Complete New Book List
March 2020
The Story Retold: A Biblical-Theological Introduction to the New Testament, by G.K. Beale and Benjamin L. Gladd. The New Testament was not written within a vacuum. Rather, it stands in continuity with the Old Testament. Israel’s story is the church’s story. In The Story Retold, Beale and Gladd explore each New Testament book in light of the broad history of redemption, emphasizing the biblical-theological themes of each. Their distinctive approach encourages readers to read the New Testament in light of the Old, not as a new story but as a story retold.
The Scars That Have Shaped Me: How God Meets Us in Suffering, by Vaneetha Rendall Risner, with a Foreword by Joni Eareckson Tada. The suffering experienced by the author included 21 surgeries by age 13, years in the hospital, verbal and physical bullying from schoolmates, multiple miscarriages as a young wife, the death of a child, a debilitating progressive disease, abandonment and an unwanted divorce. She begged God for grace that would deliver her, but God offered something better—his sustaining grace. The author is a regular contributor to Desiring God, and the book is highly recommended by John Piper.
To Seek and to Save, by Sinclair B. Ferguson. As we look toward Easter, these are daily reflections on Jesus’s road to the cross, from the gospel of Luke.
Struck Down But Not Destroyed: Living Faithfully With Anxiety, by Pierce Taylor Hibbs. Anxiety makes us feel weak and brittle, and we hate those feelings, So we take every opportunity to rid ourselves of them. But what if the weakness of anxiety is a door to God-given strength? What if we are not meant to run away from suffering, but to run into it. Hibbs is a theologian who teaches at Westminster Seminary and who has suffered from an anxiety disorder for 12 years. In this book, he offers a blend of biblical wisdom, personal experience, and theology woven together in the service of those who suffer from anxiety and anxiety disorders. Highly recommended by Aimee Byrd, and theologians John Frame, Carl Trueman and R. Kent Hughes.
The Speaking Trinity and His Worded Word: Why Language Is at the Center of Everything, by Pierce Taylor Hibbs. The Trinity is a speaking God: three divine persons who share the same essence and commune with each other in love and glory. How does this truth affect our world and our place in it? Hibbs answers these questions by presenting all of life through the lens of language. Understood as communion behavior, language has its roots in God himself. And God has used language not only to create our world, but to sustain and direct it. Therefore, language is at the center of who God is, who we are, and what our world is like. Kevin Vanhoozer said “anyone interested in God and language will profit from this book. “
Finding God in the Ordinary, by Pierce Taylor Hibbs. Our world is not an ordinary world. Because it was spoken into being and maintained by the word of God’s power, everything around us is always revealing the nature and character of the triune God. So instead of looking for God only in the grand and spectacular like skies and the mountains, we need to find God in the ordinary routines and the everyday moments of life.
Wolves Can’t Fly, by Dan Meers, with Forewords by Tony Dungy and Clark Hunt (owner of the Kansas City Chiefs). The inspiring story of Dan Meers, who as KC Wolf is the long-time and popular mascot of the Kansas City Chiefs football team, and who was severely injured and nearly paralyzed when a zip line/bungee stunt from 260 feet above the stadium went horribly wrong and he plummeted into the stadium seats. He sustained life-threatening injuries, including multiple fractures in his back and a collapsed lung, but survived to face a long and painful recovery. A story of strong faith and perseverance amidst trauma and suffering.
Chasing Famous: Living the Life You’ve Always Auditioned For, by Lisa Lloyd. The writer is a professional actress who spent years chasing after her own fame, but now urges her readers to step bravely into the role God has for us. Lisa was recently the featured speaker at the 2020 CBC Women’s Winter Luncheon.
HISTORICAL NON-FICTION: The Splendid and the Vile, by Erik Larson. From the author of The Devil in the White City and Dead Wake comes a new and compelling saga of Winston Churchill, family, and defiance during the Blitz. For the next 12 months after Churchill became Prime Minister, Hitler would wage a relentless bombing campaign, killing 45,000 Britons. It was up to Churchill to hold the country together and convince President Roosevelt that Britain was a worthy ally and willing to fight to the end.
FAMILY DVDs: Overcomer, from the Kendrick Brothers, creators of the hit movie, War Room. This is an inspirational movie for the whole family about a basketball coach asked to coach track, a new sport he doesn’t like, and an unlikely runner who takes on the biggest race of her life. The movie is mix of faith, humor and heart.