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Desperation Band songwriter Glenn Packiam says that just having a heart for lost souls doesn't bring them to Christ. "But hands used to make a meal, build a shed, clean a home or wash some feet," Glenn says, "are doing 'the good work that God has prepared in advance for us to do.'" In Butterfly in Brazil: How Your Life Can Make a World of Difference (Tyndale), Glenn focuses on the butterfly effect: how an individual's life can create lasting change by staying faithful in small tasks. He compares this strategy to Nehemiah, who devoted his life to rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem and never wavered in his faith, even when faced with violent opposition. Packed with story after story of sacrificial love and giving, Butterfly in Brazil is an empowering book that just might inspire you to change your life and your community.

Mandisa may be an American Idol star, but she also has her own share of struggles, triumphs and insecurities. Mandisa's autobiography, Idoleyes: My New Perspective on Faith, Fat and Fame (Tyndale), offers a candid look into the experiences that have shaped the singer musically and spiritually, including confidence-crushing comments about her weight, the encouragement she found from caring Christian friends, and the confusion she faced after her elimination in American Idol. Mandisa urges readers to rejoice in their true inner beauty, trustingly hand their dreams to God, and strive to communicate with Jesus through highs and lows.

In A Deeper Level (Whitaker), Israel Houghton, worship leader and songwriter for New Breed, encourages readers to develop their own worship lifestyle and venture into places they have never gone before with a full heart. His book includes powerful insights from New Breed musicians as they plunge into their own deeper journey to discover God, as well as inspirational Bible verses, New Breed song lyrics and thought-provoking chapter questions for personal study.

"God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house. God is in the silence of a mother who has infected her child with a virus that will end both their lives. … and God is with us if we are with them," said Bono, U2's lead singer, when he spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast in 2006. On the Move (Thomas Nelson) is Bono's moving speech to those national leaders who attended this event, and includes powerful photographs of children he met in Ethiopia. Bono, who helped create the ONE Campaign and PRODUCT(RED), believes God is on the move with a world-rocking mission: to assist people suffering from poverty and the AIDS crisis. Get a copy of On the Move, pass it around to your friends at school and youth group, and share Bono's powerful message, shocking statistics and enlightening Scripture verses.

When Martin Smith wrote the Delirious hit, "I Could Sing of Your Love Forever," the beauty of God's creation stunned him. The words and the tune that would become a well-known worship song poured out of him. Now, in Stories, Reflections and Devotions (Regal), Martin and fellow band member Stu G share their encounters with God, the inspirations behind various Delirious songs, and their experiences of playing music around the world. Through the authors' personal reflections, you'll explore amazing stories and devotional insights on grace, transformation, grief, and the kind of hope and love that last forever.

Copyright © 2008 by the author or Christianity Today International/Ignite Your Faith magazine.
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