Mike Nawrocki returns with comical and character-building stories for a new generation with The Dead Sea Squirrels series 

Carol Stream, Ill. (March 6, 2019)— Mike Nawrocki, co-founder of Big Idea Entertainment and voice of the beloved Larry the Cucumber, has written the first two installments of The Dead Sea Squirrels, a series of first chapter books intended for ages 6–10. Squirreled Away and Boy Meets Squirrels are scheduled for release on May 7, 2019.

The series opens with Squirreled Away, in which ten-year-old Michael Gomez sneaks into the Dead Sea caves near the archeological dig where his dad is working. There, Michael discovers two 2,000-year-old squirrels petrified in salt. Hijinks ensue as Michael tries to bring them back to the U.S., hidden in his backpack. Kirkus Reviews noted that, “there is plenty of humor to tickle young readers, and the target audience will undoubtedly laugh out loud. . . . Fans of such characters as Big Nate and Stink will likely enjoy the silly humor and adventures in this series opener, while many of their caregivers will appreciate the character-building lessons.”

In the second book of the series, Boy Meets Squirrels, Michael discovers his “souvenirs” are alive. Michael learns that Merle and Pearl Squirrel lived at the same time as Jesus—and they have great stories and lessons to share in their own hilarious way. The squirrels even help Michael and his friends confront a bully. Further installments in the series will continue to intertwine humor and biblical lessons alongside comic-book style illustrations.

Regarding this acquisition, associate publisher Linda Howard said, “I am thrilled and honored to have the opportunity to work on this series with Mike. His sense of humor and engaging storytelling will have kids learning great life lessons and laughing through every minute of it.”

Mike Nawrocki has been dedicated to helping parents pass on biblical values to their kids through storytelling for over two decades. Mike currently serves as assistant professor of film and animation at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee, and makes his home in nearby Franklin with his wife, Lisa, and their two children. The Dead Sea Squirrels is Mike’s first children’s book series.

Squirreled Away and Boy Meets Squirrels by Mike Nawrocki
ISBN: 978-1-4964-3498-2, 978-1-4964-3502-6
Softcover $6.99 each
May 2019
Tyndale.com

Tyndale House Publishers, founded in 1962, is the world’s largest privately held Christian publisher of books, Bibles, and digital media. Tyndale has published many New York Times bestsellers. The largest portion of its profit goes to the nonprofit Tyndale House Foundation, which makes grants to help meet the physical and spiritual needs of people around the world. Tyndale was founded to publish Living Letters, which later comprised part of The Living Bible, a contemporary paraphrase of the Bible that became a global publishing phenomenon. Tyndale now publishes the Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT), the translation of choice for millions of people.

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. – Outreach Magazine (www.outreachmagazine.com), which provides practical resources for pastors and volunteer leadership in all areas of outreach, has announced that NavPress  (@NavPress) book Unwanted: How Sexual Brokenness Reveals Our Way to Healing (SC, 978-1-63146-67204, September 2018) by Jay Stringer (https://jay-stringer.com/) has been selected as its Resource of the Year in the Counseling/Relationships Category. The book will be highlighted in the March/April issue of Outreach as well as online.

“Jay brings a wealth of wisdom, a pastor’s heart, and the desire to remove shame from the lives of many sexually addicted men & women,” said Don Pape, Publisher, NavPress. “His book is a hopeful tonic for many in the grips of an addiction that harmfully shapes their story. Unwanted is a wanted gift to the church.”

Unwanted is a ground-breaking resource that explores the “why” behind self-destructive sexual choices. The book is based on research from more than 3,800 men and women seeking freedom from unwanted sexual behavior, be that the use of pornography, an affair, or buying sex.

Stringer’s (M.Div, MA, LMHC) original research found that unwanted sexual behavior can be both shaped by and predicted based on the parts of our story—past and present—that remain unaddressed. When we pay attention to our unwanted sexual desires and identify the unique reasons that trigger them, the path of healing is revealed.

Although many of us feel ashamed and unwanted after years of sexual brokenness, the book invites the reader to see that behavior as the very place God can most powerfully work in their lives. Counselors, pastors, and accountability partners of those who experience sexual shame will also find in this book the deep spiritual and psychological guidance they need to effectively minister to the sexually broken around them.

Jay Stringer has spent more than a decade working on the frontlines of the demand for pornography and sexual exploitation. As a writer, speaker, and therapist, as well as a lecturer in the Seattle “john school” (mandatory courses for people arrested for soliciting a prostitute), Jay has unique insight into the cultural calamity of sexual brokenness. His research is used internationally by such organizations as Josh McDowell Ministry and Fight the New Drug to help men and women find a lasting path to healing and wholeness.

The NavPress mission is to advance the calling of The Navigators by bringing biblically rooted, culturally relevant, and highly practical products to people who want to know and love Christ more deeply. Through The Message Bible and other insightful resources, NavPress seeks to bring positive spiritual movement to peoples’ lives. In January 2014, NavPress entered into an alliance with Tyndale House Publishers to strengthen and better position NavPress and its rich content for the future. NavPress provides books and other content that bring spiritual impact, life transformation, and help lead in the mission of making disciples.

March 7, 2019, Tempe, Ariz. — The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) has announced the formation of the International Christian Rights & Export Fair (ICREF), being held June 25 and 26 in Chicago on the campus of Moody Bible Institute.

This inaugural event is for publishers who are exchanging rights and licensing, as well as customers purchasing for export.

“We were asked by the leadership of the Christian rights community to facilitate this first-ever event in Chicago,” said Stan Jantz, president of ECPA. “This is a wonderful opportunity for members of the international Christian publishing community to meet with foreign publishers, retailers, and distributors to discuss licensing and international sales.”

Registration is now open for ICREF. Pricing has been set at $399 for an exhibitor table for up to two people, with additional tables priced at $99. Attendees will pay just $49 for a two-day pass, including parking.

For more information, please contact Cynthia Helblig, ECPA administrator, at chelblig@ecpa.org.
Register at https://www.ecpa.org/event/ICRF

WHEATON, Ill.—Crossway is pleased to announce that Donald S. Whitney’s Praying the Bible (Crossway, July 2015) has surpassed 100,000 units in print sales.

Although prayer is a vital discipline of the Christian life, many Christians struggle to know how they should pray—especially when they find their focus drifting and their prayers becoming increasingly repetitive. In this brief yet profound book, Whitney helps readers transform their prayer lives through the simple method of praying the words of Scripture. Praying the Bible shows Christians how God’s Word can direct their thoughts and words as they pray through passages line by line, deepening their communion with their heavenly Father.

“What you are doing,” writes Whitney, “is taking words that originated in the heart and mind of God and circulating them through your heart and mind back to God. By this means his words become the wings of your prayers.”

Available in both hardcover and ebook formats, Praying the Bible has received commendations from Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth (host of Revive Our Hearts), Bryan Chapell (pastor of Grace Presbyterian Church in Peoria, Illinois), and more.

“This little book is explosive and powerful,” writes Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. “Read it ready to experience a great step forward in your walk with Christ and in your commitment to prayer.”

Justin Taylor, Crossway’s publisher for books, comments: “We are so pleased to see the ways in which God is using this little book to connect hearing from God in his Word and then communicating to him in prayer. The material has been changing lives for many years, and we are honored to publish it in book form for the good of the church and unto the glory of God!”

Whitney is the author of Family Worship (Crossway, 2016) and Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life (NavPress, 1991). He also wrote the introduction for the upcoming ESV Prayer Bible (Crossway, April 2019). For more information about the author, visit biblicalspirituality.org.

Donald S. Whitney (PhD, University of the Free State) is professor of biblical spirituality at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He has written several books related to Christian spirituality, including Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life and Family Worship. biblicalspirituality.org | facebook.com/donwhitney/ | twitter.com/DonWhitney

Founded in 1938, Crossway is a not-for-profit global Christian publishing ministry that publishes gospel-centered, Bible-centered content, to honor our Savior and serve his Church. Crossway seeks to help people understand the all-encompassing implications of the gospel and the truth of God’s Word—for all of life, for all eternity, and for the glory of God alone. Crossway is the global publisher of the ESV® (English Standard Version®) Bible, more than 1,000 Christian books, and an extensive list of gospel literature. For additional information visit crossway.org.

Contact: Lauren Harvey • lharvey@crossway.org (630) 682-4300, ext. 6031 • crossway.org

(March 11, 2019, Grand Rapids, Mich.)—With nearly a ninety-year history of publishing Christian content that is both thought-provoking and trusted, Zondervan announced today the official launch of Zondervan Reflective and Zondervan Academic.

Zondervan Reflective is a new imprint featuring the familiar voices of Christian leaders, pastors, and leaders in ministry like Andy Stanley, Clay Scroggins, J.D. Greear, and Peter Scazzero. Books in this imprint aim to spur readers toward insight and responsible action in their personal lives and in the public realm. Zondervan Reflective focuses on deep, yet applicable content, and will address topics related to leadership, the intersection of faith and culture, and growing and exploring a reader’s ministry.

Ryan Pazdur, associate publisher and executive editor for Zondervan Reflective commented, “Zondervan Reflective books are more than just good, engaging reads—they inspire action and call for a response. Our goal for this imprint is to be part of the conversation and to engage our readers, providing answers or perspective around really tough questions that Christianity is facing today.”

While Zondervan has been a well-established brand in the academic space for decades, the creation of the Zondervan Academic imprint brings additional focus to the market. “As a leader in Christian higher education and digital learning, Zondervan Academic seeks to show the breadth and diversity—both theologically and globally—of Christianity in its broadly evangelical expression,” says Katya Covrett, executive editor. “As a publisher of textbooks, reference books, and monographs, we consider ourselves both a broker of ideas and an equipping partner for our readers, wherever they are teaching and learning.”

Upcoming titles in the Zondervan Reflective imprint include Clay Scroggins’ How to Lead in a World of Distraction (September 2019), a follow-up to the bestselling How to Lead When You’re Not in Charge. Lead titles this fall for the Zondervan Academic imprint include The New Testament in Its World by N.T. Wright and Michael F. Bird and America’s Religious History by historian Thomas S. Kidd (both November 2019).

Stanley N. Gundry, senior v-p and publisher, will oversee both Zondervan Reflective and Zondervan Academic. “This creation of two distinct imprints,” notes Gundry, “will position us for growth and better align our publishing with Zondervan’s future while retaining continuity with our eighty-eight years of history in publishing for the academy and a general readership concerned with the ideas, issues, and future of Christianity.”

About Zondervan
Zondervan is a world leading Bible publisher and provider of Christian communications.  Zondervan, part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, delivers transformational Christian experiences through its bestselling Bibles, books, curriculum, academic resources and digital products. The Company’s products are sold worldwide and translated into hundreds of languages. Zondervan main office is located in Grand Rapids, MI.  For additional information, please visit www.zondervan.com.

Contact: Casey Harrell, Senior Director, Corporate Communications,
615-902-1109, casey.harrell@harpercollins.com

New Era of “Beautiful Bibles for a Beautiful Faith” for Mainline Churches as Zondervan, the World’s Leading Bible Publisher, Expands Its Publishing Portfolio with the New Revised Standard Version

Zondervan, a division of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, has long been known for its wide range of elegantly designed Bibles for the evangelical market, in translations such as the NIV and NKJV. Now, as it takes the reins of the publishing giant’s line of New Revised Standard (NRSV) Bibles, Zondervan intends to bring that same elegance and attention to detail to new editions of the NRSV.

Prepared by the National Council of Churches and first released in 1989, the NRSV is the only widely ecumenical translation, vetted by Protestant, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Evangelical, and Jewish scholars. Many Mainline Protestant churches officially accept or recommend the NRSV to their members, and the translation is also widely used by Roman Catholics. The three editions of the NRSV add to its ecumenical appeal:

• the NRSV common edition, containing the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments
• the NRSV with Apocrypha, placing these books between the Old and New Testaments
• the NRSV Catholic Edition, containing the 66 books of the common edition as well as 7 Deuterocanonical books following the order of the Vulgate.

The rule of the NRSV translating committee was “As literal as possible, as free as necessary,” rendering the NRSV both a literal and elegant, readable translation. The NRSV is also a direct descendant of the King James, American Standard Version, and Revised Standard Version Bibles, passing on the richest and most influential works in the English language while thoroughly updating words, phrases, and grammar.

Zondervan has developed an exclusive new easy-to-read typeface for the NRSV. Comfort Print® delivers an exceptionally smooth reading experience, with a well-crafted, highly-readable style that aids comprehension—essential, since a typical Bible has 800,000 words and 4 million letters.

“The NRSV typeface was developed in partnership with 2K/DENMARK, and the design inspiration for the font family came from 1901, when the legacy of the NRSV stretched back to its roots in the ASV. Vibrant, rich colors dominated the art and liturgical scene, along with exquisitely crafted typefaces. That was our inspiration for the creation of the Zondervan NRSV Comfort Print Typeface, as well as for our bold, beautiful packaging and cover designs.” said Melinda Bouma, Publisher Zondervan Bibles.

Zondervan’s plans for the NRSV include several exciting new editions. First up is an NRSV edition of the award-winning Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, published March 12, 2019. Featuring notes by scholars Dr. John H. Walton, an Old Testament expert, and Dr. Craig S. Keener, whose scholarship focuses on the New Testament, the study Bible offers readers a “behind-the-scenes” tour of the ancient world, offering deeper insights into even the most familiar passages.

In April, Zondervan will release a range of beautifully-designed text Bibles, in keeping with their motto for the NRSV: “Beautiful Bibles for a Beautiful Faith.” Whether paperback or bonded leather, Thinline, Thinline Large Print, Pew & Worship, Premium Gift, or Gift & Award, each edition is handsome and highly readable, thanks to the Comfort Print typeface. For the full lineup including downloadable Comfort Print text samples, visit www.NewRevisedStandard.com.

Zondervan is the world’s leading Bible publisher and provider of Christian communications. Zondervan, part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc., delivers transformational Christian experiences through its bestselling Bibles, books, curriculum, academic resources and digital products. The Company’s products are sold worldwide and have been translated into nearly 200 languages. Zondervan offices are located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. For additional information, please visitwww.zondervan.com.

Contact: Kelly Hughes, 312-280-8126 kelly@dechanthughes.com

Film shares powerful story of a wife, mother, and friend sharing her long goodbye after a cancer diagnosis.
Film to release on the 4^th anniversary of Kara’s homecoming

Los Angeles, CA – In 2014 and 2015, one young woman in Colorado dared to explore the raw edges of dying with grace and dignity in real time, and, in the process, unknowingly impacted tens of thousands around the world. Now, her powerful story is being shared in the documentary THE LONG GOODBYE: The Kara Tippetts Story, distributed through Ocean Avenue Entertainment and available on DVD and digital channels, on the 4^th anniversary of her passing, March 22.

A new trailer for the film has just been released:  https://youtu.be/ToS3zVdZlqQ

Kara was a 38-year old pastor’s wife and mother of four young children who had begun a mommy blog titled “Mundane Faithfulness”, sharing the concept of parenting with kindness. The website already had a successful following when she began facing and processing a cancer diagnosis on the site. The site became a sacred space, as people around the world were touched by Kara’s faith, honesty, and candor. She allowed the world to walk with her as she chronicled first what it meant to be a young wife and mother battling a disease, and then ultimately what it means to live and die, with love and dignity.

Kara was thrust into the spotlight with her letter to Brittany Maynard going viral.  Kara’s vulnerability had an incredible impact on thousands of people around the world, and grew that community of support in surprising ways.  Faith influencers from around the globe began to find ways to assist Kara by sharing her posts, sending personal messages, serving the family’s needs, as well as just becoming her friend.  A few of these friends have reflected on her life:

“I want more of what Kara Tippetts had.” – Ann Voskamp, Kara’s writing mentor

“I think Kara and I both understand that deep suffering stretches the capacity of the soul.” -Joni Eareckson Tada

“The impact of her life was huge. I’m blessed to know her.” – Joanna Gaines

During her journey with cancer, Kara was able to write and publish three books, including Just Show Up: The Dance of Walking Through Suffering Together and And It was Beautiful: Celebrating Life in the Midst of the Long Good-Bye.  Her third book, The Hardest Peace: Expecting Grace in the Midst of Life’s Hard, won the 2015 ECPA Christian Book Award® in the Inspiration category. The award was announced after Kara’s passing, but she had been informed of the win in her final days.

Kara’s story came to the attention of filmmakers Jay and Sofia Lyons early after her diagnosis, and the couple felt led to do something for her. Sofia states how God led them down a path to create the film by a series of ‘breadcrumbs’: “First, we just wanted to do something special for Kara and her family. This evolved into creating a 7-minute video about her life, which ultimately opened up a conversation about fully documenting her last few months on earth.

“Sharing this time with her family was nothing short of a holy experience.”

One of the unique views of THE LONG GOODBYE is experiencing their local community that gathered to help the family in their time of need. “Their impact in Kara’s story is remarkable. These friends walked alongside the Tippetts through every aspect of her diagnosis, and truly show us how to love and honor someone who is at the end of their journey.”

“We know that Kara’s story will continue to have an incredible impact,” continues Jay. “Cancer and other similar diseases are impossibly prevalent in our society. If we aren’t personally facing any number of health crises, we know someone who is. Kara helps us understand what it means to be facing an impossible health battle. She helps us understand how God walks with us in our pain. She helps us understand what it means to say goodbye with grace and an abundance of love.”

In association with Freely, LLC, THE LONG GOODBYE: The Kara Tippetts Story will be available March 22 on DVD and Digital formats. http://karatippettsdocumentary.com/

About Ocean Avenue Entertainment: 
Ocean Avenue Entertainment, Inc. is the destination for productions that offer hope to audiences looking for inspiration in entertainment. Ocean Avenue is committed to releasing inspiring and redemptive films and television programming. Its distribution strategy optimizes each release platform to find the widest possible audience theatrically on VOD, DVD and ultimately on streaming sites like Netflix and Amazon Prime. For more information, please visit www.oceanave.tv.

About Freely:
Freely specializes in projects that touch the human spirit.  Freely is building content across all platforms including film, TV, live events, digital media, and has recently launched a talent management division. www.freely.com

For more information, to receive a screener, or to schedule and interview, please contact:
Lori Heiselman  714-553-5181   Lori@BiscuitMediaGroup.com

BIRMINGHAM: Iron Stream Media announces Dugout Devotions: Inspirational Hits from MLB’s Best (Iron Stream Books / February 25, 2019 / ISBN: 978-1-56309-133-9 / $12.99).

Dugout Devotions inspires you to stand in the batter’s box and knock the curveball out of the park in your own life. These unique interview-based devotions offer a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the spiritual lives of many Major League Baseball players and their successes both on and off the diamond. Recounting personal stories about their walk with Jesus Christ, these superstars serve God and provide uplifting stories to share with friends, children, and all sports fans. Duduit provides an inspiring glimpse inside the locker room—reminding us that though they are MLB’s best, their struggles are real, just like yours. Their challenges could knock them down, except for their faith in God.

Featured players:  Albert Pujols, Brian Dozier, Adam Wainwright, Ben Zobrist, and many more.

Sample Chapters

Advance Praise

“Del Duduit has collected wonderful gems of faith from a variety of MLB’s best players and coaches who are dedicated to bringing glory to Christ and shining their light for Him. They provide true examples of Christian mentorship to baseball fans of all generations. Dugout Devotions is grand slam!” —Blaine Boyer, MLB pitcher

“Dugout Devotions features wonderful testimonies from some of the biggest names in the MLB. The stories bring out the best sides of the players and coaches and, most of all, lift up the name of the Lord. I’m humbled to be a part of it.” —Clint Hurdle, manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates

“Like a veteran coach, Del engages the heart first and then boldly challenges us to action. Each devotional used the Word of God and the platform of sport to capture my attention and concluded with an array of practical steps on how to apply what I just learned. Outstanding!” —Brian Smith, Athletes in Action, author of The Assist: A Gospel-Centered Guide to Glorifying God through Sports

About the Author
Del Duduit is an award-winning sportswriter and author. He has been published in Clubhouse Magazine, Sports Spectrum, and on ToddStarnes.com. He is a contributing writer for Athletes in Action, The Christian View, Bridges Magazine, and PM Magazine. He is the co-editor for Southern Ohio Christian Voice and blogs weekly at delduduit.com. He lives in Lucasville, Ohio, with his wife Angie.

Media Inquiries: Meredith Dunn, Meredith@IronStreamMedia.com 

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO—For the 17th consecutive year, Outreach magazine is celebrating some of the best outreach-oriented books and curricula by honoring them as Outreach Resources of the Year.

The Outreach Resources of the Year aim to highlight valuable resources for church leaders and bring deserved attention to resources that can help churches better engage in effective outreach to share the gospel and reach communities for Christ.

More than 170 resources published between Nov. 1, 2017, and Oct. 31, 2018, were submitted for consideration and placed into 11 categories. An expert in each category evaluated the resources and chose what they considered to be the best. The experts also chose how many resources to recognize, and whether to include any as “Also Recommended.”

The 2019 Outreach Resources of the Year are:

EVANGELISM

• Spiritual Conversations in the Digital Age (Barna Group)

APOLOGETICS

•  Apologetics at the Cross by Joshua D. Chatraw and Mark D. Allen (Zondervan)

ALSO RECOMMENDED

• God Is Stranger by Krish Kandiah (IVP)

CHURCH

• Underground Church by Brian Sanders (Zondervan)
• Zealous for Good Works by Todd A. Wilson (Moody Publishers)

ALSO RECOMMENDED

• The Forgotten Church by Glenn Daman (Moody Publishers)
• People Are the Mission by Danny Franks (Zondervan)

MINISTRY LEADERSHIP

• Hero Maker by Dave Ferguson and Warren Bird (Zondervan)
• Rooting for Rivals by Peter Greer and Chris Horst (Bethany House)

ALSO RECOMMENDED

• The Fellowship of the Suffering by Paul Borthwick and Dave Ripper
• The Life-Giving Leader by Tyler Reagin (WaterBrook)
• The Minority Experience by Adrian Pei (IVP)
• Moral Leadership for a Divided Age by David P. Gushee and Colin Holtz (Brazos Press)

CULTURE

• Healing Our Broken Humanity by Grace Ji-Sun Kim and Graham Hill (IVP)

CROSS-CULTURAL/MISSIONAL

• Whole and Reconciled by Al Tizon (Baker Academic)

ALSO RECOMMENDED

• Megachurch Christianity Reconsidered by Wanjiru M. Gitau (IVP)

SOCIAL ISSUES/JUSTICE

•  Rethinking Incarceration by Dominique DuBois Gilliard (IVP)
• What Does It Mean to Be Welcoming? by Travis Collins (IVP)

ALSO RECOMMENDED

• A Sojourner’s Truth by Natasha Sistrunk Robinson (IVP)

THEOLOGY/BIBLICAL STUDIES

• The Bible Unwrapped by Meghan Larissa Good (Herald Press/MenoMedia)
• How to Read Theology by Uche Anizor (Baker Academic) 

SPIRITUAL GROWTH

• The Lost Discipline of Conversation by Joanne J. Jung (Zondervan)

ALSO RECOMMENDED

• Didn’t See It Coming by Carey Nieuwhof (WaterBrook)
• Open to the Spirit by Scot McKnight (WaterBrook)
• Subversive Sabbath by A.J. Swoboda (Brazos Press) 

COUNSELING AND RELATIONSHIPS

• Unwanted by Jay Stringer (NavPress)

ALSO RECOMMENDED

• Mental Health and the Church by Stephen Grcevich (Zondervan)

CHILDREN AND YOUTH

• Shipwrecked: Rescued By Jesus (Group Publishing)
• When God Made Light by Matthew Paul Turner (WaterBrook)

ALSO RECOMMENDED

• Adoptive Church by Chap Clark (Baker Academic)

Outreach magazine offers the ideas, insights and stories of today’s outreach-oriented, Bible-based churches. Founded in January 2003 by church communications company Outreach Inc., Outreach is an award-winning, bimonthly periodical for church leadership and is available by subscription. Find out more at OutreachMagazine.com.

February 28, 2019 — More than 800 people stood in line for five hours at the Albany Barnes & Noble for the chance to meet a man and his dog who are changing lives.

John Gray, the Emmy Award-winning journalist and author and his seeing- and hearing-impaired dog named Keller are telling a story of love and hope that is needed now more than ever. Their message is simple: “For anyone who has ever felt different, alone, or faced special challenges. You are unique. You are beautiful. You are loved.”

On Wednesday evening, February 27, Gray’s message of love and hope spread to thousands more thanks to Fox News Channel’s “The Five.” A producer there learned about Keller’s Heart (Paraclete Press)—the story of Gray and his wife’s blind and deaf adopted dog, Keller. Now Keller’s Heart is making an even bigger impression on readers across the country, especially those with special needs who need Keller’s message of love, encouragement, and hope. See the clip here.

Gray had previously gained media attention from Faithwire, who reported about how Gray refused to remove God from his first book, God Needed a Puppy, contrary to the request of publishers. After Gray decided to self-publish, his agent found Paraclete Press, a Christian publisher in Massachusetts, who enthusiastically took on the book. Subsequently Paraclete has published God Needed A Puppy and the new Keller’s Heart. Both books consistently achieve bestseller rankings across various Amazon categories. Keller’s Heart reached #29 on Amazon’s bestseller list among all books published, in the hours after Dana Perino’s feature on “The Five.”

John Gray is an Emmy award-winning television journalist and columnist in upstate New York, as well as a husband, father, and author. He and his wife, Courtney, live in the Albany area with four beloved four-footed companions: Keller, German shepherds Sebastian and Winston, and the newest addition to the pack, Eli (another Aussie with hearing and sight issues like Keller). John is the author of the bestsellers God Needed a Puppy and Keller’s Heart.