Monthly Archives: November 2021

Advent through the eyes of hope

FAITH NEWS SERVICE – In our chaotic world, we need the reminder that hope is still alive. As we head into the winter season, we get to experience the beauty of Christmas. It’s more than tinsel and cookies and giving gifts. The beauty of Christmas is exploring the true gift of Christmas in Luke 1 and 2.

When we look back over the year at the tumult and triumphs we may have endured, it is powerful to remind ourselves that because of Jesus—as Isaiah prophesied, our “Immanuel”—our God is with us. This means that in the day to day and changing seasons, God is with us. In sadness and celebration, God is with us. And even in the breakups and restorations, God is ever with us.

Hope Has Come: An Advent Devotional is a family-style devotional to be read each day in December leading up to Christmas. Experience and explore the most incredible story ever told. The advent story. Jesus came, and He is our living hope.

With a heart for Jesus and for others to really know Him, author Jayne Patton says, “My prayer is that through writing, the messages God gives me will minister to those who may never hear me speak. Writing leaves a mark that speaking can’t. Perhaps someone will pick it up after I’m long gone, and the Lord will continue to use it to encourage them.” This beautiful and interactive devotional is relatable, enjoyable, and understandable—for families to enjoy each and every Christmas season.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jayne Patton is a veteran speaker of over twenty years in women’s ministry. She is the founder and managing director of Altered Ministries (a 501[c] 3), an author, and a popular speaker at women’s events around the country. While she loves to read in her spare time, she can always be bribed with Mexican food and never ever turns down a double-stuffed Oreo. Visit her at www.alteredministries.com.

www.facebook.com/AlteredMinistries/

www.instagram.com/alteredministries/

For review copies and media interviews, contact 3ms4me@gmail.com.

 

 

Debut novelist wins national contest for spiritual warfare teen book

FAITH NEWS SERVICE – Jill K. Willis couldn’t find quality young adult fiction for her two teens that didn’t involve witches, vampires, or werewolves, so she accepted a friend’s challenge to write an alternative. She sold her public relations firm and devoted herself to writing her first novel.

“I wanted to give my kids a clean read,” Jill says. “Something with a touch of paranormal but biblically based. After all, God works supernatural miracles every day.”

Teens today are drawn to the supernatural, which made sense to Jill since it’s an imaginative escape from a mundane high school day. But instead of immersing readers in fantasy worlds, she wanted to offer engaging stories grounded in the true spiritual battles taking place around them.

In The Demons Among Us, siblings Joy and Daniel McLain cope with the constant pressure to excel. Joy is gunning for valedictorian. Daniel has his heart set on leading the JV soccer team to victory. They’re on course to rack up honors and trophies. Nothing can deter them.

But when a messenger angel visits them with a warning, they are forced to confront spiritual realities they didn’t know existed. Seemingly harmless teenage activities turn into a high-stakes battle for their lives and souls. Joy, Daniel, and their friends must learn the power of prayer, truth, and the One who lives within them to beat back their very real demons.

This fast-paced novel, winner of the American Christian Fiction Writers’ 2020 Genesis Contest in the young adult category, offers teen readers adventure and suspense, teaching them to stay alert for deception. Not everything is as it seems, and it takes courage to face the truth.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jill K. Willis is a former journalist and public relations specialist turned fiction author. She is a founding member of the Storyteller Squad, a blog for teens who love to read and write. As a mom of two grown children and as a senior-high Sunday school teacher, she knows the struggles teens encounter. She wants to point them to the love of God and the truth of His Word. Jill lives in northern Georgia with her husband and a one-eyed cat.

For review copies and media interviews, contact: jill@jillkwillis.com.

Connect with Jill at:
Website and blog — https://jillkwillis.com
Goodreads — https://www.goodreads.com/jill_willis
Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/jillkwillis.writer
Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/jillkwillis/

Abuse overcomer’s tell-all book aims to inspire other women caught in abuse

FAITH NEWS SERVICEDo you long for a functional family?

It took Jakki Civeriati 26 years to overcome the cycle of emotional abuse she had lived in all her life. Jakki grew up in a family with emotionally abusive behaviours such as rage, verbal abuse, name calling, jealousy, gas lighting, and destructive criticism. At nineteen, Jakki married her first husband, a relationship that spanned sixteen years, where she was subjected to behaviours of domestic violence and emotional abuse.

Desiring to do more than just retell her story, she chose to share the many lessons that God taught her over those 26 years in her book Goodbye for Now or Goodbye Forever – Footsteps to a functional family. He had placed the tools in her hands to overcome and she saw the need to place those same tools in the hands of other women, influencing the lives of those who were suffering as she had.

When Jakki chose to leave an emotionally abusive marriage she had no children at the time, making her story much less complicated than what it is like for thousands of other women. Not every woman can just leave an abusive relationship; not every woman has a place to go, an income to survive on, family support, or even community support—they are caring for their children and their only means of survival is to stay.

Jakki’s goal was to write a book to help women who are coping with people who display emotionally abusive behaviours. These relationships aren’t bound to romantic relationships, but the abuse could come from parents, in-laws, a sibling, a boss, a friend, or even a pastor. When you either can’t leave or you have made a choice not to leave, how to do you live in these relationships without having your life and heart disintegrate under the painful behaviours you face?

As Jakki pursued Christ and served Him in her local church, God began to reveal her true identity. The countless instances of emotional abuse had become the building blocks of her soul, cementing in her the fruit of that treatment: rejection, shame, worthlessness, and the belief that she was unlovable. Jakki says, “This meant that I attracted the type of people into my life with behaviours that were familiar to me, so the cycle of abuse just continued.”

The Lord taught her first about His love and value for her—her identity in Christ. She didn’t learn this in one Bible study, it was outworked into her life through each painful situation she faced as she returned to His Word time and time again. Over the years, He laid new building blocks, digging up the old lies and beliefs and laying down His truths.

In the midst of discovering her value, the Lord allowed her to face very hard situations where she had to have a voice and stand up for herself, remembering that He was her fortress and strong tower. She also learned how to set boundaries that strengthened and prepared her for what was to come. These tools and more are presented in her book Goodbye for Now or Goodbye Forever.

So often we leave an abusive relationship, only to find ourselves in another not long after. Why? Because we don’t take the time to understand why we attract those types of people into our lives. Jakki says, “I had to heal so I could attract healthy people into my life.” A cry from her heart was that the Lord would do whatever He needed to do within her that would enable her to attract a man from a healthy, functional family. She shares the importance of going back to our family of origin and unpacking the brokenness from our childhood, allowing the Lord to change us from the inside out so that we can attract healthy people into our lives.

Goodbye for Now or Goodbye Forever is a journey of courage and overcoming, facing the abuse in your life, and learning how to manage your response to those emotionally abusive behaviours. It is a story of embracing loss and grief, finding restoration in the romance of God, and a dream being realised—a functional, loving marriage and family.

If you or someone you know feels trapped within ongoing abusive behaviours, Goodbye for Now or Goodbye Forever will help you to commence that life changing discovery of managing your response to emotionally abusive behaviour and breaking free from the cycle of emotional abuse.

About the Author

Jakki Civeriati is a speaker, senior graphic designer, and a Country Music recording artist who lives in Sydney with her husband, Marco and their son. Jakki provides relationship coaching to help women who find themselves in the cycle of emotional abuse to overcome.
https://sheovercame.com.

New Redemption Press Book Names Eve as Revolutionary and encourages self-reflection

FAITH NEWS SERVICE – 2020 marks the centennial of the nineteenth Amendment, which granted US women the right to vote and was a huge step in gaining women’s equality. Today, women still fight for equal rights and use recognition of women’s achievements as one manner to continue to effect positive change.

The world’s first woman, Eve, is not frequently among recognized women noted for their remarkable achievements. Yet she is considered revolutionary by some.

Becoming Revolutionary, by Analisa Turnow and Jillian Marie, explores the life of Eve. Though she is most remembered for her sin, Eve persevered through the pain and shame of her mistake to experience God’s unconditional love and mercy, which left her praising God and becoming the mother of the future generation

“You can be revolutionary but still have problems and dysfunction,” said Turnow. “Becoming Revolutionary helps women to see that they can overcome their sin, blame, shame, and hiding, as Eve did, to live a life that glorifies God.”

“Nevertheless, she persisted” was the rallying cry for the 2018 National Women’s Month.** The cry is true of Eve. She persisted and became an overcomer despite her reputation. Eve didn’t stay in the darkness and isolation of her shame. Becoming Revolutionary states, “When Eve stepped out, she became revolutionary. She was not destroyed.”

Becoming Revolutionary provides opportunities for purposeful self-reflection to guide readers to step out of their darkness into Christ’s perfect love that covers sin and shame and casts out all fear.

“Revolutionary women, like Eve, are often not appreciated in their time,” Marie says. “Our book will help women who feel in bondage of their mistakes and shame to embrace the fact that we have a revolutionary Savior who enables us to live revolutionary lives.”

Becoming Revolutionary is written for women in all walks of life who want to leave a transformational legacy for the next generation. Cullison and Turnow hope the book will help women identify dysfunctional patterns in their own lives and persevere to live a life worthy of legacy.

*https://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/19th-amendment-1

**https://time.com/5175901/elizabeth-warren-nevertheless-she-persisted-meaning/

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Analisa Turnow is founder of Ellis Ministries, a nonprofit organization with the mission to love the broken, equip believers, and ignite passion in women. Through the ministry, she has spoken to and taught hundreds of women at conferences and retreats to help them find their identities in Christ. She also works as a high school transition specialist and is an organic farm specialist for the USDA.

Jillian Marie enjoys speaking engagements at women’s conferences through Ellis Ministries. She also writes Bible studies and focuses on living each day with purpose and looking at every opportunity with hope and love. She works as a physician assistant and also enjoys a career in education.

For review copies and media interviews, contact:
Analisa Turnow, Email: aturnow@gmail.com
Jillian Marie, Email: Jillian.cullison@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ellis-Ministries-108516090561362/?modal=admin_todo_tour
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellisministries/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MinistriesEllis

New Redemption Press book examines God’s grace

FAITH NEWS SERVICE – The COVID-19 pandemic has been a universal and omnipresent issue for more than a year, affecting the health, lifestyle, and many. Through mandated guidelines and sometimes personal sacrifices, we have been forced to consider others and look beyond ourselves.

Highlighting our common need for grace, Monsignor Terrence Sullivan said of the pandemic in his blog, “I have become more aware of how dependent we are on each other to do our part.”*

Recognizing humanity’s need to look beyond itself, in addition to the realized rewards of God’s grace in her own life, author Karen Pennington wrote An Anointed Mess: Discovering the Daily Adventure of Grace to encourage and inspire people to move toward more joyful and victorious living in Christ. “I’m grateful for all the life lessons God has taught me and that my journey has led me to lean into Him,” Pennington said.

“There’s something incredibly powerful about seeking out the Lord through Scripture in the midst of obstacles and challenges.” An Anointed Grace is fifteen years in the making—the eventual outcome of magazine articles Pennington published sharing her faith journey through a seemingly uncontrollable financial tailspin. Pennington received widespread feedback, convincing her that everyone’s unique stories, difficulties, and challenges are intimately connected and all in need of God’s grace.

Intended as an engaging and easy-to-read devotional or as a group study, Pennington hopes An Anointed Mess will inspire readers to manage life’s ups and downs with joy, faith, and integrity, whether dealing with daily chaos and frustrating inconvenience or major life hardships. Each stand-alone chapter of An Anointed Grace weaves together Pennington’s personal experiences with biblical parallels and common burdens of today—such as control, anxiety, forgiveness, and shame—along with questions for self-reflection.

“I want readers to discover that they can not only seek and receive God’s beautiful gift of grace but also become grace bearers,” she said. “And if we give Him our weakness and rely on His power, the Lord will transform our burdens to strengthen us and show us His glory.”

https://tvc.dsj.org/2020/08/02/this-pandemic-has-been-a-time-of-grace/

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
A devotional blogger committed to seeking the excellence, fun, and wisdom of God in daily living, Karen Pennington also has written and published Christian magazine articles. Her career has centered on education and Christian ministry, including local, regional, and national lay ministries; curriculum development; and conference and seminar planning. Karen now enjoys substitute teaching and serving at her church. She and her husband, Bill, live in Jamestown, New York, and consider church and Sunday family dinners—with granddaughter Amelia (the light of their lives), daughter Aletha, and son-in-law Baker—the highlight of each week. Second to being in the presence of those she loves, Karen’s happy places are the beach and in the middle of a good clearance sale.

For review copies and media interviews, contact: Karen Pennington
Email: karenmariepennington@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/An-Anointed-Mess-Discovering-The-Daily-Adventure-of-Grace-103345951818964
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-pennington-057a03b/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/karen_mess
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/an_anointed_mess/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99FfmP81hNM
Podcast: https://karenmariepennington.podbean.com/

 

New Redemption Press rhyming picture book lets children know they are loved and can share love

FAITH NEWS SERVICE – April marks National Poetry Month, a celebration of poetry’s important place in our lives. For children, poems that rhyme can be easily memorized and still remembered into adulthood. According to The Memory Institute, “Rhyme, rhythm, repetition and melody can all act as an aid to forming memories. Our brains have an amazing auditory capacity.”

Author Shelly Morrow Whitenburg hopes the rhyming stanzas of her new book, You Are a Gift! will be recited and recalled as children grow older. The book is written in flowing rhythm as a poem for young children to let them know they are loved and that they can be a blessing by sharing love with others.

“Every time I see a child, I think to myself what a gift they are to this world!” Shelly says. “This book and sweet rhyme will plant the seed of that important truth so that children can carry that message with them as they grow older and as life becomes more confusing and challenging.”

Morrow Whitenburg has authored books for children as well as adults. She feels that God’s hand was in the inspiration of You Are a Gift! With the title continuing to come to her mind, she wrote the poem in just one day.

“I want so much for children to understand that the gift of God’s love is within them and meant to shine,” she says. “The book encourages children that they can participate in sharing His love and that love can catch on with a smile and a hug and by being kind, helpful, patient, and caring.”

The book’s message is complemented with brightly colored whimsical illustrations perfect to capture young children’s attention. You Are a Gift! is intended for new readers or to be read to young children, who will enjoy learning to recite the poem.

https://poets.org/national-poetry-month**http://www.thememoryinstitute.com/poems-acronyms-rhymes-and-acrostics

THE AUTHOR:

Shelly Morrow Whitenburg authors books for both children and adults. Always in awe of God’s unfailing love, Shelly loves to help others see that God’s love is genuine and infinitely immeasurable. A native Texan, Shelly is married to her college sweetheart, and they have two adult children. After a career in human resources, Shelly cherished her role as a stay-at-home mom and a self-proclaimed “Manager of Domestic Affairs.” She embraces life and its boundless blessings every day.

For review copies and media interviews, contact:
Shelly Morrow Whitenburg shellymorrowwhitenburg@gmail.com
Facebook: https://fb.me/shellymorrowwhitenburg
Instagram: @shellymorrowwhitenburg

 

New Redemption Press release offers fresh perspective on discipling others through your everyday actions

FAITH NEWS SERVICE – According to the Pew Research Center, at least a quarter of Americans say their faith grew during the pandemic*—and devotional writer Matt Simon believes there’s no better time than now to exercise that faith and be an authentic example of Christ to others.

More than ever we live in a world in constant conflict, and Christians are not exempt from the battleground. In fact we are as broken as the next person, our own tragedies, mistakes, and bad choices shaping us, leading us to rely on Christ even more. As believers walking out our faith daily, facing our own challenges, we travel a road with weary and even lost souls—but that route is a target-rich environment for those who would use Christ’s message to revive God’s mission of grace on earth.

Blogger Matt Simon believes there’s a track to healing, and it begins with believers choosing to encourage, uplift, and offer words and acts of kindness to those who cross their paths. In his debut devotional Catching Broken Fish, based on Matthew 4:18, the author inspires each of us to step out our comfort zones and to embrace being examples of God’s love. Using illustrations drawn from his own life as a farmer and school bus driver, Matt takes the reader on a humble trek of discernment and serving—products, he discovered, of his own failure and growth.

“I invite you to practice discipleship with me,” Matt says. “No matter where you are in your life journey, in the belief that by uniting together in a goal to catch broken fish, we can change the destiny of the world.”

Each devotional includes a deeper “Casting the Line” section and a heartfelt prayer for change. Matt calls on Christians everywhere to search for opportunities every day to disciple those they come into contact with.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Matt Simon and the love of his life, his wife, Jeana, own a farm in western Michigan and raise Angus beef. While farming, Matt often spends hours in isolation in the cab of a tractor, where inspiration often strikes and from where he pens most of his devotionals. He also drives a school bus and finds that children inspire him to show what God’s love and grace look like. He and Jeana have three children. In his spare time, Matt enjoys writing, fishing, hunting, and camping.

 

New Redemption Press release keeps readers on the edge of their seats

FAITH NEWS SERVICEJust as the world is seeing breakthroughs in COVID-19 vaccines and heading toward normalcy, new release Desperately Mobile enters the pandemic and takes readers on a wild ride in a 1970 GTO–fueled suspense featuring a new artificial intelligent internet that could change users’ lives—or destroy them.

Though Brennan Koenig hangs out with a big-time scientist whose intelligent search engine, BrainTrust, could revive the economy after COVID-19, he’d  rather chat with his ex-girlfriends and tweak his 1970 GTO convertible than do just about anything else. But when he finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time and is wounded during an attack on the scientist, Brennan and his GTO engage in a desperate race against the clock to take out BrainTrust’s servers before a mysterious group, the Ploughmen, can infiltrate them for their own purposes. Whether this group was also in the wrong place at the wrong time, or if they were firmly planted there, in book 1 of The Ploughmen Series, the stakes are high—and they only go up from there.

“When people are put in situations where they have to reach down into some gritty place for more, it can sometimes be disturbing what they find there,”  says the author, Chuck Knochel. “I often wonder if this lies at the heart of my own PTSD, because it flies in the face of how I want to see myself. The characters in Desperately Mobile face real dilemmas and find themselves making decisions they would have never considered in the previous twenty-four hours.” 

 

The e-book contains links to the author’s website, which features audio from the characters and three mysterious videos. 

 

Though not overtly Christian, the story takes place from a Christian worldview, with fallen characters trying to find their way in a new normal. The book touches on Black Lives Matter, tax revolts, and China’s role in technology. 

 

The story takes place in a day and is book 1 of The Ploughmen Series. 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  

 

Chuck Knochel has written articles for small midwestern publications and worked construction in six states, plus the Caribbean, Australia, and Africa. He currently works for a Fortune 250 company doing large-scale environmental cleanups. Chuck has had nearly three decades of counseling for intense dissociative trauma and has counseled others experiencing the same. He also extensively studies the mind and its innate ability to fracture when dealing with the blows of trauma. He’s married to Kimberley, and they split their time between their home in Asheville, North Carolina, and their home in West Lafayette, Indiana. When in Indiana, they enjoy their GTO (featured on the cover of this book at Purdue University’s airport); their pit-bull mix, Honey; and their dream of creating a quite space for trauma survivors to rest and heal.  

New Redemption Press release challenges today’s church to compare treatment of homosexuality sin to other “acceptable sins”

FAITH NEWS SERVICE – In the wake of a new Supreme Court ruling that protects the rights of gay and transgender workers, it would seem the divide between conservative Christians and the LGBTQ+ community is wider than ever.

According to a New York Times article, “Even as more Americans have embraced the cause of gay rights, sexuality remains one of the most divisive issues in Christian communities.”1 But according to Pew Research findings, America’s Christians have come a long way in their acceptance, attitude, and opinion of same-sex attraction.2 Since 2007, views about homosexuality among Christians have increased from 44 percent to 54 percent in 2014.3

But still, the average churchgoer struggles internally with what the Bible says about homosexuality and what to think about it. The only thing that tends to get Christians to rethink their views is if they have a loved one or someone they know come out as gay. They are torn between what Scripture says about homosexual sin and loving their neighbor as themselves.

But according to author William Huckaby, there are other “acceptable sins” Christians seemingly turn a blind eye to, including the sins of gluttony, divorce, remarriage, pride, and other forms of sexual immorality, like adultery. He argues that even though these are serious sins, Christians don’t get as upset with people who commit them as they do with those who commit homosexual sin. His message? “Until Christians come to grips  with the fact that they are treating people unfairly, we will never represent the heart of God accurately.”

Huckaby, a professed born-again believer, used to take a staunch view against homosexuality and same-sex marriage. Having campaigned in 2000 against the homosexual agenda regarding California’s Prop 22, the California Defense of Marriage Act, Huckaby now believes God is moving him away from a judgmental attitude and toward the way God sees the homosexual—as persons He created and loves with His whole heart.

“The balance between mercy toward this sin of homosexuality with the truth of Scripture has largely been lost to the twenty-first-century church,” Huckaby says.

In his new book The Acceptable Sin, Huckaby reveals his own struggle with the sin of gluttony, which he spells out as “the acceptable sin” in today’s American church. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), obesity-related conditions include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer—some of the leading causes of preventable death.4 Gluttony is considered to be one of the seven deadly sins because, according to the Bible, it is a sin against one’s own body, much like smoking, drinking too much, and drug use (see 1 Corinthians 6:19–20).

“Few church members find this sin offensive,” Huckaby says. “Why? Because many of those within the church, both men and women, struggle with it and are therefore more tolerant of it.”

While the Bible may be clear that practicing homosexuality is a sin, how should that fact define a Christian’s approach to the people who are homosexual and the LGBTQ community? Huckaby wholeheartedly believes the church often makes every effort to resolve issues fairly, knowing their actions are often viewed by the world as representing the heart of God. But his concern is that the church is blowing it in this case.

“What the world often believes about God is based upon what they see in the actions of the church. My concern has to do with whether the church is representing God to the world in an accurate, biblical, and loving way on this issue. That’s why I wrote The Acceptable Sin. I want Christians to think, Are we having a positive impact on them? Are we building bridges or walls to the Kingdom of God?

1 https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/u-s-supreme-court-holds-that-title-vii-42239/

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/15/us/lgbtq-supreme-court-religious-freedom.html

https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/christians/christian/views-about-homosexuality/

4 “Adult Obesity Facts,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, accessed July 12, 2020, https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 
By day, William Huckaby works as a perfusionist, the person who runs the heart/lung machine during open heart surgery. In The Acceptable Sin, he sets out to explain God’s heart toward homosexual persons, who He created and loves with His whole heart. Knowing this message has largely been lost to the twenty-first-century church, William hopes to challenge the church to love them as Christ called us to. William and his wife, Cathleen, have been married for thirty-nine years and live in  northern California, and they have four adult sons.

For more information or for an interview, contact william@acceptablesin.com.

Connect with William at www.acceptablesin.com

Pennsylvania pastor’s ABC book teaches biblical truths to all ages

FAITH NEWS SERVICE – According to research by the Barna Group, 60 percent of young American Christians leave the church temporarily or even permanently after age fifteen. A quarter of those say a key reason for this disconnect is that “the Bible is not taught clearly or often enough.”*

J. Warner Wallace, Senior Fellow at the Colson Center for Christian Worldview and adjunct professor of apologetics at Talbot School of Theology (Biola University) and Southern Evangelical Seminary, agrees: “Much has been written about both the Biblical illiteracy of teenage believers and the flight of young people from the Church. . . . The growing statistics should alarm us enough as Church leaders to do something about the dilemma.”**

Enter pastor Tim Shorey. With An ABC Prayer to Jesus: Praise for Hearts Both Young and Old, Shorey presents rich theology couched in language and imagery accessible to children yet also appealing to teens and adults. In traditional alphabet-book style, each four-line stanza focuses on one letter to present names and attributes of Jesus in winsome ways. The verses draw on both the Old and New Testaments to convey the overarching biblical story of salvation. Rhyme and alliteration, enhanced by beautiful black-and-white illustrations in the style of woodcuts, help readers absorb and memorize biblical truths in the manner of traditional prayers and creeds. This unique Jesus-centered offering of worship and meditation will bring parents and children of all ages together. In a world that daily challenges the relevance of the Church, An ABC Prayer to Jesus provides an enduring foundation for faith.

*Barna Group. “Six Reasons Young Christians Leave Church.” Barna.com. 27 September 2011. https://www.barna.com/research/six-reasons-young-christians-leave-church/

**Warner Wallace, J. “Are Young People Really Leaving Christianity?” Cold-Case Christianity. 12 January 12 2019. https://coldcasechristianity.com/writings/are-young-people-really-leaving-christianity/

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tim Shorey grew up in Japan, the son of missionary parents who provided him with a heritage of faith and devotion. After receiving a BA in biblical literature from Northeastern Bible College, he worked as a pastor in New Jersey for three decades. Tim now serves as lead pastor of Risen Hope Church in Eastern Delaware County, Pennsylvania, where he lives with his wife, Gayline. Their six children and thirteen grandchildren—so far!—inspired Tim to create a winsome worship experience that teaches big truths for all ages.

For interview and other questions, contact Tim at respecttheimage@gmail.com.

Connect with Tim at these sites:
website: https://timothyshorey.com/
blog: https://timothyshorey.com/blog/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tmshorey
Facebook page devoted to my published resources: https://www.facebook.com/RTITimothyMShorey
Twitter: @timothymshorey

New book from Redemption Press offers purpose during trying times

FAITH NEWS SERVICE – According to a March 2020 poll from the American Psychiatric Association, more than one-third of Americans (36%) say coronavirus is having a serious impact on their mental health and most (59%) feel coronavirus is having a serious impact on their day-to-day lives.* With this new reality upending life as we know it and anxieties running high, many are searching for purpose and hope during these unprecedented times.

In Elaine Herman’s new thirty-day devotional book, Bloom! Serving God Where He Has Planted You, readers will discover how the timing of their birth, their personality, and their talents fit into His plan, and they’ll be inspired and equipped to start serving Him—right where they are. She demonstrates how God can use the trials of life for good and offers the encouraging message that God’s plans and purposes prevail. In an era of social-distancing, Hersman’s message of serving God from where you’re at also offers timely applications.

“God doesn’t need everyone to be a missionary, a pastor, a ministry leader, or a full-time ministry worker,” Hersman says. “He needs most of us to be ministering to the people we interact with during our day-to-day lives.” Even if that now means video conference calls with friends, kids at home, or fellow essential workers. Hersman encourages readers to seek out the ministry opportunities all around them, employing their unique talents and personalities to participate in God’s plan.

“God needs His people to be the light in a dark world,” Hersman says. “Let people see Jesus shining through you. We are all faced with choices every day in how we treat those around us. What we say and how we react to what others say and do is important. The more we rely on the Spirit to help us be like Jesus in those moments, the more beautifully we will bloom.”

*https://www.psychiatry.org/newsroom/news-releases/new-poll-covid-19-impacting-mental-well-being-americans-feeling-anxious-especially-for-loved-ones-older-adults-are-less-anxious

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Elaine Hersman is a nature lover, which led her to the garden theme in her debut book, Bloom: Serving Where God Has Planted You. Her fulfilling life includes studying God’s Word, working full-time as a senior executive with an insurance company, and spending time with her large family. She treasures Bible studies with her best friend, vacationing with her husband of thirty years in the many beautiful national parks in the US, and Elaine enjoys photography, bird watching, and cooking. Elaine has been called by God to share this message and prays that it will end up in the hands of those that God intended to read it . . . which could be you!

For review copies and media interviews, contact: ehersman@me.com.

Powerful New Book Discovers, Is Hope and Forgiveness after Loss Even Possible?

FAITH NEWS SERVICE – Sherri J. Cullison and her family stood outside in the darkness, a darkness that had never enveloped her as it did that night. Her home and her teenage daughter were now considered a crime scene.

Suicide is the nation’s second leading cause of death in fifteen to twenty-four-year-olds. One in six youth have contemplated suicide, while one in ten have attempted suicide. * Today’s youth are enmeshed in hopeless waters that they don’t see any hope for a cure. And some, if not all, feel unloved. Fourteen-year-old Sarah Cullison had shared her deepest fears and limiting beliefs in a note mailed to a friend—just hours before choosing to end her life.

Sherri says, “I believe suicide is one of the strongest tools yet that the enemy uses to destroy lives. Not just the ones who end their lives, but those left behind. That’s when we need to signal SOS and cry out to God.”

Through their years-long grief journey, Sherri, her husband, Ray, and the remaining children grappled with deep, devastating grief, numbing denial, and hard questions of why Sarah had died. A poem Sarah had written a few months before taking her life, describing what Jesus meant to her, comforted the family that, in spite of suicide, their Sarah was in heaven.

The raw and life-giving stories and Scriptures presented in SOS: A Mother’s Story of Survival, Rescue, and Hope in the Darkness of Teen Suicide describe Cullison’s grief walk, and how feeling disconnected from God can turn into the greatest rescue of all time.

Readers who have suffered loss, whether death or otherwise, and struggled with their faith will see God extend love, provide comfort, and begin to heal the empty places of their grieving hearts.

“This gripping and insightful book will not only arrest your heart, but it will also become a tool to aid you or others you know who are trying to deal with loss, pain, and inconceivable suffering.”
—Jay Lowder, Harvest Ministries

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
In 1999 Sherri J. Cullison walked the dark path of grief after her teenage daughter chose to end her life. God brought healing to her grieving heart, and she now connects with others individually and with various groups on overcoming devastation and loss. She and her husband, Ray, have counseled teens and families and have spoken internationally on overcoming life’s major storms. For three decades she has led worship teams and taught women’s Bible studies, and she also participates annually in a candlelight ceremony for family losses. She is a contributor for Out of the Overflow and has published various articles and newsletters. She and her family of two children and seven grandchildren live in northwest Arizona. Her hobbies include singing, playing piano, camping, and spending time with family.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sherri.cullison.10
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sherrijcullison/
Twitter https://www.twitter.com/SherriJCullison

For review copies and media interviews, contact Sherri J. Cullison at heart4jc78@gmail.com

*https://parentology.com/breaking-news-teen-suicide-rates-rising-in-2020/

Redemption Press Book Shares Struggles of Mental Illness and Depression on Marriage

FAITH NEWS SERVICE – Fifteen million adults are affected with major depression in the United States each year, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.* Depression is widespread and is even more on the rise in 2020, due to the devastating effects of the coronavirus pandemic; there was a 1,000 percent increase in calls to a federal emergency hotline for people in distress in April 2020, compared to the same time period in 2019.** Depression is especially hard on marriages. When one or more partners is depressed, the marriage is nine times more likely to end in divorce. ***

Carole Leathem knows first-hand about the strain depression and anxiety can put on a marriage, despite the promise to love through sickness and health. Carole’s husband, Bill, a pastor at the time, began a cycle of struggling with depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. Learning to deal with his episodes of anger and control, in addition to his thoughts of suicide, Leathem had to learn to fight not only for her forty-year marriage but also for her own survival and well-being. She documents her story in her new book, Finding Joy in My Messy Life: How I’m Surviving My Husband’s Journey with Depression, Anxiety, and Suicidal Thoughts, to help others walking through similar journeys.

“I have discovered you can have joy when everything is falling apart,” Leathem said. “My story is not over. It continues to be messy, yet I still have joy and trust God in the trials.”

A recent study by Lifeway Research, Acute Mental Illness and Christian Faith, found that those who struggle with mental illness as well as their families carry shame and stigma associated with the disease. **** Indiana pastor Marcus Carlson says “The stigma around mental health in our society is destroying us. The stigma is even deeper amongst pastors and church staff.” *****

Leathem, too, carried shame of her husband’s illness, embarrassed of their situation and fearful of what people thought. When she finally understood herself and accepted that her husband suffers from a genetic, chemical imbalance that produces anxiety and depression, she was able to begin coping herself and helping others.

“I wanted to write this book to encourage people that God is a personal God, and He shows up,” Leathem said. “And with my husband’s blessing to share our messy story, I also wanted to share my biblical and practical coping tools I use daily to survive the difficulties of loving someone who struggles with mental illness.”

*https://www.webmd.com/depression/features/divorcing-depression

**https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/05/04/mental-health-coronavirus/

***https://www.tonyrobbins.com/mental-health/how-to-help-depressed-spouse/

****https://lifewayresearch.com/mentalillnessstudy/

***** http://revdrorange.com/check-on-your-pastors-reflections-on-the-mental-health-of-ministry-staff/

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Carole Leathem is a gifted speaker, teacher, storyteller, and motivator, speaking at women’s retreats and teaching Bible studies and life groups for over twenty years. She is also a blogger and vlogger, through her ministry website Carole’s Journey. Carole was a commercial actress in Hollywood for fifteen years. Married to her husband, Bill, a retired pastor, for forty-four years, they live in Bakersfield, California and have two grown children and seven grandchildren. Carole is passionate about sharing her story with those God puts in her life. She loves spending time at the beach, especially Maui, and never tires of visiting Disneyland.

For review copies and media interviews, contact:
Carole Leathem
Email: carole@carolesjourney.com
Website: www.carolesjourney.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/carolefindsjoy

YWAM Paris Connect challenges believers everywhere with the launch of its Joyathon

FAITH NEWS SERVICE – No matter what our circumstances are, we can still #choosejoy

Everything in the world has changed over the past couple years. The COVID pandemic has touched every area of life, as hundreds of millions of people have been infected, and millions more have died. With new restrictions, life as we know it has changed. People are isolated. Loneliness and hopelessness have impacted people in virtually every country. In the midst of this shift, political rifts have deepened divisions. Now, more than ever, ideologies and worldviews have collided, moving people further apart, further away from understanding.

Yet, despite these things, one thing is for certain: No matter the things going on around you, you can still choose joy.

That’s the message from YWAM Paris Connect, a missionary training campus in Paris, France. This year, the campus is challenging believers and churches around the world to join them in choosing joy by joining the Joyathon.

Similar to a walkathon – the Joyathon invites people to register, form a team, and reach out to people for support. However, the Joyathon has a twist: instead of simply walking or biking, participants can choose any activity that brings them joy.

All proceeds benefit YWAM Paris Connect’s campaign to purchase a second building this year, and the campus has secured a $100,000 matching gift so every donation will be doubled up to that amount.

But the Joyathon is more than a fundraising event. It’s a message of hope that the world desperately needs to hear right now.

“What we wanted to do is remind people that joy does not come from our circumstances, but comes from our relationship with the Lord. This is an important message that the church has been entrusted with, and it needs to be shared at this moment in history.”
Adam Thompson, YWAM Paris Connect Campus Leader

YWAM Paris Connect is challenging churches, Christian organizations, and believers around the world to embrace the joy found in Jesus by sharing this important message and joining the Joyathon.

“For too long, we’ve focused on the condition of the world around us. Change begins with us,” Thompson added, “and the Joyathon is our chance to share this message of hope. And it’s really simple: everyone has something that brings them joy, whether it’s baking, going on a hike, or playing a sport. That means that everyone can participate. And as you’re reaching out or doing your activity, it’s the perfect opportunity to talk about our eternal joy – the joy we have in Jesus.”

YWAM Paris Connect hopes this campaign will prompt people to remember where their joy is found, and the organization is sharing scriptures on social media regularly with the hashtag #choosejoy to prompt people to reflect on this. The Joyathon runs from November 1 – 30, and you can find out more information, or join the effort by visiting www.joyathon.org.

“At this uncertain time in history, people of faith need to take a stand against the mainstream narratives, and to remind our families, our friends, and our communities that we have an eternal hope that is available to them too.”
Adam Thompson, YWAM Paris Connect Campus Leader

 

YWAM Paris Connect purchased their first building in June 2021. The Joyathon and
a $100,000 matching grant supports their efforts to purchase a second building adjacent to their current property.

Contact: Derrick Rhayn, YWAM Paris Connect, derrick@ywamparisconnect.com, +33 (0)7 66 14 85 41

For more information on YWAM Paris Connect please visit www.ywamparisconnect.com

Christian Apologist, David Wilber, Defends “Biblical Marriage” Against Modern Polygamy Advocates

FAITH NEWS SERVICE – David Wilber, an author and Christian apologist, has recently released two videos confronting the arguments of modern polygamy advocates.

Be sure to check out his point-by-point defense of monogamy as “God’s creational ideal” here.

Also see his video unpacking Leviticus 18:18, where he argues that the Torah prohibits not only sororal polygyny but polygamy generally.

David Wilber has authored several books, including his latest work, Is God a Misogynist?: Understanding the Bible’s Difficult Passages Concerning Women. Ever since he became a Christian as a teenager, David has had a passion for the Scriptures and apologetics. He speaks at churches and conferences across the nation and has contributed theological articles to various Christian newsletter publications and websites. He became interested in the topic of biblical marriage after encountering some modern polygamy advocates online.

“I noticed that there wasn’t a lot of material addressing this topic from a Christian perspective,” Wilber said. “Frankly, most Christians don’t know how deal with the passages in the Bible that seemingly approve of polygamy. I hope to educate Christians on what the Bible really says about God’s will for marriage. The Scriptures are clear that God does not endorse polygamy.”

In addition to his most recent videos and articles detailing the biblical arguments for monogamy and against polygamy, David has written and produced content on numerous biblical topics, including the Sabbath, submission in marriage, Christology, abortion, and how to make sense of the slavery regulations found in the Bible.

His articles and videos can be seen at DavidWilber.com.