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The Radical Disciple: John Stott - £8.99 The Radical Disciple, the
52nd and final book from well renowned Christian author John Stott, is divided
into eight chapters, each a different characteristic of discipleship in which
we can become more committed followers of Jesus. His selection of characteristics
are not all those I would have expected to see in a book with such a profound
title however upon reading chapters on simplicity and creation care I was
stirred to reconsider my attitude towards our material world and consumerism. Personally I really
enjoyed the first two chapters on Christlikeness and Non-conformity. We are
called to engage with our culture without compromise and to be like Christ in
all we do, Stott identifies some ways in which these things challenge us in our
Western Society and lays down some practical examples of how this can be done. Although each
characteristic is touchedupon only briefly
(because it is a short book) there is still enough content in each chapter to
challenge and inspire the reader. Great book! Kat The Happy Intercessor: Beni Johnson - £11.99 Redefining Life: My Career - £4.99 Extreme Grandparenting: Dr Tim & Darcy Himmel - £9.99 This book is a must for all grandparents, newly fledged or seasoned. There is something here for everyone to think about and put into action. One of the best features of the book is its practical applications, especially for those grandparents whose family lives prove challenging and for whom relationships with their grandchildren are not easy. Wisdom may not necessarily accompany age, but grandparents are encouraged to share their life and spiritual journeys with the younger generations. We live in a time that does not easily give respect to older people and until now they have mostly been a silent majority. This book challenges grandparents to speak out and show their grandchildren the way forward with God, expressing Godly lives in words and actions and building firm relationships with them that will have eternal consequences. Extreme Grandparenting is not a book to read and enjoy and put away. This book means action, needs perseverance and lashing of love. Grandparents are just the people to do that. Go, grandparents, go! Ruth Alliston
So you don't want to go to church anymore? – Jake Colsen:£7.99
A
strange & engaging book from the emerging church stable which moved
me to think & live differently. Ultimately, Colsen is blinkered in
his conclusions about the established church, but his heart for real
Christ like community & simple life together is compelling.
Worship Matters – Paul Baloche and Paul Kauflin: £9.99
This
is quite simply the best book I've read on worship in years. It is
practical, biblical & simple. Again, it should be a required text
for church leadership teams & worship leaders. I can pay it no
higher compliment than using it with our own team for our training in
the next year
The Ultimate Treasure Hunt – Kevin Dedmon: £10.99
This book from the Bethel stable isn't the best read I've had all year, but all the time I had it open a voice in my head was telling me, 'take this seriously & your life will never be the same again!' Is that a threat or a promise? Read the book for yourself & find out that you too can be an ordinary believer living an extraordinary kingdom lifestyle.
Steve Alliston
http://stevefallingwithstyle.blogspot.com/
History Makers: Greatest Hits by Delirious? - £12.99 (limited edition £24.99)
This album is a ‘must buy’ item. It is a fab collection of all the Delirious? greatest hits spanning from 1994 to 2008. Even if you are a big fan and already have lots of albums it is great to have all the favourites on one CD! Also available is a 'Limited Edition' version featuring 31 songs on 2 CDs as well as a glossy book charting the Delirious? journey and a DVD containing all 13 of the band's promo videos. There is good mixture of worship songs and big anthems including many of my favourite Delirious? songs; History Maker Deeper, Raindown Majesty, My Soul Sings Shout to the north, Revival Town Obsession, My Glorious Our God Reigns, Find me in the river, Lord you have my heart, I could sing of your love forever, Did you feel the mountains tremble.
Helen
Here is Love – Live Worship from Bethel Church - £14.99
This is my favourite album from Bethel Church (Redding CA) yet. In features various artists from the church including Brian and Jenn Johnson, Leah Valenzuela, and Jesus Culture Artists; Kim Walker-Smith, Chris Quilala, and Kristene Mueller. As with previous albums the worship on the CD is passionate and raw; ushering the listener into a deeper level of intimacy with God.
My favourite song on the album has to be ‘Your Presence’ – amongst this truly beautiful worship song you will find the words and tune from David Grays ‘Babylon’ - Let go your heart, Let go your head, And feel it now – the effect of this is breathtaking; I love the way the song writers have claimed back an otherwise secular song to give glory to God. The whole album is anointed, I have been inspired by it during times of personal devotion as well as using it to sing along to whilst cleaning.
Kat
Crazy Love: Francis Chan - £8.99
The first chapter in this book is titled ‘Stop Praying’ which intrigued me and made me want to keep reading. Chan encourages us to take a step back and take a long hard look at God. We often forget what an amazing, creative God we have and we are reminded throughout this book that we are called to worship Him; but do our daily lives reflect the crazy kind of love God has for us?
Chan says the life Jesus calls us to is absolute craziness to the world in which we live; ‘True faith is loving a person after he has hurt you. True Love makes you stand out’.
This book is written for those who want more of Jesus and reading this has reaffirmed that I should totally surrender myself to God’s purposes and strive to get more of God. Above all, what I gained from this book was that our lives should not be ‘comfortable’ but we should be adventurous risk takers in our daily walk with God - ensuring we don’t become ‘lukewarm’.
I was extremely challenged throughout this book and would recommend reading it: It will put your heart under examination and may not be an entirely comfortable read – but just ask yourself: ‘Is this what I want to be doing when Christ comes back?’
Emily
Heaven for Kids: Randy Alcorn - £8.99
Ok, so I know I’m not exactly a kid any more but I had lots of questions and the thought of reading ‘Heaven’ for adults scared me. This book is really accessible for adults and kids. Each chapter starts with Scripture and a quote from The Chronicles of Narnia. It is then divided into questions on aspects of Heaven, this is great because I could find a simple and biblically grounded answer to every one of my questions – this book is thorough! Questions include ‘What will we do in Heaven?’ ‘Will we eat in Heaven?’ ‘What will our bodies be like in Heaven?’ It also deals with secular misconceptions such as people becoming angels or ghosts when you die and sitting on clouds.
My only hesitation about this book is that it is intended for ages 8-12 but I think it might be too long or hard for some children of this age to read and would probably need a parent’s help, for older children the references might appear a little young. It is also a little American!
That aside, I loved the book and found myself bubbling over with excitement about Heaven, telling anyone who would listen about how great it is going to be, it really helped me to gain an eternal perspective and propelled me into worship.
Kat
No Shout Too Loud: Newday 2009 - £12.99
Newday has become an exciting week in my year, one that I look forward to for months leading up to the summer! The amazing worship times have been successfully captured on this live CD; with the heart and the passion of thousands of young people, it demonstrates the impact of this huge event.
New worship leader Jordan Dillon has his first song on this album: ‘My Soul is Well’. Co-written with Simon Brading, it is a catchy and easy to sing tune which proclaims the great truth of the gospel.
A favourite track of mine on this album is Simon Brading’s version of ‘How Great Thou Art’, and you’ll often find Kat and I singing our hearts out in the shop to this track among others on a Saturday!! Other worship sessions are led by Lou Fellingham and Phatfish, and Matt Redman, both of whom did songs from their new albums (In Jesus and We Shall Not be Shaken).
This album is a must have for anyone lucky enough to have been at Newday, or if you are looking for a upbeat worship CD it is perfect for group or individual praise.
Emily
90 Minutes in Heaven: Don Piper - £6.99
90 Minutes is a true story of Don Piper, a Baptist minister, who died in a car accident. This is not a new book it was first published in 2004. There have been more than 1,000,000 copies in print and in has been on the New York Times best seller list.
There are three very important parts to this book - each one is well worth reading. The first is a story of the car accident where the author's Ford Escort by an 18 wheeler truck. He died instantly but God had other plans. A man waiting in the oncoming traffic queue felt compelled to pray for the dead man. He had to negotiate with the police to pray and as a result Don Piper was brought back to life 90 minutes after being pronounced dead.
The second part of the story describes Mr Piper's death and his time in Heaven. His first hand description made me feel excited and reassured about the life to come. The third and possibly even more powerful part of the book tells the reader how Don coped with his broken body, surviving a long and exhausting recovery through constant pain. Through this tragic situation God found a mission for Don to minister to those who suffer.
I personally recommend this book written in a very easy to read style.
Lizzie
Story Lines: Mike Pilavachi - £6.99
Having heard Mike Pilavachi speak at ‘Newday 2009’ I decided to read this book to widen my biblical knowledge. Mike Pilavachi is extremely funny in person and this is reflected in this light-hearted but fantastic book!
This book explores particular themes that we find running through the Bible like threads, which help make sense of its many characters and events. ‘Story Lines’ unlocked a deeper understanding of the Bible for me, but most of all it led me into a deeper understanding of the Person it all points to: Jesus.
Each chapter in this book explores a different theme that we can find in the Bible; Jesus, covenant, presence, Kingdom, salvation and worship. The book links these six themes by taking an in depth look at how they are connected in the Old and New Testament.
Reading ‘Story Lines’ is like taking a Bible study course, without actually having to go anywhere! This is a great resource for anyone who wants to have a better understanding of how the books in the Bible are connected. A really easy read, packed full of ‘need to know’ information from both testaments.
Emily
We Shall Not Be Shaken: Matt Redman - £11.99
I’ll start with a confession – I’m not a huge Matt Redman fan – his brand of safe and slightly bland soft rock worship songs don’t do much for me. So when I was asked to review his latest CD I was slightly anxious whether I could be both honest but open-minded. After several plays, I have tried my best…
Matt has recorded a set of modern day psalms for troubled days, and as usual the production, singing and musicianship are first class. The guitar work on “We Shall Not Be Shaken” is gorgeous, and I love the track “Remembrance” designed to lead reflection around communion. The words and music on “You Alone Can Rescue” combine into a powerfully moving worship resource, and most other tracks are upbeat anthems for these difficult times.
My only criticism would be with some of the lyrics, which I feel assume too much of the listener; lines like “This is how we know what love is, just one look at your cross…” isn’t always how I feel, and words such as “the heavens ring, the saints all sing…” leave me yearning for something a bit grittier and more challenging – see Hyperstatic Union, The Elms, Starfield or Third Day for songs that I feel are a bit more rooted in how life really is.
So, if you love Matt Redman you won’t be disappointed, he’s on good form – it’s just not quite my cup of tea.
Ian
Despite the slow start I found that The Happy Intercessor, by Beni Johnson, was a book that I could not put down. Beni starts by exploring the role of an intercessor and our attitudes towards prayer. She speaks often from personal experience which makes compelling and easy reading. As the book takes off she uses biblical truths to unwrap the keys needed to have a joyful, fruitful and exciting prayer life.
As mentioned early she does tend towards personal experience and her book is not heavy on direct biblical teaching. However her heart and longing for Jesus is very evident. As she tells of her own radical relationship with God the stories become slightly more foreign to our western mindset. At worst you will find this challenging, at best you will find it exciting and inspirational.
If you are looking for a book which you can dip into and leave on the bookshelf-this book is not for you! The Happy intercessor is about transforming how we live out our relationship with God. I found it fed my hunger for God and it was a definite turning point in my prayer life.
Rae Tweedale 
"Redefining Life: My Career" is an extremely useful, discussion book aimed at a group of people but as I found out it can also be enjoyed by one person.
The ideal process is to complete a lesson (chapter) and then get together with a small group. In this meeting, you should discuss and consider others understandings. This way you will get the maximum out of the book.
Overall, I urge all students or new employees to purchase this book. "Redefing Life: My Career" really makes you reflect upon yourself and near future decisions. This could even make such a significant of changing your life with a different career choice/ career change or just change the way that you operate in the workplace.
As a fifteen-year-old this has really allowed me to reflect on myself and what possible career I want to take up for years to come. The book has also let me analyse my strengths and weaknesses which let me understand how I can use my strengths to my full advantage, but yet how I can develop my weaknesses to become a stonger person altogether.
Oliver Yates 
What's so Amazing about Grace? - Philip Yancy £9.49 What’s so amazing about What’s so Amazing about Grace is Yancy’s amazing ability to unpack this amazing topic. Were you counting? Yes, I used amazing four times. Yancy does not set out to define grace, but in his words, would rather “convey it, than explain it”. In his discussion on grace he does not avoid the dark issues that are faced in everyday life, but tackles them even from the first pages. He describes a world thirsty for grace. The system in which we live is one of ungrace, where we measure ourselves and others based on performance and status. Guilt and fear plague those in the system as we earn rewards or punishments, fail to meet expectations, compare ourselves with others, or fear losing our place. Grace—the free undeserved unconditional love for who we truly are—is what sets us free. Grace is what the world really needs. In the words of Yancy, “Grace costs nothing for everyone except the person who gives it.” That very grace is what Christ Himself offers, but so quickly we fall back into the system of performance and merit even in the church, dispensing judgment on others and ourselves. Christ’s church must have “grace on tap” for everyone once again. Yancy challenges all who claim the Name of Christ to become needy grace givers. First, we must become needy before we can truly give grace. In other words, we must turn from trying to earn God’s favour with our “morality”, and recognise our need for His free gift of grace. In Yancy’s words, “the proof of spiritual maturity is not how ‘pure’ we are, but the awareness of our impurity-because it leads to grace.” We are honest with ourselves and with God about what we are, and that we need Him and His forgiveness. Then we depend on Him and stand in that grace as new, clean, forgiven, and loved people. Once that truly happens, we have “grace-filled eyes” that changes the way we see things. I see myself as a sinner, who cannot please God by any method of self-improvement, and yet God loves me despite all my defects. Then, I can see others too as sinners with defects loved by God just like me. There is no room for judgment, because all is made level. Truly being rooted in the love and grace of God spreads a fragrance of love and grace to a thirsty, hurting, judging, and performance-driven world. Being forgiven…I forgive. Being loved…I love. Let us be needy grace givers and receive, enjoy, and dispense grace freely and with abundance. Let us live in Jesus, who full of grace, gave everything so that we could live free. Rodney Green 
Consumed CD - Jesus Culture £12.99
I have never before been so excited about the arrival of any album in the shop. This is the fourth album from Jesus Culture (Kim Walker-Smith, Melissa How and Chris Quilala) and although it is slicker and fresher it still follows the same vein as the other albums, their passion for God and faithfulness to use the gifts they have been blessed with is inspiring.
While not all the tracks on the album are their own they have a tremendous talent for taking a song you’ve heard before and turning it into something great. The DVD is wonderful too, it is awesome to see the praise spilling off their lips and watching the Holy Spirit moving in that place.
The album is an excellent tool to use in intimate times of worship but would also work to inspire people to worship in a small group setting.
Kat
You Are Special - Max Lucado £3.99
God Loves You Just the Way You Are!
Max Lucado has a beautiful and touching way of telling us how much God loves us – just the way we are. Eli, the creator in this series of books, has created each Wemmick in Wimmicksville uniquely and beautifully different yet they are continually running one another down and competing against each other. This book teaches the importance gaining our identity only through our father and the value of resting in his presence.
I read this book to a 7 and 10 year old who both thought it had a wonderful story; it also gave me the chance to explain some truths about how wonderful God thought they were. This book makes a great present for people of all ages; it is a simple yet touching little story.
Kat
Pages CD - Shane & Shane £11.74
 | Shane and Shane represent the brilliant diversity of contemporary Christian music available to us today. God is unquestionably the centre of their music in a balanced mixture of slower, reflective songs combined with upbeat songs that echo an exciting passion for Christ but also reveal a unique, catchy sound. Having experienced Shane & Shane in concert (California 2006) I am able to add that this album is undoubtedly a reflection of their passion for music and love of God as demonstrated in person. Furthermore, the unique aspect of the album is an insight into their fun persona that creates this workmanship. ‘Bad Days Better’ and ‘Burn Us Up’, I find are particularly encouraging songs that are easy to relate to for us our everyday lives. These represent the contrast in styles within the album yet are equally as inspiring. Vikki |
In Jesus CD - Phatfish £12.99
The new album from the acclaimed band Phatfish is another exceptional display of unique musical talent which is a joy to listen to. The 10 songs differ in style with a new and exciting sound track after track. The band’s commitment to showing the love of Christ shines through in the uplifting lyrics and the truth of the Gospel is presented in a successful way, reminding the listener of some key truths in scripture. 
“There’s forgiveness from our sins, There’s acceptance not shame, There’s assurance of new life, Jesus made the way.” These lyrics from the inspirational track “There is Mercy” declare the truth of Salvation, and have their roots firmly in scripture, arousing thankful hearts from the listener and encouraging them in their relationship in God. This can be said of all the tracks on the album, strengthening churches and individuals alike.
Having recently sung the title track (“In Jesus”) from this album at the Mobilise Conference, you realise the versatility of the entire album; perfectly good as a CD to worship individually and at the same time having the capability to be sung in a congregational setting.
I cannot recommend this album enough, whether you’ve heard any of Phatfish’s work before or not, this album is beyond doubt some of their best work. Packed with biblical truth you will definitely benefit from this album, whilst enjoying some quality musicianship at the same time!
Emily
Boy meets girl - Joshua Harris £8.99
Joshua Harris's first book, I Kissed Dating Goodbye, written when he was only 21, turned the Christian singles scene upside down with its radical approach to dating/not dating. In Boy Meets Girl, written several years later, Harris addresses the area between singleness and marriage –courtship (although using that word makes me cringe). Joshua draws on his own experience with courtship to give inspiring, practical examples of how best to honour God and each other when pursuing the possibility of marriage with someone you may be serious about. 
Joshua’s style of writing is relaxed and easy to read, the stories he uses are gripping but the best thing about the book is that it is so applicable, whether single, courting or even married. It has some really good ideas and advice to strengthen your relationship with God and put him first in everything you do. This book is excellent and I could not put it down, would be great for teenagers too!
This is Life - Newday 2008 LIVE, various artists £12.76
"This is Life” is an upbeat live worship soundtrack from the youth event Newday from summer 2008. With new songs from Simon Brading, Paul Oakley and Lou Fellingham this CD captures the heart of the youth and their passion for worshiping God. Each track has its own unique style varying from upbeat songs to jump around to, to more slower meditative songs. With inspirational music and lyrics this CD is great learn new songs in church or within a youth group. This also comes with a DVD featuring live worship from the event, talks by Joel Virgo, and a glimpse of life at Newday. Emily 
Chasing the Dragon - Jackie Pullinger £7.99
Chasing the Dragon is the most exciting and amazing autobiography I've ever read, i literally could not put it down, 'What Would Jackie Do' becoming a common slogan amoungst my friends. Jackie's faith and relationship with God, thoughout extremely scary and tough situations in the Walled City in China, is inspirational. I dont find reading very easy but this book is simply written and keeps a good pace. Jackie sees God perform miracle after miracle, setting captives free from prostitution and drugs, and providing where there is nothing - truly A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!! Kat 
Nothing Left To Lose - Mat Kearney £12.00
Mat kearney has become a real breathe of fresh air with his mixed style of subtle pop, rap-like lyrics and immaculate vocals propelling him to new found heights on his outstanding major-label debut Nothing Left To Lose. Nearly half od the album is culled from Kearney's 2004 independant label release Bullet. These gems that singer-songwriter produces include Undeniable, In The Middle and Girl America where he describes the metaphor of his love becoming his nation. Kearney then moves away from his hip-hop sensibilities into a more guitar friendly pop look on newer songs, such as Crashing Down, Can't Break Her Fall and the album track Nothing Left To Lose. The record that really struck me as the stand out record came just before the home straight album in All I Need as Kearney very cleverly mirrors a couples attempts to escape their relationship issues to running from a natural disaster. What really attracks me to Kearney's music however is the fact that he seems to have created his own genre through this album, as it is unlike anything else I have heard on the Christian music front. His faith shines through on the album as it appears he cares little for cross-over appeal, but the heart gripping and thought provoking moments on the album should be more than enough to interest listeners from all angles. Simon
Finding Alice - Melody Carlson £8.99 
Another Melody Carlson classic, in this book we follow the life of Alice Laxton, who at first look appears a normal fun-loving college girl. However it is later revealed that Alice begins lose her grip on reality and then suddenly tumbles into a world of schizophrenia where God is speaking to her and her demons are appearing too real for comfort. Little does she know this is the least of her worries, as she discovers when others attempt to intervene and "treat" her illness. What I love about this book is the care and depth of research that has clearly taken part to understand how to write about the complex disease that is schizophrenia. You will be educated as well as understanding her characters. Unlike a lot of Christian fiction Melody doesn't lace the book full of religion nor spirituality, in fact there have been many reviews from people who haven't realised that she was a christian writer. She also pulls from Charles Dogson's (AKA Lewis Caroll) children's classic Alice In Wonderland, which gives her character Alice a particular child's innocence which lends the novel a surreal atmosphere. A must read I'd recomend to any one, perfect for summer. Ema 
The Shack - William P Young £7.99
This is the best piece of Christian fiction that I have ever read. I laughed, cried, had goose bumps and felt an overwhelming sense of the love of God. The main character has a family tragedy that he and his family struggle to cope with. During a period he describes as "the great sadness" Mack encounters God in a most marvellous way. The author blows away our religous pre-conceived ideas of who God is, what He is like and His expectations of us. It raises the question "why do we have to struggle with pain?" I am left with an excited feeling deep within me that cries out "God you are so good!" I highly recomend that you read this book, and it is endorsed by greater people than me - including Eugene Peterson, Wayne Jacobson and Michael W Smith. Caz 
The Glorious Revolution - Grey Holiday £9.99
Not your average album The Glorious Revolution is comprised of only six songs, however includes a 13 minute group interview resulting in a varied album that sounds a little like listening to a great radio station. The songs range from rock to those of a more liad back feel such as the ballad "You Belong To Me". Grey Holiday's The Glorious Revolution is a diverse mix of songs that reinforces the Texas bands devotion to the christian faith as well as being a great album! Ema 
Deliberate Kids "A Boom-chaka-laka Rockin' Good Time!"- Phil Joel, £9.99
I love this CD by Phil Joel, of Newsboys fame. It has 11 great tracks for kids of all ages, appealling on different levels. Tracks have great tunes, really rockin', great words and really well produced. My favorite track is called New Testament, and 'it does what it says on the tin!' - the words are the books of the New Testament, helping us all to remember the books in the right order. It's a great CD to dance in the kitchen with the children whilst cooking the dinner! Caz 
Running Back To You - Yazz, £12.99
I would definately recommend this album, a lady who had a hit in the late 1980's "The only way is up".She has just made her first christian CD which I would describe as upbeat, funky jazzy and a great one to play around all your friends , on your own or on a sunny day in the car!! A fab pressie idea for Mothers day on March 3rd. Lizzie 
The Deborah Company - Jane Hamon, £10.99
I read this book during the summer holidays, and was immediately enthused and excited by what Jane Hamon had to say to women. She asks the question 'Have you reached your full potential? Have you explored all you can be? Are you a woman of influence?' Hamon looks at Deborah, the judge and prophetess who was filled with the holy spirit revelation and who employed divine wisdom and strategies to influence her world. She exemplified boldness, courage and the heart of a true worshipper as she also maintained balance in managing her responsibilities - what a woman to model ourselves on! Hamon also introduces us to other courageous women from history that we can aspire to, I found it interesting to read pages written by women who are making a difference for God today, like Dr Bonnie Chavda and Dr Sharon Stone. I have been provoked in each chapter enjoying thinking about my preconceived ideas that have formed through the years, it has been good to be challenged to interpret hard passages that normally I would skim over. I needed to question what difference I am making and prayerfully consider the role that God has for me - I want to be a woman who makes a difference. I would whole heartedly recommend this book, not only to women but to men too! It's time to arise and take hold of all that God has in store for us and see His kingdom come! Caz 