I’m a protestant, the founder and former pastor of a non-denominational church, but when I went through a dark time God sent a Catholic saint to save my faith.

I knew little about St Francis of Assisi until I went through a spiritual crisis a few years ago. I was burnt out on church ministry, disillusioned with church, fed up with evangelical subculture, tired of not being able to voice my doubts and questions without being labeled a ‘backslider,’ not to mention weary of telling people that just because I was a Christian wasn’t an ipso facto admission I voted Republican, owned assault weapons, or hated gay people.

At the height of my faith meltdown a friend invited me to visit him at his home in Bermuda to pray about whether I should remain in ministry or not. While packing I saw an unread copy of GK Chesterton’s St Francis of Assisi on my bookshelf, and without much thought threw it in my bag.

Over the course of the next week, I devoured it three times. It was a game changer. St Francis helped me realize how narrow my vision of Christianity had been. The more I read about him the more I thought, “If this is what being a Christian in ministry looks like, count me in.” More importantly, his life gave me a vision for how we might reverse our culture’s increasing disdain for Christianity, and inspired me to write the book Chasing Francis: A Pilgrim’s Tale to share that vision with others.

So who was this winsome saint Time Magazine ranked 9th on the list of the most important people of the last millennia, whom Jack Kerouac dubbed the patron saint of the Beat Generation, and historian Sir Kenneth Clark called “Europe’s greatest religious genius?” What made him so extraordinary?

He rescued the Church from collapse.

Scandals wracked the church in the 13th century. Sexual misbehavior and shamelessly opulent lifestyles among clergy were commonplace. Christian leaders made the name of Jesus into a brand that helped move lucrative products (e.g. indulgences, relics, etc.), corrupt involvement in power politics, and encouraging people to kill Muslims to secure their salvation, led people to distrust the church, and by association, the gospel itself.

In response, Francis began a movement that restored people’s love for the person and message of Jesus, gave people reason to trust the church again, and brought a revival to Europe, the effects of which last to the present day.

How’d he do it? By more nearly mirroring the life of Jesus than anyone since New Testament days.

What would Francis tell us to do if we wanted to overcome the jaded impression our culture has of Christianity and the church?

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Summer is coming soon, and that means that the kids will be officially on summer vacation. Although the pool and enjoying the warm weather is always a great way to keep the kids occupied throughout the summer months, it’s also important to keep kid’s minds engaged while they are out of the classroom.

Need some ideas for books that no only keep the kids entertained, but also strengthen their reading skills and encourage them spiritually? We have some suggestions that would be great to share with your children:

Always Daddy’s Princess by Karen Kingsbury, illustrated by Valeria Docampo

From New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury, a new children’s book about a very special father-daughter relationship.

A new children’s book by New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury poignantly captures the unique bonds of a daddy-daughter relationship and chronicles them in a fresh and engaging light. In Always Daddy’s Princess, Kingsbury’s playful, emotive prose follows a girl’s journey from birth to childhood to motherhood, illuminating her father’s supportive presence every step of the way.

Told through tea parties, soccer games, braces, and boys-and enriched by the whisper of God’s scripture on each beautifully illustrated page-young girls and their dads will see the treasured dimensions of their relationships reflected in this story and will be reminded of the many blessings they share.

An inspired addition to popular princess-themed titles, Always Daddy’s Princess offers a rich, spiritual alternative to more secular offerings. Perfect for gift giving and special occasions, this book can serve as a treasured keepsake as well as a compelling reminder of the influence a loving father can have in his daughter’s life and the supportive guidance found in God’s Word.

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Author Christa Kinde and illustrator Anna Early collaborate on Angels All Around, a prequel to the Threshold Series.

On the surface, everything’s quiet. Peaceful as a summer day. Mrs. Naomi Pomeroy and her children are running errands on Main Street—post office, bakery, library, bookstore, pharmacy. Seven-year-old Prissie and her brothers only see what any of us would expect from a small town. But there’s more going on than meets the eye, for an invisible battle rages around them.

Angels All Around is a Threshold Series prequel that takes readers back seven years, to that providential summer day when little Miss Prissie Pomeroy first meets the town’s brand new mailman. Readers of The Blue Door will recognize two of West Edinton’s angels-incognito, Harken Mercer and Milo Leggett. But what makes this story especially special is that it crosses over with Rough and Tumble, the Threshold Series companion story that updates every weekday on my website.

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Sherry Gore is the author of Simply Delicious Amish Cooking and is the editor-in-chief of Cooking & Such magazine. She is also a weekly scribe for the national edition of the 120-year-old Amish newspaper, The Budget. Sherry is a year-round resident of Sarasota, Florida, has three children, and is a member of a Beachy Amish Mennonite church.

As a huge THANK YOU to all my reader friends and those who’ve supported me over the years, I’m giving away an AUTHENTIC hand-stitched, queen size Amish Quilt to celebrate the release of my book Simply Delicious Amish Cooking, which comes out MAY 7 through Zondervan Publishers!

Use the Rafflecopter widget on my blog to enter the contest and who knows, this beautiful Amish quilt could be all yours!

Hi friends. I’m Sherry Gore, and here’s a little peek “behind-the-scenes” about the making of a few cooking videos my publisher is posting online in anticipation of the May 7 release of my book Simply Delicious Amish Cooking.  Hope you enjoy!

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Bobbie and Robert Wolgemuth are co-authors of the new book, Couples of the Bible. Through their shared journey of marriage, fighting cancer, and writing books, the couple have grown not only closer to one another, but closer to God as well. The following piece was originally posted on Christianpost.com.

I loved her for her heart.

From the first February 14th of our courtship, I knew that Valentine’s day was a big deal to the girl I would marry. Heart shaped notes, cards filled with x’s and o’s, poems, Valentine cookies in my dorm mailbox…my Bobbie bubbled over with

love and spilled her Valentine excitement over me.

We’ve been married almost 43 years and the love gifts keep coming from My Valentine…smiles, happy morning hugs and goodnight kisses.

But Valentine’s Day 2012 we were handed a gift we neither asked for nor expected. Although it was mercifully wrapped in the love of God, this gift was presented to us fromthe voice of an oncologist at MD Anderson hospital in Orlando. Dr. Veronica Schimp’s words were straightforward, yet somehow gentle and kind. “Your Bobbie has Stage IV ovarian cancer.”

Tingles raced from the top of my head to the soles of my feet. I tried to breathe. Would I lose the love of my life?

After a few hours, I was standing next to Bobbie’s sleeping form in ICU. I leaned over and kissed her.

“Hi, honey,” I whispered.

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Spring is here and the world is starting to warm up, the trees are getting their leaves back, and your kids are itching to get outside after being cooped up indoors for the winter. Maybe your kids are heading off to Summer Camp in the upcoming months, and you want to make sure that they have the right kind of encouragement and inspiration while they are away from home.

Why not send them off to the great outdoors with God’s Word? The Adventure Bible is perfect for kids who are on the go outside and want to have a companion book that has their same sense of adventure and curiosity. The Adventure Bible’s hard cover is perfect for rugged treks, and the inside illustrations match perfectly with any nature explorer’s sensibility:

And there’s also this super fun backsack they can use to tote their Adventure Bible, water bottle, sunscreen lotion, and more!

How cool are these backsacks?

Whether the kids are exploring the backyard or miles away at camp, give them a companion that won’t ever fail them: the Word of God!

Looking to get a copy of the Adventure Bible? Check out these links:

Find more info and purchase The Adventure Bible
Download more pages from The Adventure Bible
Find more info and purchase The Adventure Bible backsack: Tan Backsack or Purple Backsack

Time has sprung forward, Spring is starting to show in the daffodil’s canary-yellow blooms, and Lent is almost halfway over. That can only mean one thing: Easter is quickly approaching, and this is one of the most joyous occasions for the Church. Christ’s death and resurrection brings us hope, joy, and excitement, and the world around us seems to be rejoicing as well: trees are budding leaves, the sun is warming the ground, and the days start staying around for longer.

This time of year we also celebrate with fun, colorful traditions, like painting eggs and hiding baskets full of treats for children to find. And while candy can be a delicious surprise, wouldn’t it be nice to give something that lasted longer and will have more an impact than a piece of chocolate?

How about giving your kids something that you can share together, is fun and entertaining, and also reminds them what Easter is really about? A book or a Bible can be a perfect gift to give and share with your little ones, and we have a couple suggestions:

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This article is an excerpt from the New York Times bestseller America the Beautiful by Dr. Ben Carson. Dr. Carson recently gained national attention for his speech at the 2013 National Prayer Breakfast. He is the Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins and the author of five bestselling books.

Some readers may be thinking, I have worked hard and achieved a lot in my personal life, so why should I worry myself about the well-being of people who are too lazy to take advantage of opportunities to succeed?

However, for every one of those young people we can keep from choosing a self-destructive path, that’s one less person we have to be afraid of or protect our families from, one less person we will have to pay for in the penal system or the welfare system, and one more productive, taxpaying member of society who may discover a new energy source or the cure for cancer. Every person is endowed with God-given abilities, and we must cultivate every ounce of talent we have in order to maintain our pinnacle position in the world.

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