Do we point people in the vague direction of Jesus and then hope they will find Him on their own?” asks Boden. He reminds us that the last words of Jesus were to make disciples and the best way to do this is something Jesus modeled, namely walking parallel with people. “The Christian life is about walking with Jesus and walking with people” says Boden. Loving others means being near them – coming alongside them. He encourages readers into vulnerable and authentic relationships to help those who don’t know Jesus to become interested and spiritually curious. It’s not about formulas but about relationship and that’s what Boden tries to help us see (West Midlands, England).

Eighty-four percent of women who choose to have an abortion later say they did not receive adequate counseling beforehand. An overwhelming majority felt pressured by others to terminate their pregnancy. The CEO of CompassCare pregnancy center, Harden, says most women don’t get the information they need to make an informed decision about ending the life of their unborn child. He goes on to criticize the poor ethical boundaries between medical advertising and services. He believes traditional ethical medicine has been compromised. Educating women about their choices makes a difference. Planned Parenthood has a 94% abortion rate while those who come to CompassCare have 33%. Education and ethical considerations, not indoctrination, make the difference in life choices (Rochester, New York).

Americans are woefully out of shape, depressed, eat poorly, and struggle to find balance in life and health. Chronic diseases, many of them preventable, are the leading causes of death and disability in the U.S. Heart disease and cancers account for nearly half of all deaths. Pasour says taking care of our bodies is more than just physical. She points to spiritual, physical, emotional, intellectual, social, and vocational too. She encourages us to see our bodies as the Temple of the Holy Spirit, to curtail high-risk behaviors, and seek God’s help for change (Raleigh, North Carolina).

During the last few years we have watched an ideological culture war playout that has pitted Americans against one another. From police reform to LGBTQ issues, diversity, race, and immigration, Americans are divided. Logan, a professor, says this is not by accident. She says those who want to divide the country know a direct attack against Christianity is a path toward destruction of civilization. She points to the twin pillars of American civilization – shared language and shared values (based on natural law). Both are under attack. She offers some solution in a chapter titled, “What Can We Do?” (Lake Wales, Florida).

“Christian faith was evident in many ways in early America — from government documents and Supreme Court rulings to churches,” says author and educator, Wogamon. She points out America’s godly history but today you would hardly know God played any role in the founding of the nation. The core of America’s problems has to do with a growing apathy of God’s Word – or no belief in the Bible at all. Even many Christians seem to be indifferent toward making a stand in an increasingly darkening land.  Wogamon outlines the importance of our history, walks readers through the core issues we’re up against today, and finally helps us understand what we can do to re-instill values that are positive and good for the country. “A silent Christian is an ineffective Christian,” she says (Raleigh, North Carolina).

“God is inviting us to bring our weaknesses into the light, and find that, in our weakness, God is strong.” Rejected by his father, molested by two different men, Tom found himself involved in alcohol, drugs, homosexuality, and other addictions to try and fill the emotional void. Donna’s stepfather abused she and her sisters (he’s on death row for murder today). Another alcoholic stepfather molested her. From the ashes of the emotional pain and dysfunction, Tom and Donna each found the God of all comfort bring healing. Today, they share their stories of hope and healing trough the power of Jesus Christ (Inman, South Carolina).

Either the Bible can be trusted as the source for truth, or it cannot. There is no middle ground says George Shamblin. How we view the Bible has everything to do with how we relate to God and our fellow man. Unfortunately, many churches have a smorgasbord approach to the Bible – taking love, grace, forgiveness but leaving out the hard sayings about faithfulness, dying to self, and self-sacrifice. “By contemporary growth models, Jesus would have easily flunked” says Shamblin. He offended people, the religious leaders and even His own followers. Shamblin encourages us to see the entire Bible, every word, as a message to be believed and lived upon (Birmingham, Alabama).

“There’s a generation of children affected by anxiety and depression and attempting to end their lives” says Dr. Wilkins. “If you come out as transgender on social media, you may get thousands of likes from strangers who suddenly support you. As a pediatrician for more than twenty years, Wilkins says she noticed a trend emerging in a certain population of her patients. “I started seeing more boys, and especially girls in their tween and teen years with anxiety and depression.” She goes on to warn, “We know that adolescents are not good at considering the long-term consequences of short-term decisions. She blames social media but also the Godlessness of our society that generates feelings of hopelessness. “The idea they were born wrong and that God just made a mistake” is widespread. “Feelings change,” says Wilkins, “and no matter how strong they are, they are not the truth” (Tampa, Florida).

Deception is like a fog, says Pastor and teacher, Jack Hibbs. It has become so widespread today that people have difficulty knowing the truth from lies. He identifies various forms of deception – globalism, spiritual deceivers, tolerance, false unity, and others. “If there is no God, there are no rules and when there are no rules, there is lawlessness.” Later in his book Hobbs encourages Christians not to try and be relevant to culture because it doesn’t work and it always requires compromise of Biblical values. He says, “Christians need to experience great wisdom when dealing with the world’s intolerant behavior masquerading as virtue.” He concludes the book by telling us how to be best equipped for living in the last days (Chino Hills, California).

Critical theories have invaded government, education, churches and even homes. The confusion, division, new semantics, and outright cultural upheaval are baffling to those who don’t know what’s behind these worldviews. Neil Shenvi and Pat Sawyer, “Every Christian, whether liberal or conservative, is being tugged by the swift ideological current of their surroundings. We may not even notice we are adrift.” They go on to warn: “Don’t allow yourself to get slowly drug into apostasy and deconstruction.” They add, “To pretend that Critical Race Theory is a harmless, neutral endeavor is wildly naive . . . CRT will hurt, not help the church’s pursuit of racial unity” (Durham, North Carolina).

“We’re all in recovery,” says pastor and radio host, Clauson. “Many of us struggle to overcome sins, habits, addictions that are ruining our joy and sapping our spiritual vitality. This is about how to win our biggest battles. He identifies seven of the biggest hurdles and says there is no such thing as self-help in God’s kingdom. He encourages us to look at the systems that are working in our lives and those that are broken (Chicago, Illinois).

Depression, hopelessness, and suicide are expanding dramatically in adolescents as well as adults. Youth, with few emotional tools to handle their hopelessness, feel lost. Thirty-seven percent of college students suffer from depression while 3,500 attempt to take their own lives each year. Fox says, “God’s goodness and unfailing love are near every day, even on the difficult ones and those we’d like to forget.” She observes, “It’s not a matter of if storms will come to our lives but when.” She encourages us to prepare for the inevitable disappointments and trials by clinging to the One who understands these (Vancouver, British Columbia).

“Overindulging in food is normal in our culture and leads to pain, heartache, and physical and spiritual disease,” says Arterburn.  More than 40% of Americans are obese, making them susceptible to heart disease and various forms of cancer. But he suggests that overeating is as much a psychological and spiritual challenge as it is a physical one. Modern messages encourage us to engage our fleshly desires while simultaneously pushing us toward an ideal of fitness. He suggests perfectionism and procrastination make it difficult to change our habits (Carmel, Indiana).

Joel Malick and Alex Lippert are financial advisors. While working with numerous clients over the years they began to see a pattern; many people were well-prepared financially but ill-prepared in other critical ways. Since the pandemic, it’s even worse. Many people near or in retirement saw their retirement accounts fall 20% in 2022 alone. But their concerns are bigger than just the economics. The authors of, say “Purpose is central.” Many people work their entire lives longing for retirement. Once they arrive, they find something missing. They believe there are ten essential keys to consider. These include a solid faith, staying active, connecting with family and friends, generosity, and keeping a calendar. “The retirement lie is to think that a selfish retirement is a good one” (Colorado Springs, Colorado).

Busyness is a badge of honor in western culture. We have FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), feel our self-worth is wrapped up in what we do rather than in who we are. The digital age has done nothing to assuage the pressure but instead has created Tik Tok “stars”, social media professionals, and generated a generation of narcissists obsessed with one more likes, thumbs up, or accolades from people they don’t even know. Dr. J. Otis Ledbetter suggests that people who are overly busy find there is less time for what matters most – a closer relationship with God. We forget that God has designed us for relationship. “No one knows your needs better than your Father . . . He knew you would need a private place to meet Him,” says Ledbetter. “If you want to revolutionize the impact of your witness in your world, pursuing deeper intimacy with God in the secret place is where to start.”  (Clovis, California).

Only 25 percent of American adults have a clear sense of what makes their lives meaningful. While most go about their daily routines at work or home, most can’t tell you their purpose or what makes their lives significant. Finding creative pursuits and living a life of optimism helps but there’s also an important spiritual component. A life lived for self, benefits just one person. But living a life for others makes the world, and those around us, better. It lifts up and ultimately, sats Dr. Jantz, giving ourselves away is a natural way to create happiness and purpose (Seattle, WA).

You may feel angry, ashamed, bewildered, and adrift when you face the reality that someone you love has announced they are gay or transgender. What do you do? How do you act? What can you say? Shick, whose own father told her he was a woman trapped in a man’s body, knows what it’s like to feel the awkward, hopeless feeling of betrayal. As we empty ourselves of deep disappointment and heartache, God meets us in our hurts (Waynesville, North Carolina).

Many of us are overwhelmed by fear, worried about the future, and wondering what’s next. Hunt says depression is the #1 health problem today and Christians are not immune to it. In step-by-step fashion she identifies to root causes, gives Scriptural encouragement and then finishes with practical advice for how to overcome the often-debilitating control that rules our lives in and out of a pandemic (Dallas, TX).

Born gay? Gay Christian? Not so fast. A new study shows that an astonishing 72 percent of same sex attracted people who want help and commit a year toward freedom from their sexual brokenness and addiction find it. An unprecedented survey conducted by Stephen Black and his colleagues included an initial 1,200 client files compiled over twenty-five years. The 185 respondents (main focus group of responders) came to First Stone Ministries as sexually broken (88 to 92 percent). According to Black, “There are tens of thousands of people across the United States who have permanently left a homosexual or gay identity” (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma).

God wants to use you. This is the message of the Bible; that God works through flawed, discouraged, and imperfect people. “We are servants when we depend on God” says Howe. She outlines ways we love others through serving others – a concept lost on a me-first generation where self-focus replaces God-focus. Our call to love others is a theme modeled by Jesus to His disciples and it’s a mandate for every one of His followers. Using plenty of real-life stories, Howe helps us see that loving God means loving others (Monroe, Michigan).