The Future is Uncertain
I don’t know about you, but I sense a feeling of uncertainty in the air again. As lockdown in the UK started to ease, we were beginning to relax… then all of a sudden we hear about a spike of coronavirus cases in Leicester, as well as in Beijing. The situation in the US continues to worsen, and such heartbreaking news comes from poorer countries. Our hearts go out to everyone affected by the coronavirus in so many different ways.
Along with the uncertainty comes anxiety. Will we see loved ones again? What if we’re next? How will we cope financially? Mental health is being stretched. We are missing meeting up for fellowship and worshipping together. And we don’t know how long this is going to go on. Our children desperately need encouragement at this time.
The truth of the matter is, we don’t know who or where the crisis will hit next. There are no guarantees for the future, either for ourselves or for anyone else. Like never before, we need to be saying, ‘if the Lord wills, we will do this or that’ – and that’s maybe not a bad thing! The wonderful thing is that although we may be living with uncertainty, nothing takes our God by surprise, and we can trust Him. We have already passed from death to life! No matter what happens, our lives are in His hands.
I Want to Be an Airline Pilot
Now bookshops are open again, our books are no longer on sale on our website (please support your local Christian bookshop if you are able), except we have kept I Want to Be an Airline Pilot at half price, to encourage as many children as possible to join in the competitions.
I’ve already mentioned the competitions in previous letters, so I’ll just put the link here for you to follow for more information. In a nutshell, the competitions are brilliant for getting children to draw close to God, to be creative and engage with issues of faith… and what could be better than that? Get your children involved, if you haven’t already. 🙂
(And please pass on the link to your friends!)
Write for a Reason
If you’ve been receiving Dernier news for a while you’ll already know all about the Write for a Reason online course – God willing we will start with a new group of students next week, and it’s not too late to join. You can read more about it and register here.
If you know anyone who’s new to writing Christian fiction for children, please let them know.
This is the last time I plan to offer the course half-price, as we come out of lockdown, so if this is something you’ve been planning on doing, don’t put it off!
Please Pray
Please pray for all the books that have gone out during the lockdown. Well, not the books exactly – the readers! Some readers are facing particular difficulties – do pray that they not only enjoy the stories, but are touched by the Holy Spirit as they read. This is a tough time for children, but the books are all good fun and encouraging, too. Prayer changes things!
Nobody’s Dog
Nobody’s Dog should be out in the autumn, God willing! 🙂 Nobody’s Dog is our first illustrated book for 6-8s. Here’s a sneak preview of Luke with Mr Bronzovi. Thanks to Josh Williams for the illustrations! If you have read the digital version and have yet to give a review, I’d love to hear from you. Maybe your child’s review will make it to the cover!
Donate Books
Could you buy books to give to family, to loan to children, for chaplains, for Sunday Schools and groups, to give to neighbours and your children’s friends? Who knows how far your seeds might go, and what fruit might grow? Our church donated Dernier books to families who come to the Community Fridge. People with no previous contact with the church were excited to receive them – one mum I spoke to said her children were loving the stories! Whole families may get to read them, enjoy them, and discover the way to Jesus!
Finally
I’m humbly grateful to the Lord for allowing me my health and strength at this time when so many have suffered so much. Thank you for your prayers for me and for everyone involved with Dernier. Please continue to pray that the Lord will accomplish His purposes in and through us.
Grace and peace to you,
Janet
Founder, Dernier Publishing