BOOK NOTES -- Here are five new books that I have recently read and now recommend to you. The first four authors are gracEmail subscribers.

One Body, One Bread, Al Maxey (Publish America, 228 pp., 2010). Subtitled "An Examination of Eucharistic Expectation, Evolution and Extremism," this is a fascinating survey of controversies related to the Lord's Supper, especially among Churches of Christ. If "supper," must it be in the evening? Must it be in an upper room? Fermented or unfermented wine? Leavened or unleavened bread? Broken before or after served? How many cups? Are those who insist on full immersion for baptism inconsistent by reducing this "supper" to a "pinch and a sip?" Did you know that Martin Luther pounded the table in an argument about Christ's presence in the Eucharist? That "hocus pocus" was a corruption of "this is my body" in Latin? That theologians once protected the host (bread) from mice because if they ate it they would live forever and infest heaven? This book is thorough and fascinating -- in short, Al Maxey at his best!

Compelling Evidence for God and the Bible: Finding Truth in an Age of Doubt, Douglas A. Jacoby (Harvest House Publishers, 260 pp., 2010). I had the pleasure of meeting and visiting with Doug Jacoby at Pepperdine Lectures this past May, and found him as kind and winsome as he is educated and urbane. Trained at Duke, Harvard and Drew, Doug has preached or lectured in over 400 cities in 100 countries. In these 13 chapters he discusses God, the Word of God, the Son of God, and the Pursuit of God, then gives three encores on Bible study, the Trinity, and apparent contradictions in the Bible. Solidly evangelical but not a fundamentalist, Doug will have the ear of today's generation who already have important questions to ask someone who knows and cares. In my opinion, Jacoby fits both qualifications.

Natural Law: Universal in Scope, Moral in Design, Stanley W. Paher (Nevada Publications, 124 pp., 2010). Stanley has been my friend for nearly 50 years and he is still studying and writing both religious and non-religious books. This latest, subtitled "The Biblical Doctrine of Available Light," works through the Scriptures to show that God has always held people accountable for what he has given them (revelation, opportunities, talents), and that he will finally judge each person based on that individual's response to the light they had. If this is a new concept to you, this book will stretch your mind and perhaps comfort your heart as well.

Life's Too Short to Miss the Big Picture: Making the Most of What's Important, Steve Diggs (Leafwood Publishers, 224 pp., 2010). When not appearing on CNN, Fox, CBS Radio and other network outlets, Steve Diggs is busy sharing life skills and advice on personal finances at churches and other events. Highly successful himself by earthly standards, Steve's core message is that "there's more to life than money can buy" and that "life is too short to miss out on what's most important." This book of 70 short and very readable chapters will add quality to readers' lives, no matter what their financial circumstances might be.

Son of Hamas, Mosab Hassan Yousef (Saltriver, 265 pp., 2010). Son of a Hamas co-founder, Yousef, now 31, turned against his father's terrorist organization as a teenager, then devoted ten years to helping Israeli Intelligence as an informer. Along the way, Yousef became a Christian, after a British man who did not know his identity invited him to a home Bible study. In 2007, Yousef moved to California and this month was granted asylum in the USA. Here he speaks through a professional journalist to relate a fascinating tale of murder, torture, plotting and intrigue. Yousef even tells the solution to Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which, not surprisingly, has nothing to do with politics or world governments.