New & Noteworthy, July 2016

FOR CHILDREN
The Plans I Have For You Amy Parker. The Plans I Have for You Devotional. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zonderkidz, 2015. 160 pages. $14.99.

This colorfully illustrated, 90-day devotional book invites children into a deeper, one-on-one relationship with God.

Geared toward ages 8 to 12, each devotional includes a short Bible story, Scriptures, thoughts and a few simple questions.

This book — one of three in “The Plans I Have for You” series — accompanies a playful board book for ages 4 to 8 and a journal for ages 11 to 14. 
CHRISTIAN LIVING Jesus Called: He Wants His Church Back Ray Johnston. Jesus Called: He wants his church back. Nashville, Tenn.: Thomas Nelson, 2016. 208 pages. $22.99.

“Jesus is popular in America,” writes Johnson, speaker, writer and founder of the Thrive Leadership Conference. “After 2,000 years, he is still a global favorite.”

So why, Johnson wonders, is American Christianity in sharp decline while atheism is growing?

With no-nonsense, straightforward language, Johnston shares how to “be Christians without being jerks.” Almost every chapter includes a list of steps to work toward this goal.
APOLOGETICS If in Doubt: Answering the Seven Great Questions About Faith Rhys Stenner. If in Doubt: Answering the Seven Great Questions About Faith. Franklin, Tenn.: Worthy Publishing, 2016. 224 pages. $14.99.

Stenner cut his preaching teeth in England — a land of religious skeptics and cynics, at least in modern times — so the topic of apologetics for his first book is a natural fit.

Now a minister for a diverse church in Atlanta, he covers essential, but commonly questioned, truths from creation to the life of Jesus to eternity. Scriptures are foundational in his explanations.
AGRICULTURE The Marvelous Bigness of Pigs Joel Salatin. The Marvelous Pigness of Pigs. Nashville, Tenn.: FaithWords, 2016. 288 pages. $25.

Salatin, a well-known and respected third-generation farmer, compares corporate farms — who abuse, mistreat and inject animals with hormones, he writes — to the “long overlooked ethics and instructions in the Bible for how to eat … how we farm and feed the world.” Salatin’s eye-opening points are rooted in Scripture — and may cause readers to jump on the “ethically-farmed” train by book’s end.
Inspiration Hunting Hope: Dig Through the Darkness to Find the Light Nika Maples. Hunting Hope: Dig Through the Darkness to Find the Light. Franklin, Tenn.: Worthy Publishing, 2016. 231 pages. $15.99.

“But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have?” (Romans 8:24)

So begins Maples’ small-but-valuable book. Drawing from personal experience, the author shares hard lessons and biblical insight on how to become a “hope hunter.”

This book is divided into two parts: “God’s Character” and “Our Character.” 
Memoir  Forgiving My Daughter’s Killer: A True Story of Loss, Faith and Unexpected Grace Kate Grosmaire. Forgiving My Daughter’s Killer: A True Story of Loss, Faith and Unexpected Grace. Nashville, Tenn.: Thomas Nelson Publishing, 2016. 240 pages. $24.99.

Grosmaire recounts the story of her 19-year-old daughter’s death — at the hands of her longtime boyfriend.

Part memoir, part spiritual testimony, readers will cry, grow and learn to forgive as they read with tears through these 20 chapters. The book concludes with a question-and-answer section with the