signsoflifebooks.com

I liked Paul Johnson’s Churchill before I ever started reading it.  The four cover photos of the great man taken from various phases of his life remind you that this is no ordinary life being documented - world class journalist, soldier, statesman, and artist are all alluded to in the photos.  And of course, just to see the two names “Churchill” and “Paul Johnson” on the same cover should be sufficient enticement to dive in.

This is a slim volume - under 200 pages.  Many have attempted to write exhaustive biographies, but what Johnson offers us is more like a sketch - all the outlines are there, but many of the details are left to the imagination.  I especially appreciated Johnson’s various summaries of aspects of Churchill’s life, e.g. ten reasons to answer in the affirmative the question whether Churchill singlehandedly saved Britain in WWII, or five lessons to learn from the life of Churchill.

Paul Johnson has a well-deserved reputation as a master of historical analysis.  His book credits include Modern Times and A History of the American People.  This volume on Churchill can do nothing but enhance that reputation.  The very next book I want to read is Johnson’s very latest:  Jesus:  A Biography from a Believer.

Order Churchill here.

This winter has been brutal. It’s time for a bit of floral relief! While the first crocuses and daffodils are still weeks away, you’ll be able to see some magnificent botanical images in our newest show.

Starting Friday, March 5th and running through April, Signs of Life will present a botanical show in the South Gallery. This show includes the work of a dozen of our favorite artists, plus a few people new to Signs of Life. We collected some verdant new work and augmented it with florals from our inventory to offer you a beautiful early spring bouquet.

Artists include Justin Augsburg, Mary Clinkenbeard, Jeremiah Colona-Romano, Donna Dennis *, Wayne Forte, Mary Jane Grinter*, Paul Hodvedt, Diane Lawrence*, Krista McClenahan*, Doug Osa, Paul Powis, Mark Weber, Shannon White, Chris Willey, and James Winn. (asterisk denotes artist is new to our gallery).

Visit our gallery site for more info.

Last May we reviewed the first book in Andrew Klavan’s “Homelanders” suspense series for teens, The Last Thing I Remember.  Our main point was, if you have a teen who’s not that into reading, this might be your entree.

The second book in the series, The Long Way Home, has just been released and it doesn’t disappoint.  Charlie West is an 18-year-old fugitive with a one year gap in his memory during which time he is supposed to have murdered his ex-best friend, escaped from prison, then from a domestic terrorist organization, the Homelanders.  In this installment Charlie returns to his hometown to sleuth out what really happened.  He teams up with his old high-school buddies and the cute girl who claims they fell in love during the missing year.  Along the way he grapples with issues of right and wrong, human nature, and what is really real.

Andrew Klavan was an award-winning author of adult crime novels before converting to Christianity.  He brings to his young adult stories a high level of craft not usually seen in this genre.  That is why we are confident that your teenager will read - and enjoy - this series.

Don’t miss the New Show!

Opening reception Friday, Jan 22 from 7 to 10 pm. Click here for a preview.

Signs of Life is featuring a new CD from a local composer. In Responsorial Psalms for Advent and Christmas, Brian Nelson presents a collection of original Psalm settings. Deeply rooted in the chant tradition, but with a fresh new sound, Brian’s music reflects both his classical training as a composer and his deeply held Christian faith.

Here are two samples:

Psalm 122
Psalm 126

Purchase here.

These richly colored figures of Melchior, Balthasar and Caspar bring the Three Kings to life like never before. The figures are regally adorned in bright colors and dramatic detail. Designed to stand apart from a nativity set, these figures show the Magi as they gaze towards the Christmas Star on their journey to Bethlehem.

Each of the life-like figures carries a chest that opens to reveal the Original Gifts of Christmas – real Gold, Frankincense & Myrrh. The Christmas star rises from a gold & silver base on a rod dotted with flecks of stars in the night sky.

We also have the deluxe set of brass appliqued wooden boxes that are hand-made and lined with red satin.  Display your Gold, Frankincense & Myrrh along with your Nativity Set and bring new meaning to our tradition of giving gifts at Christmastime.

Signs of Life is delighted to be able to host southern singer/songwriter Pierce Pettis for the next in our series of “intimate evenings with . . .”

Pettis, who has spent a lifetime crafting finely-wrought, heart-touching songs, will share his music in the Signs of Life gallery on Nov. 13th, 2009 at 8:00pm

Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 at the door if any remain. To purchase, stop by 722 Massachusetts St. in Lawrence, KS; call 785-830-8030; or click here.

Pierce Pettis links:  myspace - website

John Hendrix, whose art our gallery has represented in the past, has written and illustrated a new children’s book - John Brown:  His Fight for Freedom.

Though Hendrix’s intended audience is children, I think anyone can appreciate this book.  I learned a lot from reading it about a man who is inextricably linked to the history of our area.

I find it commendable that Hendrix doesn’t talk down to his audience.  In fact, parents or teachers will have to explain certain words to students or, heaven forfend, they might need to look them up in a dictionary!

The caricaturistic images and bold calligraphy make John Brown appear larger than life, but the text portrays a real man with both wonderful and terrible qualities.  Hendrix describes a simple man who wants to take seriously Jesus’ admonition to love one another.  By desiring not just freedom for the black man, but equality, Brown went far beyond the general abolitionist sentiment of the day.  Brown’s fervor caused a massacre at Pottawatomie Creek, but his zeal for human equality exceeded even that of the celebrated abolitionist Frederick Douglass who noted “I could live for the slave, but he could die for him.”

We are in the planning stages at Signs of Life for an event tentatively titled Bleeding Kansas: Sights and Sounds to be held Oct 24th.  The day will feature a book signing by John Hendrix and exhibit of artwork from the book as well as music by Jed Marum who has worked on the soundtracks for film maker Kenneth Spurgeon’s Bleeding Kansas documentaries.  We will announce details of the events as they become available.

Many Lawrencians will remember Dr. David Cook.  He taught sports psychology at KU in the 1980s and 90s and was one of the founders of Grace Evangelical Presbyterian Church.  Now he has a book out titled Golf’s Sacred Journey.  It’s a self-help book written in the style of a novel.  A young tour pro is about to call it quits when he finds an unlikely cowboy mentor on a dusty golf course in tiny Utopia, TX.  Now I’m not a golfer, so I wasn’t expecting much when I read it, frankly.  However, I found it to be a fascinating read with spot-on advice for living life to the fullest.  Every golfer will love it and want extra copies to give away to friends.  At Signs of Life, we stocked up, not only because we know all of David’s personal friends will want a copy, but because we believe this book might be the next big thing.  With endorsements by David’s former clients David Robinson and Stan Utley, as well as Zig Ziglar, Tom Lehman, Max Lucado and others, you know it will generate great interest!

Oh, and another special thing about this one, it has a hole in it - from the front cover clear through the text.  Reminds me of a board book we used to read to the kids.  order here

Ninety-four percent of college professors think they are above average at their work. Seventy percent of High School seniors think they surpass their peers in leadership ability. And we all know about Lake Woebegone. Philosopher Gregg Ten Elshof offers plenty of evidence that we all fool ourselves about many things. So why is it that few Christian writers discuss self-deception? And when was the last time you heard a sermon about the perils of deceiving ourselves?

It didn’t used to be that way, claims Ten Elshof in his new book I Told Me So: Self-deception and the Christian Life. Prior to the 20th century, self-deception was high on every theologian’s list of “thou shalt not”s, chiefly because it leads directly to much more serious sins such as unbelief. Today, however, what is most highly prized is authenticity. Being genuine, being yourself, is valued so much that no one is willing to think of himself as a phoney. Yet we are. We deceive ourselves all the time - remember those professors who can’t all be above average? So since we must be authentic at all costs, but we know we aren’t, we have to demote self-deception from our list of top sins.

Intrigued? That’s just the beginning. After revealing various strategies we use to conceal the truth from ourselves, Ten Elshof goes on to show how self-deception is not necessarily a bad thing. But of course we must be wise, and this book is an excellent way to begin acquiring the requisite discernment. Would I kid me?  order here