I apologize for the inconsistent posts and information lately. I could list numerous excuses, but won’t.

Many of you have been asking where you can get a copy of “God Loves You So Much…”. As previously posted, they are currently available at The Prairie Bookshop in Mount Horeb, WI.

In addition, you will soon be able to purchase “God Loves You So Much…” directly from this website.

Ok, one excuse (or explanation)…we have been spending a great deal of time setting up the online store, but it should be available soon.

Thanks for your patience and continued interest!

Some of you have probably wondered what happened with our book, ”God Loves You So Much…“, announced last year. Well, we are still putting on the finishing touches, but are very close to finalizing the book.

 Since the initial announcement, we have been through a few major revisions, numerous photo changes, and about 5 cover designs.

While this has been a time-consuming process, we are committed to producing only the highest quality materials.

The book has been through several independent reviews and we are quite pleased with the results. We hope to have images ready for the printer within the next few weeks!

Thank you for your patience and continued interest. We hope the end result is worth the wait.

Our blog turns 1 on Friday, February 26th. They grow up so fast, don’t they?

We hope the information posted in this first year has been informative and maybe even fun.

As we approach this milestone, I have been wondering about the types of content you would like to see more/less of on the blog.

• Do you enjoy the children’s book news we find and post?
• Are you interested in the information on eReaders and devices?
• Are there authors / self-publishers out there that would prefer more information on the process?
• Have you read the “tinkerings” we have posted? Would you like to see more?

Please let us know what you think. You can contact us by leaving a comment below or sending an email with your thoughts by clicking here.

Every few weeks, I have the pleasure of leading Children’s Church during our worship service.

After the children’s sermon, the younger kids follow the cross to the education wing  and we sing songs, play instruments, do a theme verse, and review a Bible story. It is a great learning experience for the children and allows them to express themselves rather than sitting quietly through the entire worship service.

While Children’s Church is primarily designed for the children, it also benefits the parents by allowing them to focus on the message and prayer portions of the worship service during this time.

As I was leading the session today, I was thinking about the opportunities we have every day to help children learn to read and/or improve their reading skills.

Rather than reading the Bible story myself, I typically ask the children to take turns reading passages. I had not really thought about this in terms of literacy benefits before. However, giving each child an opportunity to read and hear other children reading seems to be excellent exposure for the kids. Most of the time they are excited to read and stay much more engaged with the story as well.

As we were reading the story today, I was thinking about how these small events can really add up and it reminded me that we should be looking for more of these opportunities. Whether it is reading the grocery list back to you, finding words on street signs, playing word games in the car, or actually sitting down to read; they all have a positive influence on a child’s literacy.

What creative activities do you use to engage children in reading and learning?

We had an excellent week in Ocean Springs, MS.

We worked on a few projects and could witness the difference in the homeowners’ lives.

One of the homeowners was displaced by Katrina and now lives in a trailer. As a result of several surgeries, she needs a wheelchair but her trailer was not wheelchair accessible. We added a deck with ramp to allow easy access for her.

Another individual we worked with was still living in a FEMA trailer in his yard. The repairs on his home have been delayed due to lack of volunteers, but we were able to get things started for him again during our visit.

Everyone was very appreciative of the assistance and I only wish we could have done more to help.

There is still significant work required in the region and volunteers are becoming scarce. Camp Victor, our base camp for the week, has excellent facilities to host up to 200 volunteers. Unfortunately, our group was the only one for the week as the numbers have been steadily declining.

Camp Victor is partnering with other organizations, because the facility is in danger of closing. As a result, there we some AmeriCorps and Habitat for Humanity volunteers staying at the facility, but additional volunteers are desperately needed.

If you feel so called, I strongly encourage you to review what Camp Victor has to offer by visiting http://www.campvictor.org/. Then arrange a trip to participate in the recovery.

It is a terrific way to let His let shine. In addition, the rewards you receive from serving in this manner greatly outweigh the effort.

We are heading to Ocean Springs, MS on a mission trip and I may not have an opportunity (or access) to post until we return.

I thought I would leave you with some facts about Hurricane Katrina:

Path: Formed over the Bahamas on August 23, 2005, and crossed southern Florida as a moderate Category 1 hurricane, causing some deaths and flooding before strengthening rapidly in the Gulf of Mexico. The storm weakened before making its second landfall as a Category 3 storm on Monday, August 29 in southeast Louisiana. It caused severe destruction along the Gulf coast from central Florida to Texas.

Deaths: At least 1,833 total; 1,577 in Louisiana, 238 in Mississippi, 14 in Florida, two in Georgia, two in Alabama

Damage: Initially estimated at $81 billion, but now tops $90 billion

Winds: 175 Mph maximum winds extended to a 25-30 mile radius; hurricane force winds extended 75 miles east of the center (on August 29)

Tornadoes: 43 total; one in Florida, 20 in Georgia, 11 in Alabama, 11 in Mississippi

Evacuees: 1.2 million people in northern Gulf coast from Louisiana to Alabama were under evacuation order

Current Status: Four years later, thousands of displaced residents in Mississippi and Louisiana are still living in trailers. Reconstruction of each section of the southern portion of Louisiana has been outlined in the Army Corp’s LACPR (Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration) Final Technical Report, which identifies areas to not be rebuilt and area buildings that need to be elevated.

I tend to prefer focusing on one project or task and completing it to my satisfaction before diving into another. However, my life and God’s callings have not been fitting that preference lately.

Sometimes I become frustrated with the number of projects and responsibilities up in the air and feel that I am running out of burners (of the back or front variety)…I think that single sentence is enough puns for one post, don’t you?

Prioritization is part of the answer and I have learned to put aside some of the less important items, but that becomes difficult when God seems to send competing priorities.

I want to faithfully serve and serve well, but at times my understanding of God’s priorities seems off and my plan for serving does not come to fruition. It can feel like very little is being accomplished.

During these times, I have been relying on 3 P’s – Prayer, Patience, and Persistence.

I am still not completing projects by my preferred schedule and numerous items are not yet completed to my satisfaction. However, I hope and believe that using the 3 P’s will eventually lead me to God’s definition of success.

After all, God will never give us more than we can handle and it seems that a significant part of God’s plan & definition of success can be found in the journey rather than the destination.

May God’s peace and guidance be with you.

The children’s picture book workshop was a valuable experience.  The event was well-attended and the discussion was lively.

It was beneficial to receive feedback on our current projects and see works from aspiring authors.

On the other hand, I was sort of the “ugly duckling” at the event for several reasons. Some of these were more obvious (and humorous) than others – I was the only male in the room — but the event reiterated a few things:

1.  At Learn As You Grow, we are working towards something significantly different than other works and activity in the mainstream children’s book market. As a result, we have to break a different set of rules and boundaries.
2. It is helpful to receive feedback and perspective from individuals outside of the specific market.  While the feedback on our projects was limited, we were able to derive a fairly significant modification for one of our projects. 
3. The passion, dedication, and varied motivations of children’s book authors never ceases to amaze me.
4. As I looked around the room, it kept reminding me that God works in mysterious ways and has an excellent sense of humor!

We will be releasing some information on our projects in the near future…so check back often.

We will be participating in a workshop this week on the unique structure of picture books. The session will be led by Ann Whitford Paul, author of 19 children’s picture books.

We  hope the session will provide additional perspective on our current projects and aid in further developing a few new ideas in the works.

We will post additional information after the session.

Have you ever wondered why God seems to choose less direct methods of communication these days?

God calls and guides us on a regular basis, but are we listening? If not, God calls again. God is definitely patient.

If we are listening, do we interpret the message correctly? Given our track record, the success rate is probably not very high. God is definitely trusting. 

Even if we interpret God’s wishes correctly, do we heed the call? Probably not with great consistency and efficiency. God is definitely forgiving.

But where is our giant fish or raging flood? …scratch that… How about a booming voice from heaven, descending doves / angels, or a burning bush?…those seem to be safer choices.

Wouldn’t a stronger sign streamline this whole process a bit? Are we just not paying attention or is God intentionally using less direct methods of communication? Why doesn’t God grab a bigger hammer and (figuratively) smack us over the head with our intended path?

I have reached the conclusion that the answer depends on each of us. God communicates based on our individual needs, not God’s. God can accomplish anything and doesn’t need our assistance to do so. As a result, our journey is more about our needs; our growth; our faith.

For my journey, I have come to the realization that some level of participation in the process and implementation makes it more meaningful.  My personal growth would actually be diminished by tablets containing a resource list and detailed project plan. I need to be more involved in the process and God understands that better than I do. 

With all that God provides, in many ways, the things God doesn’t provide have the greatest value.

Praise be to God!