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Kisses from Katie

by Katie Davis with Beth Clark (Howard)

Katie Davis is living the dream. Not the dream that most 22-year-old American girls have of attending college, earning a steady income and starting a family, but one that is even better. Katie is living the dream that God has for her as a school teacher, the single mother of 14 girls and the founder of an organization for impoverished children in Uganda. Kisses from Katie is the inspiring account of a life lived for the Lord and the remarkable results. In this book, Katie writes like she lives. With an infectious passion and eternal perspective and without reservation, she shares journal entries and descriptive narratives of the people and places that are near and dear.

How this brings more to life: If you've ever wondered how one person can make a difference, Kisses from Katie illustrates how God uses individuals based not on age or abilities but on availability.

The Story of Your Life Interactive Journey

by Matthew West (Harvest House)

"The story of your life is a story worth telling." So sings Grammy-nominated recording artist Matthew West on his bestselling album The Story of Your Life. In this new book, Matthew develops that theme, showing how everyone's life is a story in progress and how knowing that truth can change people for the better. Filled with powerful personal stories from Matthew and his fans, The Story of Your Life Interactive Journey is a guidebook that will help readers heal from the hurts of their past and develop a deeper compassion toward others whose life stories are filled with pain. Readers will find that God, the author of their stories, is willing and able to rewrite the broken chapters of their lives.

How this brings more to life: The Story of Your Life Interactive Journey is the perfect companion to The Story of Your Life DVD. It includes extensive study questions for individuals or small groups and plenty of space for readers' insights.

Illusion

by Frank Peretti (Howard)

After a difficult start, author Frank Peretti became a long-lasting success with his two spiritual warfare novels, This Present Darkness (1986) and Piercing the Darkness (1989). A self proclaimed "slow writer," Peretti makes a welcomed return to the world of fiction with Illusion, his first novel in over seven years. In Illusion, things aren't always what they seem. The book opens with Mandy and Dane in the ER following a car crash that claimed Mandy's life, or so it seems. After losing his wife and partner in their popular magic act of 40 years, Dane tries to rebuild his life. When he leaves the distractions of Las Vegas for the quiet countryside of Idaho, he stumbles upon a new magic actÑa 19-year-old performer, with unusual powers, identical to the woman he loved and lost.

How this brings more to life: An unpredictable page-turner, Illusion materializes the struggle of a person feeling like a stranger in this world and longing for the one to come.

Be a Better Dad Today

by Gregory W. Slayton (Gospel Light)

Gregory W. Slayton has had many notable titles affixed to his name. Yet he explains that no title is more valuable and beneficial to society than the one he is called by his four children: Dad. In his first book, Be a Better Dad Today, Slayton uses biblical principles and personal examples to begin a lifelong journey with fathers. Like any journey, this one involves three componentsÑa map, or the "Noble Family Vision," the proper tools, called "The Ten Tools of Fatherhood," and key companions such as a wife or other dads. At the end of every chapter are questions for further reflection and a set of assignments that take only a few minutes each day. Be a Better Dad Today is a user-friendly manual for building champion fathers.

How this brings more to life: No man's toolset is complete without this practical,man-to-man approach to becoming a better dad today.

Promised to Another

by Laura V. Hilton (Whitaker House)

Like an Amish quilt, Laura Hilton's Pennsylvania Dutch heritage is woven throughout the third book in her Amish of Seymour series. Promised to Another  is the familiar story of pride and prejudice. Spirited school teacher Annie Beiler has fallen for newcomer Joshua Esh, but his flirtatious ways make her more defensive and guarded, especially when it seems his attention is directed at everyone other than her. But Joshua was attracted to Annie the moment he laid eyes on her. The only problem is she is promised to another, or so he thinks. And when Luke Schwartz, Annie's ex-beau returns, things get complicated even for the simple life.

How this brings more to life: Honesty is the best policy. Promised to Another illustrates the need for honest communication and the warning that your sins will find you out.

Earth

by Erwin Raphael McManus
(David C. Cook)

Earth, wind, water, fire, woodÑthese are the signs of life. In his new, five-part DVD series, storyteller Erwin Raphael McManus attempts to use these signs to point viewers to God. The first of these short films, Earth explores creation. Through a philosophical monologue, McManus discredits Solomon's lament, "there is nothing new under the sun," and articulates how a place that seems empty can be filled with the wonder of God's handiwork by a change in perspective. This 10-minute vignette creatively tells the "story of us" and paints a picture of our part in God's world.

How this brings more to life: Welcome to Earth, an abstract visual reminder of the One who makes all things new.

Survival Kit for Grads

(Zondervan)

Like a compass pointing you in the right direction, the Survival Kit for Grads is a life-saving tool for the next step of the journey. With an NIV Bible and a copy of the devotional Streams in the Desert, the Survival Kit for Grads is the complete package. Smaller than an iPad, the compact thinline format of the NIV Bible is a convenient way for young adults to carry God's Word wherever life takes them. While Streams in the Desert is a classic devotional from Mrs. L. B. Cowman with a year's worth of daily readings, providing spiritual refreshing for the weary traveler.

How this brings more to life: Give a gift of lasting value to the graduate in your life with the Survival Kit for Grads.

Rebel Transmission

by Newworldson (New Day)

A seven-time GMA Canada Covenant Award winner, Newworldson is no newcomer to the music scene. But it wasn't until 2010 that the band took off with the hit "There Is A Way," Newworldson's first number one single. Now Newworldson is synonymous with a unique sound that's hard to pigeonhole into a specific category. On their latest project, Rebel Transmission, this Canadian band artfully fuses smooth R&B, reggae, oldies rock, New Orleans jazz and gospel into a collection of catchy tunes that will have your toes tapping and head bobbing to the beat. And as fun as their music is, the lyrics are even better. Their first radio single, "Learning to Be the Light," is evidence of that.

How this brings more to life: Rebel Transmission by Newworldson is an eclectic mix of music with soulÉfor the soul.