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Declutter Every Area of Your Life in Just 8 Weeks

Declutter Now! Study Guide Provides Step-By-Step Action Plan

For immediate release: In just eight weeks you can clear clutter in all areas of life– from closets to careers, finances to feelings. Filled with thought and discussion provoking questions, Scripture and practical application, the Declutter Now! Study Guide: 8 Weeks to Uncovering the Hidden Joy and Freedom in Your Life (Ambassador International; May 2014; $12.99, paperback) encourages readers into action.

Certified Christian Life Coaches and founders of Action Plan Ministries, Lindon and Sherry Gareis have a proven track record for helping people declutter their hearts, minds, bodies, souls and homes. The Declutter Now! Study Guide offers much the same valuable information they provide clients, using a comprehensive, practical, step-by-step approach focused on decluttering eight key areas:

Physical Space	Relationships
Finances	Career
Mental Health	Children
Spiritual Life	Body & Physical Health

Perfect for individuals, small groups and Bible studies, the new Declutter Now! Study Guide is the perfect complement to the Declutter Now! book, released in 2012. The study guide also includes a section just for small group leaders. “It’s everything leaders will need to facilitate a group study,” explains Sherry. “We’ve provided useful tools and creative ideas to get conversation flowing and encourage every person that participates.”

About the Authors:Lindon and Sherry Gareis, certified Christian Life Coaches from Glendale, Arizona, are the founders of Action Plan Ministries. Lindon and Sherry love being outdoors, love being together, and are committed to a lifelong honeymoon.

For interview requests please contact publicist Alison Storm at [email protected].

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New Book Aims to End “Civil War” Among Christians

Pastor Urges Christian Unity Among Believers

For immediate release: Nearly 4 in 10 non-churchgoing Americans state the reason they do not attend church is due to negative past experiences with churches or church people. According to The Barna Group, the estimate of un-churched people in America is 100,000,000 which means 37,000,000 people claim to have been hurt by professing Christians. In a number that rivals the casualties of World War II, author Jim Turner is offering insight on how Christians can repair the fractured state of the church in his new book So Called Christian: Healing the Spiritual Wounds Left By the Church (Ambassador International; May 2014; $11.99, paperback).

Turner, a former youth director and pastor with more than 25 years of experience, believes that the civil war among Christians has diminished God’s glory. He established Churchone, a non-profit aimed at spreading the word about God’s heart for Christian unity. “We see this as a command of God – not a pretty notion the Apostle Paul thought he’d entertain in a first century world,” explains Turner. “It’s a cry the Church has long lacked the ears to hear.”

So-Called Christian was written for those who have found themselves on either side of the problem: those who have felt judged, belittled or hurt by a fellow believer or those whose good motives and sincere convictions turned ugly. Digging deep into his own personal experiences of dysfunction within church settings, Turner issues a plan for resolution. Turner uses Biblical lessons to explain the best practices for dealing with differences within the Body. He also gives readers practical insight for maintaining personal peace and conviction when confronted with differing opinions and doctrinal disputes. “My ultimate goal is to help create a community of believers that strive to love one another,” says Turner, “regardless of our differing opinions.”

About the Author: Jim Turner is a husband and father of four. Mr. Turner has been in youth or pastoral ministry for over 25 years and has personally experienced the hurt and frustration that disagreement can cause. He has also counseled and mediated on numerous occasions where disagreement threatened to split churches and undo relationships that were years in the building. His experience includes churches from 10 to 1,000 members.

To connect with the author or to request a review copy of So-Called Christian please contact publicist Alison Storm at [email protected].

Accountant-Turned-Adventurer Finds Faith and Love in South Africa

Hot Chocolate in June is a true story of how God mends wounds and writes adventures in the life of a Nebraska native

For immediate release: Under-qualified and overly-ambitious, Holly left her family and friends behind in Nebraska to search for that radical life, that all-for-Jesus-or-nothing-at-all life. In Hot Chocolate in June (Ambassador International; May 2014; $14.99, paperback) Holly Mthethwa explains how her desire to escape depression after the untimely death of her father took her to remote mountain villages and chaotic city streets in India and South Africa.

Using humor and honesty, Holly recounts adventure after adventure including the thrill of falling in love. During an extended stay at a Johannesburg orphanage, Holly met Oscar, a handsome South African rugby player that seemed to have everything she was looking for in a husband– except that he didn’t look like anyone she’d ever dated before. This small town, Midwestern girl wasn’t supposed to fall in love with a black man.

Despite the pair’s instant connection, Holly returned to normal life in America. “I wanted to board a plane and head back to South Africa to hold abandoned babies, to hold the hand of my precious man,” writes Holly. “Instead, I boarded into my black suit, held my computer bag in one hand, clenched my coffee mug in the other, and headed down the career path of an audit associate.” Thankfully Holly’s story doesn’t end there. Hot Chocolate in June is the true story of God’s undeniable ability to mend emotional wounds, overcome racial and culture differences, and write amazing adventures.

About the Author: Holly Mthethwa relocated from Johannesburg, South Africa to Washington DV, where she lives with her husband, Oscar. She writes regularly at ruggedandredeemed.com about the moments that hooked her heart– experiences living in a developing country and most importantly, Christ.

To receive a review copy of Hot Chocolate in June or to connect with the author please contact publicist Alison Storm by email at [email protected].

Former PBS Exec Shares Inspirational Stories in New Devotional

Author leaves corporate comforts to serve homeless and prisoners

For immediate release: Jim Brissey spent 16 years rubbing elbows with Mister Rogers, Captain Kangaroo and Cookie Monster during his time at PBS. But one day while sitting at a traffic light God instructed him to leave his cushy lifestyle and six-figure income to work full-time in ministry. “I resigned from my job the next morning,” recalls Brissey. “It was the best decision of my life.” After nearly two decades in ministry Brissey created a collection of meditations, poems and stories in the new devotional A Shepherd’s Heart (Ambassador International; March 2014; $11.99, paperback).

As the Senior Pastor of Higher Ground Ministries Brissey serves in many areas of the community, including prison ministry. Brissey and his team have held hundreds of meetings in 12 different prisons in the US and two in Honduras. One of the book’s powerful passages tells the story of Manny Valle, a man convicted of killing a police officer during a traffic stop more than 30 years ago. After meeting with Valle regularly Brissey led him to Christ and prayed with Valle’s family during his 2011 execution. “Just a few days before he was executed I spent a few hours with Manny,” says Brissey. “He was clothed in the peace that passes all human understanding.”

A Shepherd’s Heart received many endorsements from recognizable names including Bob D’Andrea, Founder of the Christian Television Network; Bill Glass, College Football Hall of Famer and Champions for Life Founder; and Murf the Surf, the world’s most famous reformed jewel thief and Christian speaker. Gigi Graham, Billy Graham’s daughter said of The Shepherd’s Heart, “These stories inspired, encouraged, challenged and blessed me.”

About the Author: Jim Brissey and his wife Jean are Senior Pastors of Higher Ground Ministries in DeLand, Fl. Jim earned his Bachelor of Biblical Studies through Omega Seminary. Jean is a graduate of Spirit Life School of Theology. The couple has been married for 37 years. Jim and Jean have spearheaded hundreds of outreaches throughout the U.S. and abroad and have witnessed thousands giving their hearts to Jesus.

For more information about the author visit SteveWhigham.com. To connect with the author please contact publicist Alison Storm at [email protected].

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Pastor Issues Bible Memorization Challenge

Dr. Andrew Davis reveals techniques in new resource

For immediate release: Many Christians have at least a few Bible verses committed to memory, but Dr. Andrew Davis, senior pastor at First Baptist Church in Durham, North Carolina, is encouraging Christians to ramp up Scripture memorization. In his new book An Approach to Extended Memorization of Scripture, (Ambassador International; April 2014; $.99, eBook) Dr. Davis provides daily procedures for memorizing entire chapters and books of the Bible at one time. Davis has used these techniques to commit 35 books of the Bible to memory over the course of his ministry. He calls the practice of extended Scripture memorization “one of the most searching and rewarding exercises of spiritual and mental labor anyone could ever attempt.”

Well-known pastor Dr. John Piper used Dr. Davis’ techniques personally to commit Romans 1-8. Davis says there are many benefits to memorizing Scripture including:

Transforming our worldview from secular to heavenly.
Causing us to hate sin and fight it vigorously.
Helping us to withstand temptation.
Blessing lost people with a vivid presentation of the Gospel.
Gaining power and wisdom for counseling.

Earlier this year Ambassador International released Dr. Davis’ book An Infinite Journey: Growing Toward Christlikeness which provides a road map how we are to mature as Christians.

An Approach to Extended Memorization of Scripture is available as an eBook for just $.99. The goal is to make this resource readily available to help Christians enjoy the benefits of extended Scripture memorization. Readers can find additional resources including free printable Scripture memorization cards at Ambassador-International.com/memorization. “When Judgment Day comes, we will regret the waste of a single moment not used for the glory of Christ,” writes Davis. “We will, however, not regret one moment we spent diligently studying God’s Word and hiding it in our heart. We will only wish we’d spent more time doing this.”

About the Author: Dr. Andrew Davis has been Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church (FBC), Durham, NC, since 1998. He came to faith in Christ his junior year in college. In 1984, he graduated with a BSME from MIT, and worked for ten years as a mechanical engineer. Davis received his Master of Divinity degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in 1990 and his PhD in Church History from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1998. Davis’s book An Infinite Journey: Growing Toward Christlikeness was published in 2014.

To connect with the author please contact publicist Alison Storm at [email protected].

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Upstate Donkey Gains Fame With New Children’s Book

Author Donna Thornton and Illustrator Lynne Pryor both live in Upstate

For immediate release: Drupelet the donkey, named after a tiny bump of juice on a raspberry, returns for another heartwarming tale in the newly released book, The Easter Donkey (Ambassador International; April 2014; $14.99, hardcover). Along with her farm pals from the 2011 hit The Christmas Donkey, readers will enjoy a fresh telling of the Easter story while following Drupelet’s journey to understand the gifts God has given to those who accept them.

Drupelet isn’t just a character in a book– she’s a real donkey living on an Upstate raspberry farm with a family that loves her just the way she is. Author Donna Thornton grew to love children’s books while reading to her sons Robert and Stephen, but after they moved on to more mature stories, Donna started to write them. Her first book, The Christmas Donkey, experienced successful sales over the last three holiday seasons. “I hope The Easter Donkey is welcomed into many homes this spring,” says Thornton.

Illustrator Lynne Prior worked on the pieces for The Christmas Donkey while she battled breast cancer and partnered with Thornton again for this project. “These illustrations became very therapeutic and provided much comfort and laughter for me during a difficult time in life,” explains Lynne, who received a BFA in Studio Art from Columbia College.

For interview requests please contact publicist Alison Storm via email at [email protected].

Book Exposes Dangers of Legalism

Pastor points readers to true holiness based on biblical motivations

For immediate release: From banning beards to requiring perfect Sunday school attendance, legalism is evident throughout the Christian community. Its results can be devastating as author Robert Pruitt points out in his new book Robots or Rebels: The Dangers of Growing Up a Legalist, and Biblical Motivations for True Holiness (Ambassador International; February 2014; $14.99, paperback.) The book is designed to help readers determine whether or not they have been adversely impacted by a legalistic family, church or parachurch ministry.

Packed with information about sources of legalism and the types of legalism, one thing readers will not find in the pages of Robots or Rebels is a list of legalistic ministries or organizations. “Isn’t that specificity one of the problems that accompanies legalism?” asks Pruitt. “Legalists want everything listed for them so they do not have to think, but this book is intended to encourage the hard work of thinking, and hopefully in a biblical way.” Some of the forms of legalism discussed in the book include:

Legalism is an error that equates law-keeping with salvation.
Legalism demands current obedience to Old Testament regulations that have been done away with by Christ.
Legalism is the error of creating extra-biblical standards but giving them biblical authority, thus placing them on an equal plane with truly biblical commands.

Pruitt says eventually life for these legalistic robots becomes lifeless. “The robot has been so thoroughly overwhelmed by the call for more and more stringent standards that he either cannot think biblically or he refuses to think biblically for fear of being thought of as a rebel,” writes Pruitt. The book also dives into the characteristics of pleasure-seeking rebels who are often angry, prideful and materialistic. Pruitt aims to steer Christians away from either title, robots or rebels, into a longing to live in true holiness based on a love for Christ.

About the Author: Robert Pruitt has been serving as the pastor of Coloma Bible Church, in Coloma, MI, since the spring of 2005. Prior to that he pastored churches in Missouri, Virginia, and Kansas. In addition to his pastoral ministry he has also been involved in Christian camping ministries where he has been privileged to interact with many teenagers and pre-teens. He and his wife, Michele, have two daughters and three grandchildren.

To connect with the author please contact publicist Alison Storm at [email protected].

Author Shares Life’s Twisted, Unpredictable Journey in New Book

Speed Bumps and Roundabouts is about What Happens When the Road of Life Isn’t a Smooth Path

For immediate release: Pip McCracken had a plan, one that involved straight As, loads of friends, a handsome husband and angelic children. But her reality has taken her off course and head on with bullying, divorce and heart break. In Speed Bumps and Roundabouts (Ambassador International; February 2014; $14.99, paperback) McCracken explains how life is never the straightfoward journey we expect, but the scenery can be captivating. “One of my greatest wishes with my writing has always been that by telling people about the things I’ve been through, the things I’ve felt, they will know that they’re not alone,” says McCracken.

McCracken, a native of Northern Ireland now living in New Zealand, begins the book with an honest admission: she doesn’t have all the answers. She’s not writing from a place of satisfaction or even contentment, but rather from a place of brokenness. “Every day I live is part of the story of how Jesus has saved me from depression, rejection, fear, jealousy and self-pity,” she writes.

Using humor and honesty, McCracken covers a variety of topics that she’s experienced during her 26 busy years. Writing on everything from missions to singleness, readers will likely see many of their own struggles through her life. “There have been so many times when all I’ve wanted to do is stop in the midst of the crowd and cry, when I’ve felt like there’s no one to help, like nothing is working out, like it’s just too difficult,” admits McCracken. “What I want most of all is for this book to help other people keep going as well– even over the speed bumps and around the roundabouts.”

About the Author: Pip McCracken: Writer. Physio. Overanalyser. Northern Irish. Procrastinator. Lover of food, all food. Traveller. Jesus fan. Mistake maker. Hoper. Pip is originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland and has been living and working as a physiotherapist in Hamilton, New Zealand for the last five years, trying to write with every spare second she has.

To learn more about Pip McCracken visit PipMcCracken.com, or Facebook.com/PipMccrackenWriter. To receive a review copy of Speed Bumps and Roundabouts or to connect with the author please contact publicist Alison Storm by email at [email protected].

New Book Gives Pathway to Christian Maturity

Dr. Andrew Davis guides readers through radical transformation

For immediate release: Every Christian embarks on two journeys: The external journey of sharing Christ with the world and the internal journey of personal salvation from sanctification into glorification. In his new book An Infinite Journey: Growing Towards Christlikeness, (Ambassador International; January 2014; $19.99, paperback) Dr. Andrew Davis provides a road map for the internal journey, laying out how we are to grow in four major areas: knowledge, faith, character and action. “The modern evangelical movement has been far more concerned about evangelism than about discipleship,” writes Davis. “It should be unsettling when there is so little spiritual maturity, so little sacrifice for Christ, so little hunger and thirst for righteousness, so little suffering for his glory.”

Packed with informative illustrations and relevant scripture, An Infinite Journey takes readers through an in depth look at what kind of people we should be, as described in scripture. Dr. Davis explains the radical transformation that happens through sanctification in five specific areas of character:

1. Affection: What you love and what you hate

2. Desire: What you seek

3. Will: What you choose and what you reject

4. Thought: What you think

5. Emotion: What you feel

Dr. Davis says it shouldn’t be surprising that the church is suffering from such “profound spiritual immaturity.” He believes the church needs focus on both infinite journeys– internal and external– by reclaiming the Bible and focusing on the power of the Holy Spirit. “It is impossible for the Church to make progress externally to the ends of the earth if there are no Christians mature enough to pay the price to go as missionaries and martyrs,” he says. “And it is impossible to make genuine progress in sanctification if the people only read good Christian books and stay in classrooms, but refuse to get out in the world as witnesses.”