific Evidence That Points Toward God
Author: Lee Strobel
Call number: 137 STR

New book - God's story, your story by Mark Matlock and Max Lucado

God's story, Your story: When His Becomes Yours (Youth Edition) by Mark Matlock and Max Lucado - Is there a story behind the daily drama of your life? Being a teenager isn’t always easy. From homework to after-school jobs to having to think about the future, life can feel chaotic. But did you know that the chaos and confusion, as well as the joys and excitements you experience, are part of God’s ordered plan? In this teen adaptation of God’s Story, Your Story, bestselling author Max Lucado explores the divine narrative in the New Testament, as well as several contemporary examples, to show how your everyday life is part of God’s bigger redemption story, and that God is there, no matter what you may face in your life. Real teen responses and real-life application questions are also included to help you further connect God’s narrative to your own. Because God’s story is your story — and he is adding to your chapter every day.

Book information:

Title: God's story, Your story: When His Becomes Yours (Youth Edition)
Authors: Mark Matlock and Max Lucado
Call number: 249.6 MAT

New book - Wesley on the Christian Life by Fred Sanders

Wesley on the Christian Life: the heart renewed in Love by Fred Sanders - John Wesley was one of the most important figures behind the founding of modern evangelicalism. From his crucial role in the Great Awakening to his inspiring a renewal movement within the Church of England, Wesley's historical significance is undeniable and his legacy still challenges us today, regardless of our denominational affiliation or theological perspective. Offering an approachable introduction to Wesley's life and writings, Fred Sanders invites us to learn from Wesley's reliance on the Spirit, passion for holiness, and zeal for the gospel in this winsome portrait of an extraordinary Christian leader.

Book information:

Title: Wesley on the Christian Life: the heart renewed in Love
Author: Fred Sanders 
Call number: 267.3 SAN

New book - Cast of Characters by Max Lucado

Cast of Characters: Common People in the Hands of an Uncommon God by Max Lucado - 

Common people ...

Story after story marked by scandal, stumble, and intrigue. Who are these people? They're the people of the Bible.

And they're us. We find our stories in theirs. We find our hope where they found theirs. In the hands of an uncommon God.

In the midst of them all ... hovering over them all ... is the hero of it all: God. Maker. Shaper. Rescuer of sinking hearts. God. Passing out high callings, second chances, and moral compasses to all comers and takers.

In this gathering of inspiring stories from his numbers best-selling books, master storyteller Max Lucado revisits some of his favorite biblical characters -- all of whom were very human and imperfect, just like us.

If God can find a place for them ... He might just have a place for us too.

Book information:
Title: Cast of Characters: Common People in the Hands of an Uncommon God
Author: Max Lucado
Call number: 201 LUC

New book - Every Season Prayers by Scotty Smith

Every Season Prayers: Gospel-Centered Prayers for the Whole of Life by Scotty Smith - Topically Arranged Prayers for Individual, Family, and Church. God calls us to pray, and we want to talk to our heavenly Father. But so often we don't know what to say, or we feel like our words are getting no higher than the ceiling above us. Prayer should draw us closer to God, but guilt over past prayerlessness or confusion over what to pray can have the opposite result. 

In the pages of "Every Season Prayers," pastor Scotty Smith offers readers a treasure trove of prayers that will lead them into a more intimate relationship with God. Topically arranged so readers can easily find the sentiments that match their needs, issues, and moods, this delightful book includes prayers for: 

• everyday concerns, from health and relationship issues to expressing gratitude
• voicing our feelings, stories, and struggles to God
• listening to the heart of God
• congregational confession and worship
• Advent, Lent, and Passion Week
• and more 

No matter what their season of life or their daily reality, readers will find a prayer that they can lift up to God.

Book information:

Title: Every Season Prayers: Gospel-Centered Prayers for the Whole of Life
Author: Scotty Smith
Call number: 245 SMI

New book - I Am a Church Member by Thom S. Rainer

I am a Church Member: Discovering the Attitude that Makes the Difference by Thom S. Rainer - Best-selling author and ministry leader Thom S. Rainer drew an exceptional response when he posted a 500-word declaration about church membership to his daily blog. "I Am a Church Member" started a conversation about the attitudes and responsibilities of church members -- rather than the functional and theological issues -- that previous new member primers all but ignored.

Thoughtfully expanded to book form, I Am a Church Member begins to remedy the outbreak of inactive or barely committed church members, addressing without apology what is expected of those who join a body of believers. When a person's attitude is consistently biblical and healthy, matters of giving, serving, and so forth will fall into place more naturally.

Book information:

Title: I am a Church Member: Discovering the Attitude that Makes the Difference

Author: Thom S. Rainer

Call number: 261 RAI

New book - Living in the Light by John Piper

Living in the Light: Money, Sex & Power by John Piper - Whether we’re rich or poor, married or single, in a position of great influence or not — all of us face temptation in the areas of money, sex and power. They are the dangerous opportunities of our time—opportunities to destroy our own souls, or to experience the true joy of using them for God’s glory. John Piper shows us that when we have the blazing glory of Christ at the center of our spiritual solar system, the planets of money, sex and power find their true and beautiful orbits. 

This book is for every Christian and will help you to wake up to the all-satisfying glory of God, and discover what you were made for. 

Book information:

Title: Living in the Light: Money, Sex & Power

Author: John Piper

Call number: 201 PIP