Perspective
I hope you all had a wonderful Easter, celebrating the sacrifice of Jesus for us; his death and resurrection.
Recently I’ve been thinking about perspective. Allow me to share a couple of photos with you.
I took this first photo at Hever Castle in Kent – it looks like the Easter bunny is taking over the Easter world! The old castle hardly gets a look in, although you can just about see it in the background. In this second photo, taken on a recent visit to Hong Kong, many skyscrapers tower above St John’s Cathedral. But it just depends on which angle you are looking at it…
Like so many things in life, there is more than one perspective to Easter. It looked like all was lost on Good Friday, but it turned out to be the pivotal point of our salvation, as Jesus rose from the dead on the third day. Is the Easter bunny really taking over the world? You might think so from what we see in the shops. But we know better. Will secularism triumph over the church? Not a chance!
Praise God for the truth we know from his word, that the Lord will continue to build His church, and even the gates of hell will not prevail against it.
Sometimes we need to hold on to the right perspective, when other things seem to loom in size. Do you sometimes look at things through the wrong lens? I know I do. We have such a small number of books! But they can change lives. That’s more than the Easter bunny can do – the only thing he can do is expand waistlines!
Packets of Seeds
Recently a kind supporter sent me her church newsletter, which contained this book review for Living in Hope:
“I really enjoyed this book because it was simple but written cleverly. I think it is a great idea and it is really gripping. Shema is my favourite character because he finds planes really fascinating. The creativeness of the children is really good and it seems really realistic. The characters are very detailed and are described in depth. The title suggests this is about hope but it is actually about a village called Hope.
I really like this book and I’d recommend you to read it.” – Alfie.
It’s always so encouraging to receive reviews of our books – makes all the hard work worthwhile. Rarely will a child say in a review that they were touched in their spirit by a book, though, or that the characters were good examples to them. I guess it’s a bit unrealistic to expect it… still, we hope and pray that children nonetheless will not only enjoy the stories, but be impacted by our books in a way that is unseen. Perhaps the story will be a favourite, turned to again and again, passed on to a friend or sibling, or will impact the whole family if it’s read out loud. Sometimes a parent will tell us how a book has touched a young reader, which is always great to hear.
It’s also possible that a story will be completely forgotten! All we do know is that it is up to us to “plant the seeds”. Well, actually, I guess as much as anything it’s up to you to buy the “packets of seeds” from us! Together we can make a difference. If there’s any way we can help you reach the children on your heart, please let us know. We will always try to help.
Living in Hope is all about a group of children who are learning to walk by faith. One is tricked into becoming a domestic slave, so it also highlights an important issue from a Christian perspective. And the story of the prodigal child is lived out as Freda is rescued and returns home. Lots of seeds there. You can buy the book direct from our website, from Christian bookshops, or any online bookstore.
A New Me
Our next book, A New Me, for 9-12s, will be released later this year. We have been working hard on the manuscript, and hope to put the final first chapter on our website soon. Please pray for each of the steps of publication – editing, typesetting, proof-reading, printing; for the cover design, for distribution, for sales and marketing. And especially please pray it will reach the children who need to hear the message of new life. Author Roy Jones has written an exciting and relevant story – now it’s up to us all to do the very best we can to get it into as many hands as possible. Thank you for your prayers! If you would like to read a pre-production copy to review, all offers kindly received (we are always looking for reviews from young people for back covers!).
Prizes and Presentations
Does your church or school need books for prizes or presentations at the end of term? Please pass on our info to the person who does the buying – one of our books might be just what they are looking for. Please contact us for quantity discounts.
And once more, grace and peace to you this month of April showers – may they be showers of blessing!
Janet
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