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.

GRAND RAPIDS, MICH., FEBRUARY 28, 2019 — Discovery House Publishers has announced the release of a new leather-like edition of the best-selling devotional book, “God Hears Her: 365 Devotions for Women by Women” (Our Daily Bread) — available now wherever books are sold. Originally released in 2017, Discovery House has distributed over 140,000 units combined of the hardcover, ebook and paperback editions. It remains in the Top 10 Devotional Books at Amazon, and landed at #3 on Christian Retailing’s Top 20 Books of 2018 chart.

This CBA bestseller contains 365 daily devotions written by women for women. Each edition includes a foreword by Elisa Morgan, named by Christianity Today as one of the top 50 women influencing today’s church and culture.

Taken from the pages of the beloved Our Daily Bread devotional, each written article was hand selected for this collection to reassure each reader that God is with her, God is for her, and God hears her. These personal stories, Scripture passages, and inspirational quotes lift women up and remind them that God is bigger than the trials they face. This best-selling devotional from Our Daily Bread appeals to women of all ages.

In addition to the books, Discovery House Publishers has partnered with Curb/Word Entertainment to assemble a God Hears Her CD – a collection of 10 powerful worship songs from today’s top Christian female artists including Natalie Grant, Francesca Battistelli, Point of Grace and more. A partnership with Kerusso has also made God Hears Her t-shirts available.

For more information, visit http://www.GodHearsHer.org.

Do you want to spend more time in God’s Word—but you’re not sure where to start?  Begin with the NIV Starting Place Study Bible

Grand Rapids, Mich., Feb. 26, 2019 — The Bible’s depth can seem overwhelming, but within the pages of Scripture you will find words of peace, hope, and love waiting for you. Sometimes the hardest part of beginning is knowing where to start. The NIV Starting Place Study Bible guides you through Scripture so you can understand God’s love for you and build a relationship with the Savior who longs to know you personally.

With approachable, easy-to-use features, the NIV Starting Place Study Bible can guide you through Scripture while building your confidence and knowledge in God’s Word.

• Full text of the accurate, readable, and clear New International Version (NIV)
• 88 Bible Characters: Explore the lives of the Bible’s most fascinating personalities
• 282 Q&A: Get answers to your most perplexing questions
• 146 Context Notes: In-depth articles on the cultural and historical context of Scripture
• 138 Bible Truths: Core Christian beliefs and their basis in Scripture
• Book Introductions provide a helpful overview
• Over 6,000 bottom-of-the-page study notes explain the text, verse-by-verse
• Exclusive NIV Zondervan Comfort Print® typeface
• 7-point print size

According to Melinda Bouma, publisher of Zondervan Bibles: “At these incredible prices and with a wealth of helpful, accessible study material, this is the best “first study Bible” for new believers or anyone looking to take a step deeper in studying the Bible. We created it with the reader in mind—quality content in a friendly and colorful design, and at price points lower than most of the study Bibles available today.”

Product formats on sale February 26, 2019:

• ISBN 9780310450672, Hardcover, 1,792 pages, $34.99
• ISBN 9780310450689, Leathersoft, Navy/Tan, 1,792 pages, $64.99
• ISBN 9780310450696, Leathersoft, Navy/Tan, Indexed, 1,792 pages, $74.99
• ISBN 9780310450726, Leathersoft, Blue, 1,792 pages, $64.99
• ISBN 9780310450733, Leathersoft, Blue, Indexed, 1,792 pages, $74.99
• ISBN 9780310450740, eBook, 1,792 pages, $27.99

Zondervan is a world 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 translated into nearly 200 languages. Zondervan offices are located in Grand Rapids, Mich. For additional information, please visit www.zondervan.com.

About the NIV:  The New International Version (NIV) is the world’s bestselling modern-English Bible translation—accurate, readable, and clear, yet rich with the detail found in the original languages. The NIV is the result of over 50 years of work by the Committee on Bible Translation, who oversee the efforts of many contributing scholars. Representing the spectrum of evangelicalism, the translators come from a wide range of denominations and various countries and continually review new research in order to ensure the NIV remains at the forefront of accessibility, relevance, and authority. Every NIV Bible that is purchased helps Biblica, a nonprofit ministry organization, translate and give Bibles to people in need around the world. To learn more, visit www.thenivbible.com

About Comfort Print:  Zondervan Bibles teamed up with 2K/Denmark, the world’s foremost Bible typeface foundry, to create exclusive Comfort Print Bible fonts. NIV Comfort Print Bibles are easy to read at any size because the typeface was designed to be both efficient and readable. Zondervan Bibles believes that the beauty of the message should be reflected in the physical form of the book. Choosing the right typeface is one significant element in creating beautiful Bibles.

Contact: Bob Gaudet, Senior Director of Marketing, 616-698-3542 or bob.gaudet@harpercollins.com

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Feb. 19, 2019) – ICON Media Group announces it has promoted Christina Bostick to publicist. Bostick joined the ICON team as associate publicist in November 2017 and her role includes writing, media pitching and booking, client reporting and assisting with events.

“Christina has proven to be a tremendous asset to our company,” said Partner, Shanon Stowe. “Her professional development continues to exceed all our expectations.”

The company also announces the addition of Carrie Garland as graphic designer, joining the company’s Cleveland, OH office. Garland brings an extensive background of design endeavors, including photography, adding new depth to ICON’s service offerings.

“Integrated digital marketing, especially social media, continues to drive the need for innovation and creativity for our clients,” shared Partner, Jeff Roman. “We felt it was essential for our team to find someone that possesses a tremendous skillset to create and also shares our passion for excellent customer service and outside-the-box thinking. We found that with our hire of Carrie.”

ICON celebrated its sixth year in January. The company serves leading entertainment, non-profit, publishing and purpose-minded clients including North American Mission Board, AFFIRM Films, Provident Films, LifeWay Films, Fathom Events, TBN, Universal Pictures, HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Hachette Book Group, Baker Publishing Group, Joel Osteen Ministries, All Things Possible Ministries and Project Inspired, among others.

With a focus on faith and family values entertainment, ICON has handled media relations for three of the most successful faith-based films in history (I CAN ONLY IMAGINE, WAR ROOM and GOD’S NOT DEAD), and launched numerous New York Times bestsellers.

About ICON Media Group:  ICON Media Group is a full-service marketing and public relations agency focused on helping purpose-minded clients activate their audience. With offices in Nashville, TN, Cleveland, OH and Austin TX, ICON is honored to serve the most influential faith-based filmmakers, authors, personalities and experts in the world. Visit us at ICONMediaGroup.com

Media Contacts:
Shanon Stowe, shanon@iconmediagroup.com
Paige Collins, paige@iconmediagroup.com

Bend, OR (February 13, 2019) After 12 years of successful partnership, Torrey Sharp has bought out partner Charles Brock’s interest in Faceout Studio. Torrey and Charles bought the studio from industry icon, David Uttley, in 2007 after David grew the business from it’s inception in 1996. “This transition is about acknowledging there are seasons for everything, embracing change and looking toward the future,” says Torrey.  Faceout Studio stands behind it’s original vision of producing consistent, innovative book design for clients — a vision Torrey plans to advance in the coming years.

“I’m grateful to have cultivated something special alongside Charles over a decade of working together. Charles has been a wonderful business partner, but more importantly, a good friend. The team at Faceout fully expects to keep our deep friendship with Charles, celebrating his next season as well. Growth often requires a willingness to embrace change and I’m very excited for the studio’s next chapter. We have a dynamic team and work with incredible clients. Tim Green will step into the role of Creative Director. Tim has been a leader at Faceout for fifteen years and is well prepared to lead this studio’s creative vision forward,” says Torrey.

“I am deeply grateful to Charles, for his friendship and daily example of creative excellence. It has been a privilege to work alongside him these past 14 years (even though he is not a Giants fan). More than that, it has been a lot of fun, and that is a credit to Charles and the creative culture he helped foster. I set out to be a designer because I love it, and I’m still at it for the same reason. That’s the daily motivation of everyone at Faceout. Our best work flows from a sense of delight in the creative work we get to do everyday. I’m very excited to step into the role of Creative Director with this amazing team,” says Tim.

“I’m very proud of what Torrey and I have built over the past 12 years. We have had the privilege to produce some rewarding work for an amazing list of clients. I’m eager to see what the future brings for Faceout Studio. Tim Green is a great talent and a true friend. The studio and all the employees will benefit from his creative leadership. Personally, this is a new season for me as a designer and an artist. What I hope to do with Brock Book Design Co., is to focus my energies on growing as a creative. I’m excited that my best work is yet to come,” says Charles.

Faceout Studio’s principal office will remain in Bend, Oregon. Torrey Sharp, along with the existing staff will continue operations from this West Coast office. All client communication and job related trafficking will continue to be serviced through this location.

Faceout Studio is a market leading book design firm.The studio designs hundreds of books each year working w/ the world’s top media companies, mid size publishers, university presses and individual authors. Over the years their work has been recognized by Communication Arts, the AIGA, Print magazine, Eye magazine, Graphis, CMYK, Graphic Design: USA, ECPA, The Chicago Book Clinic, the New York Book Show, the AUP and the American Advertising Federation. Faceout’s work has also been published in various books, most recently from Rockport, Harper Collins, Springer and Barcelona-based Mao Mao publications. They have been invited to speak at various events hosted by the AIGA, AAUP, the Shanghai Press and Publications Bureau and the Taipei Book Fair Foundation.

For more information, please contact:

Faceout Studio, Torrey Sharp
e: torrey@faceoutstudio.com, w:  www.faceoutstudio.com

Brock Book Design Co., Charles Brock
e: charles@brockbookdesignco.com, w: https://www.brockbookdesignco.com

At One-Year Anniversary of Billy Graham’s Death, Lon Allison to Speak at Pastor’s Conference
Paperback version of Allison’s acclaimed Billy Graham biography just released

February 20, 2019 — Lon Allison’s battle with liver cancer isn’t slowing him down—especially when it comes to spreading the good news of the Gospel, and the message of his friend and predecessor, Billy Graham.

Last year Allison’s biography Billy Graham: An Ordinary Man and His Extraordinary God (Paraclete Press) released just after Graham’s death rocked the nation. The simple and powerful story of the life of America’s pastor and the millions of lives he touched with the message of salvation through Jesus Christ, received the highest accolades by those closest to Graham, including his sister Jean Graham Ford and her husband Dr. Leighton Ford, who wrote the Foreword for the book.

What many of Allison’s readers don’t know is that during the final month of writing and research on his book, he was diagnosed with liver cancer. Allison reveals that news in the paperback version of hisbiography, just released in anticipation of the first anniversary of Graham’s death.

The year of fighting cancer and all its complications has been intense for Allison and his family, and it’s not over yet. Now Lon and his wife, Marie, are headed to the Billy Graham Training Center in the Smokey Mountains, where Lon will speak at their Pastor’s Conference. Allison says, “We’ll also see Leighton Ford, my mentor. I’m chairman of his Board and we have just set a new expanding vision for the impact of that ministry long after his life and mine. It’s exciting.”

Contact: To interview Lon Allison, contact Rachel McKendree at rachelm@paracletepress.com or 800-451-5006 ext 301

Carol Stream, IL February 20, 2019 – The Christianity Today Board of Directors has unanimously elected Dr. Timothy Dalrymple as its next president and CEO. He will begin his new role May 1, 2019.

Commenting on the enthusiasm of the board for their president-elect, board chair Eugene Habecker said, “Tim comes to CT at a strategic time. He has a remarkable opportunity to build on the foundation put in place by retiring president Harold Smith.” He added, “Tim brings the requisite skill sets to help lead CT to the next level, combining those skills with a vibrant evangelical faith, the heart of a shepherd, and the attitude of a servant.”

Dalrymple’s selection follows a nine-month nationwide search led by the firm of CarterBaldwin and involving over 150 potential candidates. The Board made their decision on February 19 at a meeting in Dallas.

The president-elect was raised in California, where his father served in several pastoral roles. He began to preach and teach at a young age. He was also a national champion gymnast and saw God’s faithfulness in victory and defeat alike. He took his passions for ministry, learning, and athletic achievement with him to Stanford University.

When his gymnastics career ended in a broken neck, he plunged into campus ministry and overseas missions trips. He became president of Stanford’s Campus Crusade (Cru) chapter.

It was also at Stanford where he met his wife, Joyce. Both helped to lead a Christian unity movement on campus that brought together students from all the university’s Christian fellowships to worship God with one another.

After graduating from Stanford with a double major in in philosophy and religious studies, Tim earned an M.Div. at Princeton Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. in modern western religious thought at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Along the way he also served in youth ministry, prison chaplaincy, and graduate and faculty ministry with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.

Tim’s desire to thoughtfully engage the public square and to find creative ways of sharing the gospel in the new media marketplace found expression after Harvard in his work with the multi-religious website Patheos (2008-2014). First he was managing editor of Patheos’ evangelical channel, then director of content and vice-president of business development.

In 2013 Dalrymple founded Polymath, a creative agency that helps clients with branding, design, web, video, marketing and communications, and content development. Its clients have included the Museum of the Bible, International Justice Mission, the American Enterprise Institute, and Indiana Wesleyan University.

Today, after 18 years of marriage, Tim and Joyce have three daughters; the family is currently active at Perimeter Church in Johns Creek, Georgia.

Dalrymple will succeed Harold B. Smith upon his retirement on May 1. Harold has served the ministry for 35 years, including the last 12 as president and chief executive officer.

“I’ve been impressed with Tim’s considerable gifts, humility, and Kingdom-first bearing for many years now,” Smith said. “And I believe he is the perfect choice to lead Christianity Today in this next chapter of ministry.

“Bottom line: I couldn’t be more pleased.”

Christianity Today was set into motion by evangelist Billy Graham over 60 years ago and today offers a variety of websites and publications, the most prominent being Christianity Today magazine. The ministry’s cause is summed up in the phrase Beautiful Orthodoxy: “In a world in desperate need of truth, goodness, and beauty, Christianity Today strengthens the church by richly communicating the breadth of the true, good, and beautiful gospel.”

Dalrymple looks forward to the new opportunity.

“The legacy of Christianity Today is extraordinary – but the future is even more exciting,” he said. “Christianity Today possesses the legacy, the credibility, the resources, and the worldwide reach to tell the story of the global church in ways it has never been told before. I’m honored and humbled to be asked to lead it in the years ahead.”

Christianity Today is a nonprofit, global media ministry centered on Beautiful Orthodoxy—strengthening the church by richly communicating the breadth of the true, good, and beautiful gospel. Reaching over five million people monthly with various digital and print resources, the ministry equips Christians to renew their minds, serve the church, and create culture to the glory of God.

For more information, contact:  Cory Whitehead, CT’s executive director of mission advancement,
cwhitehead@christianitytoday.com or 630.384.7223

I am thrilled to announce that NPD has signed a groundbreaking agreement with Nielsen which positions NPD and our Checkout service for continued growth. Under the agreement, Nielsen will license NPD’s ReceiptPal^SM packaged goods data for their FMCG tracking services in the U.S.

ReceiptPal is NPD’s next-generation panel which tracks both e-commerce and brick-and-mortar sales, allowing us to show clients how shopping behavior is evolving in the new blended retail environment. Since the introduction of our total store platform for ReceiptPal in 2018, we have been collecting and processing data on all categories, opening up opportunities for new businesses for NPD and valuable partnerships, such as Nielsen.

As part of the agreement, we will increase the ReceiptPal panel significantly, effectively tripling the size of our OmniPanel. This means more granularity and the ability to view cross-channel shopping. We look forward to sharing our progress on this exciting initiative to help you better understand your customers and markets.

Sincerely,
Karyn Schoenbart
Chief Executive Officer
The NPD Group, Inc.