Christian Lifestyle
For Young Women Only - by Shaunti Feldhahn and Lisa A. Rice
 Written by the same author as For Women Only, For Young Women Only attempts to answer the question, ‘Why are guys so weird?’. Using a national scientific survey, and personal interviews, this book gives the low down on what’s going on inside men's heads. It explores issues like body language, inner and outer beauty, and what the phrase ‘guys are visual’ actually means. Men of different ages and backgrounds attempt to explain why they value respect more than love, and how ‘Mr. Tough Guy’ may actually have a tender heart.
This book is full of statistics, and guys’ answers to probing questions. Surprising, and at times, shocking; it is your chance to find out what he’s thinking; about himself, and also about you!
A must read for girls aged 15 to 20!
Facing your Giants by Max Lucado
 David - you could read his story and wonder what God saw in him. His life has little to offer - the unstained, straight-A saint. He fell as often as he stood, stumbled as often as he conquered. But for those who know the sound of Goliath, David gives this reminder:-
Focus on Giants - You Stumble
Focus on God - Your Giants Tumble
If you are ready to face your giants, let his story inspire you. The same God who helped him will help you.
This book shows once again Max Lucado’s gift as a storyteller. In ways so simple everyone can understand, yet challenging, Lucado explains the basics for defeating the problems that seem to control our lives. Suitable for everyone, from new Christians to the more experienced.
The Way Of The Wild Heart - John Eldredge ISBN: 0785288686
 “This is a book about how a boy - and a man - becomes a man.” So reads the tagline to John Eldredge’s follow-up to his now classic Wild At Heart. His aim is not to provide a manual to manhood (there are plenty of those). Instead this is a roadmap and, like all roadmaps, it is a guide, a heads-up to give you the lay of the land while leaving you free to choose how to cover the terrain before you.
This is essential reading for a generation of men frequently bereft of father figures. Manhood, says Eldredge, is not something that comes overnight. There are distinct stages one must go through, all of which are important and essential, and largely ignored by today’s instant culture. This is a book with two goals – to guide men into the way of real manhood, and to show fathers how to do the same for their sons. And most importantly, it counters the myth many men buy into that this is something we must do alone. We have the greatest father figure of all, our heavenly Father. And there is no greater rite of passage or adventure than that on which the untameable Holy Spirit will take us, if we allow him.
Desiring God by John Piper - £9.99
 “This is a serious book about being happy in God. It’s about happiness because this is what our creator commands.” So begins John Piper’s classic book, drenched in the liberating and radical truth that pursuit of pleasure, far from being frowned on by the Bible, is in fact a command of God: that we glorify Him by enjoying Him forever. He shatters the distinction that the pursuit of pleasure and the pursuit of God are mutually exclusive, rather they are one and the same. He asserts that biblical self denial does not mean a life of sobriety but to “Deny yourselves lesser joys so you don’t lose the big ones.” Doing good should not be a duty but a joy. Again and again, John Piper encourages us to turn from the crumbs of earthly pleasures to the great banquet of joy that is our inheritance.
As well as a new study outline this updated edition includes new material such as the chapter ‘Suffering: the Sacrifice of Christian Hedonism’. Written partly as a response to 9/11, it explores how God has appointed suffering for all His children, but that much of it is a choice in response to joy in the hope set before us.
When I Don’t Desire God (How To Fight For Joy) by John Piper
 In his earlier book Desiring God John Piper gave us the liberating truth that joy in Christ is fundamental to the Christian faith. However the reality is that many don’t experience that joy or desire. “If it is true that being happy in God is what our creator commands, many will cry WHAT ABOUT ME!?”
When I Don’t Desire God is John Piper’s response to that. As the subtitle suggests, true Christ-centred joy - indeed faith - is not something we experience without effort but something for which we must fight. He shows how we must use prayer and a knowledge of God’s word to “fight for joy like a justified sinner.” These are not cosy truths. His aim is “not to soften cushions but sustain sacrifice.” This is a book for all those defeated Christians, both to encourage and give hope, and also to exalt them to stand up and fight the good fight of the faith.
Wild at Heart by John Eldridge - £7.99
Every man once was a little boy. And little boys, have big dreams. Whether it’s jetting into space or scoring the FA Cup winning goal. But what happens to those dreams when the little boys become men.
This book is designed to encourage men to recover their masculine heart, to start becoming more like Jesus by showing that although Jesus was meek and mild he was also a man of strength who challenged the Pharisees and the ideals of his time without compromise.
It then goes on refining its message with some of the writer's own experiences. This book from start to finish is an engrossing read that leads you through how to become stronger, more masculine in its truest form and ultimately more like Jesus.
Travelling Light by Max Lucado
 There are certain weights in life you simply cannot carry. The suitcase of guilt. The trunk of discontent. A backpack of anxiety and a hanging back of grief. Add on a briefcase of perfectionism, an overnight bag of loneliness, and a duffel bag of fear. No wonder we are so tired at the end of the day.
Using the phrase of Psalm 23, Max Lucado identifies 17 different burdens we often carry around and shows us the first steps of releasing them. He says "Your Lord is asking you to set them down and trust him. He is the father at the baggage claim. When a dad sees his five-year old son trying to drag the family trunk off the carrousel, what does he say? The father will say to his son what God is saying to you. 'Set it down, child, I’ll carry that one.' What do you say we take God up on his offer? We might just find ourselves travelling a little lighter."
On Making Choices by Margaret Silf £4.99
 In this book the author looks at many aspects of making choices. She seeks to ‘make the process less stressful, more focused and more fruitful’. This book offers tools that combine the wisdom of ancient spiritual traditions with the common sense of the 21st century. She encourages us to trust the processes of our own hearts and minds rather than offering rules.
Margaret Silf is a retreat leader and popular author.
Age of Opportunity A Biblical Guide to parenting teens - by Paul David Tripp - £12.50 
At the end of this book, the author encourages parents who are daunted by the challenges they face that God “calls us to climb mountains in small steps”. He is realistic about the challenges of the teenage years and offers help in understanding what is happening, as well as offering practical suggestions for relating to teenagers, and dealing with issues that arise during the teenage years.
The crime of living cautiously by Luci Shaw – £9.99
Luci Shaw encourages her readers to make an active choice to live by faith rather than by fear, with the assurance that God will “either provide us with something rock-solid to land on and stand on, or He will teach us how to fly”.
This Biblically-based book also includes examples of Luci’s poetry. Chapters include “God’s call or my impulse?”, Breaking the fear barrier” and “The risky adventure of the unknown”.
God will make a way by Dr Henry Cloud and Dr John Townsend - £9.99
Subtitled What to do when you don’t know what to do this book offers both ‘principles for the way’ and ways of working out the principles in everyday life and its challenges. There are lots of examples that show how these principles can make a difference to life. All of this is in the context of God’s ongoing love and involvement in every aspect of life.
The Highway Code to Marriage by Michael & Hilary Perrott - £6.99 
“Good marriages do not just happen – they are made. Marriage is not just the sharing of four walls, a bank account and a bed.” So say the authors of a new book, The Highway Code for Marriage, published by Crusade for World Revival.
The Highway Code for Marriage, is intended for couples who are about to get married, people who are giving up on their marriage, and people who want to make their marriage even better. It is an attractively-produced pocket-sized book of 106 pages presented in a punchy point-by-point Guide Book format with liberal use of bullet points, bold shoulder-heads and tinted boxes to assist readability.
It suggests seven secrets for a happy marriage –
- Communication
- Affection
- Respect
- Encouragement
- Forgiveness
- Unselfishness
- Loyalty
The Highway Code for Marriage includes sections on money, in-laws, children, “affairs” and, of course, sex. The book is sprinkled with pithy, thought-provoking statements – “Do not spoil an apology with an excuse” … “The most important sexual organ is the mind” … “Women think aloud, men talk silently” … “ ‘I’m proud of you’ works wonders” … “Forgive or fester” … “Apology is a sign of strength not weakness” … “Talk her up not down”.
The Highway Code for Marriage is written from a Christian perspective but is suitable for people of any faith or no faith. It is not full of religious jargon or Bible verses and could be given to non-christian friends or colleagues who are about to get married or struggling with their marriage.
The Highway Code for Marriage, by Michael and Hilary Perrott, 106 pages, is published by Crusade for World Revival and priced £6.99 (ISBN 1-85345-331-5).
|