Friday 4 April 2014

Welcome to the April Dernier Publishing newsletter!

Help, there's no way through!
No way out?
You know how sometimes there just doesn't seem to be a way through? Whether it's a family, financial, work, church or health issue, we all face crises from time to time where there just doesn't seem to be a solution.

You see these two pictures? I was walking on this muddy path in the woods towards what seemed to be a fence . . . no way through! But in fact, there was a way through. I just couldn't see it until I was right on top of it!

Ah, there is a way!
In the same way, we need to 
keep walking by faith. Even when we can't see an ending, or a solution, we just need to keep trusting, because if we are heading in the right direction, the Lord will always make a way where there seems to be no way. Nothing is too difficult for him!

At Dernier we have had a few sticky months, with all sorts of difficulties, delays and frustrations with our long-awaited new book, A Pennyworth of Peppermints and the CD and DVD versions of Deepest Darkness. Please pray for us, that we will keep walking (for us that means publishing!), so we can keep reaching out to children with the good news. Thank you for your kind support. :-)

A Pennyworth of Peppermints

A spy story set in the First World War
Hurray, hurray, hurray, this lovely story is finally at the printers! Isn't that a fab illustration by artist John Raymer? :-)

A Pennyworth of Peppermints is a spy story, set in the First World War. While collecting driftwood on their local beach in Dorset, Ben and Sidney find a message in a bottle washed up on the shore. The message is written in rhyme – is it just a poem? Through a series of adventures, the boys, along with Sidney's sister, Vera, discover that there is much more to the message than meets the eye . . .

This delightful story captures a little of what life was like for families living through the Great War, and how faith in God can make a difference, whatever the circumstances.

We have already had some reviews! Here are a couple:

It was epic..... It helped me understand what life was like as a child in WW1..... It reminded me that God is interested in helping us through tough times.” - Florence

Cool, interesting, exciting.... It was a great book! I liked it that the children were detectives! I liked that it said Jesus is always with me.” - Joseph

Florence and Jo's mum said, It has been lovely and special, reading a book together, a lovely change to read a book teaching morals and biblical truths in a way that's engaging.
This book isn't quite on the website yet, but will be very soon. Do you have contact with a Christian school or children who are home-schooled? Would you be kind enough to let them know about the book? It is the perfect novel for schoolchildren to study as class readers, prizes and/or library books in this 100th anniversary year of the outbreak of the First World War. Wouldn't it be great for more children to read about how Jesus is with them, whatever difficulties they are facing?

A huge thank you to all who bought books for Kisumu children in Kenya!
A couple of weeks ago I delivered the books you donated to Cherry Brierley, whose husband, Peter, has now taken them to give to Kisumu children. Cherry was delighted to receive the books - she told me the children will be thrilled with them. I did wonder if it would add rather to Peter's baggage, but Cherry told me firmly that the books will be a priority. How wonderful that we can work together in this way to help children in difficult circumstances. If we all do our bit, we can often make a way where there seems to be no way! Do pray for the children who will read the books. Some are orphans, some have desperate family situations.


Are your children safe online?
This book comes highly recommended for anyone who is concerned about the safety of their children online. It helps parents to be aware of the dangers, and to be able to safely guide their children through the maze of the Internet. Dr. Bex says, ‘In the same way as you’re beside your child when they learn to crawl, walk and ride a bike, right up to when they learn to drive, you have to teach them to respect the digital environment, look for the opportunities and be aware of the potential dangers. Talk to them about what they are seeing and experiencing, give them freedom within boundaries as you would in any other space.’ You can buy the book from any Christian bookshop.

Audio and eBooks
3 x CDs; you'll love it!
I sent out an email a little while ago asking if you would be kind enough to support our kindle books. Many thanks to those who bought the book/s and wrote reviews on Amazon– your support is much appreciated! I am going to leave the price at just 75p-ish for a few more days, just in case you meant to buy and didn't get round to it! And you can now buy the audio CDs and DVDs of Deepest Darkness through our website or from Christian bookshops. If you have a car journey coming up, this would be a great investment :-) Click here for the audio version of Deepest Darkness!


Michele Guinness bought The Birthday Shoes!

Michele and me!
Last week I had the privilege of speaking at a meeting where Michele Guinness was doing a book signing. (Thanks to Norman Nibloe of Tonbridge Christian Book Centre for inviting me.) Michele gave an entertaining talk about her new novel, Archbishop; I was delighted when she bought a copy of 'The Birthday Shoes' for her granddaughter (you can just see the corner of the book in the photo!).
If you would like me to come and speak to your group and share the Dernier vision, just Contact Janet as usual!
Well I think I've gone on enough! Hope you all have a wonderful Easter, celebrating our gracious Saviour.
Janet
P.S. Don't forget your audio book! Click to our website for the CDs!

Wednesday 2 April 2014

Sex education for six-year-olds


So, six-year-old children are being given sex education, and children at secondary schools are being offered tests for sexually transmitted diseases in lunch time and after school clinics. This is apparently a response to high pregnancy rates.

Click here to read the Christian Institute article

We need to fight back for our children's lives. What can we do?

I suggest three things:
    Pray.
    We need to pray for the children in our families, for our church children, our friends' children, our children's friends, the children who attend our local schools, children in homes and schools we sponsor, or have links with. We need to pray for our minster's children, for missionary kids, for children in our town, in the UK, all over the world.

    Put up our shields!  
    We need to be pro-active in protecting our own families. If anything unsuitable comes on the TV, we should turn it off. We need to be a good example, and be watchful for those we are responsible for. We need to keep an eye on what is being beamed into our own homes. We need to keep computer screens where we can see them. We need to keep lines of communication open, and talk about issues as they come up. We need to start today, and stay vigilant. We can campaign with Care for the Family, Christian Institute and other charities/organisations that work for young people.

    Get out our swords!
    We need to give our children good Christian alternatives to the things that are bombarding them from all around, to fill their minds with good things and make sure they know what is good. We need to read Bible stories/Scripture verses with them, talk about the things of God, buy them Christian stories, music and DVDs. 

    If you have 10-14 year-old girls, you might like to give them the excellent, relevant and fun Beech Bank Girls books by Eleanor Watkins. These stories, written from a Christian perspective, face all sorts of issues by six young teens, including friendships. You can buy them from your local Christian bookshop, or from following this link:  Dernier Publishing

    May the Lord keep your children safe.

    Janet