Elementary School Teacher Wins Second Annual Prize for Original Children’s Book

MINNEAPOLIS (December 15, 2017) – Sparkhouse Family is pleased to announce the winner of the second annual Sparkhouse Family Children’s Picture Book Contest. Antonino’s Impossible Dream tells the story of a young painter who struggles to capture one of his dreams on canvas, until a new friend helps him and together they achieve new things. Author Tim McGlen is a member of SCBWI and teaches upper elementary at a Montessori school in Florida, where his sixth graders read weekly with their kindergarten reading buddies.

“’Antonino’s Impossible Dream’ is such a fresh portrayal of how art and the willingness to learn new things can bring people together. Our team was captivated by the unique storytelling voice and the possibilities for vibrant art to go along with this artsy story,” said Naomi Krueger, development editor for Sparkhouse Family.

“Antonino’s Impossible Dream” is scheduled for publication in 2019.

The Sparkhouse Family Picture Book Contest is an open call for books that fulfill the mission of the imprint – to help kids thrive in every part of who they are. The contest is open to writers at any stage of their career, and are judged based on writing quality, evocativeness, originality, and other criteria. The contest will open for a new round of submissions in the fall of 2018.

About Sparkhouse Family
Sparkhouse Family publishes high-quality children’s books that help kids thrive in every part of who they are—emotionally, socially, and spiritually. With topics ranging from selfesteem to kindness, ethics, and faith, our books are designed to spark the imagination and equip kids and families to live full and flourishing lives, together. More details about the award-winning books and Bibles for children and Sparkhouse Family can be found at www.sparkhouse.org.

Media Contact: Rachel Zugschwert, Director of Marketing
612-330-3108  zugschwertr@wearesparkhouse.org

Nashville, Tennessee (December 15, 2017)—This Is Our Time: Everyday Myths In Light of the Gospel (March 2017, B&H Publishing) by Trevin Wax was recently honored with two awards: Christian Living in the 2017 TGC Book Awards, and the Award of Merit in Christianity Today’s 2018 Book of the Year.

TGC announced its winners December 12; Christianity Today (CT) announced its winners December 14.

Mi Casa Uptown: Learning to Love Again (November 2017, B&H) by Rich Pérez was also honored as the runner up in TGC’s First-Time Author category. Echoes of the Reformation: Five Truths That Shape the Christian Life (February 2017, LifeWay Resources) by Albert Mohler, Kevin DeYoung, Trevin Wax, and Brandon Smith won the TGC Curriculum Award.

“This is Our Time is a timely word for our hearts. TGC and CT’s recognition of Trevin’s book is a credit to his insight into the unique ways Christians have to live in this brave new world,” said Devin Maddox, B&H Trade Book Publisher. “I also couldn’t be more excited for Rich Pérez, a man who is living faithfully in a city he loves. I have learned so much from him, and am excited for others to get to do so now too, through Mi Casa Uptown.”

TGC judges’ comments on This Is Our Time:

“This is Our Time offers a thoughtful analysis of the myths pervading our culture—whether they’re about our smartphone habits, entertainment intake, or views of shopping, sex, marriage, politics, and life’s purpose—and then wisely applies the truth of the gospel to them. Wax not only enlightens believers by exposing the myths, but equips them to faithfully engage these and other myths with the longing-lie-light framework. In all, This Is Our Time is a valuable resource for faithful living that’s broadly applicable to believers of all ages, stages, and circumstances.”

Christianity Today judges’ comments on This Is Our Time from David Mathis, executive editor of desiringGod.org:

“Trevin Wax is on a quest for deep and enduring joy, and he’s not content to go at it alone. This book is a winsome invitation into the Christian faith and witness that has so much more to say than ‘This is right and this is wrong.’ Rather, ‘This is better.’ Wax is no incurable optimist or jaded cynic. He commends the real God who will satisfy our souls, now and forever, and holds out, as he says, ‘the good news that is true, good, and beautiful.’”

Trevin Wax is Bible and Reference Publisher for LifeWay Christian Resources. A former missionary to Romania, Trevin hosts a blog at The Gospel Coalition and regularly contributes to The Washington Post, Religion News Service, WORLD, and Christianity Today, which named him one of 33 millennials shaping the next generation of evangelicals. His previous books include Counterfeit Gospels, Clear Winter Nights, and Gospel-Centered Teaching. Trevin earned his Ph.D. in Theology at Southeastern Seminary in Wake Forest, NC, and his Masters of Divinity at Southern Seminary in Louisville, KY. He and his wife, Corina, have three children.

Through a variety of speaking experiences, Rich Perez has grown into a unique storyteller and thought-leader in faith, family, the arts, and the Hispanic-American experience. In 2011 Rich and his family led a team of friends into his hometown neighborhood (Washington Heights), and started a church that would embrace the very values with which they lived. Rich is the lead pastor of Christ Crucified Fellowship in New York City, where he lives with his wife and kids.

B&H Publishing Group, an imprint of LifeWay Christian Resources, is a team of mission minded people with a passion for taking God’s Word to the world. Because we believe Every Word Matters® we seek to provide intentional, Bible-centered content that positively impacts the hearts and minds of people, inspiring them to build a lifelong relationship with Jesus Christ. Among our print and digital releases for the trade, church, and academic markets, titles include The New York Times No. 1 bestsellers The Love Dare and The Vow, No. 1 CBA bestseller I Am a Church Member as well as the newly-revised Christian Standard Bible (CSB) version.

Media Contact: Jenaye White
Jenaye.White@BHPublishingGroup.com  615-251-2964  www.bhpublishinggroup.com

“Making Room” is the freeing encouragement you need to open yourself to the continual cleansing work of the Holy Spirit

Billie Jauss reminds readers to make room for Him—they only One who can satisfy your soul.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.: “What is God doing in and through you?” It’s a question we all should ask ourselves. When Billie Jauss was compelled to ask herself this question by her pastor, it sent her on a spiritual journey that made her question the stagnant nature of her faith—and the reasons behind it.

Busyness.  Distractions.  Motherhood.  Travel.

As a wife to a Major League Baseball coach and mother to three grown boys, Billie’s life is very full—but she learned that making room for her relationship with Christ and leading others to do so, even within the MLB community, is her greatest joy. She is a dynamic speaker and witness for Christ—whether to large groups or in the baseball stands.

In Making Room: Doing Less So God Can Do More (New Hope Publishers/January 15, 2018/ ISBN: 978-1-62591-535-1/$14.99), Billie shares her discoveries and helps each of us dig deeper toward a refreshed and renewed faith, one in which the distractions of life are put into perspective and we allow God to do more with us and through us. As Paul writes in Ephesians, God can do immeasurably more in our lives than we could think or imagine. Through Making Room, discover all the meaningful life moments that God has for you to glorify Him.

Learn more about Billie Jauss and Making Room at www.BillieJauss.com.

To request a review copy of Making Room, to schedule an interview with Billie Jauss, or for more information, please contact Meredith Dunn, Meredith@NewHopePublishers.com.

Advance Praise

“I wouldn’t have guessed that I had much in common with the wife of a Major League Baseball coach, but Billie Jauss showed me differently in Making Room. As soon as I read her counsel to choose ‘activities that are God glorifying not schedule stuffers,’ I knew she was speaking my language. In practical and genuine ways, Making Room offers us the tools we need to leave space for God to work in our lives and through our lives. A book to which I’ll no doubt need to return often.” —Cynthia Ruchti, author of A Fragile Hope and As My Parents Age

“Billie lives life with such full-throttle passion yet she has learned how to listen to the ‘holy nudge’ that directs one to God’s blueprints. As a recovering control freak, I smiled as I read the process of Billie learning the liberating truth of doing less so God can do more. Billie inspires the reader to release the firm grip on one’s blueprints and with open palms accept the ‘Papa Approved’ script for one’s life! I applaud your transparency, Billie!” —Jackie Kendall, president of Power to Grow Inc., author of Surrender Your Jr. God Badge.

“Making Room is a compass for anyone who wants to learn to fall in love with Jesus and find true joy in your life. Billie not only writes from the heart, she lives it! You need to make time for Making Room.” —Rod Olson, author of The Legacy Builder and The Wisdom Lunch Warrior

About the Author
While most of Billie Jauss’s adult life has been filled with the adventure and excitement of being married to a professional baseball coach, it took a quiet Sunday morning to propel her on the spiritual journey of a lifetime. Now, her passion is for everyone to experience God’s immeasurably more—just as she has. Billie prefers to spend time writing, speaking, and reading books while sitting on the beach and sharing the love that God has shown her with others. She and her husband David have lived in fourteen cities, eight states, and three countries with their boys DJ, Charley, and Will.

Keep up with Billie Jauss’s speaking schedule, read her blog, and more by visiting www.BillieJauss.com.

Suggested Interview Topics

• You have been a Christian for most of your life—what changed in you that you felt so led to live this message “all in” and share it with others?
• How/why did the question your pastor asked start you on this spiritual journey?
• What did that spiritual journey look like? How were you changed? What is your goal in writing about this spiritual journey? What revelations did you have during this journey—and the writing of Making Room?
• How do you intertwine your faith with your baseball life?
• Can you explain intentional living and what it means to live a ‘whatever’ life?
• What is it that you want people to get from reading this book?
• Being a baseball wife and now writing a book—what does success mean to you?
• You write, “I wanted to know the answer to the question in my life, “What is God doing in and through you?” In my journey, I also began to ask myself, “What do you want your meeting with Jesus to be like when you meet Him face-to-face?” Can you explain what you learned?
• Fun fact about Billie: Billie dreamed of becoming a missionary as a young girl, but she had no idea her mission field would be an actual field—the baseball field.

To request a review copy of Making Room, to schedule an interview with Billie Jauss, or for more information, please contact Meredith Dunn, Meredith@NewHopePublishers.com.

Nashville, Tennessee (November 29, 2017)—LifeWay Global is proud to announce that it has acquired publishing rights to the Nueva Versión Internacional (NVI), signing a 10-year contract with the International Bible Society – Biblica.

The contract allows LifeWay’s Spanish Bible publishing imprint, Biblias Holman, to begin publishing NVI text and specialty Bibles beginning in July 2018. Full copyright to the NVI is owned by Biblica, whose mission is to “provide God’s Word in accurate, contemporary translations and formats so that more people around the world will have the opportunity to be transformed by Jesus Christ.”

“I am very happy that we have reached an agreement with Biblias Holman and LifeWay to bring Biblica’s NVI to thousands more churches and believers who need a fresh, faithful, and reliable translation of the Holy Scriptures. This is especially important as we celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation this year,” said Esteban Fernandez, Biblica’s Area Executive Director for Latin America.

In 1979, Biblica decided to produce a New Testament in Spanish following the New International Version translation principles, a process that spanned over a decade. This first NVI was based on the former English translation of the historic manuscripts. Then, in 1990, a committee of more than 20 Bible scholars, headed by Drs. René Padilla and Luciano Jaramillo, conducted a complete Old and New Testament translation from the historic manuscripts directly into Spanish, bypassing English altogether and producing a complete Spanish NVI Bible in 1999. Since then, the NVI has become one of the most popular and widely-used Spanish Bible translations.

“Our mission is to serve the church with contemporary and reliable translations of the Bible,” said Cris Garrido, Spanish Publisher for LifeWay. “It’s an incredible blessing to work with another nonprofit worldwide ministry like Biblica, and we believe this partnership will help people to connect with the Word of God in a language accessible for new generations.”

For more information about Biblias Holman, visit www.bhespanol.com.

Media Contact: Jenaye White, Jenaye.White@BHPublishingGroup.com, 615-251-2964, www.bhpublishinggroup.com

WaterBrook and Multnomah announce the promotion of Andrew Stoddard to the newly created position of Lead Acquisitions Editor, WaterBrook and Multnomah, effective immediately, continuing to report to Laura Barker, Vice President and Editorial Director.

Barker states:

“In the three years since Andrew joined our editorial team, he has built an incredibly positive reputation within the industry, demonstrating a keen eye for promising acquisitions while helping to shape vague ideas into truly marketable concepts.  Over the past year, Andrew has acquired new works for us from rising voices such as Carey Nieuwhof, Aaron Niequist, and Tyler Reagin, and has edited numerous titles from prominent authors, including There Is More by Brian Houston; Whisper by Mark Batterson; The Last Arrow by Erwin McManus; and Open to the Spirit by Scot McKnight, to name only a few.

“Authors, agents, and colleagues deeply appreciate Andrew’s careful cultivation of relationships as much as they value his thoughtful curation of content. His new role with our company will focus those skills on an increased level of acquisitions, identifying and pursuing authors and projects that will build on the established strengths of our publishing program at WaterBrook and Multnomah.”

WESTMONT, IL—After nineteen years as director of production and fulfillment for InterVarsity Press, Anne Gerth will be retiring on December 8, 2017.

Jeff Crosby, IVP’s publisher, said, “Gerth came to IVP in 1998 and has played significant roles in IVP’s growth over the years. She pioneered our work with print-on-demand technology, in partnership with Lightning Source, Incorporated. She also provided a great deal of training and development work for IVP staff. We are grateful for the impact she has left on the work of IVP and on us as her friends and colleagues.”

Gerth said, “What a privilege and honor it has been to serve Christ through my work at InterVarsity Press. Retiring after nineteen years feels bittersweet, but I leave here knowing my work will continue in the very capable hands of Terumi Echols. I’m thrilled that Terumi will be taking on the operations and fulfillment area I leave behind.”

Gerth’s work will be picked up by Ben McCoy, IVP’s current production manager and managing editor, and by Echols, who has been hired as director of finance and fulfillment operations, a combination of two roles vacated by retirement over the past fifteen months. Echols’ background includes more than twenty years of accounting and tax experience for small to midsized businesses and nineteen years with Christianity Today where her last position was executive vice president and publisher. In her role with IVP she will oversee the finance department, customer contact center, distribution center, and general services.

Crosby said, “Terumi comes to us as a seasoned senior leader whose direct reports I called spoke of her ‘investment in individuals and teams’ and whose supervisors I called spoke of her as a ‘person with tremendous capacity, adaptability, and commitment to excellence.’ Terumi’s experience in publishing and her commitment to our mission made her stand out from the other candidates.”

Echols said, “I am humbled by the Christ-centered focus and dedication of the people who work at InterVarsity Press. It is my hope to apply my accounting and publishing experience and communication skills to support the continued strength and health of InterVarsity’s ministry.”

Founded in 1947 as an extension of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA, InterVarsity Press serves those in the university, the church and the world by publishing thoughtful Christian books that equip and encourage people to follow Jesus as Savior and Lord in all of life. For more information, visit ivpress.com.

Contact:  Krista Clayton | 630.734.4013 | kclayton@ivpress.com

Daily engagement with God’s Word continues to soar

(Nashville, TN) Dec. 7, 2017 — Thomas Nelson and Zondervan announced today that more than five million combined Bible Plans from Thomas Nelson and Zondervan have been completed through the YouVersion Bible App. In just over three years, the two publishing groups, who are both a part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, have created more than 150 scriptural and devotional Bible Plans with an average of 7,000 being completed per day.