Ambassador’s Top Five Christian Beach Reads

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Along with your sunscreen and towel there’s something else you must remember when hitting the beach this summer– a great book of course! Can’t decide what to stuff in your beach bag? We’re making it easy with our list of the top five Christian beach reads.

 

1. Looking for the Hottest Christian Fiction?   Mississippi Nights

Mississippi NightsTwo brothers, one death–the bond of brotherhood faces its greatest challenge against resentment and guilt.

Can the love between two brothers eventually win against pain and guilt?

When Firefighter David Boyette’s fiancée perishes in a car fire, he blames his brother, Sgt. Jeremy Boyette, for her death. Three years later, David returns home with a dark and devastating secret. With the help of family, a woman’s love, and a small child’s devotion, can David overcome insurmountable odds as he and Jeremy face the bitterness that enslaves him? Together the brothers must decide if the bond of brotherhood is stronger than resentment and hate.

 

2. Love a Story About Skeletons in the Closet? Crossing Values

Crossing ValuesFor years, Amber traipsed around the Northwest avoiding the skeletons in her closet. Job-hopping every few weeks, she refused to let anyone get close to her as she slowly made her way east. As winter plants itself firmly across the Rockies, she decides to take a chance on a job at a logging company with a family different from any she’s ever known before. Watching the family interact creates more questions than answers for Amber. Feeling like she’s entered the happily-ever-after written at the end of a fairytale, she watches for cracks in the facade. Surely as the days pass, the play-acting will cease and the real family will emerge. Or could she be wrong? Could they truly be genuine? Could Faye understand the trauma from her past or Peter think of her as more than just the winter office help? Could this family really hold the key to what she’s seeking?

 

3. Want to Know What Baseball Players Believe? God’s Lineup

Gods-Lineup God’s Lineup is a collection of testimonies from Major League baseball players and how Christ has impacted their lives on and off the field. There are trying times in the sport of baseball and among Christians. This book is a breath of fresh air for both baseball fans and Christians. It illustrates how all people, including the top baseball players, face trying times and how being saved has changed them and the way they play the game.

Each chapter focuses on one ball player and tells the story about how their life was before knowing Christ, how they came to know Him and how their life has changed.

 

4. Need to Get Lost in a Novel with Layers? The Painted Table

The painted tableSaffee Quimbly has always sensed her “normal” Quimbly household was far from normal. A television? No need. Having friends over? A mistake not to be repeated. Unreasonable expectations and criticism? Painfully expected. And all part of “normal.” But her mother’s unpredictable spells of arguing with imaginary tormentors, a Norwegian heirloom table subjected to countless layers of paint during such fits, and her father’s refusal to seek help for his unstable wife—these too are “normal.” Saffee meets the wide-open world with these secrets stowed away, and she plans to keep things that way. Jack, a blind date gone right, helps Saffee gain victory over the past, and connect to spiritual moorings.

 

5. Want to be Wowed by an Impossibly True Missionary Tale? Reckless Abandon

RecklessAbandon David Sitton was barely a man when he left surfing and partying to live in Papua New Guinea, a faraway, perilous land. Leaving Texas with a Bible, a suitcase (and a surfboard), he took the gospel into cannibalistic areas to people who had never heard the name of Jesus. For thirty-four years God has used him to help train missionaries, spread the gospel and establish dozens of churches in remote regions. Through this book, experience the amazing things God did as David recklessly abandoned his will to the will of God.

 

Over 30 Years and Our Vision is Still Clear

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My father started Ambassador International 30 years ago in Belfast, Northern Ireland and we have never been just about producing books. Our focus is to create content that changes readers’ lives. That’s why I see this new website as more than a business tool– it’s a ministry tool.

 

Easier to Find Great Christian Books

When creating the new and improved Ambassador-International.com we set out with you in mind. We wanted to make it easier than ever for you to find what you are looking for. Whether that’s a resource to help your marriage such as Marriage Triage by Pastor Stephen Goode or a book to help you through the hurt of loss such as A Time to Heal by grief professional Beth Marshall. Inspiring mission bios like Reckless Abandon by David Sitton and even our fun children’s books like Chocolate Socks all play a role in helping individuals and families thrive. Now you can find those books easier than ever before.

 

Great Deals From Our Retail Partners

We no longer have a store directly on our website. We decided to allow our visitors the opportunity to buy all Ambassador titles through our retail partners like Amazon and  Barnes and Noble. We now provide easy links so shoppers can know right away where they can find our books at the best price, buying them from retail outlets they already know and trust.

 

More Interaction

We’ve added more ways to interact with Ambassador International. You can now comment, like, tweet or pin the resources that have helped you most. We hope this in turn helps others that are in your social circle.  Our comments section is placed under each product for more than just us hearing from you but allowing an opportunity for our visitors to create a discussion, start a thread after you’ve read a title or post a question for the author. You can not only interact with our authors here, but I encourage you to reach out to me. Feel free to tweet me at @TimLowryAI as well, or simply leave a comment below.

We hope you enjoy your time on our new site and come back often to see our newest titles and read our blog.

Please connect with us. And I’d love to know– how can we make your experience memorable?

 

Forgiveness is Not an Option, It’s a Necessity, According to New Book

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Forgiveness is not an optionAuthor Guides Readers to Forgive even the Unforgivable

For immediate release:  Abused, betrayed, scammed, disappointed—most of us have experienced hurt in some areas of our lives. If not dealt with, these wounds begin to impact our everyday life at a crippling rate. Forgiveness is Not an Option: A Journey to Freedom and Healing (Ambassador International; June 2012; $11.99, paperback) provides practical tools for healing and living a life of freedom from past and present hurts.

As a victim of sexual abuse as a child and domestic abuse as an adult, author Anna McCarthy struggled with forgiving many people in her life. “I was left as a very, very hurt 20-something single mom. I was really angry,” admits McCarthy. “This book offers powerful tools to let go of those past hurts just like I had to do.” Anna launched Voice of One ministries with the mission of reaching the hurting and wounded. “The Lord will turn your grief into joy,” says McCarthy. “But you must relinquish control, allowing him to be God and yourself to be human.”

Churches are invited to lead their congregations through The Forgiveness Project, an 11-week study of Forgiveness is Not an Option. A free Leader Study Guide is available at VoiceofOne.net. “We really hope churches will make forgiveness a priority,” says author Anna McCarthy. “Congregations are full of hurting people who need healing.”

McCarthy counsels and disciples others through prayer and one-on-one communication at Life Church in Olathe, Kansas.  To learn more about the author, her book Forgiveness is Not an Option, and The Forgiveness Project visit www.voiceofone.net. For interview requests please contact publicist Alison Storm at [email protected].

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Q&A with Marriage Counselor and Author Stephen Goode

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QA Stephen GoodeAmbassador International is excited to announce the launch of Marriage Triage: A Guide to Healing for the Hurting Spouse, available June 30, 2012 in stores and online at major retailers. Marriage is the norm for Christians with 84% tying the knot according to The Barna Group. But sadly, divorce rates among born again Christians are virtually indistinguishable from non-believers with about 1 in 3 going through a split. While most marriage books are designed to help marriages improve, Marriage Triage: A Guide to Healing for the Hurting Spouse is geared towards spiritual survival for couples in crisis. A former police officer, Stephen Goode tells us what prompted him to write Marriage Triage and why he believes it can save marriages.

Marriage Triage coverWhat led you to write Marriage Triage?

Stephen Goode: I don’t know that I ever really wanted to write a book on marriage. That may seem like a non-sensical way to begin an interview on a marriage book, but you have to realize that after 11 years of police work and being neck-deep in the middle of marital conflict that I was done! I wanted to put that piece of my life in the ground and bury it, but God has a way of making us miserable until we do what he says. I had written blog articles for a number of years and it seemed that the common theme in all the articles always went back to marriage relationships, and I would always interweave old police stories in as illustrations. I received such a positive response that I began to see an opportunity to publish on a bigger platform.

What separates Marriage Triage from other marriage titles?

Stephen Goode: Most marriage books try and give spouses tools to make their marriages better, but there is a window in marriage where it isn’t relevant. They don’t need cute ideas, but survival skills! Marriage Triage is different because it addresses the needs of the hurting, disillusioned spouse in the midst of their crisis with biblical principles, and application. It is a book that helps a spouse stop the bleeding, figuratively speaking, so that healing can begin.

Fighting CoupleWhat did you learn from your time as a police officer that helped you in writing this book?

Stephen Goode: I learned how to dodge frying pans, and not turn my back to an angry and emotional wife. (kidding) Being a police officer I was able to witness firsthand, the emotional devastation and violence that can occur in any marriage that never closes up the wounds of day to day issues. I witnessed everything from simple assaults and threats, to spouses who killed their mates for little more than a quick insurance policy. It was evil in its rawest form. It removed the scales from my eyes of what can occur in a marriage when God’s presence is not acknowledged.

On the other hand police work gave me skills to know how to calm, and diffuse chaotic circumstances between a husband and wife. I also was able to note all the ways couples reached these bad places so that I could begin to reverse-engineer the way to prevent couples from reaching such bad places in their relationship. I was able to take much of this and transform it into a written form, which I hope the readers pick up on as they read the book.

One of your goals is to help spouses avoid the temptation to act irresponsibly and un-Biblically in tough circumstances. Why is that so difficult?

Stephen Goode: Because the Bible clearly says that we battle more than anything against our thoughts and actions. The Apostle Paul even expounded on the fact that many times he did the things he wasn’t supposed to do, and didn’t do the things he knew to do. For a spouse in the middle of a marriage crisis the hardest human action to avoid is making emotional and irrational choices. Hurting and betrayed spouses want to hurt and blame! The problem with this is that the Bible doesn’t condone these types of reactions even though they may be perfectly justified in the eyes of the world. We always want to park on “an eye for an eye” when Jesus gave us an entirely different way to respond. I try and give both husband and wife practical ways to respond to one another.

wedding ring loveIs there a point of no return for marriages?

Stephen Goode: In Marriage Triage the goal is to teach a spouse that no matter what they have done, or whatever has been done to them, that there is a biblical response.

Why do you think divorce rates among Christians and non-Christians are virtually identical?

Stephen Goode: Primarily because spouses tend to use happiness as their measure in the marriage. A friend of mine, Gary Thomas, addresses this in many of his books when he writes “What if marriage wasn’t about our happiness but our holiness.” Spouses don’t want to hear this, but many will leave the relationship the moment pain and disappointment surfaces. This means that they are never refined through the process, but just carry additional baggage into a second marriage. Marriage Triage is the book that helps a spouse endure through the crisis, hopefully to the point they will stay, and endure the pain while learning and growing through the process.

Your book includes a “Quick Start Guide.” What is this and how will it help marriages?

Stephen Goode: The “Quick Start Guide” was added for the spouse who needs quick direction on what they should and should not be doing. When a spouse is hurting and in emotional pain it’s hard to think clearly. I wanted to provide a way for them to get some quick help before starting the journey into chapter one.

One thing to also note is that Marriage Triage was not written to be an exhaustive manual because those reading are not in the frame of mind to read epic novels.

Marriage Triage coverYour Podcast, The Biblical Counseling Moment, was downloaded more than 100,000 times last year. Can you tell us what people can expect to hear if they tune into your Podcast?

Stephen Goode: Dry humor, laughs, and encouragement on the topics of marriage, family, parenting, and responding biblically in emotional circumstances. Our podcasts have received more than 126,000 downloads since 2011, and the topics that seem to attract the most attention are ones related to being a husband and wife.

We even have a live show on blogtalkradio.com that airs on Tuesdays. More information on our podcast can be found at stephengoode.com.

Thanks Stephen! For those interested in learning more you can visit Facebook.com/MarriageTriage or buy the book now!

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New Children’s Book Dedicated to Restoring Faith in the American Dream

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AbeJourneyAbraham’s Journey Explains Importance of Personal Responsibility

For immediate release: The American dream is in jeopardy. Attitudes of want rather than need, expectations to have, rather than to have earned, have replaced thrift and hard work as cornerstones in modern day society. Written and illustrated to restore faith in the American dream, Abraham’s Journey: A Celebration of the American Dream (Ambassador International; May 2012; $14.99, paperback) tells the story of a young boy, who through his faith, imagination and entrepreneurial spirit, sets out to achieve the American dream.

Taking place during the Great Recession, the story begins with Abraham learning that his Mother and Father had recently lost their jobs. With Christmas not far away, and his parents unable to buy gifts for him and his sister, Abraham desperately wants to save Christmas for his family, the reality is, he too, has no money. But dreams can come true…where there’s a will and a way! “Our mission with this new venture is to inspire today’s youth, by instilling in them the values, principles and virtues necessary to achieve the American dream,” says co-author Robert Basmadjian. “Sadly, the American dream is at risk today. In an effort to provide a better way of life for our children, we have inadvertently fostered a culture of entitlement. Although well-meaning, this behavior has contributed to our children’s basic lack of understanding of the role that personal responsibility plays in their lives.”

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr, and famed pilot Amelia Earhart all make appearances in the pages of Abraham’s Journey. “Ironically, the very success of earlier American generations achieving the ‘dream’ has now led to a new generation, with very little, if any, motivation to pursue it,” says co-author Kathleen Basmadjian. “Attitudes of want rather than need, expectations to have, rather than to have earned, have replaced thrift and hard work as cornerstones in modern day society, threatening the American dream’s very existence.”

Husband and wife authors Robert and Kathleen Basmadjian currently live in New Jersey. Robert holds a Masters in communications from William Patterson College and Kathleen has a PhD in biology from The Catholic University of America.

To learn more about the authors and their book Abraham’s Journey: A Celebration of the American Dream, visit facebook.com/abrahamsjourney.

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New Book Offers Biblical Care for Christian Marriages in Crisis

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Marriage TriageAuthor Encourages Spouses to Make Biblical Choices Rather than Emotional Decisions

For immediate release:  Marriage is the norm for Christians with 84% tying the knot according to The Barna Group. But sadly, divorce rates among born again Christians are virtually indistinguishable from non-believers with about 1 in 3 going through a split. While most marriage books are designed to help marriages improve, Marriage Triage: A Guide to Healing for the Hurting Spouse (Ambassador International; June 2012; $12.99, paperback) is geared towards spiritual survival for couples in crisis.

Marriage Triage includes a “quick start guide” for the hurting spouse that reminds them of God’s grace, encourages them to document their feelings and explains how to endure through the crisis. Geared towards either the offender or the offended spouse, author Steve Goode draws from his 11 years in law enforcement and time as a marriage and counseling pastor. “This book will provide a simple, but systematic way for a husband or wife to walk through their suffering, and honor Christ in the process,” explains Goode. “This is the book that they must first read in order to stop the temptation to react irresponsibly and un-Biblically in their circumstances.”

Stephen Goode serves as Director of Biblical Counseling and Senior Adult Ministries at Northside Baptist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. He graduated from Trinity Bible College and Theological Seminary with a B.A. in Biblical Counseling. Steve hosts The Biblical Counseling Moment, which fans downloaded more than 100,000 times from iTunes in 2011. He served 11 years in North Carolina as a sworn police officer for the Greensboro Police Department where he has extensive experience working closely with families in crisis. Stephen and his wife April have been married for 17 years and they have two children.

To learn more about the author and his book Marriage Triage, visit www.stephengoode.com. For interview requests please contact publicist Alison Storm at [email protected].

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Author David Sitton Featured in Christian Voice Magazine

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Christian Voice Mag May2012coverMost of us have had a pretty cushy life. But in his book Reckless Abandon David Sitton forces Christians to question whether God wants us to step outside of our comfort zones. Sitton is featured in a cover story in the May issue of Christian Voice Magazine. In the article David says, “In the time it takes to read these paragraphs, another Christian will be killed because of his or her faith in Jesus Christ. One hundred sixty thousand believers around the world will be slaughtered this year alone… simply because they love Jesus.”

In the article and in his book Reckless Abandon, David describes the butchering of Christian missionaries as horrifically beautiful. Horrible because of the torment they experience and stunningly beautiful in their Christ-likeness. As the writer for Christian Voice Magazine puts it, “be prepared to have your life challenged and changed” when you read David Sitton’s book.

How are you living with reckless abandon?

Collection of Inspirational Life Stories Challenge Women of All Ages and Every Walk of Life

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Women of the Secret PlaceMore than a Dozen Authors Share Lessons Learned Through Real-life Experiences

For immediate release:  From broken family relationships to a shattered coffee pot on a cream rug, life hands us difficult struggles on a daily basis, but a new collection of devotions reminds readers that God is still working even when the situation may seem impossible. Led by award winning author Ruth Carmichael Ellinger, Women of the Secret Place (Ambassador International; January 2012; $13.99, paperback) captures the power and beauty of story through 52 spiritual reflections.

In all, 15 accomplished writers contributed to create the inspiring collection found in the pages of Women of the Secret Place. “You will laugh, cry and be encouraged,” says Ellinger, a two-time recipient of ACW’s Writer of the Year award. “You will gain a new appreciation of God’s unique plan for you as a woman of faith.” The women who contributed to the book represent many stages of life and are settled throughout the US including Pennsylvania, Ohio and Texas.

Ellinger lives in Florida with her husband Wright, a pastor. They have four grown children. In addition to Women of the Secret Place, Ellinger is the author of The Wild Rose series, three historical novels set in the Ohio Valley in the late 1800s.

To learn more about Ruth Carmichael Ellinger and the other authors of Women of the Secret Place, visit RuthEllinger.com. For interview requests please contact publicist Alison Storm at [email protected].

 

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New Devotional Uses Photography, Poetry and Scripture to Communicate God’s Beauty, Splendor

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Wherein the Lilies GrowAuthor, licensed counselor Jo Crosby shares rich beauty of lilies

For immediate release:  The lily is the fourth most popular flower in the world, often sought after for floral bouquets and landscaping. Historically lilies symbolize purity and refined beauty, but for author Jo Crosby lilies signify rest and a renewed relationship with the Lord. In her new devotional Wherein the Lilies Grow (Ambassador International; March 2012; $17.99, hardcover) Jo explains why the delicate Lily has become such a powerful symbol in her life and faith. “Walking among the velvety blooms, not only did I see myself reflected, but I also found the time to be still, to listen, and to genuinely converse with Him,” writes Jo about her time in a day lily garden. “Extremes of both tears and laughter have fallen from my heart over the petals I love, their beauty never failing to pull the worship from my heart.”

Jo says that as she surrounded herself with God’s creation and gave herself time to enjoy it, she experienced healing from past struggles and emotional hardship. Throughout Wherein the Lilies Grow, Jo shares her heart by exposing personal journal entries, poetry and devotions. Stunning photography transplants the reader to the very place where Jo experienced her own renewal of faith, the day lily garden.

Jo Crosby is a licensed Professional Counselor with more than two decades of clinical experience. She regularly leads workshops and retreats that help people build strong, healthy relationships with God and each other. She lives with her husband John and their three children near Savannah, Georgia.

To learn more about the author Jo Crosby and Wherein the Lilies Grow, visit http://priorityinsight.com. For interview requests please contact publicist Alison Storm at [email protected].

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