The Grace of God - Andy Stanley

It all started with God's Grace. That is the premise of this book by author Andy Stanley. The common thread throughout the story of redemption is grace.  Each chapter is a look into a person from the Bible who experienced God's grace at a crossroads in their life. We all can learn from these people and learn about God's grace from their experiences. He starts at the beginning with Adam and Eve and continues on to Joshua, Jonah, David, and others who have experienced God's grace. Perhaps the one sentence that sums it all up is the title of chapter 12 - Grace is not ours to earn: it is God's to give. I have enjoyed the author's other books especially the Principle of the Path, and this one is also very readable.
Sometimes we forget that grace is undeserving favor, and it's a gift from God that is beyond priceless.  I would recommend this book as a needed reminder of this gift that has been given to us.
I would also recommend this book to anyone who thinks Christianity is a list of dos and dont's without taking into account the unconditional love of God.
The author is founder of North Point Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia. This book is published by Thomas Nelson.

With - Skye Jethani

Reimagining the way you relate to God. Author also of the Divine Commodity. This book describes the difference between life under, over, from and for God vs. life with God. The purpose of this book is to encourage all of us to start living in communion with God. There are discussion questions and notes on the research materials, including Biblical references. He makes his descriptions very clear, however, some at first may confuse his definition of life under God and how it is different than how some view the United States as "one nation under God." The simple line illustrations throughout the book can be a bit distracting, but I understand his point in including them.
The author is right to start at the beginning to describe the fall of man and how the human condition came to be. I would recommend this book to Christians wanting to have a deeper relationship with God, along with those that are new to Christianinity and want to know more.
The author is the managing editor of Leadership Journal, a respected Christian publication in itself, and also writes a blog SKYEBOX.

Why God Won't Go Away - Allister McGrath

Is the new atheism running on empty? Allister McGrath thinks so, and gives compelling reasons why. This book is somewhat of a follow up to his previous book The Dawkins Delusion, in that he has refuted the claims of Dawkins, being an atheist and famous anti-God author. McGrath himself used to be an atheist, and writes from a unique perspective on the issue. Christopher Hitchens is also mentioned as a leader in the new atheist movement.
 I enjoyed this book for many reasons. It is enjoyable to read an intelligent, well written book that debunks the myth of atheism in a systematic way, using their own arguments against them. The author has a unique way of explaining why this movement is false and how dangerous it really is. This book should be read by every Christian who wants to know more about how the enemy is working in our culture today to spread the lies of atheism.
The author is a professor at the King's College, London, formerly from Oxford, and has publicly debated some of the leaders in the new atheist movement. I also recommend his previous book, The Dawkins Delusion for more. Also Ben Stein's movie Expelled has an interview with Richard Dawkins face to face.

The Insider - Jim Peterson & Mike Shamy

Bringing the Kingdom of God into your everyday world. How are Christians to be in the world but not of the world and be salt and light? This book attempts to answer these questions and more. "Evangelism is for all of us" the back cover states, and most of us would agree that we need to share the Gospel more right where we are. Sometimes we are called to leave our circumstances, but often we are uniquely positioned to be God's ambassadors right where we are, as an "insider."
This book is broken down into 4 parts, The Insider, Overcoming Obstacles to Fruitfulness, Life Patterns of a Fruitful Insider, and Living as an Insider. I found it full of practical examples of living as an insider and representative of Jesus. The authors also use Biblical examples of those that have been insiders right where they were. Both authors are employed by The Navigators.
I would recommend this book to any Christian who wants to take his or her influence in this world to the next level, and truly be an example to others.
This book is published by Navpress.

The Greatest Music Stories Never Told - Rick Beyer

100 tales from music history to astonish, bewilder, and stupefy. This book is an interesting look at 100 songs that cover a very wide range of history from 1400 BC to 2007 AD. Most of the stories behind the songs are unfamiliar to even the most knowledgeable researcher. The book is full of trivia such as what member of the rock group Queen has a PhD in astrophysics? and who wrote the song "Happy Birthday to You?" Each story is told in two pages and is an easy read.  I would recommend this book to any music history buff that wants to know the stories behind many popular songs.
The author is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, who's work has been seen on The History Channel and A&E networks. For videos and songs related to the book visit www.greateststoriesnevertold.com/musiclinks.
The back cover states "They're so good, you can't read just one!" And once you start reading this book, it will be hard to put down.