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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?

OK, so why would a Christian publishing company want to encourage teens to “Live Like a Rock Star”? That’s the promotional theme for a new teen fiction book by longtime suspense standard Brandilyn Collins and her daughter. The book, about the daughter of a rock star who stumbles across a dead body backstage, is touted as “Seatbelt Suspense® for young adults”. Fair enough. Might even be a good book. But, excuse me Zondervan, why would you want to feed such vapid dreams as wanting to become rich and/or famous? What would Jesus do? Wow, I think I’d like to become a rock star, dude.

Teens age 13-18: Enter the Rayne Tour Series’ “Live Like a Rock Star” Sweepstakes today! Grand Prize: $850 night on the town, including dinner for 6 and limo service. First 200 entrants get a free copy of Always Watching.
Go here to enter.

No, better go here instead.

The moment I finished reading Adopted for Life by Russell Moore, I did something I rarely do: I sent the author an e-mail thanking him for the way he blessed me through his writing. I told him that possibly the one thing I didn’t like about his book was the difficulty I had reading through the water that kept inexplicably forming in my eyes.

This was a very moving book for me. Yes, my wife and I are in the middle of the process of adopting two children, that certainly has a lot to do with it. But I think many people will find this book very moving, whether or not you’ve ever given much thought to adoption. This is not only about the recurring New Testament theme of being adopted into God’s family. And it is not only about adopting children into our own families. But it is about the interplay of the two and a call for Christians and churches to place a much higher priority on adoption than we have hitherto.

In saying “adoption is greater than the universe” Pastor John Piper of Bethlehem Baptist church in Minneapolis is not engaging in hyperbole. It is a saying worth trying to wrap our minds around. If you just have a few minutes, watch Piper’s video clip below. But if you have a few hours, read Moore’s book. It is important, and you will be greatly rewarded for the effort.

In Me, Myself and Bob, VeggieTales creator Phil Visher has written “A True Story about Dreams, God, and Talking Vegetables”.  He observes that living longer allows time for more disappointments, challenging hard lessons, and the sometimes painful consequences of earlier decisions. Growing older with God’s Grace requires developing more honesty, more transparency, and more humility in dealing with the losses and setbacks that will happen over time. This is not a shallow book about children’s entertainment, but a powerful and personal story about success, business failure, and a deepening walk with God. The author’s honesty offers practical hope and solid encouragement to those who have experienced major setbacks and disappointments.

Groundbreaking! This is the first word that pops into my head to describe Ender’s Game, which is part character study, part social commentary and all thought-provoking science fiction.

Written in 1977 by Orson Scott Card, the book gave its initial readers a sneak peak into the Internet, video games, laser guns, and other forms of technology that have become commonplace today. Well, maybe not so much laser guns … but you get the idea.

Whether you’re a sci-fi fan or not, we expect you’ll be engaged in Card’s exploration of such themes as the corrupting influence of power, human rights, and man’s capacity for both good and evil. Not to mention man’s capacity to fight alien hordes with laser guns.

These brief reviews are intended, not only to highlight new books but also to recommend ones that have been around a while that our customers may have missed. Several years ago this book had the whole staff laughing out loud.

Although punctuation could be considered a somewhat mundane or academic topic, Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynn Truss goes way beyond being a rulebook. Truss, an admitted stickler for accurate punctuation, looks at the decline of its proper use throughout our culture, remarking that, from the grocer to instant messenger, it appears the accepted rules for punctuation are either not learned or ignored by the general public. Truss takes a stand for written communication and the necessity of good punctuation, while demonstrating that the beauty and nuance of the English language are lost without those little marks that lead the reader to understand what the writer has intended. And in case you don’t get the humor, next time you’re in a restaurant beware of the panda that eats, shoots and leaves.

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And she loves smoothies at Signs of Life! So in honor of Lydia, we’re running a special on smoothies from 5/26/09 through 5/30/09. Click her smiling face to get the coupon!

Stepping Heavenward is a fabulous book, written in the form of an old-fashioned journal full of dialogue, correspondence, and some excerpts of classic Christian literature. The author, Elizabeth Prentiss (1818 -1878) was the daughter of an early nineteenth-century revival preacher. Published in 1869 Stepping Heavenward carries a refreshing old-time flavor, while relaying the timeless truths of dependence on God, love for your neighbor, and the paradoxical joy found through sharing in Christ’s suffering. The book follows Katherine from age 16 through various stages of life as she grows in wisdom. Here are some words from a letter Katherine receives from an older woman, mentor, and friend, who has suffered much and is about to die. She writes of any mature Christian saying, “He is not only a creature in Jesus Christ, but has the habitual and blessed consciousness that this is so.” This book aims to help us in our path heavenward, and succeeds wonderfully.

In Sod and Stubble, sometimes controversial Kansas University Professor John Ise uses the experiences of his own family as early homesteaders in Osborne County, from 1870 to the turn of the century, to let readers in on what it was like to live in such a world.   Fires, picnics, draughts, parties, insect infestations, bumper crops, poverty, prosperity, births, and deaths – all were part of the everyday lives of his family and their friends.

All who have read this expanded edition of the original 1936 novel, which includes detailed annotations and four recently discovered chapters, agree that it reveals the true nature of a Kansas pioneer family and their struggles in establishing themselves on the Great Plains.

Stunning! 300 years of Russian history in 90 minutes! An intense, beautiful, long, slow single fluid take—instead of a fast cut montage—pulls us in to experience Aleksandr Sokurov’s unique film, Russian Ark. Film as art doesn’t rise to a higher standard! Russian history is presented visually through the eye of one camera, in real time, in one take, with thousands of live actors and orchestral musicians in period costume on location in the historic Winter Palace in St. Petersburg. A visual feast unsurpassed! A technological marvel – the first feature shot in high definition, uncompressed video recorded entirely on hard drives powered by batteries. One continuous shot from beginning to end was all they had—there was no opportunity for a second take! And it worked!