New and Noteworthy, September 2016
The Happiness Dare: Pursuing Your Heart’s Deepest, Holiest, and Most Vulnerable DesireJennifer Dukes Lee. The Happiness Dare: Pursuing Your Heart’s Deepest, Holiest, and Most Vulnerable Desire. Carol Stream, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers, 2016. 291 pages. $15.99.
“God, do you want me to be happy?” Lee, a former newspaper reporter, tackles the question many believers ask in their pursuit of happiness.
Using her own journey to find happiness that is holy and fulfilling as a guide, Lee helps readers find a happiness “sweet spot” and reveals what people can do in five minutes per day to be happier.
FOR HUSBANDS
The Best Husband Ever: The Challenge of Loving Like JesusAubrey Johnson, Cecil May Jr., Lonnie Jones and Ben Hayes. The Best Husband Ever: The Challenge of Loving Like Jesus. Nashville, Tenn.: Gospel Advocate Company, 2016. 118 pages. $9.99.
Four respected scholars and ministers among Churches of Christ — representing four generations — offer Bible-based advice for husbands as they care for their wives. This sacred obligation too often gets pushed to the bottom of a husband’s commitments, they write.
The key to improving your marriage is improving yourself, the authors add.
MARRIAGE 
Kingdom Marriage: Connecting God’s Purpose with Your PleasureTony Evans. Kingdom Marriage: Connecting God’s Purpose with Your Pleasure. Carol Stream, Ill.:Tyndale House Publishers. 172 pages. $19.99.
Renowned minister and Dallas Mavericks chaplain Evans discusses the simple-yet-difficult truths behind making a marriage last in a world of divorce and insincere commitments.
This Focus on the Family book’s 13 chapters cover what it means to be married and how to make an earthly marriage into a Kingdom marriage. Couples will discover the hope, challenge, and guidance God’s Word provides for their journey together.
PRAYER
Praying with Ancient Israel: Exploring the Theology of Prayer in the Old TestamentPhillip G. Camp and Tremper Longman III. Praying with Ancient Israel: Exploring the Theology of Prayer in the Old Testament. Abilene, Texas: Leafwood Publishers, 2015. 178 pages. $19.99.
The pages of the Old Testament reveal that prayer stands at the heart of ancient Israel’s relationship with God, write Camp and Longman, Bible professors at Lipscomb University and Westmont College, respectively.
Each chapter contains practical suggestions for how Christians can use the Old Testament to cultivate their own prayer life.
