Audra Jennings

An interview with J.A. Myhre, Author of A Chameleon, a Boy, and a Quest Nearly 80 percent of the world ’ s population lives on less than $10 a day. For globally-aware parents who want to give their children a glimpse of majority-world reality, long-term medical missionary to Africa J.A. Myhre has penned A Chameleon, a Boy, and a Quest (New Growth Press/October 6, 2015/ISBN: 9781942572084/$15.99) . This beautifully-written adventure book for young readers brings to life the African savannah Myhre calls home, inviting readers to explore the country through the eyes of a 10-year-old boy named Mu. Orphaned as a toddler, Mu has served his whole life in his great uncle’s house where he is unloved and ignored. In his drudgery-filled life, Mu has little hope of happiness and doesn’t believe anything will ever change. Then one morning something special happens. Q: You have served as a medical missionary for more than 20 years. How did you make the leap to children’s author? ...

I’ve Been Redeemed I’ve been redeemed. (girls echo) By the blood of the Lamb. (echo) I’ve been redeemed, (echo) By the blood of the Lamb. I’ve been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, Filled with the Holy Ghost I am! All my sins are washed away, I’ve been redeemed. Well, I went down,  to the river to pray… Felt so good that I stayed all day… And that’s not all, there’s more beside… I’ve been to the river and I’ve been baptized…             My God and I, we both agree… That I love Him and He loves me… The devil and I, we both agree… That I hate him and he hates me…

Holiday to-do lists often become longer and longer as we get closer to Christmas. From holiday parties to host, Christmas pajamas to coordinate, family pictures, gifts to buy, travel plans to finalize, and more, the joy of the season can often be lost in the midst of the hustle and bustle. Adventures in Odyssey and Odyssey Adventure Club have you covered. Karen Ehman and Glynnis Whitwer, authors of Everyday Confetti , share ideas and tips for simplifying and taking the stress out of the holidays. Pointing to the real reason for the season, they offer ideas to help you keep Christ at the center. Click here for a free download of their Focus on the Family broadcast where they offer hints on how to simplify and de-stress your holiday season. Speaking of de-stressing, here's a gift suggestion for the young person in your life you don't know what to get! The  Odyssey Adventure Club (OAC) offers free content for everyone, including an Advent calendar, a broadcast download wi...

The Crafty Dad and Daughter  set out today for the first of a three day adventure at a Holiday Expo at the Mesquite Rodeo. I'd say more except I am literally falling asleep as I type this post. Since last Sunday after we did last week's show, I've completed 26 items. I've been up way too late working on projects, and I barely slept last night. I almost always have a problem sleeping the night before a show. I think a lot of that has to do with knowing that I HAVE to be up early. Last night around 12:30 AM (ok, that's this morning, but...) I heard it raining and i had flashbacks to listening to the rain when we couldn't get up the highway due to flooding. I was also hot since the weather had warmed up. At any rate, I have to get my shower and to bed so that I can get up at 6:30 on a Saturday morning. UGH.

I hope everyone had a very happy Thanksgiving. Mine was very low key, thankfully. 

  Grab your colored pencils because Julie Klassen is hosting a coloring contest! Stop by the contest page to download and print  The Painter's Daughter coloring page and channel your inner artist. One master colorist will receive a signed copy of The Painter’s Daughter , two grown-up coloring books ( Enchanting English Garden and Live Loved ), and a set of 24 Prismacolor colored pencils. Scan and email your entry to Amy Green with the subject line “The Painter’s Daughter Coloring Contest” to enter the first round of judging by December 8. Then stop by Julie's Facebook page beginning December 10 to vote for your favorite (and tell your friends to vote, too)! The winner will be announced at Julie's Facebook event on December 15 at 7 p.m. CST. Ready? Set. Color! About The Painter's Daughter: Sophie Dupont assists her father in his studio, keeping her own artwork out of sight. In private, she paints the picturesque north Devon coast, popular with ar...

No matter how young or how old, there’s a part of us all that wishes we could go back and tell ourselves what we should have done differently—which is what James L. Rubart explores in his new book,  The Five Times I Met Myself .  Brock Matthews’ once promising life is unraveling. His coffee company. His marriage. So when he discovers his vivid dreams—where he encounters his younger self—might let him change his past mistakes, he jumps at the chance. The results are astonishing, but also disturbing. {MORE ABOUT  THE FIVE TIMES I MET MYSELF } (Thomas Nelson, November 2015) What if you met your twenty-three-year-old self in a dream? What would you say? Brock Matthews’ once promising life is unraveling. His coffee company. His marriage. So when he discovers his vivid dreams—where he encounters his younger self—might let him change his past mistakes, he jumps at the chance. The results are astonishing, but also disturbing. Because getting what Brock wants mos...

The search for her runaway sister goes awry when Carrie finds herself arrested during the Civil War for impersonating an officer in Andrea Boeshaar's  A Thousand Shall Fall . Soon, though, she finds herself drawn to the handsome, gallant colonel who arrested her. Carrie Ann discovers that her foe has become her ally—and more than that, someone she could love. Will she protect someone who has been like family or be loyal to this stranger to whom she wants to offer her heart? When her world is being torn apart around her, whom should she trust? Andrea is celebrating the release of  A Thousand Shall Fall with a Kindle Fire giveaway!   One grand prize winner will receive: A copy of  A Thousand Shall Fall A Kindle Fire HD 6 Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on December 10th.  The winner will be announced December 11th on Andrea's blog . {MORE ABOUT  A THOUSAND SHALL FALL } ...

Shine, Jesus, Shine By Graham Kendrick Used by permission. CCLI # 1132191 Lord, the light of Your love is shining In the midst of the darkness, shining; Jesus, light of the world, shine upon us, Set us free by the truth You now bring us: Shine on me, shine on me. Chorus Shine, Jesus, shine, Fill this land with the Father’s glory. Blaze, Spirit blaze, set our hearts on fire. Flow, river, flow, Flood the nations with grace and mercy. Send forth Your Word, Lord, and let there be light! Lord, I come to Your awesome presence, From the shadows into Your radiance; By the blood I may enter Your brightness, Search me, try me, consume all my darkness: Shine on me, shine on me. Chorus

Best-selling author Kara Tippets' story was not a story of disease, although she lost her battle with terminal cancer. It was not a story of saying goodbye, although she was intentional in her time with her husband and four children. Kara's story was one of seeing God in the hard and in the good. It was one of finding grace in the everyday. And it was one of knowing "God with us" through fierce and beautiful friendship.  In Just Show Up (David C Cook), Kara and her close friend, Jill Lynn Buteyn, write about what friendship looks like in the midst of changing life seasons, loads of laundry, and even cancer. Whether you are eager to be present to someone going through a difficult time or simply want inspiration for pursuing friends in a new way, this eloquent and practical book explores the gift of silence, the art of receiving, and what it means to just show up. What to do when you don’t know what to do By Jill Lynn Buteyn Everyone knows someone wi...

The Rapunzel fairytale story is reimagined in a new YA novel,  The Golden Braid , by Melanie Dickerson.  Fiercely devoted to Rapunzel, her mother is suspicious of every man who so much as looks at her daughter and warns her that no man can be trusted. After a young village farmer asks for Rapunzel’s hand in marriage, Mother decides to move them once again—this time, to the large city of Hagenheim. How will Rapunzel finally take control of her own destiny? And who will prove faithful to a lowly peasant girl with no one to turn to? {MORE ABOUT  THE GOLDEN BRAID } (Thomas Nelson, November 2015) The one who needs rescuing isn’t always the one in the tower… Rapunzel can throw a knife better than any man. She paints beautiful flowering vines on the walls of her plaster houses. She sings so sweetly she can coax even a beast to sleep. But there are two things she is afraid her mother might never allow her to do: learn to read and marry. Fiercely devoted to Ra...

There's no getting out of Christmas now, despite Katie rejecting Micah's marriage proposal. Cozy up this holiday season with Cynthia Ruchti's new novella,  An Endless Christmas . The Binder family celebrates every Christmas as if it were their last. Too many people, too much snow, and too little room should be a recipe for disaster. But sometimes too much is just enough. Especially when it’s Christmas. Celebrate the holidays with Cynthia and  An Endless Christmas by entering her $100 Target gift card giveaway!   One grand prize winner will receive: A copy of  An Endless Christmas A $100 gift card to Target Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on November 30th.  The winner will be announced December 1st on Cynthia's blog . {MORE ABOUT  AN ENDLESS CHRISTMAS } (Worthy Inspired, October 2015) Too many people, too much snow, and too little room should be a re...

  What’s on your children’s Christmas wish list? As excited as they might be about that new toy, as every parent knows, the thrill of the gift will eventually wear off. Focus on the Family and Adventures in Odyssey have created the perfect gift for those who want to give their children or grandchildren a present that will provide year-round fun with eternal impact. The Odyssey Adventure Club (OAC) offers families 24/7 access to 25 years’ worth of Adventures in Odyssey (AIO) episodes in a safe online environment where children can explore and learn. Christmas really is the perfect time to tap into your children’s imagination while infusing faith and fun into their day . . . and every day of the year. To celebrate the holidays this year, the OAC is offering free content for everyone, including an Advent calendar, a broadcast download with tips to create a memorable Christmas, AIO cutouts and Christmas stocking stuffer cards. Membership to the OAC costs just $9.99 a month — o...

With hard work, committed relationships can exist in our disposable culture Rachel Hauck highlights the romance of the past to remind us of the permanence of commitment In a day when marriage seems incredibly disposable, USA Today best-selling author Rachel Hauck weaves a story rich in symbolism that reminds us of timeless truths about love. Hauck is captivated by the 1940s, and in The Wedding Chapel (Zondervan/ November 17, 2015/ISBN: 978-0310341529/$15.99), she juxtaposes two story lines: one capturing the simple romance and commitment to family embodying the earlier era and another showing the challenges and complications of romance in a modern world.    Retired football hall-of-famer Jimmy “Coach” Westbrook never imagined anything would come from the wedding chapel he built, stone by stone, for the beautiful Collette Greer, the woman he fell for back in 1949. He lost her long ago, and for 60 years his labor of love has sat empty, a monument to his m...