When alcohol destroys, God restores. That’s the theme of author Steven Sellers’ story, a testimony featured on The 700 Club on CBN-TV. If you’re interested in learning more about Steve’s story we encourage you to buy his book, The Sobering Truth: One Man’s Journey From Failure to Faith.
Posts Tagged ‘Ambassador International’
Eight Mothers Connected By One Doctor Share Their Stories of Life After Loss
Surgeon and author Dr. Hisashi Nikaidoh searches for comfort after son’s tragic death
For immediate release: Pediatric heart surgeon, Dr. Hisashi Nikaidoh, makes a living performing life-saving surgeries on hearts the size of walnuts. In more than four decades he’s operated on thousands of them, and while many times the surgeries are successful, often patients pass away. In Healing Hearts: A leading pediatric heart surgeon learns about the journey from grief to life from these inspiring mothers of his lost patients (Ambassador International; May 2013; $14.99, paperback) Dr. Nikaidoh explains how it wasn’t until his own son Hitoshi was killed suddenly that he finally understood the magnitude of suffering that accompanies the loss of a child.
After his son’s death, Dr. Nikaidoh sought comfort from the very parents he had once tried to comfort. “What I eventually learned from these eight women who have so generously shared their stories for Healing Hearts is that it is possible to move beyond the excruciating pain of losing a child,” he says. The eight inspiring mothers have each contributed to the medical field– many even working in the exact hospital where their sweet babies took their final breaths, Children’s Medical Center of Dallas. “At least for these eight parents, it is possible to infuse their own lives with a deeper meaning by giving back to the very community that tried valiantly, though unsuccessfully, to save the lives of their precious children,” says Nikaidoh.
The eight mothers, who all share a special connection with Dr. Nikaidoh, are courageously and honestly opening up in the pages of Healing Hearts about the experience of losing a child. “God certainly blessed [Dr. Nikaidoh] with wonderful talents to allow him to surgically mend those tiny hearts. But He gave him an even greater gift to comfort the parents of those whose little hearts were not meant to be mended,” says mother and contributor Liz Etzkorn. Former US Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, who also lost a son, wrote the foreword for Healing Hearts.
Dr. Nikaidoh is the descendent of a long line of Buddhist priests, but became a Christian in his 40s. His faith completely changed the way he practiced medicine. “I no longer looked at life and death as being all about me—what I did, what I should have done, what I should not have done,” he writes. “My newfound faith and understanding of God’s hand in our lives had brought me to a place of greater freedom. Now that I was no longer feeling the burden and judgment of perfection, I felt a greater sense of freedom to be the best physician and surgeon I could possibly be and to more fully enjoy my work.”
Dr. Hisashi Nikaidoh, Director of Children’s Hospital at Saint Francis in Tulsa, OK, earned his medical degree from The University of Tokyo in 1959 and trained at Mount Sinai Hospital, New York City; Children’s Memorial Hospital, Chicago; and Case Western Reserve University Hospital, Cleveland. Dr. Nikaidoh is internationally known for the innovative surgical procedure that carries his name and his lifelong dedication to the care of children, for which he received the Children’s Miracle Achievement Award in 2011. In addition, Dr. Nikaidoh has been a long-time teacher of the Gospel and served on multiple missions, domestic and abroad.
To learn more about Dr. Nikaidoh or the eight contributing mothers visit TheHealingHeartsBook.com, or Facebook.com/TheHealingHeartsBook. To receive a review copy of Healing Hearts or to connect with the author please contact publicist Alison Storm by email at [email protected].
Use Declutter Now for Church Book Studies
Today’s guest post comes from Lindon & Sherry Gareis, authors of Declutter Now! Uncovering the Hidden Joy and Freedom in Your Life. They are Christian Life Coaches and small group leaders from Glendale, AZ. They’re announcing a new initiative to take Declutter Now! into churches.
Declutter Now! tackles the clutter taking up space in many areas of life. Decluttering your heart, mind, body and soul will leave you with the time, money, energy, freedom and joy that God desires for you. Less is truly more.
Declutter Now! has ‘Gone Group’! We’re delighted to have Northern Hills Community Church in Phoenix, AZ launch an eight week book study class. Each week, a new chapter is presented and discussed. Ideas are shared, truths are revealed and hearts are inspired.
Each chapter of Declutter Now! deals with a different area of life, so we cover a considerable amount of ground. The comprehensive nature of the material is ideal for group study since there’s ‘something for everyone’. Whether you need to declutter cram-packed physical spaces, harmful relationships, unhealthy eating habits, stinkin’ thinkin’, overwhelmed kids’ schedules or an unbalanced budget, most people can relate on some level, if not many. This sets the stage for insightful and provocative conversations.
We’ve found in group environments, the nature of the dialogue not only encourages personal growth, but meaningful relationship building as 
well. There’s a special bonding which occurs when people speak openly about their challenges and allow their weaknesses to break through. Just this past week during the current NHCC bible study, a class member shared her embarrassment over the clutter she’s living with. Her fellow class mates offered unconditional love, support and ideas void of any judgment. The acceptance and encouragement she received gave her strength to commit to the next step of her decluttering journey. Oh how we long to see her free from the bondage she’ suffering.
Declutter Now! is more than just a book. It’s a paradigm shift; a lifestyle change. A study through Declutter Now! offers inspiration to help get you from where you are to where you want to be. Group discussion takes our ideas, practical tips and life applications to an entirely new level. Unique situations can be personally addressed, support can be extended first hand and emotional connections can take root.
We encourage you to consider Declutter Now! for both individual and group study. We’d be delighted to help you construct a plan specific to your group or organization. Please contact us at [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you!
Buy a Book, Give a Child Shoes
For the month of February, Ambassador International is teaming up with Soles4Souls, a Nashville-based charity that collects shoes from the warehouses of footwear companies and the closets of people like you. Every time you buy a signed copy of Jazzy and the Dog Walk you’ll also be putting a pair of shoes on a child in need. The charity distributes these shoes to people in need, regardless of race, religion, class, or any other criteria. Since 2005, Soles4Souls has delivered over 19 million pairs of new and gently worn shoes. The shoes have been distributed to people in over 125 countries, including Kenya, Thailand, Nepal and the United States.
There are over 300 million children who do not have adequate footwear, so Soles4Souls is trying to change this statistic, one pair at a time, and just $1 can help. For every $1 donated to Soles4Souls, we are able to distribute one pair of shoes. So, $1 = 1 PAIR = 1 LIFE, and with this generous campaign led by the author, Tica Tallent, Soles4Souls will be able to forever change the lives of hundreds of people with the gift of shoes. BUY NOW!
Happy Birthday George Beverly Shea!
George Beverly Shea turns 104 years old on February 1, 2013! Celebrate the life of this incredible man and musician by reading his most recent authorized biography: George Beverly Shea: Tell Me the Story, now available for the Kindle. With foreword by Franklin Graham, this book chronicles the amazing life of the man who has sung God’s word in front of more people than anyone in history.
Follow him onto crusade stages in all corners of the world including New York, London and Australia. Find out what happened when he forgot lyrics in front of a packed stadium in California. Discover personal stories about his friendship with celebrities like Johnny Cash, the Gaithers and Pat Boone.
This is the amazing account of how God used an insurance worker to spread the Gospel to every continent of the world.
In honor of his 104th birthday, the Billy Graham Library will be hosting a special tribute to Bev Shea for the next two months. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Shea for his decades of service and wish him a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
“Of all the gospel singers in the world today, the one that I would rather hear than any other would be George Beverly Shea.”
-Billy Graham (Evangelist) Montreat, North Carolina
New Children’s Book Encourages Young Readers to Help the Needy
Charming Children’s Book Donates Proceeds to Soles4Souls and Higher Ground Ministries
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: According to the National Center for Children in Poverty, nearly 15 million children in the United States live below the poverty line. In her first children’s book, Jazzy and the Dog Walk (Ambassador International; January 2013; $14.99, hardcover), Tica Tallent sheds light on the issue of child poverty in order to remind readers what it means to care for others.
Jasmine (aka Jazzy), a young girl, with a love of clothes, jewelry, and music, reminds readers of all ages the importance of giving back. After being troubled by a video in school showing young children who have no shoes, Jazzy is determined to do something. With the help of some furry friends and a miracle from a beautiful angel, Jazzy organizes a dog fashion show to raise money. “My hope is to inspire young readers to get involved in helping others,” explains Tallent. “And I want to bring attention to two of my favorite charities at the same time.” Following Jazzy’s example, a portion of each sale of Jazzy and the Dog Walk will support Soles4Souls and Higher Ground Ministries.
Tallent reminds readers the importance of being thankful and caring for others while simultaneously captivating young girls with frilly dresses, shining jewelry, and adorable puppies. With a combination of beautiful illustrations and charming writing, Jazzy and the Dog Walk is sure to entertain and inspire again and again.
About the Author: Tica Tallent is a writer and freelance speaker who currently resides in Anderson, SC with her husband. In both her first book, What is Beautiful: Secrets of a Personal Shopper ,and Jazzy and the Dog Walk, Tallent draws from her ten years of experience as an educator as well as her love of fashion.
About the Illustrator: Marquin Campbell studied drawing and painting at the University of Georgia before going on to study fashion design at Parsons in NYC. She now resides in Greenville, SC as owner of Vino & Van Gogh art studio designing jewelry, painting, and teaching art classes.
To learn more about the author and her book Jazzy and the Dog Walk, visit ticatallent.com or Facebook.com/JazzyAndTheDogWalk. For interview requests please contact publicist Alison Storm at [email protected].
Should We Forgive Lance Armstrong?
This guest post on Lance Armstrong’s recent doping confession comes from Anna McCarthy, author of “Forgiveness is Not an Option”:
There has been a lot of talk recently about Lance Armstrong and his public “apology”. Many say it wasn’t genuine or it was too vague; in summary many are unhappy with his public confession and believe he has not earned their forgiveness.
I’ve wrestled with this too, given there have been many Lance Armstrong’s in my life. Many who wronged me, lied to me, cheated to get what they wanted and left me with a seemingly half-hearted apology that was magically supposed to fix everything. The truth is, when we’ve been wronged and feel as though we’ve been deceived, hearing an apology that doesn’t meet the level of the gravity of the crime, almost seems to make it worse. I get it and have admittedly struggled with this.
The problem, however, is that if we profess to be followers of Jesus, then we must choose not to be led by our emotion, especially in areas of the heart. Jesus taught that we must forgive; even if the apology doesn’t meet our standards or if there’s no apology at all. We still have to choose to forgive. Here are Jesus’ own words: “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matt 6:14-15)
I don’t know about you, but this passage is not easy to read! For some reason, all of us want to defend our reason for withholding forgiveness believing it somehow escapes this 
principle. Yet, Jesus didn’t give any clauses; in fact, he goes further on to say that we are supposed to actually do good towards those who aren’t kind to us (Matt 5:44). This sounds nice in a Sunday school class, but when you are in the context of a situation, facing a betrayal and that person doesn’t offer the kind of apology you believe is deserved, this verse can feel like an impossible pill to swallow. This may be one of the reasons Paul prayed this way, “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power…” (Eph. 3:16-18)
What Jesus asked us to do in the area of forgiveness is impossible without the power of Christ working through us. I know, because I tried in my own strength and failed miserably. However, having embraced his spirit in my heart in this area, I have seen forgiveness and love deepen and grow for those who I may never receive an apology from; and actually found myself able to do good towards them.
So, whether it’s Lance Armstrong’s apology you are wrestling with or someone else’s, I encourage you to pray the way Paul did and ask that Christ’s power may dwell within you, strengthening you to extend his love and grace towards those who may not deserve it.
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Score Free eBooks for Your eReader
Were you one of the millions of people who unwrapped a new ereader this Christmas? If so, you’ll want to check out this video. Our publicist Alison Storm shares lots of resources for scoring free ebooks for your device! Did you know that research shows people who read digital books consume an average of 24 books a year while those who read print books finish 15? If your 2013 resolution is to read more, you may want to get your hands on an ereader!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year From Ambassdor!
What a year 2012 has been! At Ambassador we’ve been reflecting on some of the amazing blessings we’ve experienced this year, both personally and professionally. As a company we have welcomed some new incredible team members and interns into the office. We completely redesigned our website, allowing us to better communicate with you. We added 160 new Facebook fans, 292 Twitter followers and launched a Pinterest account. We worked with dozens of new authors, publishing a wide range of Christian books for all ages. Our authors appeared on and in major magazines, TV broadcasts and radio programs. We revamped portions of our office space, held two on-sight book fairs and attended the South Carolina Book Festival. We hosted a booth at the International Christian Retail Show, attended several writers’ conferences and met some amazing people along the way.
And like many of you, 2012 hasn’t been all roses. We’ve had our share of trials as well, but we’ve been committed to Romans 12:12: “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Christmas is a wonderful time to reflect on the miracle of salvation and when it comes down to it, that’s really all that matters. As a company we’re doing our best to spread the joy of Christ throughout the world, whether it’s through the people we encounter or the books we publish. We’ll joyfully continue on that mission in 2013.
To our readers, authors, colleagues and friends– Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!