The Battle for our Children

Hearing some of the exploits of the Oxford gang who have just been jailed has shocked the U.K. Last year the Government issued a report that said that a conservative estimate of how many young people had been affected by grooming and sexual exploitation was around 10,000 (under 18s) in the UK, with around 16,000 at risk. A former police chief has said that if people don’t think it’s happening they just aren’t looking hard enough. He also said the problem the police have is that young girls don’t even know they are victims. Girls are generally carefully chosen from difficult backgrounds, desperate for attention and affection.

There is a fight on for our precious kids. What can you do? Start with one. Stop right now, and ask the Lord to bring to your attention one child. Everyone can pray! I'm going to give a copy of 'The Treasure Hunt' to a brother and sister who have recently moved into the area and have started coming to Messy Church with their mum. What will you do? Don't let it be nothing.

http://dernierpublishing.com/treasurehunt.php

Thought for the Day - let's pray for deliverance for Christians in prison.

Just a quick thought for the day. I read this morning about Paul of Tarsus' miraculous deliverance from prison. The church was praying for him! So many of our brothers and sisters in Christ are in prison, locked up simply because they are followers of Jesus. We must pray for them! Perhaps, even today, by our prayers, some will be miraculously released. Let's pray big prayers, knowing that we have a God for whom nothing is impossible!

If you need a prayer pointer, perhaps this one might help:

"Pray for those in solitary confinement and those facing torture and death, that even in the valley of the shadow of death they will know the comforting presence of the Lord. Pray that the Lord will do miracles in setting people free from imprisonment and oppression and that all the wicked plans of the enemy to destroy the church of God will fail." Psalm 23:4, Acts 12:7-11, Romans 16:20, 2 Thessalonians 3:2

(Extract from 'Praying for Persecuted Christians' in the 'Prayer - just do it!' series.)
http://dernierpublishing.com/prayer.php

Welcome to the June 2013 Dernier Publishing newsletter!

Welcome to the June 2013

Dernier Publishing

newsletter!

 

Reading is the best!

There's nothing quite like a good book, is there! Here's a wonderful quote from Gustave Flaubert: “You forget everything. The hours slip by. You travel in your chair through centuries you seem to see before you, your thoughts are caught up in the story, dallying with the details or following the course of the plot, you enter into characters, so that it seems as if it were your own heart beating beneath their costumes.” As summer holidays approach, let's give our children some great books to read! According to data released by the Dept. of Work and Pensions, one out of every six children in the UK lives in relative poverty. I'm not sure what that means exactly, but we all know families who are strapped for cash. Could you buy some books for families who might not be able to afford it? Don't let kids miss out.

Sunday School Prizes

If your church doesn't give out books to children, perhaps you might ask the minister or youth leader the reason? If they are under the impression that kids don't read any more, ask the Sunday School children what they are reading. It might spur them to action! If the concern is financial, perhaps they might ask people in the congregation to make a special gift, or sponsor a book each. Giving books away is an effective, gentle way of reaching out to whole families with the 'message in a story'. With so much ungodly stuff out there, it's an excellent form of outreach. Can we afford not to?

Don't forget you can order our books from any Christian bookshop, as well as direct from us.

Sharing the Wealth!

From Australia: Completely unexpectedly, author Mary Weeks Millard received the following email (I've shortened it a bit!): “I really enjoyed the books I Want to be an Airline Pilot and The Birthday Shoes and was excited to find out that there was others that followed I Want to be an Airline Pilot. I enjoyed the parts when Emily Jane went to different countries in The Birthday Shoes and was a bit disappointed when she tried the shoes and they did not fit any more, as I realised that I had reached the end of the book. I am 9 years old, I live in Australia. Thank you for writing books that make me think about how fortunate I am. Thank you for making me think about how much I take for granted.” Sadly, though, not as many books have been sold in Australia as hoped. Please would you take a few moments to pray? Thank you.

From Ayeisha in The Gambia: “A couple of months ago I gave a copy of Mary Millard's The Birthday Shoes to the security officer at a local supermarket (who loves reading books and I have given him some books before from our bookshop to read). It was for his daughter. He later told me his daughter enjoyed reading it so much that she asked if she could also read the book (The Heavenly Man) I had given him to read. They are not Christians. I pray that these books will help people to seek to know Christ. And I will certainly make another gift of books to ... I've just thought of the children's wing of the national hospital!”

From UK: Ellie says: “I like Deepest Darkness because the girl Abi is ten and I am ten. Also I like things that have scary parts in. My rating out of 10 = 10/10 fabulous!”

From where you are: Over to you, let me know!

Need help with your church bookstall?

Running a church bookstall can be a confusing and lonely task, but help is now at hand! For just £30 a year, the new 'Together' mag from Christian Resources Together will keep you in touch with all that's new, so you can supply your church with the best resources! Click here to take a look: http://www.christianresourcestogether.co.uk

Special Offers

Just in case you haven't already looked, this month's special offer is a 'Bless ten kids' offer, with ten Deepest Darkness at ten pounds off! It's a bargain at just £49.90 for ten books! Brilliant for summer clubs and camps. To get yours, follow this link: http://dernierpublishing.com and choose *Special Offers* on the menu bar, or visit your local Christian bookshop. Next month we will have a different book on offer, so do go back in July!

Do you know a child with visual impairment?

Did you know that 'Deepest Darkness' and 'Beech Bank Girls, Every Girl Has a Story' are now both available in giant print, braille and audio versions for anyone who suffers from sight loss? All these can be obtained from the Torch Trust: http://www.torchtrust.org . Perfect for children with less than perfect eyesight. Why should they miss out?

Oh, and older people love the stories, too, apparently!

Well I've run out of room again – there's just enough room for me to say thank you to you all so much for your support. If you would buy a book or two, it would help us enormously towards our aim to bring out Beech Bank Girls 4 soon. If you haven't got anyone to give them to, what about a gift to your nearest school? Www.dernierpublishing.com/youthf.php to choose! Thank you for standing with us :-)

Janet

P.S. Do find us on Facebook (Dernier Publishing), Twitter (@janetwilsonxxx) and Linked-In (Janet Wilson). It would be great to get to know you better! If you ever have any questions or comments, please contact me. It's always lovely to hear from you :-)

10 Good Reasons to Buy Christian Fiction for the Children You Love

In the past, Christian fiction has had a bad name for being preachy, boring, badly written and old-fashioned. But now there are some brilliant, engaging, relevant stories that are just waiting to thrill our children! Why should we cough up the cash, though?

10 Reasons to Buy Christian Fiction for the Children You Love

1. Stories with Christian characters can encourage children in their own faith

Church kids are often thrilled to find a Christian hero/heroine in a 'real' story! They can also be inspired to follow their example.

2. We remember stories better than straight information

Jesus told stories for a reason! Not only are stories with a message so much more memorable than a list of bullet points, they are so much more enjoyable. Church and non-church children alike can learn about how valued they are, how the Lord loves them, and that prayer changes things, all through the medium of a great book.

3. It's great to encourage children to read books with Christian values

We are all influenced by what we put into our minds, and there is a lot of ungodly stuff out there filling our children's heads and hearts. In a world that is imperfect, stories written from a Christian perspective can encourage our children to find and stay on the right path. 

 

4. A novel is a non-threatening gift

Books make thoughtful gifts and are generally gratefully received. Why not buy books for children who attend Messy Church, kids clubs and camps?

5. Kids see faith being outworked in a way relevant to their own culture

Bible stories can become over-familiar to church kids . . . but it can be exciting to read about how faith works in every day situations, to children just like them.

6. Children make sense of their world through stories

Children can reflect on subjects such as faith, prayer, justice and forgiveness in the safe place of a story. If you have read the book, you can talk about these issues with them, too.

7. Children can lend books to their friends (at no extra cost!)

Why not buy a load for your own kids then lend them out to all their school friends and their families? Think of the potential! If you get tongue-tied, but would like to pass on the good news to kids going through a rough time, a book can take the message for you. 

 

8. Like to have spiritual input but can't due to distance?

Grandparents/parents/significant others who are separated from their children by distance (or who can't talk about their faith openly), but would still like to have some spiritual input, can do so by sending Christian books, or reading stories over Skype!

9. Like more family time? Reading stories together is great for bonding!

Reading an exciting novel aloud is a great way to spend quality time together. Discussing the plot and the characters' reactions to events is a great way to open communication.

10. Words are powerful – a book may sow seeds that will bear fruit in years to come

We have all read books that have affected the way we have thought about things. Never underestimate the power of a story to change lives.

Www.dernierpublishing.com/aboutus.php

Happy reading :-)

Janet