SQUEAL! I apologize, but that’s kind of my favorite word lately, and it’s what I tend to do when I open up my email to see the WONDERFUL brand-new, FREE downloadable Activity and Resource Pack to accompany ‘Twas the Evening of Christmas, just newly updated to include all the details you’ll need for using this book to offer a Christmas Storywalk in your community.
I mean…look at it!! Wouldn’t you squeal too?
Here’s a peek at what this wonderful pack contains… Continue reading
Can you believe that we are just ten weeks away from Christmas? I don’t know about you, but the older I get, the sooner it comes around. When I was a little girl, the gap between one Christmas to the next was excruciatingly long! But these days, I often think that I might just as well leave my tree up all year, because no sooner have I taken it down than the season is here again!
If you’re planning on buying any of my books for Christmas (and I hope you are!) did you know that I have wonderful, self-adhesive signed bookplates that I’d be more than happy to mail to you, free of charge? Take a peek at these cute Zonderkidz creations for Twas the Evening of Christmas, Snuggle Time and Love Letters from God.
I can add your child’s name or a personal message to any of these bookplates and mail them to you to make your Christmas gifts extra special. Contact me for yours!
Of course, If you live in the Dearborn or Grand Rapids area then I’d love to meet you and sign your books! Here’s a list of all the places I’ll be from now until then. .. Continue reading
On October 3rd one year ago, Twas the Evening of Christmas was published. In its first year, this premium picture book received well over 100 five-star reviews on Amazon, was a finalist in the 2018 ECPA awards, climbed into the CBA Bestseller lists and was chosen by both Barnes & Noble and Hobby Lobby as a featured Christmas title. 
Written in the familiar rhythm of the Clement C Moore classic, this book focuses on Jesus, rather than Santa, who is, after all, the real hero of Christmas. To celebrate its one year anniversary, I have three copies to give away (courtesy of my awesome publisher, Zonderkidz).
Here’s three easy ways to enter and four chances to win! Continue reading
I have a new baby to welcome into the Snuggle Time family…. say hello to Snuggle Time Bible Stories,the fourth title in this popular series.
Written in rhyme, this new title contains twelve of the best-loved Bible stories for little ones, including God’s Good World, The Baby in the Basket, The Snuggly Sheep and The Boat that Bobbed.
Whenever I have a new title released, one of the questions I often get asked is: Did you do the illustrations? And my answer is always the same: Goodness, NO! If I did, no one would buy the books!
Thank heavens that I have the talented Cee Biscoe on board again for this title! Just take a peek at these adorable illustrations…
I have a confession to make… I’m a terrible host. I’ve never liked cooking that much and when we have more than two people to entertain, I’m a nervous wreck. I cannot imagine how Martha must have felt as she busied herself for the arrival of Jesus and his disciples. It’s my idea of the ultimate nightmare.
I mean, Jesus is coming to dinner. For me, that would be like entertaining the Queen of England. Wouldn’t you want your place to be perfect and your baking top-notch if the Son of God was coming to your eat at your house? Hospitality was an important social requirement of the times. No-one can blame Martha for wanting everything to be perfect. Just imagine all the jobs she’d already done in preparation…
And then, the big moment arrives.
Slip into Martha’s sandals for a moment and put yourself in her position… Continue reading
Seventeen years ago Children’s Ministry Director Vanessa Myers sat in her yearly review at church. All eyes were on her. And all she wanted to do was quit. In Vanessa’s words:
I listened, helplessly, as my peers and employers critiqued the job I was doing.
You’re good at this, but you need to work on this.
Don’t do that again.
We don’t like it when you do this. Can you do more of this instead?
The list of comments grew and grew. I know there had to be some positive ones but the negatives echoed in my head.
What I was really hearing was: You’re not good enough. We don’t like you. You stink.
These are the first words you’ll read when you open up the pages of Rise Up: Choosing Faith over Fear in Christian Ministry
Do you want to know what happened? Vanessa didn’t quit. She rose up; chose faith over fear; and then seventeen years later, wrote a book about her experience. Meet Vanessa Myers, as I interview her about her journey as a Children’s Minister and her hopes in writing the book.
If you serve in ministry, or you know someone who does, you’ll also want to enter the giveaway of this wonderful new release. 
Continue reading
On this day four years ago, Love Letters from God–my first children’s book was published.
It came out with no fuss, no fanfare, no fine expectations. As a newbie-author, I didn’t really know how to market the book effectively. There was no ‘book launch’, no appeals for preorders and no ‘blog tour’.
Yet despite all this, four years down the road, that little book somehow morphed into a series of six, sold over 30,000 copies; received 170+ reviews on Amazon and was nominated for an ECPA Christian Book Award.
If you know me well, you’ll know that I attribute all of that to this great God I know, the real author of these books, who can truly do more than all I could ever imagine.
What shall we do to celebrate? I know… let’s do a FOUR BOOK giveaway! When I reached out to ask my awesome publisher, Zonderkidz, if they might agree to do that for me, they said YES!
Here’s four ways to enter, plus a peek at some of the wonderful illustrations by Sophie Allsopp and your chance to hear me read my favorite story from this cute book… Continue reading
If one look at this adorable cover doesn’t grab your attention, then the sweet story-line certainly will.
Love is Kind, the newly released picture book from best-selling author Laura Sassi, tells the endearing tale of Little Owl, who sets out to buy a box of chocolates for his grammy. But what should be a simple task turns out to be a real test of Little Owl’s character, and he discovers, through many set-backs, the real meaning of love.
When I first sat down to read this book, I was in awe of the way Laura skillfully wove the attributes of 1 Corinthians 13 into this little story. It truly is a treasure!
It’s a blessing to welcome Laura to my blog today as she shares Five Fun Facts about writing Love is Kind, ( I love Fun Fact #2!) Be sure to enter the book giveaway at the end of this post, sponsored by Zonderkidz. Continue reading
It’s always thrilling for an author to see the cover of their new book for the first time, and even more thrilling when it looks like this:
This adorable cover art is the work of talented British illustrator Lizzie Walkley, whose charming illustrations complement the words of this little book perfectly.
Good News! It’s Easter! published by Discovery House, is the first title in this new series for little ones and is based on 2 Corinthians 5:17: The old is gone! The new is here!
Coming in spring 2019, the book features rhyming text, cute bunnies, chicks, butterflies, frogs, and Jesus… it’s a wonderful celebration of new life!
Good News! It’s Easter! is now available for preorder, and every preorder helps me. Here’s three reasons why you might consider it: Continue reading
We cried.
Not many people know that, but when David and I got the phone call that we were moving to Dearborn, we cried.
We stood in our quiet lake home and looked at each other. And we knew, right then, that we wouldn’t say no. We could have. But we would never do that. If you sign up for the itinerant life as a pastor (which we did) and if you believe that God called you to it (which we do) then how could we say no? We couldn’t.
So we packed up our boxes and we cleared out our home and we stood on the dock and watched one last sunset and I rode to my cornfield to say goodbye. And I peeked in the robin’s nest one final time and bade farewell to my favorite tree, the one that always reminded me of a ballerina.
And we moved.
And left all this…
