Archive for the ‘Beyond the Manuscript’ Category

Is Christ in Your Christmas?: A Letter from Our Publisher

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For many adults and children alike, Christmas truly is “the most wonderful time of the year.” Families come together, gifts are exchanged, and plenty of food is eaten. But with so much going on, we can find ourselves so wrapped up in the business and blur of the season that we miss what Christmas is all about. We become so enveloped in trying to find the perfect Christmas tree, sing the perfect Christmas songs, and find that perfect gift for loved ones that we forget that these minor things are not the true meaning of Christmas. It is so important for us to realize that we need to slow down and be reminded of our Savior’s birth and the story of the first Christmas.
 Author Karen Straszheim shares her experience and thoughts about Christmas in her book A Sanctuary in Our Midst. She walks readers through that first Christmas night, shares of the events leading up to it, and explores what it means to us today. She reminds us not to get caught up or strung out in the midst of the holiday madness and rush. Her book helps place the focus where it should be during the busy Christmas season: on Jesus.

“People in the Bible were glad for what they learned about God from prophecy. At Christmas, we also can be glad for what we learn about God from Scripture. One day, we will enter heaven with everlasting joy. For now, we can enter Christmas with singing, gladness, and joy. He came so we can know Him.”

“If God had not loved and protected Joseph, Mary, and Jesus, what would have been the outcome for them? In Matthew, it says that “Herod gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under.” There was heard among the people “weeping and great mourning . . . Parents weeping for their children . . . because they [were] no more” (Matt. 2:16,18). But Joseph and Mary returned to Israel with their child still living. God’s love was shown to them through the protection of their child’s life.

“Some people feel unloved or abandoned throughout the year and these feelings are noticed even more in the Christmas season. Our culture says this is a time to be with family. But for some, the people they’d like to be with are absent. A parent hasn’t been there for them as a child or an adult. For others, an important person has left, quit, walked out or died, leaving them feeling deserted, cast off, or rejected. A person who has been abandoned can feel lonely, forgotten, forlorn, or sometimes hopeless.
”God, however, says, ‘I will live among the [people] and won’t abandon my people’ (1 Kings 6:13). Jesus had a Father who loved Him and didn’t abandon Him to permanent death. We have the same Father who gives the same love and care to us He gave to His son Jesus (John 17:23, 26). We have hope in a love that is unfailing (Ps. 147:11). He shows us His love with the forgiveness He of­fers us. His compassions are new every morning (Lam. 3:22-23). He is merciful and faithful to us (Heb. 2:17). God is a parent who is there for His children. He listens to us attentively: ‘ . . . You will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart’ (Jer. 29:12-13).

“If you are feeling lonely or forgotten this Christmas, call on your heav­enly Father. A Sanctuary in Our MidstPray and let Him know how you are and what you need. He will be there for you.”
“God is both supremely above us and with us. Jesus, He who saves, is also Immanuel, God with us. He is a king who is a servant to His people (John 13:1-16). God gave me a banquet of knowledge about Himself and then proclaimed a holiday. He “distributed gifts with royal liberality,” which included the gift of rest (Esther 2:18). This idea changed my thinking about Christmas.

“Christmas, for me, now isn’t the usual, a time to be busy. It has become a time for understanding what rest is: rest from sin and rest from work; a time for having joy in who Jesus is and what He came to do. Ezekiel 37:28 says, “The nations will know that I the LORD make Israel holy when my sanctuary is among them forever.” As a sanctuary, God shelters His people. He watches over us and takes care of us. He is in our midst to help us in the ways we need. This Christmas, may you, too, find Him doing the unexpected in your life in ways that show you He is a sanctuary.”

To learn more about Straszheim and A Sanctuary in Our Midst, visit HERE.

#Throwback Thursday: Political Correctness Does More Harm Than Good: How to Identify, Debunk, and Dismantle Dangerous Ideas

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As we reminisce on the over forty years that God has blessed Ambassador International to remain in business, we are highlighting a different #backlistbook each week in a series called #ThrowbackThursday.

Political Correctness Does More Harm Than Good: How to Identify, Debunk, and Dismantle Dangerous Ideas was published by Ambassador International on October 27, 2020. Why did we pick this book to feature for our #ThrowbackThursday? Because “truth is an early casualty of political correctness.” So, there’s no better time than to close out what the world recognizes as “Pride Month” than by highlighting a book that helps readers fight lies with the truth. Truth matters, and its mechanism of dissemination is words.

In his book, Political Correctness Does More Harm Than Good, Douglas Kruger, an international speaker and author, looks at each of the most popular issues in today’s culture—their origins, their purpose, their arguments, and their lies.

Political Correctness Does More Harm Than Good is a guide to combating toxic Politically Correct culture, from socialism to identity-politics, and halting the creep of harmful ideologies across our civilization. It is a how-to manual for hardcore debaters, who believe in the value of hard-won Western traditions, such as science, logic, free markets, rule of law, and the Judeo-Christian tradition. The book helps readers to understand and articulate the flaws and fallacies taken for granted in “woke” culture today with the end goal of winning hearts and minds.

In this politically correct world, Douglas Kruger helps readers see that being politically correct isn’t creating peace but instead is starting a war. And he gives us the tools we need to ready ourselves for the fight for right.Political Correctness Does More Harm Than Good by Douglas Kruger

The conclusion of Political Correctness Does More Harm Than Good is this: You can have political correctness, or you can have truth. But you cannot have both.

 

You can add Political Correctness Does More Harm Than Good to your Goodreads HERE and you can learn more and find purchase links HERE. This book is available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook.

 

For the next few days, you can grab the Political Correctness Does More Harm Than Good ebook for 2.99!

New YouVersion Plan: Turning Ashes Into Beauty by Anne Farnum

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As part of Ambassador International’s mission to “magnify the Lord Jesus Christ and promote His gospel through the written word,” we are a partner with YouVersion to help people make the Bible a part of their everyday lives. Author Anne Farnum has just released her third Bible plan with YouVersion titled “Turning Ashes Into Beauty.”

Life is messy! Sometimes we need to own the messiness; sometimes, it is just part of living in a sinful world. God takes the struggles and hardships of this world and redeems them. We need to know this truth that God is faithfully at work as we encounter our world. Join Anne Farnum over the next five days and discover what to do with the ashes you hold.

Click HERE or search for “Ambassador International” in your YouVersion app and find this plan, along with all our others, to get started!

#Throwback Thursday: The Sex Spiral

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As we reminisce on the over forty years that God has blessed Ambassador International to remain in business, we are highlighting a different #backlistbook each week in a series called #ThrowbackThursday.

Dustin Daniels is the Senior Pastor of the River Bible Church in Cottonwood, AZ. He is the co-founder of Revive40, a Christ-centered sexual purity ministry that teaches and trains God’s design for sex, marriage, and the family. He is also the host of the podcast, “God, Sex and You,” that is listened to in 80 countries around the world. Dustin and his wife Amy, live in Cottonwood, AZ. Dustin Daniels

Dustin’s book, The Sex Spiral: Forgiven and Free from Pornography, was published by Ambassador International on January 8, 2018. While this book doesn’t fall too far back in our catalogue backlist, we felt this book was appropriate to share during the month of June because Dustin’s book first looks at God’s design for marriage and sexuality.

Every Sunday, in Bible-believing churches across the world, pews are filled with men and women who have been forgiven by the blood of Jesus Christ. However, millions of people walk away from the worship service confused as to why they are not experiencing the freedom that the Scriptures proclaim.

The Sex Spiral Throwback ThursdayThere is a direct correlation between the confusion and apathy of sexuality within our churches and the pandemic of pornography in our pews.

Unfortunately, the statistics are too big to quote and we don’t believe them when we do. How is it possible that so many Christians are addicted to pornography? Isn’t Jesus enough? Why are we still being tempted with lust? What’s wrong? What’s missing?

Sexual sin is powerful and unforgiving—it grows if unaddressed and devours lives. Daniels writes that it was only through his active church community and, most importantly, the forgiveness and grace of Jesus Christ, which broke his spiral of sin and allowed him the freedom that the Scriptures proclaim. Daniels’ book is not a self-help book or a twelve-step program, but rather The Sex Spiral: Forgiven and Free From Pornography is a Biblical plan to experience not only the forgiveness of Jesus Christ, but also the freedom He promises.

You can add The Sex Spiral to your Goodreads HERE and you can learn more and find purchase links HERE. This book is currently available in paperback and ebook.

 

For the month of June, you can grab the The Sex Spiral ebook for 0.99!

Carol Award Semi-Finalist: Addy of the Door Islands!

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The Carol Award Semi-Finalists were announced this week, and we’re thrilled that Addy of the Door Islands by Judy DuCharme has been listed as a semi-finalist in the young adult category!

Addy of the Door Islands is the story of Addy, a little girl who arrived on an orphan train with her sister, desperate for a home, love, and acceptance. Lainey and her husband Clifford find themselves on the verge of parenthood—both adoptive and biological—and find that their adventures on Door Island are only beginning.

Learn more about this long-awaited sequel to Lainey of the Door Islands HERE and add it to your Goodreads HERE.

#Throwback Thursday: Love Into Light: The Gospel, the Homosexual and the Church

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As we reminisce on the over forty years that God has blessed Ambassador International to remain in business, we are highlighting a different #backlistbook each week in a series called #ThrowbackThursday.

Peter Hubbard is Teaching Pastor at North Hills Community Church in Taylors, SC, where he has communicated the truth of the Scriptures since the church began in 1992. He has earned two masters degrees and is currently completing a doctor of ministry degree in pastoral counseling at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia.

In his book Love Into Light: The Gospel, The Homosexual and The Church, published by Ambassador International on June 24, 2013, Hubbard seeks to answer the question, “How can Christians live in a culture that promotes the gay lifestyle, yet worship in a culture that never talks about it—other than possibly to condemn it?”

Homosexuality is one of the most controversial moral issues of our day, yet, sadly the church has often been afraid to talk about homosexuality. Many Christians feel confused and divided between the call to love and the call for truth. And many who struggle with unwanted same-sex attraction feel alone and alienated by the church.

Hubbard admits in his book, “The first time I counseled a man struggling with same-sex attraction (SSA), I felt awkward [but] the more I listened, the more I learned, the more I realized—we are not different. We are the same. Our specific battles and sins may vary, but our hearts are the same. And our daily need for the grace of Jesus is the same.”

The time is ripe, now more than ever, for God’s people to think and speak about same-sex attraction in a way that is both biblical and beneficial. We must reject our fears and misunderstandings and see ourselves together in need of the grace of Jesus. Love Into Light is designed to move the church toward that end.

Written from the heart of a pastor with a love for people and a sensitivity to our culture, Love Into Light is your next step toward becoming more faithfully and helpfully engaged with people in your families, in your church, and in your neighborhood.

 

You can add Love Into Light  to your Goodreads HERE and you can learn more and find purchase links HERE. This book is currently available in hardcover, paperback, audiobook, and ebook.

 

For the month of June, you can grab the Love Into Light ebook for 4.99 {a savings of 50%!}. Don’t miss out on this powerfully insightful book.

Memorial Day Reading List

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Ambassador International Remembers

 

Source: iStock

On Memorial Day, America honors the men and women who have died while serving in the United States Military. Below you will find books written by military spouses and by military members who have faithfully served America.

The Home Team

The Home Team by Dave Pratt drops readers into the minds of a special forces team with a dangerous mission. Readers will love this book written by retired Air Force veteran, Dave Pratt.

 

The Warrior’s Bride by Carrie Daws

The Warrior’s Bride is a book written by military wives Kathy Barnett and Carrie Daws. In this book, Barnett and Dawes give biblical strategies for helping other military wives thrive based off their own personal experiences and what God has spoken to their hearts.

 

A New Home for Allie: Carrie Daws, Joanie Bruce, Joanie Bruce: 9781620207994: Amazon.com: Books

A New Home for Allie by Carrie Daws, illustrated by Joanie Bruce

A New Home for Allie is a heart-warming children’s story written by military wife Carrie Daws and illustrated by Joanie Bruce. Allie’s story mimics what it’s like for military family kids to have to move around as Allie has to move from Kenya to Somalia. This is the perfect choice for any military family!

 

Repurposed Faith by Rosie WilliamsRepurposed Faith: Breathing New Life Into Your Quiet Time: Williams, Rosie: 9781620205587: Amazon.com: Books

Repurposed Faith is an inspirational book written by military spouse Rosie Williams. Repurposed Faith is designed to reignite the fire in your heart for Christ and his Word. If you are looking to reignite this fire once again, then this is the book for you!

 

 

 

 

For Christ and Country: A Biography of Brigadier General Gustavus Loomis: Lawson, Kenneth E.: 9781935507475: Amazon.com: BooksFor Christ and Country: A Biography of Brigadier General Gustavus Loomis by Kenneth E. Lawson

For Christ and Country is a biography about General Gustavus Loomis written by army chaplain Kenneth E. Lawson. Lawson writes of General Loomis’ unwavering faith and heart to serve his country. General Loomis was a man who was eager to speak about Jesus to anyone who would listen!

 

 

 

A Biblicist View of Law and Gospel
by Lester L. StephensonA Biblicist View of Law and Gospel: Lester L. Stephenson: 9781620201565: Amazon.com: Books

A Biblicist View of Law and Gospel is written by retired Navy Chief Petty Officer Lester L. Stephenson. Stephenson argues for an in-depth interpretation of the law and stresses the importance of the Old Testament while also arguing for how the testaments work together.

 

 

 

 

Armorbearers: The Revolutionary Choices of Servant-Leadership: Watford, Gerald: 9781620202999: Amazon.com: BooksArmorbearers: The Revolutionary View of Servant Leadership by Gerald Watford

Armorbearers, using scripture as its guide, dives deep into what it means to be a servant leader. Armorbearers author Gerald Watford knows exactly what it means to be a leader; he’s been a Marine, pastor, State Trooper, and teacher. Read as Watford encourages his readers to be servant-hearted leaders!

 

 

 

Miracle Man: A Bullet That Ignited a Purpose-Filled Life
by Brett Parks

Miracle Man is written by Brett Parks about his own real-life miracle. In 2012, Navy airman Brett Parks was shot as he ran to aid to someone being mugged. Read about Parks’ near-death experience and how God showed up during his time of need.

 

 

Persuaded: The Story of Nicodemus, A Novel - Kindle edition by Harder, David. Religion & Spirituality Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.Final Grains of Sand - Kindle edition by Harder, David. Religion & Spirituality Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Persuaded and Final Grains of Sand by David Harder

Persuaded and Final Grains of Sand are both written by David Harder who served in the United States. Navy. Persuaded is a biblical fiction novel following the life of Nicodemus and his encounters with Yeshua. Read along as Nicodemus realizes the joy and power in the Good News!

Final Grains of Sand is a fiction book about how a man named Jim leaves behind his legacy after getting a cancer diagnosis at 60 years old. This novel will help you realize the value of your life and how much your words and actions can touch the hearts of others.

 

Evocatus by Burke SpeedEvocatus: A Novel: Speed, Burke: 9781620207307: Amazon.com: Books

Evocatus is a fiction book written by Burke Speed, a retired Colonel and command pilot who served in the United States Air Force. Speed writes about the story of Jamie, a young veteran who is called again to a new type of duty and faced with the call to fight again.

 

Every day and especially on Memorial Day, we are so grateful for all those who have served America so well!

#Throwback Thursday: Pastor & Deacons: Servants Working Together

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As we reminisce on the over forty years that God has blessed Ambassador International to remain in business, we are highlighting a different #backlistbook each week in a series called #ThrowbackThursday.

Carl Herbster has served for over 20 years as pastor of Tri-City Baptist Church in Independence, Missouri. The church has started several other churches, operates a Christian school, and a Christian camp (Southland Christian Camp), and is heavily committed to foreign missions.

Ken Howerton is a certified program manager with IBM. He has served as chairman of deacons in two churches. His wisdom and stability and his commitment to the Lord’s work, have made him a gracious servant and wise counselor.

As fellow servants in the same church, Carl Herbster and Kenneth Howerton collaborated in the writing of Pastor & Deacons: Servants Working Together to answer questions such as:

  • How should a church be organized?
  • What functions do the pastors, deacons, and congregation serve?
  • Who qualifies for the offices of pastor and deacon?
  • How should a church manage its finances?
  • How does a congregation biblically address problems?

Pastor and Deacons by Carl Herbster and Ken HowertonPublished by Ambassador International on September 1, 2006, the “on-the-job,” real-life experiences of the authors make this a particularly practical book and no less relevant to churches today.

Pastor & Deacons is a practical exposition and application of biblical principles of church organization and leadership, and is a must-read for pastors, pastoral staffs, deacons, and any other church leadership. Don’t trust us? Trust the word of evangelist Tom Farrell who endorsed this book saying, “Pastor & Deacons is a must-read for all those in church leadership . . . . This book is biblical, practical and helpful. It is chock-full of “how to” ideas that will strengthen relationships and promote spiritual unity in the local church. The principles on church discipline and the chapter on “Dealing with Difficulties” are worth the price of the book. Pastor, get this book and you will refer to it often.”

You can add Pastors & Deacons  to your Goodreads HERE and you can learn more and find purchase links HERE. This book is currently available in paperback and ebook.

For a limited time, you can grab the Pastors & Deacons ebook for .99; however, if you have a father in your life who works in church leadership, this book would also make a wonderful Father’s Day present! He will love and appreciate it for years to come!