To Thine Own Self Be... Nice

David Marell understands that his meditations aren't going to save the world, lead folks to enlightenment or prepare them for spiritual rebirth. It's more likely that they'll just help someone get a bit of perspective after a fantastically annoying day. In Be Generous: 101 Meditations and Suggestions to Get You Through the Day (and Night), Marell presents supershort meditations for everyday situations, such as stubbing one's toe, getting cut off in traffic or talking to the phone company (repeat "It does no good to hate the phone company" five times, followed by deep breaths). There's nothing earth-shattering here, but since many people can't figure out these quiet lessons on their own without shelling out 13 bucks for them, the collection is well worth the money. The meditations get deeper as the book goes on, with later entries focusing on death, impermanence, peace and the hereafter. (Conari/Red Wheel/Weiser, $12.95 paper 128p ISBN 1-57324-867-3; Apr.)

What are the hidden messages of our bodies and our minds? Sue Minns, a hypnotherapist and spiritual healer in Britain, suggests some answers in Be Your Own Soul Doctor: Ten Ways to Heal Your Spirit. New Age readers will enjoy this well-illustrated, if at times superficial, guide to understanding auras, breaths, chakras, crystals, the sixth sense and the body-mind connection, among other topics. Throughout, the book contains practical exercises and "soul focus" sidebars to help readers reflect on what has been presented. (Cico [Trafalgar Square, dist.], $19.95 paper 160p ISBN 1-903116-21-X; Apr.)

Charles Colson

In 1992, Charles Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship International, penned The Body, an important work on how Christians have emphasized individualism to the detriment of the church, or "the body." More than a decade later, Colson is back with Being the Body, a revised and updated edition of his award-winning book. It opens with the gripping personal accounts of several September 11 survivors, then states that in the immediate days following the World Trade Center attacks, the church was at last doing what it is supposed to do: it was "being the body." As time went on, Christians' purpose veered off course, and the sense of community that was forged by the tragedy faded into memory. The book draws upon politics, philosophy and religion, demonstrating Colson's trademark breadth in its quest to foster Christian community. While some nonevangelical readers will likely be offended by aspects of the book (such as its broad generalizations about Islam), it will certainly be as influential and provocative as its predecessor. (W, $24.99 450p ISBN 0-8499-1752-2; Apr. 22)

Colson is not only the author of a forthcoming book, but also the subject of one. This month, Broadman and Holman will publish John Perry's Charles Colson: A Biography. An unofficial biography that benefited from its subject's cooperation, this book focuses on Colson's early life as a campaign strategist, then follows his pivotal stint as a Nixon aide during Watergate. It's a workmanlike account, carved firmly into the genres of the evangelical conversion narrative and the hagiography. Its conversion-as-culmination ending neglects some of Colson's most inspiring accomplishments, which are quickly summarized in a final chapter. Colson's own autobiography remains a superior choice. ($22.99 235p ISBN 0-8054-2512-8)

Forgiveness and Prayer

After betrayal, rejection or hurt, many people find the task of forgiveness almost impossible. In A Forgiving Heart, Prayers for Blessing and Reconciliation, Lyn Klug does not attempt to provide answers to some of the most vexing questions in the forgiveness process. (Why should I forgive? How will I know if I've truly forgiven someone or been forgiven? Are some things unforgivable?) What she does—and does beautifully—is offer a well-crafted collection of quotations and prayers about many different aspects of forgiveness, thereby stimulating readers' own thinking about these issues. Included are thoughts from the likes of Henri Nouwen, Frederick Buechner, Marianne Williamson, Thich Nhat Hanh, Saint Francis de Sales and C.S. Lewis. There are poetry and prayers from classic and contemporary works, loosely arranged by theme. Klug's lovely compilation will help many people on the difficult road to forgiveness. (Augsburg, $15.99 208p ISBN 0-8066-3997-0; Mar.)

Prayer, according to William J. and Randy Petersen, is not about using God to get what we want, but about forging a relationship with God. Still, it's the miraculous success stories that find their way into the Petersens' book 100 Amazing Answers to Prayer, a collection of people's accounts of how they have been saved from probable death, alerted to avoid dangerous situations "just in the nick of time," or miraculously led to the one person who needed to hear the gospel message. Some of the stories are about celebrities or have been ripped from the headlines; others are from ordinary folks who feel they have received direct answers to prayer in the form of weather miracles, guardian angels, inexplicable healings or sudden windfalls. The stories are memorable, but the book is very similar to others already on the market, including a recent series by Karen Kingsbury. (Revell, $12.99 paper 224p ISBN 0-8007-5831-5; Mar.)

The Proverbs 31 Woman

Since time immemorial, pastors and theologians have weighed in on the "valiant woman" of Proverbs 31, finding in the acrostic Hebrew poem a recipe for a perfect wife. New England minister Matthew Henry wrote in the 18th century, for example, that the biblical passage showed that a woman should keep to her sphere: "She applies herself to the business that is proper for her. It is not in a scholar's business, or statesman's business, that she employs herself, but in women's business; She seeks wool and flax." In recent years, feminists have recovered other aspects of the Proverbs 31 ideal, noting that the woman was an entrepreneur, household manager and ancient real estate agent. In Discovering the Treasures of a Godly Woman, Elizabeth George offers a fairly balanced Bible study about Proverbs 31, stressing traditional interpretations while also emphasizing the heroine's many strengths. While the content is similar to many other evangelical books, George's is distinguished by its attention to poetic devices and linguistic issues. Its interactive workbook style will also encourage readers to engage the text for themselves. (Harvest House, $6.99 paper 160p ISBN 0-7369-0818-8; Mar.)