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Show Yift rirfrrftft rnrTffrffJftrfrtfaJI RELIGION Faith-base- d gifts offer inspiration and hope FEIN BERG is the season for finding great inspirational gifts. Whether )our gift is for a famor outlaw, a wide variety of titles is available to ily member, friend, readers in their faith. BY MARGARET T:entourage Anne Graham Lot, daughter of famed evangelist Billy Graham, challenges readers in their personal beliefs with My Heart's Cry: Longing For More of Jesus (W Publishing, $21.99, 272 pages, ISBN 0849917417). Author of the lust Give Me Jesus and founder of the Just Give Me Jesus weekend events for women, Lotz takes readers on a journey of chapters, she explores the various desiring God. In 12 attributes of C hrist. Chapter five, More of His Dirt on My Hands, explores the importance of service, while chapter 10, More of His Nearness in Mv Loneliness, explores Gods omnipresence. Throughout the book, Lot draws on her own personal experiences and challenges. She describes speaking to large gatherings of pastors and having some turn their chairs around to face away from her because they disapproved of her speaking and teaching as a woman. She explains how the rejection strengthened her faith and pushed her toward God, rather than awav. ike her father, Anne Graham Lot has a way of making the faith interesting, Bible, God and the road to This bold woman not only lives exciting and but also exudes a contagious faith in her writing. Another member of the Graham family, Ruth Bell Graham, wife of the well known evangelist, offers a seasonal title on the special blessings of Christmas. Like any mother, grandmother or Graham knows the significance and joy the holiday brings to anyone who has watched their child on Christmas morning or has been a child nestled in the warmth of family. In A Quiet Knowing Christmas: A Joyful Celebration of the Season (W Publishing, $19.99, 176 pages, ISBN 08499 1762X) Graham presents a new collection of stories, recipes and poems, interspersed with family photos and holiday craft ideas. As simple as the Christmas story itself, as elegant as such a celebration should be, A Quiet Knowing Christmas culminates in an intimate portrait of how the Gtaham family honors the name of Christ. Lotz and Graham arent the only women sharing their beliefs these days. Best-selg n 1 heart-grippin- l- HISTORY The shared father of three faiths Bruce Feiler, the g author of Walking the Bible, journeyed across time and place through three continents, five countries and four war zones to read, study and interview religious leaders and scholars in search of the man from whom much of the worlds population claims to be descended. The result is Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths (Morrow, $23.95, 240 pages, ISBN 0380977761), a compelling look at the common origins of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. According to the biblical account in Genesis, God changed Abrahams name from Abram because he was made the father of many nations. Taking his name seriously, Abraham initiated a religious legacy that now encompasses 12 million Jews, two billion Christians and one billion Muslims. Feiler sought out the ancient patriarch to recover and understand the man Scholars say is difficult to interpret. Feilers book, however, is not. The combination of travelogue, historical research and spiritual journey might seem weighty, but the authors style makes Abraham an intriguing pleasure to read. Feiler adroitly humanizes his subject, who might have remained a flat abstract lost between the pages of ancient documents. He paints a portrait of a figure who struggles, yet participates in an interactive partnership with God. Feiler argues that modern world events can be linked directly to Abrahams nations descending from Isaac and the Arab sons, with the nations from Ishmael. In trying to discern if the worlds three monotheistic religions could ever get along, Feiler discovered that (E)very clue in Judaism led to some desert hideaway in Christianity, led to some palm tree in Islam, under which was some spring yesl that suddenly cleared up some tangle described on the front page of that mornings paper. Ultimately, Feiler concludes that both sons received a blessing. So will the readers of Abraham .K AMY LEE multi-layere- d Judeo-Christi- 12 BOOKPAGE DECEMBER 2002 Bible teacher Beth Moore introduces reading author and ers to Christ in Jesus, The One and Only (Broadman & Holman, $19.99, 340 pages, ISBN 080542489X). Moore, who has written a number of studies including Breaking Free , takes readers to the dusty roads of Palestine to study the life of Christ. The book is an adaptation of her popular video-base- d interactive study of the same name. Moore explores the life of Christ as he lived it long days as a carpenter and tough days traveling and teaching. She records the details, history and culture that are so often missed in a quick reading of the Gospels. Rather than fall into the trap of giving all the answers, Moore spends time asking some questions of her own. What did Mary experience during her pregnancy? How long was the labor? How much pressure did she feel to be the perfect mother? In the process, the life and example lived by Christ become more personal and human. For readers who dont have time for an devotiond study, Charles Stanley offers an al, Seeking His Face: A Daily Devotional (Thomas Nelson, $"l9 99. 384 pages, ISBN 0785272992). The First Baptist Church in pastor of the and Atlanta, Georgia, president of In Touch Ministries offers daily reading selections that challenge, encourage and inspire. Each devotion includes a Scripture reading, key verse, prayer and a simple story or message. Reading Stanleys book is like listening to a sermon in snippets. Readers are challenged to resist negative thoughts and embrace others with love and offer forgiveness. The writing is simple, direct and enjoyable. The Best Christian Writing 2002 (HarperSanFrancisco, $15.95, 352 pages, ISBN 0060094834) offers a varied collection of articles on Christian belief today. The series editor, John Wilson, works as an editor at both Christianity Today and Books & Culture. From a myriad of journals and magazines, he has compiled nearly two dozen pieces. One writer wrestles with the negative byproducts of feminism in Three Bad Ideas for Women and What to Do About Them," while another examines the tense but treasured relationship between Judaism and Christianity in Salvation Is from the Jews. Other highlights include Walter Wangerin Jr.s One Man on a Tractor Far Away and Philip Yanceys The Ample Man Who Saved My Faith." If youre shopping for a young preteen boy (ages youll want to consider Zonderkidz new 2:52 Soul Gear line of products, which includes The 2:52 Boys Bible (Zonderkidz, $26.99, ISBN 0310703204). The 2:52 designation is based on a Scripture found in the Gospel of Luke: " And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. Edited by g author and speaker Rick Osborne, The 2:52 Boys Bible features a study system that takes boys through the Bible, highlighting people, stories and verses that show them how to grow. Using the NIV translation, the Bible includes numerous side notes and boxes of extra information designed to engage young male readers. Cleverly titled, Make It Stick is a boys version of a journal written on sticky notes; Get a Load of This provides interesting and humorous facts about the Bible; and Grossology offers some gory facts from the Bible. The cover design (which is reminiscent of the reality television series Survivor logo) is rugged enough to convince boys its cool. And finally, a beautiful new gift book reveals The Peace dr Power of Knowing God's Name by Kay Arthur (WaterBrook, $17.99, 144 pages, ISBN 1578565502). The author explores the ancient meanings of the names of God found in Scripture passages and shows how they expand our understanding and knowledge of God. of Precept Ministries International and the author of leading inductive Bible studies, Arthur writes with insight about 5 of the names given to God, including El Elyon meaning The God Most High; El Roi meaning The God Who Sees; and Jehovah-raa- h meaning The Lord My Shepherd, ith a gorgeous cover and crisp photographs throughout, The Peace & Power of towing Gods Name offers beautiful visual images along with its inspiring text. U Margaret Feinberg is a writer based in Sitka, Alaska. She is author of God Whispers: Learning To Hear His Voice (Relevant Books). easy-to-rea- 15,000-memb- best-sellin- 1 |