“Unilateral forgiveness is not a feeling; it’s a choice. Forgiveness is a decision of the will, not the emotions,” says Barr. She looks at what forgiveness is and what it is not. It doesn’t mean trusting someone again who hurt you. Nor does it mean the pain of loss or hurt suddenly go away. While learning to forgive is the hallmark of our Christian faith, it is not a rubber stamp to allow others to hurt us and move on without any boundaries in place. The health benefits of forgiveness are enormous, and Barr encourages us to embrace it for the sake of our own healing (Bermuda Run, North Carolina).

“I was becoming very self-sufficient, and I depended on my own inner strength, grit, and creativity to succeed. I believed that I could do no wrong and that our business was indestructible,” says Derrick. Today, he says that he had pride of “always being in control.” That is, until one day his world collapsed around him. Derrick chronicles his own journey but also leaves us with a warning: unexpected circumstances can upend our neatly planned life at any time. His massive construction company dropped 75% of its revenue. He was diagnosed with blood cancer, another major hit. Some people wonder where God is in such times. Derrick says, “God is there, he is always there. The question is, do we trust Him enough to help us through the storm by His means and in His way? (New Richmond, Wisconsin).

“One phone call changed my perspective on life,” says Phil Zielke. “I felt trapped in a dangerous, hopeless place.” We know life isn’t fair. We know life can be unpredictable and even messy. God never guarantees we’ll have an easy path. But what happens in these times of uncertainty, difficulty, or fear? For many of us, we make day-by-day or even hour-by-hour choices to try and find hope in spite of our circumstances. Zielke takes readers on a journey through his diagnosis with stage 4B cancer. Today Zielke says, “We are all aware that living in the world doesn’t guarantee any of us life free from trouble. Yet, though his ordeal he sensed God’s purpose in his life. It is often in our own dark nights of the soul that God brings fresh revelation, renewed trust, confidence in Him alone (Chicago, Illinois).

Antisemitic incidents were up a whopping 140% last year, many taking place on college campuses. Harassment, vandalism, assault, hate slurs – all after the events in Israel on October 7 that claimed 1,200 Israeli lives. Brickner has served as executive director of Jews for Jesus and believes Jewish people worldwide are starting to question if western civilization learned enough from the slaughter of Jewish people during the holocaust. “The fact that Jewish people exist to this very day, despite the Hamans, Herods, Hitlers and more recently, Hamas who have tried to destroy us, offers some of the most compelling evidence that God is real and keeps His promises.” Brickner explains how God’s redemptive plan for mankind through the Jewish people means redemption for all people who embrace God’s promises (San Francisco, California).

Today’s youth are struggling. Three in five adolescent girls and one in three boys struggle with deep depression and sadness. While there are numerous reasons cited for these disturbing figures. Schadt did research with more than 3,000 students and discovered kids’ bad behavior, or self-destructive behavior comes from roots they are not even conscious of. He suggests that kids start to shut down, withdraw, rebel, become depressed, or engage in self-destructive behavior when relationships become strained. He encourages parents to engage in open dialogue with their kids – not a top-down approach that often leads kids to stuff their true feelings, hurts, and fears. “One of the reasons our kids develop negative core beliefs is that we have unintentionally shut down their tears and anger, which are God’s cleansing tools for our hearts” (Durango, Colorado).

In a world where technology is moving at warp speed (90 percent of the “big data” has produced worldwide has been created in just the last two years), anxiety and depression are rising (1 in 6 adults), political instability, financial uncertainty, and crime keep us in cortisol overload. According to Abujamra, a pediatric emergency room doctor, “Few people predict the turbulence and pain that life brings.” She says the most common words she hears from patients are, “I didn’t see this coming.” She says we think, “If God doesn’t provide what we think we need, we’ll find a way to get it without His help.” The problem is, sometimes no matter what we do, things still don’t go as we planned. Life won’t always measure up to our expectations but reminding ourselves of God’s faithfulness can sustain us (Chicago, Illinois).

“Radical individualism has spread like a cancer in American society to the extent that sacrifice now looks like weakness” says Letts, the CEO of In-Vest and staunch support of law enforcement nationwide. He identifies the causes that have turned our country upside-down, explains the impact of liberal ideology, and shares dozens of stories about how we got to where we are. “Dissent being labeled inappropriate is the first indication that free speech and moral values are being stifled,” he says. From sexuality to education, gun control, racism, abortion, and alternative families, Letts argues that traditional beliefs and behaviors keep people healthier, happier, and saner. He ends by explaining what people of faith must do to counter the surge of irrationality and immorality (Columbia, South Carolina).

God ordained human government is to restrain evil and punish evildoers. Tragically, our governments have consistently failed to protect their citizens from all forms of lawlessness, hunger, diseases, wars, natural disasters, and human suffering. Will this misery ever end? Does God give us any hope for the future? Jones gives us a glimpse of what life will be like when Jesus sets up His kingdom on earth and reigns with His people. The Coming Millennial Kingdom explores God’s answer to the failure of human government and describes the 1,000-year reign of Jesus Christ on earth after His return (McKinney, Texas).

“This culture of convenience and all it seems to offer—including an increased sense of isolation—has robbed of us more than we realize,” says McMenamin. She describes how external factors like technology have isolated people not only from each other but have resulted in internal forces of self-imposed isolation as well, such as a sense of inadequacy developed from spending time on social media. What’s more, loneliness is a struggle from which no one—man or woman, married or single, Christian or non-Christian—is immune. “Loneliness has a way of creeping up on us unnoticed,” Cindi writes, “through a series of subconscious and tech-enabled habits that lead us to one day look around and think, ‘Where have all my friends gone?’” (San Marcos, California).

America is changing fast. Politics, religion, education, the family—all have undergone seismic changes in recent years. A mere 4 percent of Americans hold beliefs consistent with the core truths taught in the Bible. And attitudes toward Christians have also changed. Many people now see Christianity as a problem and are actively seeking to keep Christian influence out of the public square. According to Crain, the shift has happened in people’s underlying views on the nature of reality. She says the culture is increasingly hostile to Christians because they publicly advocate for values that run contrary to those cherished by a society that prizes the authority of the self. “People will be offended by the gospel alone. They’ll also be offended by the truths that underlie the gospel and the truths that flow from the implications of the gospel. We can’t separate all that to somehow minimize the offense—it’s all one package of things that are true” (Orange, California).

If women need love, men need respect. All too often, women don’t feel loved, and men don’t feel appreciated. Roesner says that while all marriages are not created to be the same, making small adjustments in how we express ourselves can make a world of difference in the quality of our marriages. The Respect Dare is a series of 40 dares, or challenges designed for women who want greater intimacy in their marriage. Instead of suffering from the dismal death of your dreams, Roesner encourages readers to take the challenge by finding ways to encourage your husband and build him up rather than tear him down (Cincinnati, Ohio).

Church scandals. Pastors falling into sexual sin or greed. While these are not new occurrences, these failures hurt the Church and create disillusionment. But what happens when a church, or denomination, is in doctrinal error? A pastor in the Worldwide Church of God, Valekis had bought into the doctrinal error for decades. When the entire denomination repented and began moving toward evangelicalism, abandoning doctrinal error and legalism, Valekis moved with the reconfigured denomination. “I wanted to live in Christ more fully and show others how to do the same. I was transitioning from a cult to Evangelicalism.” He shares about his own journey, his love for God, and how the scales eventually fell from his eyes like the Apostle Paul on the road to Damacus (Tipp City, Ohio).

American culture has gone off the rails” says Ingraham. “It’s seeking to tear down norms and healthy ways of living.” He says that authentic hope is not found in discovering and living “your truth.” Instead, there is one truth and it comes from God alone. The founder of the Love and Truth Network, a ministry that trains and equips pastors and Christian leaders to develop environments of safety and transformation. Garry and his wife, Melissa, both came out of identity confusion to discover Christ’s transforming freedom (Phoenix, Arizona).

“Apologetics in an ever-changing culture must be about taking timeless truths and applying them to timely issues and challenges,” says Dr. Sean McDowell. He reiterates what has become a troubling trend: young people rejecting the church or abandoning faith altogether (the nones). He says, “We need to have courage to engage contemporary issues with clarity and conviction.” He explains we need apologetics in the church today more than ever. Christian students are being bombarded by anti-Christian messages on social media, in the classroom, and from their friends. “Quite obviously, times have changed and will continue to change more rapidly than ever. And yet, the gospel remains the same, God remains the same, Scripture is still true” (San Juan Capistrano, California

Suicide, Depression, Anxiety. It’s not just young people who feel hopeless; adults struggle too. Women aged 40-55 seem to be hit the hardest. In her book, Haddock says, “Those who try to live based on everyone else’s expectations have greater chances of developing depression and anxiety-related disorders.” She says, “Jesus offers you freedom from oppression, depression, anxiety, overwhelming thoughts, and spiritual defeat.” She identifies the enemies of our physical, mental, and spiritual health – the flesh, the enemy, and the world. (East Conway, South Carolina).

A growing body of scientific research supports the idea that humans are, in fact, one group, not many. The Bible doesn’t categorize or assign value to humans based on culture or physical features. Instead, it provides a framework for understanding where we came from, what it means to be human, and how we should treat one another. We must live in a way that demonstrates our belief in the inherent dignity and worth of every human being. The problem is, so-called microaggressions may have nothing to do with racism at all. The reality that all humans are created in the image of God forms the foundation for the Christian response against racism. The authors (Duson is black and Bontrager is white) answer tough questions about racism (Redlands, California).

Sin is passe. Overrated. Obsolete. Part of the past guilt-inducing Patriarchal religious system – or so many want us to believe. This leaves us to do what seems right in our own eyes, what gets us ahead, or keeps us in power. According to pollster George Barna, “Concern about personal sin is on the wane in the United States.” Most of don’t believe in absolute truth or that the Bible is authoritative. And 70-percent think they are basically good. Yet the Bible tells us otherwise, that the heart of man is deceitful. Radio host and pastor, Clauson says the emphasis on sin has shifted and wrongdoing seen as a pathology. We’ve removed personal responsibility for our sinful choices. “It’s the hiding of sin that compounds the effects of sin. Some don’t hide it, they rationalize it, minimize, or try to outrun it,” says Clauson. The good news is that we don’t need to be stuck in endless patterns. “It’s never too late, and you’re never too old” (Chicago, Illinois).

People are stressed, anxious, and tired at rates rarely seen before. 70% of workers experienced burnout over the previous year. 38% of pastors reported considering quitting due to fatigue and burnout. He distinguishes between healthy stress and burnout and gives us practical tips for how to balance life, work, faith, and health. He encourages us to know our personality type — perfectionists have higher burnout rates (Seattle, WA).

American evangelism is deeply divided. Denominations are splitting, many churches are dying, and being known as a Christian is now a social negative. The number of self-identifying Christians is declining, church attendance is declining, and more young people are leaving the church and their faith. But it is not time to panic. According to Erisman and Pope, living in a polarizing culture is nothing new. They point to numerous examples in the Bible, explain how godly men and women navigated tough situations, and encourage us to do the same. The authors identify five responses in our increasingly post-Christian culture. These include resignation and assimilation, withdrawal and retrenchment, fear, seeking power, and anger (Seattle, Washington).