Best Books 

One day, in 2005, a young lady in Nashville picked up the phone, stated her name and phone number, and then sang an Aretha Franklin song for twenty seconds. The submission was among a multitude of vocalists who aspired to break into the music industry. Three days later, she got a return call that changed her life. As a top ten finalist in the subsequent season of American Idol, Mandisa went on to record multiple Christian albums and won a Grammy in 2014.

In her new book, Out of the Dark- My Journey Through the Shadows to Find God’s Joy (K-Love Books), Mandisa shares her story of faith. From her days as a singer at Fisk University, then the American Idol experience, and on to her career as a Christian recording artist, Mandisa explores both the high points and the difficult and dark times. When her close friend died of cancer, Mandisa felt betrayed by God. Although her music celebrated the victorious power and presence of God, the darkness and depression deepened. When she hit bottom and felt as though God had abandoned her, the light began to overcome the darkness. Through the love of God, the compassionate intervention of friends, and the companionship of her beloved “praise puppy” Kiya, Mandisa rediscovered a life of joy, hope, and wholeness.

Like Mandisa, we all go through difficult days. Sometimes they are the result of poor choices, but some come simply because the world is broken. We can’t always choose what happens to us. We can, however, choose how we respond to God during tough times. We can be angry and bitter towards Him, or we can trust Him and lean into the hope that is found only in God. Out of the Dark reminds us, just as the Apostle John wrote long ago, that “God is light and in Him, there is no darkness at all.”

-Darrel Holcombe, Owner

Sanctuary Christian Books and Gifts

Colonial Promenade, Alabaster 

www.sanctuarychristianbooksandgifts.com 

205-663-2370

Best Books 

Whether you are getting married or have been married for days or years, in-law drama does not have to be part of your life. Even if you have been spared the drama and have a great relationship, you can always find new ways to make it better.

Relationships with in-laws can seem like a nightmare. If you’ve ever faced difficulty with your spouse’s parents, you’re not alone. The good news is there is hope. Early in her marriage, Hannarich Asiedu discovered how to change her focus and perception. It revolutionized her relationship with her in-laws. She is passionate about offering helpful strategies to take hopeless relationships with a spouse’s parents to one filled with hope and endless possibilities. The key is mastering mindsets. Decoding the In-Law Code will give you helpful tips to take in-law relationships from one of despair to one of endless possibilities.

Written in a conversational and humorous style with real-life examples and scriptural references, you’ll have a guide to show you how to:

• Identify unique in-law problems,
• See in-laws through a new lens,
• Know what to do when all is still not enough,
• Engage in meaningful conversations, and
• Enjoy blessings by honoring your in-laws.

Peaceful and loving relations are obtainable with your in-laws. Get ready to be encouraged and to see change as you learn about Decoding the In-Law Code. Find Decoding the In-Law Code wherever books are sold. †

Best Books

Long ago, a group of women walked through the darkness of night into a garden. As the first hint of dawn began to breach the horizon, they neared their destination. Confusion and fear clung to them, but love compelled them forward. Suddenly, an earthquake shattered the silence, announcing the advent of a new world. Within minutes the women became the first evangelists of the good news that the tomb was empty, Jesus rose, and the Kingdom of God was still at hand.

In a beautiful children’s book, ‘Twas the Morning of Easter (Zonderkidz), the story of Mary Magdalene and the women who accompanied her to the garden tomb of Jesus is wonderfully offered by writer Glenys Nellist. Perhaps even more impressive is the artistry of the illustrator, Elena Selivanova. Rich in color and detail, every page is lovely enough to capture the appreciation of a child. With its artistry and rhythmic writing, ‘Twas the Morning of Easter reflects the joy and hope that is deeply embedded in the Easter story.

The resurrection of Jesus changed everything. Easter means that the brutal powers of this world will be shaken, that despair will give way to joy, that darkness must yield to light. Rome doesn’t win, hatred and sin and injustice will not stand forever, the resurrection will conquer death. ‘Twas the Morning of Easter joyfully reminds us that in the end, Jesus wins. 

Christ has risen. He has risen indeed.

-Darrel Holcombe, Owner

Sanctuary Christian Books and Gifts

Colonial Promenade, Alabaster 

www.sanctuarychristianbooksandgifts.com 

205-663-2370

Best Books

Distractions can steal your joy. They can definitely steal your purpose. Billie Jauss tried to overcome a season of feeling unsettled and uncertain by simplifying her schedule and taking control of life’s chaos. It didn’t solve all her issues. 

Jauss realized it wasn’t the external distractions but the emotional barriers producing feelings of discouragement and defeat. Through detoxing from the emotional toxins, realigning priorities, and creating a spiritual health plan, she claimed confidence and found fulfillment not in adding one more thing but in realizing God’s best things. 

Distraction Detox: Release Emotional Barriers, Restructure Priorities, and Realize God’s Best will help women:

Determine their internal distractions.

Evaluate their emotional barriers.

Terminate the toxins to hear, trust, and go.

Outline a plan to identify God’s best things.

eXecute the plan.

The rewards of Distraction Detox are discovering God’s best for our individual lives and releasing confidence, peace, and fulfillment within us. Known for her passion for inspiring women in their spiritual growth, Jauss provides practical and useful biblical guidance for Christian women to find peace and fulfillment. In addition to Distraction Detox, she’s the author of Making Room: Doing Less So God Can Do More. Jauss is also a speaker with Compassion International. Her podcast, start small BELIEVE BIG, offers guidance to live life with meaning, one step, decision, and action at a time.

Pick up Distraction Detox from your favorite book retailer. †

Best Books

Imagine for a moment that everything we thought and felt was being broadcast to the public via a screen above our head. Every thought. Every desire. Every emotion. What if the world could see past our pleasant demeanor and polite discourse? What if the world could see who we truly are, deep inside? It’s a terrifying prospect, for the sad reality is that being a Christian does not solve our propensity to sin. In many ways, the last few years have exhibited to the world just how ungodly God’s people can be. The screen was up, and we put on quite a show.

Lent is a season for mourning our ungodliness and contemplating our continuous need for God’s mercy and grace. In her new book, Bitter and Sweet – A Journey into Easter (Harvest House Publishing), Tsh Oxenreider provides God’s people a resource for observing the Lenten season. From Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday, each day has a prayer, Scripture reading, devotional, and artistic suggestion to assist the reader during this season of contrition over our sinfulness and of gratitude for Jesus’ redemption of the world. Owning our sinfulness, our pride and wrath, and selfishness, is not a pleasant experience. The season of Lent is a time when we face the truth of who we really are, the person only God sees. But it is also a season that magnifies the majesty of God’s offer of redemption. There is, indeed, a bitter and sweet dimension to the Lenten journey. Assessing the sins of those around us is a universal human instinct. Resources like Bitter and Sweet turn our attention away from the sins of others and prompt us to confess our own sins.

Perhaps Lent 2022 can be a time when we show the world what genuine repentance looks like. We have shown the world our sinfulness – our selfishness, callousness, and wrath. Maybe if we mourned our sin before the world, the world would be more receptive to our message of salvation. One day, we will fully enter the kingdom of God and sin will no longer reside within us. Until then, we will continue to need Lent as a reminder that we are all, even the best of us, unworthy recipients of God’s merciful grace.

Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy on us all.

-Darrel Holcombe, Owner

Sanctuary Christian Books and Gifts

Colonial Promenade, Alabaster 

www.sanctuarychristianbooksandgifts.com 

205-663-2370

Best Books 

Disciple-making is not a program; it’s a lifestyle. This one truth has the power to change your life and to literally the world. Think about it. The early church was a church without walls. Unlike today, they had no church buildings or ministry budgets. However, they had something we often lack. The one thing these early believers knew how to do was the one thing Jesus taught them to do. They knew how to multiply. Jesus poured His short life into making disciples who make disciples who make disciples.

Plain and simple, the early church was a grassroots disciple-making movement. It was an unstoppable movement of common people who were big on social justice and sharing the good news of the gospel. With no buildings or budgets, these early believers multiplied greatly, and the fame of Jesus spread across the earth. The authorities of the world could not contain it. Not even the gates of hell could prevail against it. If only the gospel had continued to spread like that, the church could have accomplished the Great Commission many centuries ago. 

For the first three and a half centuries of church history, this movement could not be stopped, but tragically, it did stop. A grassroots movement was replaced by professional clergy. Disciple-making people were replaced with ecclesiastical programs. Consequently, the movement died. A church that once made Jesus famous was replaced by one that has often made Him infamous, and dark ages followed. Throughout history, there have been times when godly people have tried to revive the movement, but it has never returned to the great force it once was when it turned the world upside down for Christ. 

If the church today wants to reestablish itself as a powerful force on earth for the gospel of Christ, it must return to the movement that Jesus began. The key to global evangelism is not the megachurch, but the many churches of all sizes willing to rekindle the flames of a once powerful disciple-making movement. 

Jesus once said that His followers would do “greater works” than Him (John 14:12). Do you believe Him? Will you join Him in this work? Disciple-making is the greater work. If you would like to join in this work, read my new book: The Greater Work. Many books talk about disciple-making; this one will teach how.

-Bill Wilks 

www.lifebiblestudy.com

Best Books

One day, long ago, a Jewish Christian pastor in Jerusalem heard some disconcerting news. Christianity was a new way of being a person of faith, and some churches were struggling with what being a follower meant, both in beliefs and in practice. James wrote a letter to the church and informed them their conduct was antithetical to the teachings of Jesus. Their doctrine was not the problem, it was their preferential treatment of people.

In a wonderful new children’s book, The Big Wide Welcome (The Good Book Publishing), Trillia Newbell tells the story of James and the church that learned to love all people. Having favorite foods, toys, and colors is fine. Playing favorites with people is absolutely not. In James’ case, the church was treating poor congregants as less important than wealthy ones. Showing favoritism towards one group over another is a troublesome human instinct, deeply embedded within us. But it is not acceptable in the kingdom of God and we must unlearn that way of living. Favoritism based on race, social status, language, and intellectual ability has always plagued the church, but we can overcome it when the gospel is taken seriously. The concept of inclusion is inherent in the teachings of Jesus. When inclusion is embraced, the church is in sync with the heart of God. When the church excludes or shows preferential treatment, it does so in violation of the gospel.

One of the things I love about The Big Wide Welcome is that Newbell does not present inclusion as a drudgery as if accepting others without prejudice is a distasteful burden. When we treat others who are different as Jesus would, inclusion and equality become a catalyst for joy. The church of Jesus is enhanced, not diminished, by diversity. The Big Wide Welcome is a celebration of the good news that all people are valued and loved by God, and we should, therefore, value and love one another.

-Darrel Holcombe, Owner

Sanctuary Christian Books and Gifts

Colonial Promenade, Alabaster 

www.sanctuarychristianbooksandgifts.com 

205-663-2370

Best Books 

What is the path for fulfilling our God-given purpose? My book Made for Eden: Promises and Provisions of the Life God Created You to Live describes God’s intention for mankind. I wrote it to show how God renews us to a life in and by His presence and power, through Jesus’ sacrifice, and to present the path to full restoration that He promises for His own upon His return. We have a vital role in His kingdom now, as children and ambassadors, and in the future, when He forms the new earth, and we receive an inheritance beyond our wildest hopes. “Our choice is to believe God is who He says He is, and therefore we are who He says we are: sons and daughters of His household.”

I write from the premise that we need to synthesize all that the Bible says about how God relates to His people, what it says about Him and about us, so we walk in the certainty of what we’ve been saved from and restored to. The sample size in the Bible of life without sin is small, for after Creation, Genesis so quickly details the Fall. But God’s design for us was not lost once sin happened. We must lean on God’s pronouncements about mankind before sin entered Eden to discern God’s original purpose. He says man is made in His image and is to be fruitful and multiply, ruling the earth.

God had given them all they needed to live in their purpose in Eden, and His presence walked with them. That purpose remains, so we must measure the fulfillment of our relationship with Him today by our Creator’s viewpoint. “Ultimately, the purpose we are made for can only be established by the One who made us. How well are we doing in the purpose in which our Creator says we should succeed? … We were created as a reflection of the Divine. God gave us a responsibility: to rule over creation! We were made to steward what belongs to God. We were made for Eden.”

The book explores what it means to be a new creation, why the life of Jesus was so powerful, and why the gospel is such good news. The book also offers perspective on suffering and evil in light of God’s promises for now and the future. I hope readers receive hope from the many demonstrations of God’s love. 

-Dr. Bryan McIntosh 

www.newhopepublishers.com

Best Books

A couple of months ago I endorsed Another Gospel – A Lifelong Christian Seeks Truth in Response to Progressive Christianity by Alisa Childers. Another Gospel is the fascinating story of Childers’ encounter with progressive theology, the dangers she perceived in the movement, and her subsequent return to a more conservative community of faith.

This month I am endorsing a book that comes from the opposite end of the theological spectrum between conservative Christianity and progressive theology. Rachel Held Evans, an Alabama native, was a shining star in the progressive cosmos until her untimely death in 2019. Raised within conservative evangelicalism, Evans became a powerful voice within a community of Christians for whom conservative Christianity no longer resonated. She was both loved and despised as a result. When she died, multitudes of Christians flooded social media with testimonies of how Rachel enhanced their faith. There were also Christians who believed that her death may have been an act of God designed to protect the church from apostasy.

When Rachel died in 2019, Jeff Chu took Evans’ unpublished essays and unfinished work in progress and developed Wholehearted Faith (HarperOne). It is a book for those who may be filled with doubts, for those who harbor unwelcome questions, for those who cannot honestly embrace doctrinal certitude. It is for those who are terrified as their faith deconstructs, for those who no longer feel at home in the church of their youth. It is for those whom Jesus loves when the church does not. But I am not endorsing Wholehearted Faith for Rachel’s intended readers. I’m endorsing Evans’ book because every conservative Christian should read it. 

Every progressive Christian should read Another Gospel, and every conservative Christian should read Wholehearted Faith. Read the other side. While the writers present very different views on important matters of faith, their love for Jesus and their deep desire to honestly practice their faith are present on every page. The authors reflect two communities within the one body of Christ.

-Darrel Holcombe, Owner

Sanctuary Christian Books and Gifts

Colonial Promenade, Alabaster 

www.sanctuarychristianbooksandgifts.com 

205-663-2370