by Randy Bishop
Christ’s love compels us. Taken from 2 Corinthians 5:14, that message has become our theme for June on NewHopeDigital.com!
If God had not loved us first, we would have nothing (see 1 John 4:19). But because He has showered us with His love in Christ, we can do nothing less than live out a life of love before our co-workers, our neighbors, our family, our nation, and the nations of the world.
This month we’re featuring 2 outstanding books written by 3 authors who are actively advancing the mission of God through their lives and have been doing so for years.
Compelled: Living the Mission of God by Ed Stetzer and Philip Nation challenges readers first to understand the love of God and then embrace their calling within His mission to the world. (Check out a free sample here.)
Ed and Philip are living out the call of God in their personal lives in numerous ways. Both Nashville area residents, Ed recently planted Grace Church and serves as the lead pastor while Philip serves as the equipping/teaching pastor for The Fellowship.
Philip Nation will be contributing 2 columns on motivations and perspectives for missional living, scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, June 18 and 19.
You can already listen to 2 podcasts with Philip, one here and one here. The latter focuses on both Compelled and The Mission of God Study Bible—another Ed and Philip project. This study Bible is an important contribution to missions resources for the church at large, and Compelled makes a great practical companion to add to it.
Friend to Friend by Edna Ellison is a shared study of the Book of Philippians. (Check out a free sample here.) What a joyful book to study 
together with another woman or group of women!
Considered a Christian mentoring guru in some circles, Edna is dedicated to helping women study the Word and to seeing women grow together in the love and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
A podcast on Friend to Friend and Edna’s classic, Woman to Woman, will be airing later this month.
I’d also like to note 2 books of special significance coming soon; book pages are up for both. First, the 10th anniversary edition of the influential Called and Accountable by Henry T. Blackaby and Norman C. Blackaby is scheduled to go on sale in August 2012. This work is a bold sequel to Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God.
Then there’s The Deliverer, the third and final installment in the “Freedom” series of novels on human trafficking authored by Kathi Macias. It’s also scheduled for August release.
