Relationships

Marriage, family, friendships, work relationships.

Celebrating Easter with Kids: Recommended Books, Activities, and Sweepstakes

The Easter story can be heavy stuff to teach our young ones! That’s why Ruthie Spaans, a member of our Zonderkidz team, shares these recommendations for Easter books and free activities for kids, plus a limited-time sweepstakes. (Enter the Beginner’s Bible Easter Sweepstakes by March 26, 2012.)

For Christians around the world, the Easter season marks the foundation of our faith. Easter is when we celebrates the death and resurrection of our Savior Jesus — heavy stuff to teach to little ones!

That’s why our Zonderkidz team is always searching for new ways to teach Christ’s message to your kids. Our goal is simple: to encourage you to spend time with your child, and with God. We pore through parenting blogs, investigate the latest trends, and hang on every word when others share how they’re teaching matters beyond ABC’s and etiquette, delving into the deeper things of our faith.

Fun Books that Go Deep

Learn more about the Beginner's Bible Deluxe Edition

If you are looking to teach your preschoolers the deeper messages of the resurrection in fun yet inspirational ways, we recommend the Beginner’s Bible resources. The Very First Easter, The Beginner’s Bible Book of Prayers, Jesus Saves the World (an I Can Read book), and The Beginner’s Bible Deluxe Edition are wonderful tools to help you introduce the Easter story, with traditional art, fun characters, and even audio narration!

Inspirational & Fun Activities

Some parents like to use food or crafts as the theme. Others look for the latest technology, such as apps, to tell the Easter story in a way that today’s generation of kids accept without question. Still others combine traditional holiday activities with a theological twist to illustrate the story.

I encourage you to visit TheBeginnersBible.com and The Beginner’s Bible Facebook page for weekly devotions, coloring pages, stickers, and other teaching resources. We even have an animated Easter video on YouTube for you to enjoy!

As a special treat, we encourage you to enter The Beginner’s Bible Easter Sweepstakes on Facebook, for your chance to win a set of some of the newest products in The Beginner’s Bible lineup.

Enter the Beginner’s Bible Easter Sweepstakes

Enter the Beginner's Bible Easter Sweepstakes

 

 

We wish you a blessed Easter season, and pray each day for our parents and children’s ministries that work hard to bring Christ’s message to kids!

- Ruthie Spaans, Zonderkidz

(This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives. The writer’s personal opinions are shared only for information purposes. To receive new Zondervan Blog posts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)

 

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Discover Who You Are & Whose You Are: Listen to the “Your Secret Name” Chat with Kary Oberbrunner

Recently, callers from four continents joined Zondervan author Kary Oberbrunner for a conversational chat, as Kary helped listeners gain greater clarity about who we are and whose we are through sharing truths from his book Your Secret Name.

 

A pastor formerly addicted to self-injury, Kary was honest about how many of us let pain define our lives. But he also traced the hopeful, transformational journey in which we can discover our Secret Name.

 

During the Call Listeners Discovered:

  1. The Given Names that can burden us, both negative (i.e., failure, self-injurer) and positive (i.e., athlete, brain)
  2. How men and women differ in their strategies to win at the “Name Game”
  3. An ancient promise which reveals that you have a new name written on a white stone
  4. How to overcome the chronic personal pain in your life
  5. How to tap into your true potential and step into the destiny your Creator designed for you
  6. A community who believes in you and shares your passion for personal development

Listen to the chat

 

The New “Your Secret Name” Team

Kary Oberbrunner also just launched an international Your Secret Name team whose deep passion centers on helping others overcome the lies of the Enemy and discover their true identity in Christ. Bring a Your Secret Name speaker to your area or learn more about the benefits of joining the new team.

 

Discover Your Secret Name for God

Take the “Secret Name” Test to discover what your secret name for God could be.

Take the Your Secret Name Test

 

Learn More about Your Secret Name Learn More

Learn more about the Your Secret Name book by Kary Oberbrunner

Watch Kary’s 700 Club Interview

- Beth Murphy, Zondervan

 

(This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives. The writer’s opinions are his own, and are shared for information purposes only. To receive new blogposts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)


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4 Posts of Note on Romance Fiction

 

With Valentines Day just around the corner, I wanted to present these noteworthy posts about romance fiction. Whether you're a reader, writer, or bookseller of love stories, you'll find something of interest below. Enjoy!

1. Love, A More Excellent Way

Learn more about One Thousand Gifts

Blog post by Robin Lee Hatcher (@robinleehatcher)
"Love is what you do when the other person is unlovable," writes Hatcher in this reflection on the costs and joys of love. Read more of Hatcher's post, which was also her contribution to a book called How to Fall in Love like a Romance Writer.

 

2. A Touch of Romance: New Trends & Advice for In-store Promotions

Roundtable interview by Christine D. Johnson for ChristianRetailing.com.
In this interview of value for aspiring authors and Christian booksellers, Johnson interviews several of Christian publishing's experts on romantic fiction, including Sue Brower, Zondervan's own Executive Editor of fiction. Here is one of Brower's many wise dashes of advice:

"Many of our [romance novels] now have discussion questions in the back, and I would encourage the stores to create book clubs or an environment where a book club could meet. Sometimes people don't want to admit they read romance because it's not thoughtful reading when, in fact, it is and what helps that is having these book club questions." Read More

 

3. Interview with Lori Copeland, Romance Author

Learn more about The Christian Faith

Interview by Kim Ford for ChristianFictionOnlineMagazine.com
In this interview Lori Copeland shares wisdom for writers trying to break into the market, and encouragement for writers going through difficult patches. "Do the best you can with what you have," writes Copeland, "and learn to be a lemonade connoisseur. Plenty of lemons will come your way, but stay close to the Father, and through it all you'll have the sweetest of faith, hope, and love to help you reap the rewards God has in store." I love that phrase lemonade connoisseur. Read more of the interview.

 

4. Finally! Some Romance Characters that Look Like Me…

Learn more about Protection for Hire

Blog post by Grace Hwang Lynch (@HapaMamaGrace)
Lynch spotlights three women of color who are bringing diversity to the Romance genre, including Zondervan author Camy Tang (@camytang). Lynch quotes Tang:

"My future editor at Zondervan, Sue Brower, saw the lack of Asian ethnic fiction and the need for it, and she persisted in presenting my story to the editorial and marketing teams until they contracted my series in early 2006. Since then, I've heard from readers both Asian and non-Asian who have really connected with and related to my characters, and I'm very grateful." Read more of Lynch's post.

Postscript

Adam & Eve

This stained glass window portrays what may be the oldest love story of them all.

 

Question for Discussion: Is the story of Adam and Eve a love story?

 

-Adam Forrest, Zondervan


(Image attribution: stained glass window, St. Florentin, France. By Mattana (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons. This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives. The writer's personal opinions are shared only for information purposes. To receive new Zondervan Blog posts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)

 

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“29 Days to Great Sex” Blog Series by Sheila Wray Gregoire

 

Today author Sheila Wray Gregoire launched her “29 Days to Great Sex” blog series. Over the next 28 days, Sheila will blog a new tip each day that will help married couples “make sex stupendous.”

Sheila kicked off the series with her post, “Day 1: The Act of Marriage.” Here’s an excerpt:

Sex is the acting out of everything that marriage is. We become vulnerable with one another. We become naked with one another completely — and that means real intimacy, not just physical intimacy. We cherish each other. We protect each other. But we also have a ton of fun with each other! …

[One problem] is that when we do finally get married and commit to someone, we almost stop having sex. Or at least we have it rather infrequently. In surveys I took for my book, The Good Girl’s Guide to Great Sex, I found that 40% of couples made love less than once a week. We’re just not connecting that often.

So the “act of marriage,” that act that can be so wonderful, and so fun, and so significant, often isn’t even happening.


Or maybe for you it is happening, but it just doesn’t feel that great. You can’t figure out what all the fuss is about, and you’re worried that it was created for everyone but you…

 

I recommend you read more of the post. Then subscribe to Sheila’s blog to receive the rest of the series in your email inbox.

 

Visit & subscribe to Gregoire's blog

Visit Gregoire’s blog and subscribe to receive her new posts.

 

Learn more about The Good Girl’s Guide to Great Sex: And You Thought Bad Girls Had all the Fun by Sheila Gregoire. (@sheilagregoire).

Learn More about Good Girl's Guide to Great Sex Learn More

- Adam Forrest, Zondervan

 

(This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives. The writer’s personal opinions are shared only for information purposes. To receive new Zondervan Blog posts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)


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Joe Louis’s Punching Power + 8 More Surprising Ideas about Humility

 

Joe Louis

What people come to mind when you think about humility?

How about former Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World, Joe Louis?

No? This true story from John Dickson’s book Humilitas: A Lost Key to Life, Love, and Leadership will change your mind:

 

Three young men hopped on a bus in Detroit in the 1930s and tried to pick a fight with a lone man sitting at the back of the vehicle. They insulted him. He didn’t respond. They turned up the heat of the insults. He said nothing. Eventually, the stranger stood up.

He was bigger than they had estimated from his seated position — much bigger. He reached into his pocket, handed them his business card and walked off the bus and then on his way. As the bus drove on the young men gathered around the card to read the words: Joe Louis. Boxer. They had just tried to pick a fight with the man who would be Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World from 1937 to 1949, the number one boxer of all time, according to the International Boxing Research Organization (second on the list is Muhammad Ali).

Here is a man of immense power and skill, capable of defending his honour with a single, devastating blow. Yet, he chooses to forgo his status and hold his power for others — in this case, for some very fortunate young men…

Now, I’ll admit I was surprised by some of Dickson’s ideas in Humilitas. But the more I read, the more Dickson demonstrated that his case makes good logical & biblical sense.

 

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Quitting the Ghastly Circus: Reflections on the Late Christopher Hitchens and Religious Rage

 

Christopher Hitchens passed away on Thursday, December 16, 2011. (For any who may not be familiar with Hitchens, he was a celebrated journalist, a bestselling author, and an outspoken atheist.) When I heard the news I turned with interest to the Zondervan-published memoir by Mr. Hitchens' brother, Peter, titled The Rage Against God: How Atheism Led Me to Faith, where I discovered a slice of the brothers' story that is especially poignant today.

 

Learn more about The Rage Against God
Learn More

Below you'll find Peter Hitchens' reflections on a public debate on religion with his brother Christopher, a debate which Peter later described as a "ghastly circus."

 

Unfortunately, "ghastly circus" aptly describes some of the purportedly "Christian" discussion surrounding Christopher's death. So I publish this post for three reasons. First, I want to respectfully say to Christopher's family that I am praying for them.

 

Second, I am reminded by Peter's thoughtful reflection that Christopher Hitchens was someone's brother, someone's son, and like every person loved or unloved by their fellows, Christopher Hitchens, too, was lovingly made in the image of his Creator.

And third, I challenge myself and anyone reading this far: follow the guidance of the Apostle Peter as we comment on the legacy of Christopher Hitchens: "Dear friends, I urge you … Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us" (1 Peter 2:11-12).
- Adam Forrest, Zondervan Internet Team.
Special thanks to Matt Saganski and Rich Tatum.

 

From Rage Against God

I end this book in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with some thoughts on the unsatisfactory debate that I had there in April 2008, with my brother Christopher, about the existence of God and the goodness of religion. I had decided before it took place that I would not take part in such a debate again, on this or any other subject.

 

Christopher and I have had over the past fifty years what might be called a difficult relationship. Some brothers get along; some do not. We were the sort who just didn’t. (Parents of such siblings will know about this.)

 

Who knows why? At one stage — I was about nine, he nearly twelve — my poor gentle father actually persuaded us to sign a peace treaty in the hope of halting our feud. I can still picture this doomed pact in its red frame, briefly hanging on the wall. To my shame, I was the one who repudiated it, ripped it from its frame, and angrily erased my signature before recommencing hostilities. In a way, the treaty has remained broken ever since, and heaven knows what happened to the sad little document.

 

I had already concluded, as my train nosed westward in the spring twilight through the lovely, wistful mountain and river country that lies between Harper’s Ferry and Pittsburgh, that I did not want to do anything of the kind. Normally I love to argue in front of audiences. This time I seemed to have no taste for it.

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8 Teen Fiction Authors Weigh in on Their Joys, Challenges, and Inspiration in Writing

 

Jonathan Michael, teen fiction enthusiast and Zondervan marketer, recently interviewed six authors of young adult fiction about the joys and challenges of writing. Also discussed: the struggles of biracial families, keeping fiction "real," where story ideas come from, and ghosts. Below I've transcribed some of my favorite parts from these video interviews, and you can follow the interview links to see more.

Stay up to date on more author interviews, book giveaways, and new book excerpts when you Like "Good Teen Reads" on Facebook.


WARNING for fans of teen fiction: you'll want to add at least one of these books to your Christmas wishlist.

 

Melody Carlson on authenticity: "I have a hard time being completely 'light'…"

Watch Interview with Melody Carlson

 

JONATHAN: Your On the Runway series is kind of like high fashion meets reality TV. That sounds like a "light," subject but then you put some heavier things in there—

MELODY: I have a hard time being completely "light." [Laughs.] There's something about me that has to put that jolt of reality in it…

[My characters] are just getting out of their teen years, but they need to make some really hard life decisions, and one sister is really drawn towards all that glitters, all the glamor, and she makes some bad decisions. The other sister is trying to be a good Christian while helping her sister, and keeping the reality show going. And she is faced with some really difficult choices too, with her friends and her romances… I guess I like to keep it real. And that's the thing I hear back from teens, too — "Thanks, it feels real." Watch Interview

Learn more about the On the Runway Series
Visit her at www.melodycarlson.com

 

 

Joan Lester on writing about struggles of biracial teens: "I wanted to empower the reader…"

Watch Interview with Joan Lester

 

JOAN: I was impelled to write [Black, White, Other], because I'm a member of a biracial home. I have biracial kids, and I saw the kind of struggles they had…

I've written a lot of nonfiction about the topics of race and gender, those are kind of my areas of expertise. But to write about it in fictional form [was new for me].

In order to write good fiction, you have to create good characters that people will really care about, characters with flesh and blood… And I wanted my story to be inspiring, because that's the kind of literature I like to read and pass on. I wanted to empower the reader. Watch Interview

Learn more about Joan's book Black, White, Other
Visit her at www.joanlester.com

 

 

Bill Myers on exploring the supernatural

Watch Interview with Bill Myers

 

BILL: As we know, there's a huge fascination that teens have for the supernatural… So what I did in The Forbidden Doors series is explore these various supernatural counterfeits [such as seances, ghosts, ouija boards, reincarnation]. The premise of the stories are that a brother and sister, teens, have stumbled upon a group of kids in California who are experimenting with all this stuff, to see if it's something you should mess around with. There's a lot of true information in the stories…

[It's interesting] to see this pattern over and over again, in the legitimate supernatural counterfeit — there's a good side to the supernatural too — but with the counterfeit stuff, it's always the same pattern. It's [basically] glow-in-the-dark action figures that are saying "You are like God," or "Come worship me." And they only pick on Jesus Christ. They don't pick on Buddha or anyone else, they always say they're better than Jesus Christ, even the UFO abductees. That was interesting to me. Watch Interview

Learn more about Bill's Forbidden Doors series 
Visit him at billmyers.com

 

 

 

Heather Burch on heroic teens and writing "X-Men meets Cinderella"

Watch Interview with Heather Burch

 

HEATHER: My trilogy The Halfings is a story about Nikki Youngblood, who's being being hunted by men and demons.  She turns to three half-human, half-angel young men for protection. While they're keeping her safe, two of them sort of fall in love with her… Which is deadly on a lot of levels. 

I really wanted to write a story about teen heroes. I've known some amazing young people, and some of my characters are based loosely on young people I've known. I wanted to write a story with characters who were larger than life, but who were teenagers. Sometimes I call my trilogy "X-Men meets Cinderella." [She smiles.] Probably heavier with X-Men, with a little bit of Cinderella…

The challenge is to capture the attention of teens. There are so many things vying for their attention… If you can give a story that captures them, and eveything else just fades away? That is it, that's my challenge and that's what I hope to do. Watch Interview

Learn more about Heather's upcoming series The Halfings
Visit her at www.heatherburchbooks.com

 

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“Before You Were Mine” and Telling Your Adopted Child’s Life Story

 

Learn More about Before You Were Mine Learn More

November is National Adoption Month, and I found a cool Activity Calendar that shares daily adoption-themed activities.

Know what isn’t on the Calendar, though? “Share a good resource for adoptive parents.” But I’m going to share a good book with you anyway.

Before You Were Mine: Discovering Your Adopted Child’s Lifestory is a new Zondervan release by Susan A. TeBos and Carissa R. Woodwyk. Susan (an adoptive mother) and Carissa (an adoptee daughter) bring a solid Christian perspective to the book, which will guide you through creating a “Lifebook” for your adopted child.

The Lifebook idea is more than inspiring! The Lifebook you create will tell your adopted child’s story in a way that helps them to see God’s faithfulness and rest in Christ’s love. To help you craft your child’s Lifebook, Before You Were Mine gives you real-life stories, advice, and practical excercises.

Below you’ll find out what people are saying about Before You Were Mine. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment on this post.
(-Londa Alderink, Zondervan Trade Team)

What people are saying about Before You Were Mine

Before You Were Mine is another way in which adoptive parents can help their child feel an extra measure of love and care. A great resource for all adoptive families.

-Mary Beth and Steve Curtis Chapman, Grammy Award
winning singer/songwriter and adoption advocates

Studies have shown that adopted individuals are interested in their birth and placement history, and that many adoptive parents, even those who do not describe themselves as religious, can sense the role of Providence in bringing their families together. Before You Were Mine brings these two concepts together by describing the work of a loving Father acting purposefully in the lives of children and families, and offering suggestions on how parents can help their adopted children know and understand their individual stories by recording the relevant thoughts, details, and experiences into ‘Lifebooks.’

-Chuck Johnson, President and CEO, National Council for Adoption

This is a resource every adoptive parent needs to own.  Our adoptive children depend on us to put the pieces of their life together for them.  While I’m not a naturally creative person, Susan and Carissa have given me the tools to be successful in telling my son’s life story!

-Jill Savage, CEO, Hearts at Home, author of 7 books
including Professionalizing Motherhood, adoptive mom 


Before You Were Mine is not only worth reading but worth referring back to again and again. Written from the perspective of an adoptive mother and an adoptee, it beautifully blends personal experience, the advice of experts, and God’s promises. Full of touching vignettes, it walks the reader through not only how to create a Lifebook but why it matters in the life of a child.

-Kris Faasse, LMSW, ACSW, director of Adoption Services,
Bethany Christian Services

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Autism Society of America Honors Emily Colson for Memoir “Dancing with Max”

 

Learn More about Dancing with Max Learn More

We’re excited for Emily Colson, whose memoir Dancing with Max has been awarded the 2011 Autism Society of America’s Outstanding Literary Work Award in the Family/Social category! 


Dancing with Max: A Mother and Son Who Broke Free is the true story of Emily Colson and  her austistic son Max. As a single parent of an autistic child, Emily has seen her share of challenges — but her life with Max has also shown her many valuable lessons and unexpected gifts.

A crucial moment came, Emily says, when Max was nine. His autism was so significant that they could barely leave the house. It was then that Emily decided she and Max could no longer be held captive by their circumstances; Emily decided they would live the next day big, bold, and brave. As Emily says in this video interview from Lifetime’s The Balancing Act, “This is a book for all of us, about breaking free … of the things that hold us hostage.”


You can read the first chapters of Dancing With Max for free on Scribd.


If you’ve read Dancing with Max we’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment on this post.


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Bloggers: Sign up to Review “Nobody’s Child” by Austin Boyd

 

Nobody's Child
Learn More

We’re giving away 50 copies of Austin Boyd’s new novel Nobody’s Child to bloggers for review. Sign up below, and if your blog is selected we’ll ship you a review copy of the book.

Austin Boyd’s Nobody’s Child: What Price Will a Mother Pay to Save Her Only Child? is a story of love lost and loves found. Weaving together faith and contemporary questions of bioethics, the heart-rending tale hearkens to the myth of Pandora’s box — of unprecedented choices never intended by heaven, and their unintended consequences never before seen on earth.

To Laura Ann McGehee of Nobody’s Child, her body represents the one remaining financial resource that can save the family farm. For Sophia McQuistion, Laura Ann’s unusual sacrifice fulfills her own dream of having a child. The story poignantly dramatizes the question, “Just because we can … should we?”

 

Sign up for the Nobody’s Child Blog Tour

  1. Sign up by Thursday, July 28. If your blog is selected we’ll ship you a copy of the book.
  2. Post your review on your blog during the week of September 5. Please link to your review in a comment here on Zondervan Blog, because we’d like to hear your thoughts on the story!
  3. Please post your review on your favorite book retailer’s website (amazon.com, christianbook.com, etc.).
  4. In your review please mention that Zondervan gave you a free copy for the purpose of an unbiased review.

 

 (DON’T SEE A SIGNUP FORM? Go here.)

 

About The Pandora Files Series 
Nobody’s Child is the first in a new series called The Pandora Files, stories that dramatize ethical questions we can no longer ignore in medicine. Journey to the crossroads of life and science, where some believe that recent medical advances promise us a better existence. Are we embracing hope in biotechnology … or being seduced by the illusion of playing God? Push headlong into the uncharted labyrinth of bioethics. Everything’s not what it first appears on this quest—a journey of discovering that our actions may have unintended consequences. Just because we can … should we?

 

About Austin Boyd
Austin Boyd Austin Boyd is the award-winning author of the thrilling space suspense trio, The Evidence, The Proof and The Return. An inventor, business entrepreneur, spacecraft engineer, and Navy pilot, he weaves real science with true-to-life characters in descriptive page-turning suspense. Austin and his wife, Cindy are the parents of four adult children and live in Huntsville, Alabama where he manages an engineering and design company, and serves the community through Crisis Pregnancy ministries. Learn more at www.AustinBoyd.com.

 

 

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