What Lies Beneath
Friday, January 2nd, 2009 | A Life of Faith, Walking in Faith | No Comments
It just occurred to me how much healthier our nation’s economy is already because all of the underlying bad investments and perilous structures that have been exposed, collapsed, and/or are in the process of being flushed out. Who knew that our whole economy was built with such precarious underpinnings? But when the economy “comes back” to life, it will no longer be sitting on the same faulty supporting structures, but rather on more healthy and realistic ones.
Yet, this massive collapse has given our nation a rare chance for a new beginning—one that would have been too hard to bring about ourselves and too hard to accept had it not been “forced” upon us.
There is definitely a spiritual principle here: If we don’t build our lives on the solid ground of Jesus Christ, then our faulty foundations will eventually be exposed and cave in, for all that can be shaken will be shaken. (Matthew 7:24-27; Hebrews 12:26-28) Sometimes a “building” has to be torn all the way down to make way for a new and better “structure” to be built in place of it.
Likewise, at times it takes a drastic breakdown in our lives to discover “what lies beneath” in us. Once exposed and dealt with, God can bring about within us massive transformation for the better.
The Free Gift of Salvation Through Christ
Wednesday, December 24th, 2008 | A Life of Faith | No Comments
Jesus said, in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
The Bible tells us in Romans 10:9 that “if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” It goes on to say in verse 10, “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”
This Christmas, if you want to receive the free gift of salvation from your sins, all you have to do is ask.
For more info, see http://www.alof.com/god_free_gift_to_you.html
Giving Yourself Breathing Room This Christmas Season
Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008 | A Life of Faith | No Comments
This is the first time in at least a decade that I can remember having genuine “breathing room” to actually enjoy the week of Christmas! I did all my Christmas shopping and mailing of presents very early in December, and not only planned my vacation to begin December 22, but decided to close the company from December 24-January 5 to allow all of our staff some serious time off. Let’s face it, Christmas is as busy and exhausting for Christians as for everyone else. But this should not be the case. For believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, the week of Christmas should be the most joy-filled time of the year as we meditate on and enjoy the gift of our Savior. Doing that is not hard. But finding sufficient, genuine breathing room is. Jesus is the reason for the season … and this year I will be enjoying Him more than ever!
On another note, if you are in need of some ideas for helping your children discover more “Comfort and Joy” this Christmas season, read our December newsletter to moms at http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs002/1101483030006/archive/1102370364283.html.
The Missing Key to Nighttime Peace!
Tuesday, December 9th, 2008 | Great Christian Products | No Comments
I spent tonight loading “The Word of Promise-New Testament” from Thomas Nelson onto my laptop. This is a set of 20 audio CDs that I plan to listen to on my ipod. I can’t wait! (It was a gift to my husband which I confiscated.) For the past 6 months I have been listening to Zondervan’s “The Bible Experience” audio Bible on my ipod at night. It is a terrific product! Instead of “simply” reading the Bible before I go to bed, I now listen to the Bible (or sometimes listen and simultaneously read it). Then I keep the Bible playing in my ear all night long as I sleep. This has helped me immensely. I used to waste a great deal of time trying to fall asleep at night; I couldn’t seem to stop my busy mind from processing all of the day’s details. (Journaling, reading, praying, Scripture memory, etc., did not seem to help.) But an audio Bible has turned out to be the missing key– just the thing I need to bring that highly elusive peace! Publishers like Mike Hyatt (Pres. of Thomas Nelson) and Moe Girkins (Pres. of Zondervan) will be very happy to know that Bible customers like me, who have an embarrassing number of printed Bibles at home, will also want to have MULTIPLE audio Bibles!
Things are not always as they appear
Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008 | Walking in Faith | No Comments
This past week 2 Corinthians 2:14 (below) keeps coming to mind. Like everyone, I need to hear it. It is a good reminder that, regardless of what we see with our eyes or hear with our ears, God is mightily on the move in the earth and in our lives. Let not the negative economic news discourage you. Whatever your circumstances, God is IN FACT accomplishing His plans for you, for His plans cannot be thwarted. God IS, right now, leading you in triumph!
2 Corinthians 2:14 (NASB)
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.
Practicing What We Preach
Thursday, November 20th, 2008 | Walking in Faith | No Comments
If ever there was a time for Christians to practice what we preach it is now. Between the recent elections and the economic collapse, it is no easy task at times to “be not afraid.” Here are some promises from the Word of God that may help:
Isaiah 54:10
Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you.
Proverbs 3:25-26
Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared.
Isaiah 58:11
The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.
Isaiah 42:16
I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.
Psalm 46:10
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
New Study Proves the Obvious
Tuesday, November 4th, 2008 | Concerned about Kids, News | No Comments
According to a story today at http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,446306,00.html, new data from three long-term research studies in the U.S. and Japan shows that after otherwise peaceable kids first played violent video games, months later they became more aggressive in school and more likely to get into fights. Younger kids (i.e., American children ages 9 through 12) were more affected. “Playing violent video games is a significant risk factor for later physically aggressive behavior,” concludes the study.
So violent video games encourage kids to be more violent. Gee, what a concept. Once again research proves the obvious.
Teen Pregnancy Linked to Watching Sexy TV Shows
Monday, November 3rd, 2008 | Concerned about Kids, News | No Comments
In an Associated Press article today entitled “Teen Pregnancy Linked to Watching Sexy TV Shows”, we are told: “Groundbreaking research suggests that pregnancy rates are much higher among teens who watch a lot of TV with sexual dialogue and behavior than among those who have tamer viewing tastes.”
(see http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,446085,00.html)
For those of us who have long been concerned about the impact on kids of sexualized toys and tv shows, one has to wonder why such a common sense connection needed ‘groundbreaking’ research to prove it.
Hundreds Of Girls Rewarded
Thursday, October 30th, 2008 | News, Press Releases | No Comments
A Life of Faith Promotion Takes Off Bigger Than Anticipated
FRANKLIN, TN — When Mission City Press, the owners of the A Life of Faith brand, sent out an email with the headline “Hey Moms! Want Your Daughters to Read Great Books and Get FREE Rewards!?” they had no idea it would be so popular.
“We wanted a way to introduce fans of our A Life of Faith novels to the companion books in the line,” said Sandi Shelton, president and publisher for Mission City Press. “We’d never run a reading rewards program, so we decided to give it a try.” But when literally hundreds of responses flooded the Mission City Press offices, located in downtown Franklin, Tennessee, the staff was overjoyed—and overwhelmed. Fulfilling all the prizes was no small task!
The promotion worked like this: “Read any 5 A Life of Faith novels and get a free Elsie or Millie or Violet Daily Diary. Read any 10 A Life of Faith novels and get a free Daily Diary plus an Elsie or Millie or Violet Life Lessons study guide too.” Then, the top level was “Read any 15 A Life of Faith novels and get a free Daily Diary plus a free Life Lessons study guide plus a free Elsie or Millie or Violet activity or advice book, plus a coupon for 50% off any A Life of Faith doll.” The dolls retail for $99.99.
This was no easy challenge that girls had ahead of them. Each novel is at least 224 pages long. The “fine print” of the promotion said that a participant had to provide a complete listing of the A Life of Faith book titles she read over the specified 3 month period, along with the date she finished each book, plus one or two sentences about how each book affected her. Then a parent had to certify the list.
To date, the company has received at least 350 certified responses, most of which were from girls who finished 15 novels during the time period. That means that well over 5,000 novels were read by girls as a result of the promotion. At 224 pages per book, that translates to over 1,120,000 pages of text read by devoted fans in just 3 months!
Girls took away many different personal applications from reading the inspiring A Life of Faith novels. For example, after reading Violet’s Bold Mission, Alea S. from Colorado wrote, “As we begin to travel on the path God has set for us, we will face trials. But we shouldn’t be discouraged. Trials strengthen us and our faith. They are part of God’s great plan for our lives.”
“We absolutely love the responses we got from girls,” Shelton said, “but it was also really exciting to read the unexpected letters we got from parents thanking us for the positive impact of our books.”
The Townsends of Wichita, Kansas wrote: “Here is an example of how these books affected [our daughter] positively: [the other night] I had sore knees from a recent sports injury…with my husband at work and 4 younger children to care for, I felt up against the wall. Hannah, my oldest, took over as servant. She cleaned the kitchen, unloaded the dishwasher, refilling it, sweeping the floor, etc. Then she got everyone ready for bed and sat and massaged my sore legs for me. When I thanked her for her servant’s heart, she responded that Millie [an A Life of Faith heroine] had inspired her, because Millie had little siblings and was a big help to her mom in caring for them. I am thankful that these books are inspiring my daughter to live a life of faith, to serve others instead of self. Thank you!”
“This campaign has been so very successful that we hope to repeat it again in the new year,” said Kathy Needham, marketing director, “but we need a break first to catch our breath. Seriously, we’re not complaining, we love our A Life of Faith readers. They are so passionate about this series, and this promotion is great evidence of that. But next time we will be much more prepared for a landslide response!”
Check out the entire A Life of Faith line at www.alifeoffaith.com.
About Mission City Press
Mission City Press is a non-denominational Christian publishing and communications company that is committed to helping young people develop a strong foundation of faith in God. The company has three main product lines for children—The Beginner’s Bible, which brings the timeless stories of the Bible to life for preschool age children, and A Life of Faith, which provides role models, resources, and relationships designed to help 8-14 year old girls understand, imagine, and experience what it means to live a lifestyle of faith. And Faith and Friends, which brings fun, faith and fashion to girls ages 6-10. For more information, visit www.alifeoffaith.com.
Who is Mission City Press?
Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008 | Welcome | No Comments
If you have stopped by our web site, you probably want to know more about who we are.
Mission City Press is a Franklin, Tennessee company that wants to help young people develop a strong foundation of faith in Jesus Christ. We do that through non-denominational Christian print, gift, and toy products that are fun, engaging, and rich in content that reveals a living, loving, and life-giving God.
People know us best for our three leading brands of children’s products:
The Beginner’s Bible, which brings the timeless stories of the Bible to life for preschool and early elementary school age children;
Faith & Friends, which provides adorable fashion dolls, doll accessories, and books that inspire faith-based imaginative play for girls ages 6-12;
A Life of Faith, which uses the life stories of fictional girls living in the 19th and early 20th centuries to help today’s 8-14 year old girls learn to live a lifestyle of faith.
We desire to inspire kids to actively and passionately trust God and apply Biblical principles to the issues of their daily lives. We believe that the development of faith is a process, and you are never too young to start.