Beauty Sells, but What's Beautiful?

From today's vantage point beauty is defined by personal tastes and popular opinions. But in God's eyes, what is true beauty? If the Bible could define what beauty is, what would the outcome be?

In The Purple Curtain, pastor Brian Chan examines beauty from a biblical perspective and how it affects our relationship with God. Chan contends that understanding true beauty can change broken people as they discover more of God's loveliness and--in turn--grow to love Him more. He explores cultural ideas about beauty from historical and contemporary philosophers, artists, writers, films, art and stories.

Readers will learn how they can recognize authentic beauty daily and will be challenged to make beauty out of brokenness as they grow in God's love and as witnesses of Christ.

Brian S. Chan was born in San Francisco as a Chinese American and is married to Ellen. He graduated from the University of California, Davis, with B.A.'s in psychology and sociology and from Dallas Theological Seminary with a Th.M. in historical theology and a M.A. in Christian Education. He completed his thesis study on the subject of the beauty of God. He has exhibited his artwork in the San Francisco Bay area, Chicago and Dallas. He is the founding and lead pastor of One Thing Church in Hollywood, CA, and a faculty member at Biola University. A passionate love for God drives him to pastor, write, create and live.

For more information on The Purple Curtain, click here. 

Modern, Meaningful Proverbs Inspire Others

In the ancient world scholars believed that wisdom was best demonstrated by the capacity to reduce a complex truth about the world into one brief, poignant remark.

In One-Liners to Live By, Dr. William E. Anderson dishes out his own brand of "ancient wisdom" by sharing 500 meaningful nuggets of God's truth. These proverbial truths are sure to encourage, challenge, and edify any wisdom-seeker.

Dr. Anderson is a graduate of Baylor University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He recently retired from Calvary Baptist Church in Clearwater, FL, at which he was senior pastor for 27 years. Since then he has acted as interim pastor of First Baptist Churches of Euless, Wichita Falls, Dallas, and Sulphur Springs, TX.

Do You Know God's Purpose for Your Life?

In a new book published by CrossHouse Publishing, Hannibal Book's sister imprint, the author addresses how to determine God's purpose for your life, as well as how to live out that purpose.

Discovering your purpose in life and then living for that purpose can be challenging. In a practical, conversational style, Kelsha T. Jones honestly shares her journey from feeling homeless in her life, to running from God's plan, to embracing and enjoying her newfound calling in Stop Running from the Calling of God.

Along with questions designed for personal reflection and a study of what God's Word says about the subject, Kelsha answers questions such as, How do I determine what God's will is for my life?, What will happen if I submit to God's will?, and Why do I still encounter difficult circumstances if I'm following God's plan? To help fellow believers pursue their purpose in life, Kelsha's story and biblical advice will guide Christians to stop running from God's plan and start living with a renewed direction and understanding that brings ultimate personal fulfillment.

Can a belief in evolution and Christianity co-exist?

Many outspoken scientists believe the theory of evolution is fact; therefore, some Christians feel compelled to reconcile evolution with their biblical beliefs. Sam McCormick felt the same way yet was uneasy about compromising the inerrancy of Scripture. After years of believing evolution fit into his biblical views, Sam was introduced to surprising information that sparked a three-year exhaustive study of the theories of evolution and six-day creation.

In a substantial but easy-to-understand way, Sam dives head-first into these theories in his new book, Evolution: How a Theory Made a Monkey Out of Man. Using research from countless scientists and other sources Sam examines evolution and creation first on a scientific basis and then with a biblical foundation. Through a look into details such as Natural Law, the geologic column, the missing links of Lucy and other fossils, evidence for the biblical flood and the complexity of living cells, Sam provides a solid starting point from which both Christians and non-Christians can evaluate and then learn to defend their own beliefs.