Zondervan Blog

Can One Mom Make a Global Difference? Shayne Moore's CNN Interview

Do you have to be a world leader to affect massive issues like global poverty and the HIV/AIDS pandemic? No, answers stay-at-home mom Shayne Moore, "You can make a difference right from your own home."   

Moore shares some insights and tips in her recent interview on CNN's "Mission Possible" segment:

 

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Shayne shares her journey in the upcoming Zondervan book Global Soccer Mom: Changing the World Is Easier Than You Think, which hits stores in January, 2011. Global Soccer Mom is an inspirational story for ordinary women who want to make an extraordinary difference in their world. Global Soccer Mom will help you get started.

  

 

About Shayne Moore
Shayne Moore is one of the original members of the ONE campaign, The Campaign to Make Poverty History, and was a non-celebrity spokesperson for the campaign. She sits on the executive board of directors for Upendo Village, an HIV/AIDS clinic targeting marginalized women and children in Kenya and supports and works closely with World Vision. With an MA in Theology, Shayne is an active speaker and writes for her blog, "Theology Mama." She lives in Wheaton, Illinois with her husband and three children. She can be found on facebook and on Twitter @TheologyMama. Her book Global Soccer Mom releases January 2011.

Blogger Reviews Wanted for I Quit! by Geri Scazzero

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We are looking for bloggers to review Geri Scazzero's new book I Quit!

It's easy to sign-up!

1. Fill out the form below.
2. We will ship an advanced reader copy of I Quit! to you.
3. When your review is complete post the URL to your review as a comment here.
4. Post your review on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or your favorite book retailer's website.

 

Deadline for requests is September 24, 2010.
Be sure to include in your review a disclosure that you received the book from Zondervan for free.

 

Synopsis:
Do you ever think, “My soul can’t take this anymore?” Geri Scazzero discovered real life and joy with Christ really begins when we stop pretending everything is fine. Summoning the courage to quit that which does not belong to Jesus’ kingdom launches you on a powerful journey – one that will change you and everyone around you!

About the author:
Geri Scazzero is a teaching pastor and director of Marriage Ministry at New Life Fellowship Church in Queens, New York City, a multiracial, international church with over sixty-five countries represented. She is coauthor of The Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Workbook for small groups and also speaks regularly to pastors, leaders, and their spouses.

Really Living: Kary Oberbrunner's New Book "Your Secret Name"

Do you know someone like this?

[Someone who has] a restorative quality about them. Rather than taking energy from others, they’re so full of life that they give energy to others. Anchored and centered, people who know their Secret Name are dialed into a different channel and marked by a quiet confidence that allows them to heal the world. But what sets them apart? And who gave them permission to dance while the rest of us remain frozen in time? How do they know what part to play? In reality, we’re the ones playing — they’re actually living. They know something the rest of us don’t. They know who they are. They’ve learned their Secret Name.

 

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I took this passage from Kary Oberbrunner's new book Your Secret Name, which is about how we can grow into a person like that.

Kary's book contains a lot of valuable counsel about a biblical view of  identity, authenticity and self-esteem. I especially appreciated his discussion questions from chapter five, "Impostor Syndrome." Take a look:

 

"Being Hip Didn't Work" + More on Church Community from Mike Tatlock

Pastor Mike Tatlock is a self-described "recovering church hater," so I didn't know what to expect from his new book on building church community, Faith in Real Life. I certainly didn't expect optimism--and I found loads of it.

"I believe," Tatlock says, "that authentic Christians want a faith that is more than just lip service to God and the world. We want to reconcile our faith with the realities of our daily lives... [this calls for] an ability to see the bride of Christ the way the Bridegroom sees her. Faith in real life captures the optimism of what it means to be the church — as in the community of God’s people ... a vibrant group of Christians expressing themselves through a community of faith that engages with the surrounding culture."

You probably noticed Tatlock's double-edged emphasis: Christianity is a faith lived in community and lived by us everywhere, every day in real life -- not just behind the four walls of our church.

That's more or less the thesis statement of Faith in Real Life. From there author/pastor Tatlock shares stories of success and failure in four areas:

1) the New Church, a.k.a. moving the center of importance from "services" to relationships
2) the Park, a.k.a. connecting with the larger community around your church
3) the Coffee Shop, a.k.a. people you know who aren't ready for small groups
4) the Living Room, a.k.a. small groups

I haven't finished the book yet, but I wanted to share a passage I liked. My unofficial title for this section is "Being Hip Didn't Work." It really got me thinking about what I desire from my church. If you'd like to read more of Faith In Real Life I recommend you check out the excerpt on Scribd.  -Adam Forrest

 

Anne Graham Lotz Schedules Worldwide Simulcast for 2011

Yesterday AnGeL Ministries, the ministry of Anne Graham Lotz, announced plans for a worldwide simulcast to occur on September 11, 2011 – the ten year anniversary of the 9-11 attack on America. Titled “A Wake Up Call for the Church with Anne Graham Lotz and Joel Rosenberg,” the simulcast will feature messages from both speakers and will be broadcast into churches and homes.

Why select the tenth anniversary of 9-11 for a simulcast? Alluding to the recent Qu’ran burning controversy, Anne Graham Lotz says, “This 9/11, one small church in Florida is capturing the world’s attention … [W]hat if this time next year, churches all across America marked [the] anniversary – not by looking around, but by looking up and getting right with God?”

Lotz continues, “I have long felt the original 9/11 attack was allowed by God as a wake-up call for His people,” she says. “But did we sleep through the alarm?”

An urgent wake-up call may be needed, but Lotz is hopeful: “My prayer is that this simulcast … would serve to gather the church and reissue the wake-up call to the hearts of Christians everywhere. It is my prayer that it would refocus us on Jesus as our Hope for the future and re-ignite such an intense longing for His return, that we live the rest of our lives with no regrets.”

Mark your calendar
The “Wake Up Call for the Church” simulcast will be broadcast 6:00 – 9:00 pm EST and PST, Sunday, September 11, 2011.

Host the simulcast in your church
Some details about hosting are still being worked out, but you can receive more information as soon as it's available -- just contact AnGeL Ministries at angelmin.info@angelministries.org or call 919-787-6606.

Learn more about Anne Graham Lotz's ministry www.annegrahamlotz.com
Learn more about Joel Rosenberg's ministry
www.joelrosenberg.com

 

Guest Post: Nikki Grimes, Calling All Christians

What exactly is a "Christian author"? I think it's a fair question, considering the countless times I've been asked (challenged? demanded?) to identify myself as such. If I might generalize for a moment, in the minds of most churchgoers I believe a Christian author is one who 1) publishes exclusively with a Christian press, 2) writes exclusively for a Christian audience, and 3) focuses on themes which are specifically, and overtly, Christian or biblical in nature.

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According to the above definition, I am definitely not ranked among the chosen. Mind you, God himself has never set limits on how I respond to the call to be salt and light in the world. He only cares that I am. But that is a rant for another day. For now, let me address the issue of my identity as an author.

I am both a Christian and an author, and the two identities are not mutually exclusive. As a believer, Christianity is the grid through which I view and comment on the world. That being the case, in all of my books the presence of God is assumed, faith is frequently a factor, and issues of morality and character are woven into my stories, to varying degrees.

There are, of course, those of my books in which the themes are more overtly Christian, and in which the Bible itself is front and center. This is true of the picture book Voices of Christmas, as well as the novels Dark Sons and A Girl Named Mister. Story is key, though. The elements of faith must grow organically from the story, rather than be superimposed as an overlay that calls attention to itself. In other words, I am a storyteller, not a theologian. My first job is to tell a good story. Whenever there are natural opportunities to weave in elements of faith, I do so. And, as it happens, there are almost always opportunities!

Fine, you say. But what about stories in which your character never graces the door of a church? Even there, my faith is somehow reflected in the story, if only by virtue of the light that shines through it. How could it be otherwise? Every time I put pen to paper, whether my subject is a ferocious feline, a fatherless boy, or a little girl grappling with being in foster care, I always write out of a sense of call.

Here's the bottom line: whether my work—written for allchildren and young adults—is published by a secular publisher, or a Christian one, I always write as an ambassador of Christ. And isn't that what we are all called to be, no matter our profession?

About the Book

 
A Girl Named Mister by Nikki Grimes, (ISBN: 0310720788, $15.99, hardcover, Young Adult Fiction). Bestselling author Nikki Grimes presents the story of Mister, a teenage girl who honestly and poignantly tells her story of temptation and teenage pregnancy through free verse.

About the Author
Nikki Grimes is the prolific and award-winning author of more than fifty books. A Coretta Scott King Award winner and recipient of the 2006 NCTE Award for Excellence in Children’s Poetry, many of her titles have been cited as Notable Books by the American Library Association. She is renowned for her use of poetry to tell a cohesive story, for her insightful writing, and for her ability to connect with her readers.

 

Blogger Reviews Wanted for Walter Wangerin's Naomi and Her Daughters

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We are looking for bloggers to review Walter Wangerin's new book Naomi and her Daughters!

It's easy to sign-up!

1. Fill out the form below.
2. We will ship an advanced reader copy of Naomi and Her Daughters to you.
3. When your review is complete post the URL to your review as a comment here.
4. Post your review on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or your favorite book retailer's website.

Deadline for requests is September 10, 2010.
Be sure to include in your review a disclosure that you received the book from Zondervan for free.

 

Synopsis:
Master storyteller Walter Wangerin Jr. pens the historically accurate biblical tale of Naomi and Ruth in this riveting novel. Contemporary echoes of love, deceit, war, and political instability will resonate with readers today, while rich descriptions and gritty realism cast new light on the ancient narrative. A powerful story that you won’t soon forget!

About the author:
Walter Wangerin Jr. is widely recognized as one of the most gifted writers writing today on the issues of faith and spirituality. Starting with the renowned Book of the Dun Cow, Wangerin’s writing career has encompassed most every genre: fiction, essay, short story, children’s story, meditation, and biblical exposition.

Scriptural Insights with Chuck Swindoll - Disease and Desperation

The scene by the Pool of Bethesda must have been a soul-rending experience for any visitor with the capacity for empathy. Thanks to modern medicine, these horrific collections of desperately infirm people no longer exist ... almost.

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When I served on the island of Okinawa, I played in the Third Division Marine Corps band. On one occasion, we were invited to a leprosarium on the north end of Okinawa to play a concert. The memory of those men and women will never leave me. Mangled bodies stumbled and pushed and pulled themselves along, each one bearing remnants of a human face. They sat in neat rows of chairs provided for them and they listened in rapt attention to our music. I could barely play my instrument through the sadness weighing upon my heart, seeing bodies horrifically distorted by the disease we now call Hansen’s disease. I’ll never forget the sound of their applause, which they offered by banging stumps of limbs together or tapping their crutches on the floor or against their chairs.

I would have given almost anything to have the power of healing that day. What a joy it must have been for Jesus to reach down into the sea of human depravity and snatch a soul from the clutches of disease! I sometimes wonder why He didn’t empty the asklempieion in Jerusalem instead of choosing just one man. Because He is good and infinitely wise, I trust His judgment. After all, He left the pristine realm of heaven to become one of us, to share our suffering, to experience death, and ultimately to end the tyranny of evil through His own sacrifice.

One day soon, Jesus will empty the hospitals, the leper colonies, and even the graveyards of the world. Then we will live in a world without darkness, sin, suffering, disease, and death. We have His promise on that. And I, for one, passionately anticipate that glorious day!

Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to get well?"

"Sir," the invalid replied, "I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me."

Then Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk." 9At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.  - John 5:3-9a

Read more from Chuck Swindoll at www.SwindollInsights.com