David Zahl

A Fruitful Life

Bible Studies & Devotionals

“I can think of no portion of the Bible that calls for a companion guide more than Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. There are simply too many treasures to unearth to move through it quickly or haphazardly. What a gift, then, that Ashley and Bryce Hales have put together such a marvelous study guide for this most world- and life-changing of passages. Full of fresh insight, genuine usefulness, and a palpable love for the one who preached, I have no doubt that A Fruitful Life will bear abundant fruit itself.”

A Quid without Any Quo

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“Don’t tell him I said so, but Jason Micheli is my favorite preacher. He never fails to proclaim the radical freedom (and enduring offense!) of the gospel with heart and humor and without fingers crossed in the slightest. Galatians is already a powder keg; in Jason’s hands, it becomes a neutron bomb of fathomless grace. Watch out, reader, you’re about to get leveled. Essential stuff.”

A Time to Question Everything

Christian Living

“Engaging, endearing, and refreshingly down-to-earth, A Time to Question Everything invites the reader into one man's very real and very human life—and God's constant grace in the midst of it. The title is thankfully no misnomer: White embraces uncertainty with courage and charm, challenging our assumptions of what Christianity is like by giving scores of everyday examples. A wonderful and deeply edifying addition to the conversation on grace in the Christian life.”

Dementia and the Church

Counseling, Grief & Mental Health

“There's no subtle way to put it: Dementia and the Church should be assigned reading for seminarians, clergypersons, pastoral care professionals, and counselors the world over. In it, Dr. Mary McDaniel Cail sheds desperately needed light on the crucible of cognitive decline and how best to care pastorally for those who live with it--which my decades in Christian ministry have shown me is many more people than we realize. This beautifully written, impressively well-researched, and deeply compassionate book is a gift to the church and all those who seek to embody the grace of God to sufferers.”

Evangelism in an Age of Despair

Christian Living

“Andrew Root is my personal go-to when it comes to expositing the spiritual landscape in which we live. His unparalleled insight never fails to inspire compassion for my neighbors and renewed excitement about my faith. Evangelism in an Age of Despair is another astounding contribution in this regard, a book that dares to rehabilitate Christian evangelism in fresh and heartfelt ways, with urgency but without alarm or anxiety. I greatly needed this book (and the consolation to which it points). So too, I’d expect, does the world—to say nothing of the church. Highly, highly recommended.”

Liturgy in the Wilderness

Prayer & Spiritual Formation

“What a gift Dan Marotta has given those of us for whom "wilderness" feels like the rule rather than the exception of life! With the courage of a convert and the tenderness of a seasoned pastor, Dan draws a map for pilgrims of all kinds, shedding fresh light not only on the Lord's Prayer but on the subversive nature of liturgy itself. By the end of the book, I have a hunch the wilderness will feel a little less wild, and God's grace a little closer at hand.”

Movies Are Prayers

Arts & Literature

“Spoiler alert: Josh Larsen's Movies Are Prayers will have you reevaluating your relationship not just to the silver screen, but to story itself. Displaying a prodigious breadth of knowledge and an infectious passion for his subject, Larsen draws an invaluable map of the vast spiritual landscape staked out by cinema while outlining a persuasive, and dare I say exciting, approach to the life of faith—indeed, to life, period. Expansive, gracious, and beautifully written. I'm saying a prayer of grateful awe right now.”

Nervous Systems

Christian Living

“An extraordinary—and extraordinarily wide-ranging—tour through the valleys of anxiety that shape so much of modern life, Nervous Systems brims with rare candor, wisdom, and humor. So practical too! Billups makes for an ideal guide for thorny terrain: open yet anchored, humble yet unafraid to interrogate uncomfortable truths about herself and others. The result is a book that exudes not just insight and courage but grace. The sparkling prose doesn’t hurt either. I loved it.”

Reformation Riches for the Contemporary Church

Christian Living

“With unswerving clarity, Bruins more than delivers on his promise of unwrapping the lost treasures of the Reformation--a project that could hardly be more urgent for a church sunk in performancism and relevance-chasing. His passion for the 'really, really good news' of the authentic Gospel of Jesus Christ is as infectious as his grasp of the material is masterful.”

Sober Spirituality

Christian Living

“What a balm this book is! And not just for those acquainted with addiction (but for them too). My friend Erin Jean Warde offers hard-won wisdom and precious pastoral guidance to anyone in need of tangible hope to get through the day. Sober Spirituality is a beautiful and vital reminder that while our belovedness doesn’t begin when we are in recovery, the grace of God can sustain us in that journey, come what may.”

The Great Belonging

Christian Living

“Charlotte Donlon covers her twin subjects of isolation and alienation in ways that help the reader not only get through them but hold them and learn from them graciously. Somehow both timely and timeless--highly recommended.”

Upside-Down Spirituality

Christian Living

“Chad Bird has done it again: written a soul-stirring guide to grace in everyday life, brimming with heart, insight, and poetry. Along the way, he inverts the expectations that creep into our heads, pointing to the comfort and freedom of the gospel. I am so grateful for his voice and ministry.”

You Are a Tree

Christian Living

“I’d use a metaphor to describe this book’s specialness (a treasure! a deep well!), but that wouldn’t do it justice. Extraordinarily creative and beautifully written, You Are a Tree is a soul-stirring companion to life in God’s world that will enrich the spirit of all who read it. Highly recommended!”