Beginning in June, stop by my Facebook or Instagram pages (and here too!) each Wednesday for some Bible time for little ones and their families as we READ, PLAY and PRAY our way through MY TENDER HEART BIBLE (Paraclete Press). Inspired by memories of sharing God’s Word and God’s love with my own children when they were small, it is my hope and prayer that this little weekly installment will provide busy, young families a fun, engaging way to make Bible time a part of your summer.
With that in mind, each Wednesday in a pre-recorded segment from my porch that I will share to Facebook and Instagram (and supplement here with details), I will:
Share the inspiration behind that week’s Bible story, so you can READ it afterwards with your little ones
Offer fun, kid-friendly options for deepening your little ones’ understanding of the story and God’s love through PLAY using a craft, game or other activity
Close with a PRAYER that each week both we and our children will grow in our understanding of God’s love and be inspired to share that love with others
Sound fun? I hope so!
The book is available wherever books are sold, so if you don’t have yours yet, there’s still plenty of time for our June 7th kickoff as we READ, PLAY and PRAY our way through the summer with MY TENDER HEART BIBLE.
Here’s the schedule. Feel free to jump in anytime. Please let your friends know. Hope to see you then!
June 7, 2023 Creation Joy Genesis 1:1 – 2:3
June 14, 2023 God’s Garden Genesis 3:1-24
June 21, 2023 Star Promise Genesis 15:1-6
June 28, 2023 Great Escape Exodus 14:10-31
July 5, 2023 Tasty Blessings Exodus 16:11-18
July 12, 2023 Brave Queen Esther 14:13-17
July 19, 2023 Welcome, Jesus Luke 2:8-19
July 26, 2023 Dove Love Matthew 3:13-17
August 2, 2023 Precious Children Mark 10:13-16
August 9, 2023 Worry Cure Matthew 6:25-33
August 16, 2023 Donkey Parade Luke 19:35-38
August 23, 2023 Easter Joy Matthew 28:1-10
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My son returned home from college last week and in celebration, I prepared what has become a favorite family dish—Swedish meatballs. But, not just any Swedish meatballs. This recipe comes from a recipe book that is near and dear to my heart — the Edina Baptist Church Cookbook 1977.
What’s so special about this cookbook? I’m so glad you asked! Here are FIVE reasons I treasure this vintage cookbook from Edina, Minnesota circa 1977.
REASON #5: The recipes are awesomely retro. If you have ever wondered if down-home cooking in the 70s was similar to today’s fare, the answer is no. The women who gathered their favorite recipes for this book were intrigued by modernities like frozen veggies, canned goods, processed cheeses, and instant this-and-that.
Some of the recipes we will most likely never attempt, because they are just too salty or sweet or rich, but we do have a couple of family favorites. These include Sharon West’s Swedish Meatballs, which we just had this week, and Lora Holzworth’s Tater-Tot Hotdish, which is a real Minnesota treat.
The book also boasts a wide-array of Jello-based desserts that instruct cooks to add things like marshmallows, cucumbers and mayonnaise! I occasionally serve these because I remember my mother preparing them. When I serve them, it’s almost like having her there at the table. I even have a Tupperware mold just like the one she had!
REASON #4: It includes delightful words of wisdom. This is my husband’s favorite part of the book. And often, when I serve those Swedish meatballs or that tater-tot dinner, he will bring the book to the table so he can read those little bits of wisdom aloud to us. It always adds laughter and joy to the meal. A couple of our favorites include:
“Out of the mouth of babes come words we shouldn’t have said in the first place.”
“A pint of good example if worth a gallon of advice.”
REASON #3: The book oozes community spirit. Turning the pages is like going down memory lane. There are so many names I recognize – friends of my mother’s and mothers of my friends. And as I read through the recipes, and what each chose to include, I remember community gatherings where many of these recipes were served. Most especially, I remember the church potluck that was part of every Wednesday night when I was in first and second grade.
REASON #2: The artwork is by my mother! My mother doesn’t have a single recipe in the entire book. I’ve checked thoroughly. She was an amazing artist, however, and the fine women who created this book recognized her gift and asked her to do the artwork for each section of the cookbook.
Keep in mind it was the 70s and the printing capabilities for a church cook book were pretty basic. The entire book is type-written, for example, which adds vintage charm. And my mother hand-printed the lettering for her pages and designed her illustrations in black and white. Here are a couple of my favorites:
REASON #1: If not for the some of these cooks, I might not have written MY TENDER HEART BIBLE or any of my faith-based books! When we moved to Minnesota in the fall of 1975, we were not Christians. My family didn’t really believe in anything. But, God was at work through the women in this cook book. Two, in particular, stand out. A woman named Susan Anderson, who lived down the street from us, invited my mom to go to the large women’s Bible study held weekly at Edina Baptist Church. That Bible study was taught by an amazing woman named Sharon Cooper.
The teaching and fellowship were amazing and my mom’s heart was stirred. Soon, not only was my mom attending Bible study, we were all going to church. I started attending things like Sunday school and Vacation Bible School, and Wednesday Night AWANA (which was always preceded by that potluck!) Long story short, over the course of the next couple of years, my mom, my dad, my sister and I all accepted Jesus into our hearts. Our lives were forever transformed.
In the fall of 1977 we moved away to Paris, France. Around the same time Edina Baptist changed its name to Grace Baptist and then it became Grace Church. In 1987 our family moved out of Minnesota altogether. And sometime after that Grace Church changed locations from Edina to nearby Eden Prairie.
And in the “time flies” category, it has been almost 50 years since the cook book released. But, the impact of those women who gathered those recipes and boldly shared their faith with my mother remains remains strong as ever. In fact, if not for God’s loving hand in prompting those women to minister to my mom, thus planting the seeds of faith in my heart as well, I probably wouldn’t be the writer I am today – one who writes books that minister to young families like my newest release, MY TENDER HEART BIBLE! I am forever grateful and in awe at how God works through us and those around us to bring us closer to Him. May He bless you this week!
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This painted rock that I spotted in Surf City, NJ a couple of summers ago is the perfect visual for my latest fun news—there’s going to be a THIRD book in the MY TENDER HEART series published by Paraclete Press!
So, just why is that painted rock such a perfect image? It’s perfect because this series is truly a project from my heart and one which I hope touches others’ hearts as well. Indeed, my prayer from the very beginning has been that first, MY TENDER HEART BIBLE, followed by MY TENDER HEART PRAYER BOOK and now MY TENDER HEART DEVOTIONS will bless families, churches and schools everywhere—pointing tender hearts to Jesus.
The seeds for these three books were planted in my heart when my own kids were little and I longed to teach them about God’s love and the wonderful, redeeming hope we have in Jesus. But often, at the end of the day, I was so tired. What I really wanted was something that would be easy to pick up and share, and that I could be confident was biblically sound and engaging.
Thinking that other parents might be experiencing similar exhaustion, yet longing, I intentionally planned for all three of these books to be easy for tired parents to pick up and share with their children, knowing that they could count on each to be engaging, thoughtful faith conversation starters. That’s why each bible story, prayer and devotion is accompanied by easy-to-find Bible citations, so you can look up God’s very word with your children, beautiful illustrations with lots to ponder (thank you, Sandra Eide!), and Heart Moments of prayer and action so kids can connect and respond to God’s love and God’s truth.
If you haven’t checked the books out yet, I hope you will. Start with MY TENDER HEART BIBLE, which is out now. Then, in September, continue nurturing the tender hearts in your life with MY TENDER HEART PRAYER BOOK which is available for preorder now. Next fall, you can look forward to MY TENDER HEART DEVOTIONS.
Here are the announcements. Squee!
From PublishersMarketPlace:
And from Publisher’s Weekly announcement:
Finally, did you know that the MY TENDER HEART series has its own little home on the web where you can download activity kits, learn about events and more? Check it out at MyTenderHeartBooks.com
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From the moment I penned the first word of MY TENDER HEART BIBLE, it has been my hope and prayer that the book be used as a colorful, engaging poetic introduction to God’s love and God’s Word. Over these last three months since it released, I’ve signed copies for baby showers, baptisms, birthdays and Easter baskets. But now, as we approach graduation season – preschool graduation, that is, or even Sunday School graduation, followed by summertime VBS, I wonder if God might place it on your heart to gift MY TENDER HEART BIBLE to some children you know who are graduating from their preschool years. Or, maybe even, you might sponsor a child’s class and gift a copy to each child? Or, gift a copy to each class at your preschool or Sunday school so that it might be a blessing for years to come? Or, share with your church’s VBS so it can be offered as a prize and bless some children and their families in that way.
The book is available everywhere. Check my book page for links to the publisher and other vendors. And please, as the offer states, if you order three or more copies, let me know and I will send signed and personalized book plates.
MY TENDER HEART BIBLE is three months old! Though not sleeping through the night yet, my newest book baby loves to smile and coo. He can be a little gassy, but we love him. Just kidding. Seriously, though, I thought it would be fun celebrate by snapping this “three months old book baby” picture inspired by all the cute baby pictures I see these days on social media celebrating monthly milestones. My kids were babies before this was done so, humor me. My books are my babies these days. =) Further riffing on the theme (again, please humor me), here are three sweet book-themed milestones MY TENDER HEART BIBLE has achieved:
Milestone #1:MY TENDER HEART BIBLE is getting lots of reading love!
Though I envisioned the book being read in 12 cozy sittings (because it has 12 stories), I’ve heard from many families that once they sit down to read the book, their little ones ask to keep reading. This has been the case at school visits too. As a result three of my favorite new phrases from young readers are “Just one more!”, “Another one, please.” and “I want to read them all!” Will you help this book baby get into the hands of even more readers by ordering a copy for a little one in your life today? Or for a school or church? Or, alternately, could you recommend it for purchase to your school, church or library? Links to a variety of vendors can be found here: https://mytenderheartbooks.com
Milestone #2: MY TENDER HEART BIBLE is getting lots of positive reviews!
As of the three-month mark, this rhyming bible story book for babies through beginning readers has 16 Amazon reviews. The next milestone goal? 20, then 30, then 50! Will you help by leaving yours on Amazon or the vendor of your choice today?
Milestone #3: MY TENDER HEART BIBLE will soon be a big book brother!
That’s, right. In case you didn’t hear the news, the next MY TENDER HEART book is due in August! It’s called MY TENDER HEART PRAYER BOOK! Get your first peek here.
It’s NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER and time for a COVER REVEAL!!! (In case you missed it.) Illustrator Sandra Eide and I have a prayer book coming out in August 2023 with Paraclete Press and the cover is just starting to pop up on the web. The second in the My Tender Heart series, the book is called MY TENDER HEART PRAYER BOOK and it’s something I was working on last summer. Teaching our children that they can connect with God through prayer is so important, and something that has been on my heart for a long time. Hasn’t illustrator, Sandra Eide, done a terrific job on the cover capturing the joy of those three young tender hearts as they pray? Here’s the scoop from Paraclete Press: With rhyming text and playful illustrations, My Tender Heart Prayer Book offers a vibrant collection of prayers for every moment of the day from morning to night. Inspiring words and “Heart Moments” combine to foster a little one’s relationship with God. Contains 23 prayers that encourage gratitude, thinking of others, asking for help, joy, compassion, trust in God, and teach important spiritual cornerstones. Here are two easy ways you can help let others know about the book (and make this author’s heart overflow with gratitude.)
One of the joys of having a new book out is getting to chat about it in meaningful and fun ways. Today I have two new interviews to share with you.
First up, I was honored to be interviewed by the lovely Christian author, Crystal Bowman, whose writing I have looked up to for a long time. Here’s the link to that.
Then, last week, I was interviewed by the amazing Brock Eastman. You can check that out here.
Third, bestselling Christian author, Diane Stortz, who, like me, has a heart for reaching next generations with messages of God’s love through Jesus, kindly shared her thoughts on MY TENDER HEART BIBLE in her May newsletter. Read the full review and newsletter here.
Now for the GIFTING idea:
From the moment I penned the first word in this Bible story collection, it has been my hope and prayer that it be used as a colorful, engaging poetic introduction to God’s love and God’s Word. Over these last three months since it released, I’ve signed copies for baby showers, baptisms, birthdays and Easter baskets. But now, as we approach graduation season – preschool graduation, that is, or even Sunday School graduation, I wonder if God might place it on your heart to gift MY TENDER HEART BIBLE to a child you know who is graduating from their preschool years. Or, maybe even, you might sponsor a child’s class and gift a copy to each child? Or, gift a copy to each class at your child’s or grandchild’s school so that it might be a blessing for years to come?
The book is available everywhere. But if you choose to purchase copies for a school or class, my publisher, Paraclete Press, offers great discounts for bulk purchases. If ordering 1 – 10 copies, use the code SASSI for a 20% discount. After that the discount will apply automatically, with a 20% for up do thirty copies, 25% for up to up to 60 copies, 30% for up to 99 copies and 40% discount for 100+ copies. Check my book page for links to the publisher and other vendors.
And if you decide to order multiple copies for a class or school, let me know and I will send signed book plates with a special message for each book!
Yesterday, it was my pleasure to be interviewed by radio host Care Baldwin for her program, The Wednesday Bookmark, a weekly show that celebrates books. The interview aired April 19th, 2023 at 4:30 EST on Family Radio CHRI 99.1 fm, a Canadian Christian family radio station. Thank you, Care, for being such a great host! I had a wonderful time chatting about MY TENDER HEART BIBLE. Here’s the link for the radio interview. And we also recorded for youtube which you can access there as well! How fun is that. Enjoy!
Interested in purchasing a copy of this or any of my books? Check out my Books tab!
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The clocks on my mantel each tick to their own beat. In our current house there are just two, but originally we had three (the third broke at some point). Here’s a picture of the two that still grace my mantel – one is from the 1850s. The other from the 1870s. Both were purchased from a dear family friend, now deceased, who collected and restored clocks. Each boasts a lovely wooden case, intricate wind-up gears and reverse-painted glass doors. I love their visual presence on the mantel.
I also enjoy the sound of their ticking, though family have had different reactions. “They sound off beat,” notes my husband. “They’re frantic,” my mother used to say. But to me, they beat in sink with my heart, for my heart beats to three different passions.
My deepest passion, like the clock on the right that beats loudest, is my faith that springs deep from within. That tick is my passion for Christ – whose love for me beats steady and strong through it all. This is the beat that starts my day, every day, and keeps me ticking even when life gets tough. It’s my joy and strength.
The middle clock (the one that I still remember fondly) ticked and chimed in two modes and gave peeps every quarter hour. In my heart, that tick tock was the mothering clock that was ever ticking and keeping me moving forward, nurturing and raising my children. That middle clock always seemed to beat faster than the other two, which matched my feeling of often being out of breath with the intensity of parenting and the fullness to bursting – good and bad – of managing all the daily details of life.
Then there’s that third clock. Tall and serene with dainty walnut steeples, its tocks are as delicate as mouse whiskers. In my mind, this is the clock that’s quietly noticing and taking it all in. This mirrors the depths of my heart that are ever sensing and grappling with life’s beauty and pain. This gentle beating comes with a pen in hand. It uses words to pull together and analyze the sometimes seemingly discordant tick-tocks of life. And over the years, it has been a source of renewal and expression that I can’t imagine living without. The result? A mile-high stack of journals, this blog, and my stories and books for children which each in their own way point to God’s goodness and love.
What about you? What makes you tick? Do have any figurative clocks on your life mantel? And what helps you keep them all in sync?
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It’s NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER and time for a COVER REVEAL!!! (In case you missed it.) Illustrator Sandra Eide and I have a prayer book coming out in August 2023 with Paraclete Press and the cover is just starting to pop up on the web. 
Laura Sassi Tales 