Passing along this lovely invitation from Paraclete Press! I hope you will join us.
Laura Sassi, author of My Tender Heart Prayer Book is launching the Thirty Day Prayer Challenge with the kickoff event on the National Day of Prayer.
Preschoolers through 2nd graders will get an introduction to what the National Day of Prayer is, a time for prayer, readings from My Tender Heart Prayer Book, plus a kick-off to the TENDER HEART 30-DAY PRAYER CHALLENGE, a fun 30 day experience for ages 2-7 designed to make prayer a habit by praying together with our children in 30 special ways for 30 days in a row.
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Did you know that the first Thursday in May is designated as the National Prayer Day? You can learn all about it here: https://www.nationaldayofprayer.org/about. On that day, Americans from all walks of life and backgrounds will gather for observances to mark the day and pray for God’s blessing and wisdom for our nation. I know our church has observes this day with a special prayer service. Maybe your church does as well.
But prayer isn’t just for grownups. And it’s never too early to plant seeds of prayer and faith in even the tiniest hearts! With that in mind, here are TEN ideas to get the most out of the National Day of Prayer with your child:
IDEA #1: Explain What The National Day of Prayer Is. Learn all about it here.
IDEA #2: Make a Special Prayer Plan for the Day. Involve your kids in this as you create a calendar of when, how, and where you will pray throughout the day.
IDEA #3: Ask your children what they would like to pray for and make a list.
IDEA #4: Hang your prayer list on the fridge and check back throughout the month to see how God answers.
IDEA #5: Read together the prayer Jesus taught his disciples to pray, as a beautiful example of the elements of prayer.
IDEA #6: Read and pray through a prayer book designed just for kids like My Tender Heart Prayer Bookwhich contains 23 kid-friendly, rhyming prayers to foster conversations with God throughout the day.
IDEA #7: Include prayers of thanksgiving, repentance, and petition.
IDEA #8: Pray for someone in need, then send them a note to let someone know you prayed for them. There are printable cards you can use in this free activity kit.
IDEA #9: Use the National Day of Prayer as the kickoff for a whole month of prayer. Use the 30-Day Prayer Challenge printable to make it extra fun. It’s found on page two in the My Tender Heart Prayer Book free activity kit found here.
IDEA #10: If possible, participate in a National Prayer Day service or event. Check locally for one in your area. You can also join me for one virtually this Thursday, May 2nd 2024 at 10am Eastern. (Perfect for Moms at home with little ones, homeschools, Christian preschools, elementary schools etc.) Learn more here.
YOUR TURN! What would you add? Let me know in the comments below.
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YOU’RE INVITED! On Thursday, May 2, 2024 at 10 am Eastern, join me for a LIVE VIRTUAL AUTHOR EVENT via Zoom as we celebrate the National Day of Prayer and learn all about what prayer is. Ideal for Christian schools, Catholic schools, homeschools, families, church groups and more.
Hosted by Paraclete Press, this LIVE ZOOM event is geared to preschool through second graders (and their caregivers) and will include an introduction to what the National Day of Prayer is, a time for prayer, readings from MY TENDER HEART PRAYER BOOK, plus a kick-off to the TENDER HEART 30-DAY PRAYER CHALLENGE, a fun 30 day experience for ages 2-7 designed to make prayer a habit by praying together with our children in 30 special ways for 30 days in a row.
I thought this a fun way to plant seeds of prayer in little hearts (and our hearts too.)
Learn more about the 30 DAY PRAYER CHALLENGE and download the FREE PRINTABLE here.
And if you want to order a copy of MY TENDER HEART PRAYER BOOK for your church, school, or home library… or to give as a gift, check here for easy links.
This week it was my pleasure to be interviewed by podcast host and Christian author Lee Ann Mancini on the Raising Christian Kids Podcast. With a new episode airing each Tuesday, the Raising Christian Kids Podcastis geared to parents, grandparents, teachers, ministry leaders, and all who are raising the next generation to have a strong foundation in Jesus.
Here’s the teaser for this week’s interview:
During this episode, Laura discusses her heartwarming books and the valuable resources that accompany them. She shares her passion for connecting children with God’s love through her books and offers insightful tips on helping families incorporate biblical concepts into their children’s lives.
Today, I’m thrilled to be a part of the SONG OF THE SEASONS Insta Hop and Blog Tour. At this stop, author Glenys Nellist shares five fun facts about her new book from ParacletePress. Presented in sturdy hardcover with joyful text and colorful illustrations that capture the essence of each season, SONG OF THE SEASONS is a lovely addition to Glenys’ robust shelf of faith-based books for children.
Here’s an excerpt official blurb:
From bestselling author Glenys Nellist comes a rhyming, whimsical, faith-building journey through the four seasons — for early readers who love nature and wonder and the beginnings of all things. Based on Psalm 98 and written in flowing rhyme, Song of the Seasons explores the idea that all nature sings praise to an Almighty Creator.
Get a preview with the book trailer, then enjoy Glenys’ thoughts as she shares five fun facts about Song of the Seasons.
Five Fun Facts about Song of the Seasons
by
Glenys Nellist
Fun Fact #1: The Book Originally Had a Different Title…
As a nature lover, acorn collector and tree hugger, I have always been inspired by Psalm 98 and the idea that perhaps all creation sings a brand-new song to God. I wondered, what would it sound like if the trees and the mountains and the oceans could sing praises to their creator? I remember sitting down, pen in hand, prayer in heart, to write Creation’s Song, a rhyming, lyrical ode that explored this idea. But when I met with my editor, she thought something might be missing. At first, I wasn’t sure she was right, but like all good editors, she pushed me to be the best writer I could be. In the creative process of reworking, I decided, instead, to encompass all the four seasons, and to explore how spring, summer, autumn and winter might sing to God. Thus, Song of the Seasons was born.
Fun Fact #2: Song of the Seasons is a Circle Book
Several years ago, I was reading another of my books, The Wonder That is You, to a group of kindergarteners. When I reached the end, one of them exclaimed, “it’s a circle book … it ends the same way as it begins!” Up to that point, I had never heard that term before. Song of the Seasons is also a circle book, which I think is really appropriate, considering the fact that the four seasons are cyclical. It begins and ends in this way:
The earth sings God a brand-new song,
From grass to mountain peak,
And if you pause and close your eyes
You’ll hear the seasons speak.
Fun Fact #3: Something Surprising About the Illustrator…
As a traditionally published author, I don’t get to choose who will illustrate my books. That is the publisher’s job. How thrilled I was, then, to discover that Paraclete Press had chosen C. B. Canga to illustrate Song of the Seasons. If you take a look at the stunning scenes and colors used in its pages, you would never, ever guess that he has not experienced spring or summer or fall or winter in the same way as me! I live in Michigan, where all four seasons are diversely represented. C B Canga lives in California, where the climate is marked by two seasons: wet and dry. I do not know, then, how he depicted fall or winter so brilliantly, but I’m so glad he did!
Fun Fact #4: The Cornfield is a Real Place
A few years ago, when we lived on a small lake, I would ride my bike to a cornfield. It was always still and quiet. I would get off my bike and just listen to the birds and watch the sun peeping through the corn stalks. It was a place where I felt close to God. I took this picture, never realizing that one day, I would be able to include this special place in a book.
Fun Fact #5: Free Resources!
Since I was a teacher before becoming an author, I love to create resources to accompany my titles. For Song of the Seasons, I’ve written a five-day Creation curriculum that can be used for VBS or summer camps, a Parent Resource Pack and instructions for an immersive StoryWalk. All three resources are available as FREE downloads to anyone who orders the book. Just enter your order details at songoftheseasonsbook.com
Happy Monday! As I sit here enjoying my first cup of tea with my Bible beside me and the first morning rays just starting to light up the sky, I’m filled a sense of God’s presence. And I can’t help but marvel that God loves when we pray to Him through all the ups and downs of each day. It’s a good truth to hold onto. Indeed, when my children were small, I was eager to pass this beautiful knowledge on to them and so I did my best to plant seeds of prayer in their tender young hearts by incorporating prayer throughout our days.
My children loved this, but I noticed something interesting. Most of their prayers were either prayers of petition or prayers of thanksgiving. So, we started adding more variety. This intentionality carried into MY TENDER HEART PRAYER BOOK as well. That’s why, you’ll notice not only prayers of petition and thanksgiving, but also prayers of confession, lamentation and adoration.
Interested in growing your own children’s prayer life? Then join me over at Sally Matheny’s faith-filled website as I share five easy prayers to expand our children’s understanding of the many ways we can connect with God through prayer. What would you add?
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I’ve been keeping this to myself for a little while, but the announcement ran in Publishers Weekly this week so I think I can finally share.
I have a new book in the works… a faith-filled picture book about FEET!
Thank you, Worthy Kids, for acquiring Faithful Feet and thank you, Charlotte Wenger, for representing “the Sassi” as I am humorously referred to in the announcement. I can’t wait for little ones and their families to be inspired to use their feet to spread the good news of God’s love after reading this fun rhyming book. You won’t have to wait long. The book releases January 2025!
P.S Those adorable feet framing the announcement belong to my kiddos!
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Do you know the difference between a Bible and a Bible Storybook? The Bible is God’s actual word. A Bible storybook is a collection of Bible stories retold for children. My TENDER HEART BIBLE is an example of a Bible storybook. It contains 12 of my favorite Bible stories— six from the Old Testament and six from the New Testament retold in rhyme which together or singly point to God’s redemptive love. A Bible storybook is good way to introduce your children to some of the stories in the Bible so that when they are ready to dig into the actual BIBLE, it will feel familiar.
With all this in mind, here now are EIGHT tips to get the most out of Bible storybooks as a resource to point tender hearts to God.
Tip #1: Don’t try to read a whole Bible storybook in one sitting. Instead pick one story at a time to savor with your child.
Tip #2: Connect the retelling you are reading to the Bible by having your Bible handy with the passage the story is retold from open. Hint: Most Bible storybooks include Scriptural citations, so this should be easy.
Tip #3: Before reading the chosen story, take a moment to read the title together and look at the illustrations. See if your child recognizes the story and wonder together what it might be about.
Tip #4. As you read, pause to ask questions and notice things and connect it to your child’s experience. Ask things like: “How do you think ____ is feeling right now? Have you ever felt like ____? What would you do if you were _____?”
Tip #5: Over time, as you read the stories together, look for common threads and themes that you might notice including God‘s steadfast love, forgiveness, grace, repentance and more.
Tip #6: Wrap your Bible story time up in prayer—both before and after—so your little ones know that this is special God time. Pray for God to bless your time together and to give you each some God truth to hold on to— such as His great and steadfast love for you and them!
Tip #7: To make regular story time with God a habit, make a commitment with your child to read through an entire storybook collection over designated period of time. For extra fun, create a bookmark where you can check off the stories as you read them.
Tip #8: Have a special shelf in your home to gather a variety of Bible storybooks so you have a nice variety on hand for various ages and stages your children will go through. Some of my favorite include:
I Wonder: Exploring God’s Grand Story: an Illustrated Bible by Glenys Nellist(Zonderkidz, 2021)
My Awesome God Bible Storybook by Mark Steiner (Discipleland and Through the Bible Publishers, 2011)
My Tender Heart Bible written by Laura Sassi (Paraclete Press, 2023)
The Beginner’s Bible (Zonderkidz, 2016)
The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name by Sally Lloyd-Jones (Zonderkidz, 2006)
The Spark Story Bible: Spark a Journey Through God’s Word (Sparkhouse, 2015)
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Today I’m pleased to have authors Eric and Meredith Schrotenboer here to share five fun facts about their new book This Special Blessing for You, published by Zonderkidz with illustrations by Denise Hughes.
Here’s the official blurb:
God is full of love for your children, and This Special Blessing for You empowers them to live out who God wants them to be in the world. Encourage the kids in your life to spread love and kindness with this engaging rhyming picture book.
This Special Blessing for You uses words and phrases that help children better understand what God wants to communicate to them. Each promise and declaration is based on the Aaronic Blessing found in Numbers 6:23–27: “The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”
My take:
This Special Blessing for You is a beautiful rhyming adaptation of the Aaronic Blessing. Children will enjoy the warm affirmation of God’s love and purpose for them through each progressive spread. Eric and Meredith’s text pairs delightfully with Denise’s illustrations which are full of fun details for kids to explore and connect with as they ponder how God might use THEM to spread His love today. I think this book would make a wonderful addition to a home, church, school, or town library.
And now enjoy Eric and Meredith’s five fun facts.
Five Fun Facts about
THIS SPECIAL BLESSING FOR YOU
by Eric and Meredith Schrotenboer
FUN FACT #1:This Special Blessing for You is an adaptation of Numbers 6:23-27. These words were given to the priests by God, through Moses, and spoken over the people at the end of their religious services. They are promises of what God will do and a statement of God’s great love for the people. The words of the blessing are: The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.” This Special Blessing for You is a rhyming adaptation of these verses so kids better understand what God wanted to communicate to God’s people.
FUN FACT #2:The Hebrew idea of a blessing is that actual power is transferred from God to the people. The Hebrew understanding of “blessing” is that it is a “divine filling.” When the priests raised their hands and spoke these words, God’s Spirit flowed through the priests on to the people. With this blessing, God’s people were filled with power to live out who God called them to be in the world. This book can be used as a resource to speak God’s blessing over the children in your life. With this blessing, you will equip them with God’s power to live out who God is calling them to be and what God is calling them to do as they go through their day.
FUN FACT #3:One of Eric & Meredith’s most favorite word pictures in scripture comes right after the blessing. With this blessing, God told Aaron to “put God’s name on the Israelites” and in return God would bless them. When we play a sport, we often put on a jersey with our name on the back. The “picture” in this verse is that we put God’s name on our back and we get to carry God’s name with us wherever we go.God sends us out into the world so we can show everyone what God is like.
FUN FACT #4: If you look closely, you find Eric and Meredith’s kids depicted in the book. This Special Blessing for You has beautiful illustrations by illustrator Denise Hughes that shows children of all colors and abilities loving God and loving those around them. They are living into who God called them to be and the activities God is calling them to be part of. To Eric and Meredith’s surprise, their illustrator included their two children Meryn (8) and Judah (5) in the illustrations. You will have to see if you can spot them.
FUN FACT #5:Eric and Meredith have a desire to help children better understand the historical, geographical, and cultural context of the Bible. Eric and Meredith have had the opportunity to travel to Israel multiple times and Eric leads study trips to Israel through his ministry, The Acacia Project. Through the illustrations in their other books, they show children what the lands and customs of the biblical world were really like. You can find these details in their books, The Youngest Disciple, The Mouse in the Manger, and in their Christmas activity set, The Wandering Wise Men. They are also authors of the flip board book, Hear, O Little One: In the Morning and in the Evening.
About the Authors:
Eric and Meredith Schrotenboer are both storytellers at heart. Eric is an award-winning filmmaker and music composer. Meredith is an award-winning journalist and news anchor. Eric has his Master of Divinity and leads biblical study trips to Israel and Jordan through his ministry, The Acacia Project. Meredith is a certified enneagram coach and facilitator. Together, they launched Fresh Wind Studios, where they create resources that help children and families better understand the historical, geographical, and cultural context of the Bible. They are the creators of the award-winning Christmas resource The Wandering Wise Men, and the award-winning picture books The Youngest Disciple, The Mouse in the Manger, and Hear, O Little One: In the Morning and in the Evening. Eric and Meredith live in Holland, MI, with their two children, Meryn and Judah.
[Note: Thank you to the the publisher for a digital sneak peek of the book which I was under no obligation to review. The views and opinions expressed on this blog about books and other things are purely my own.]
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When I was a child, dinners were special. Most evenings, during my elementary through high school years, my sister and I would set the table. This included setting out placemats and putting napkins, glasses and cutlery in their proper spots. The final touch was lighting two candles. Then, after serving ourselves in the kitchen, we’d gather round for a very important decision: Who was going to say grace? We all had our turn and I loved when it was mine. I remember those prayers as being special times of reflection, petition, and thanksgiving. I realize now, they also planted seeds of prayer that have carried me through years and years of faith-filled living.
So, when I sat down to pen the prayers for MY TENDER HEART PRAYER BOOK, do you think I included a dinner time prayer? Of course! I included breakfast and lunch time prayers, too! If you have the book, I hope you and your little ones will check out those prayers.
And now, in celebration of planting seeds of faith and prayer in the hearts of our children, here are 10 things to LOVE about MEAL TIME PRAYERS.
Praying before eating is a concrete reminder that God loves when we pause to connect with Him through prayer.
Praying together before a meal brings a family together in a common moment of reflection.
Pausing to pray before we eat, reminds us (and our kids) that God is at the table too, watching over and loving us now and always.
Praying before dinner (or any meal) is a way to show God respect for all that He is and all that He has done for us, his beloved children.
Praying before dinner (or any meal) helps to plant seeds of gratefulness in little hearts.
Praying before a meal is also an opportunity to reflect on the needs of others, as we prayerfully ask God to bless and care for our family, community and world.
Praying together at the table is a great opportunity to model the structure of a prayer.
Praying at dinner (and other meals too) can be a joyful, connective experience as we do things like holding hands as we pray, or singing some favorite prayers together. (The Johnny Appleseed Prayer is a favorite at our house.)
Since we are already habituated to eating at certain times of day, adding a prayer before dining is an easy way to make that a habit as well.
If you and your kids pray before every meal, you will already be well on your way to making prayer an integral part of your day!
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Laura Sassi Tales 