New Releases by Summer Kinard

This six-week study and devotional guide for Christian women steps into the life and times of Saint Phoebe the Deaconess, revealing the mercy and calling of God in her life and in the lives of women today.

Enter the Gospels with a faithful dog who witnessed Jesus'' ministry. Told through simple dog training commands and illustrated in the color spectrum that dogs are able to see, this moving board book shows our Loving-kind God Whose Incarnation is good news for all creatures!Scripture References:ComeMark 1:16-20; Matthew 4:18-22; Luke 5:2-11DownLuke 19:1-10Leave ItMatthew 9:9-13; Mark 2:13-17; Luke 5:27-28StandMark 5:21-43; Matthew 9:18-26; Luke 8:40-56BegMark 7:24-30; Matthew 15:21-28SpeakMark 7:31-37; Matthew 15:29-31Watch MeMatthew 14:22-36WaitMatthew 26:36-46StayMatthew 27:45-56; Mark 15:33-41; Luke 23:44-49; John 19:25-30FetchMatthew 28:1-8; Mark 16:1-7; Luke 24:1-8

Want to add fun, interactive games to your Christian education program? Has your Sunday school curriculum fallen into a worksheet rut? Do you have active children at your church who are missing out on lessons? Do you need help coming up with custom Vacation Bible School or special event games?Accessible Church School Lessons Volume One: Old Testament Games and Relays is the book for you!Covering some of the major events in the Old Testament, these 25 games will integrate into your existing elementary and junior high programs.Each game includes scripture references, detailed instructions for set up and game play, and notes on best practices and adaptations for special circumstances. The useful appendix even tells you which games are safe for Sunday Best clothing and which are best saved for play clothes events.This affordable addition to your curriculum resources will engage leaders and children in the Bible stories in fun and educational ways.

Summer Kinard''s work building accessible faith practices has helped hundreds of Christian families integrate their children with disabilities into the fullness of the way of Christ. Her book of Such is the Kingdom: A Practical Theology of Disability laid out the principles of teaching all students. Now, see the way to make those principles work for your church school classrooms and homeschools in this simple, practical, easy to understand introduction. You will learn how to arrange classrooms, plan lessons, integrate hands-on prayers and learning, and prepare to teach and participate in the life of learning at church. Low budget? No problem. The book includes links to free printables and explains how to use the resources you have on hand in new ways so that all students are included.

"Tea is how I love people."Welcome to Tea and Crumples, where tea brewed strong with grace has the power to bring people together. The click of chess pieces and susurrus of fine papers mingle with aromas of warm pastries, tea, and the caramel of hospitality. Through it all, the steady love of God pours out in daily rituals.Meet Sienna, whose spiritual gifts are the heart of the shop. Walk with her as she struggles to believe in miracles even while she walks in the shadow of death under the weight of temptation.Tea makes Sienna remember. She remembers pain in order to hold fast the joy of her lost daughter and happiness gone in order to hold fast to Peter''s love. Tea is there with Sienna when every bit of her has been poured out. So are her friends. They keep vigil when all that''s left is faith, tea, and love.Praise for Tea & Crumples:"A Delicious Read." -Cathy Smallwood, Tea Master"A riveting and inspiring read from beginning to end, Tea & Crumples by the exceptionally talented author Summer Kinard is one of those all-too-rare novels that linger in the mind and memory long after the book itself has been finished and set back upon the shelf." -Midwest Book Review"This book is full of goodness." -Deborah Hining, award-winning author

Engage your tweens and teens with this hands-on 6 week series covering The Sermon on the Plains from the Gospel of Luke through the lens of St. Gregory of Nyssa''s sermons on the Beatitudes. Perfect for Sunday school or youth groups that need a boost or programming that can withstand school breaks and gaps for holy days, this cumulative lesson series makes the Beatitudes memorable by applying St. Gregory''s teachings in concrete, interactive lessons that are so fun, other classes will want to join in!

We''re a family of sensory seekers and avoiders, of quiet people and loud ones, with boy and girl autistic children. We''ve lived in the city and in the country. We''ve been verbal and nonverbal. We know what it''s like to look for help and not find a resource, so we''ve made this one to help you. In this easy to use, indexed book, our all-autistic family of seven shares our tips on household arrangement, attention and sensory management, emotional boundaries, food, coziness, faith life, friendships, setting expectations, and other wisdom we''ve learned for building a joyful, prosperous autistic life. Our experiences will equip you to ask better questions and build your confidence and knowledge base so that you can continue to discover strategies that work for you and your family. Autistic thriving is human thriving. We know that you have the motivation to love each other, to learn to communicate, and to manage your family''s needs. In this book we bring you knowledge to inform your loving good will. We''re confident that happy autistic life is built on learnable, teachable skills, which we bring to you in a straightforward, clear style. With quick start appendices and budget-specific advice for every section, this book will set you on the fast track to autistic and whole-family thriving.

“Each entry sings with one theme: Christ is present. And it is this present God we can trust to sustain us, draw us closer, and sanctify us, no matter what.” –Sojourners Magazine “Particularly in this time of difficulty and grieving, this compilation floods the shadows with the light of our risen Lord without condescending or contrition. Rather, the twenty-two women of faith–Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant–describe in concrete stories their own epiphanies and encounters with God, offering sincere and simple ways to contemplate the words of scripture.” –The Unmooring Journal “If you’re looking for a devotional that paints real life pictures, I highly recommend this one. It’s set up for nine weeks of reading but would be good for Advent. These Orthodox women display such grace and beauty in the darkness, even as they long for deliverance. The way God meets them in these pages… I want that.” – Traci Rhoades, Author of Not All Who Wander (Spiritually) Are Lost About the Book In the beautifully illustrated and highly acclaimed devotional Darkness is as Light, twenty-two established and emerging Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant women authors bear witness to help readers see God with them in suffering, recognize hope in the hardest of experiences, and learn to reach sideways in the darkness to those companions who are alongside them in their struggles. A Compassionate Women’s Devotional for Persisting in Hard Places Every Christian woman encounters resistance to knowing God during times of trial, whether from external sources like death, abuse, illness, and the economy, or from her inner struggles for holiness in the context of a womanly body. While most devotionals avoid talking about the hard places in life, Darkness is as Light highlights moments of revelation and companionship with God and the saints in the midst of suffering. In nine weeks of narrative devotions, twenty-two faithful Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant Christian women bear witness to God with them in hard places. These insightful stories grounded in scripture and tradition hold out hope to women going through difficult times, including: Surviving spousal abuse Surviving childhood abuse Suffering miscarriages Enduring poverty Going through depression Experiencing grief Feeling shamed Learning to revive after prolonged caretaking Living with illnesses and disabilities Being overcome by bodily processes Feeling out of control Questioning God Darkness is as Light is a poignant gift for readers in times of hardship who need a reminder that God sees them and is with them in their suffering. It empowers those who feel lost in their mourning, burdens, or shame to know that they are not alone and to recognize the healing, freeing presence of Christ right where they are. Inside you’ll find: High contrast illustrations inspired by Gothic Christian women mystics Poetry to introduce each week of devotions Themes drawn from traditional women’s spirituality that pairs joy and suffering: Provision, Sweetness, Healing, Death, Balm, Help, Trial, Consolation, and Closeness When we experience suffering, it can be easy to think that we are caught in a closed net of loneliness and isolation. Though we will inevitably encounter hardship, Darkness is as Light bears witness to the freedom we have in Christ even in the midst of our struggles, for our darkness is as light to God. More of What Reviewers Are Saying “WE ARE LIVING in dark times. A perfectly timed and distinctive new devotional, Darkness is as Light, wrestles with the dark, and from its many entries emerges a clear chronicle of the real power and meaning of God’s grace for us even—especially—in the dark. Each entry sings with one theme: Christ is present. And it is this present God we can trust to sustain us, draw us closer, and sanctify us, no matter what.” –Julie Vassilatos, reviewer for Sojourners Magazine “It is beautifully curated by Summer Kinard and contains little deeply honest gems of encouragement, hope, and the wisdom that comes of hard-earned life experience.” –Miss Bates Reads Romance “This collection of reflections written by 22 different women explores the complexities of life, death, faith, and doubt with a winsome honesty.” – Charlotte Donlon, Author of The Great Belonging

Disability is not a boundary to holiness, because God is with us. But it can sometimes be an obstacle to full participation in the life of the Church, simply because many do not understand what is needed to help people with disabilities overcome any physical, mental, or interpersonal challenges they may face in church and in leading an Orthodox Christian life. This book addresses the question from theological, practical, and experiential perspectives, giving individuals and families with disabilities the opportunity to voice their needs and suggest some things the rest of us can do to make them welcome in the household of God.

Ancient faith confronts an old evil in the battle for one man''s soul. The winner also gets his heart. After 125 years of demon possession, Jeffrey Lapin wants to end his life of torment. A failed suicide attempt puts him in touch with Maddy, an Orthodox Christian police officer whose helping hand burns Jeffrey''s skin. Her touch shows him the solution to his problem: he will convert to Orthodoxy and say goodbye to the world when he gets baptized. But Jeffrey''s so focused on dying that he overlooks the first part of baptism: the exorcism. Parted forever from the demon that tormented him, Jeffrey has to learn to live as a Christian, free from the demon but not his own tendencies to mess up. With compassion and coffee, confession and cake, Jeff''s new Orthodox family teaches him to accept the grace given him to live into true eternal life. Strengthened by new habits of faith, Jeffrey finds a new direction, purpose, and maybe even love. Fans of The Screwtape Letters and The Sayings of the Desert Fathers will resonate with this story of redemption and love rooted in ancient Christian teachings.

Hurts from her past keep freegan Vanessa Fauchon stuck in a dead end relationship that feeds her heart about as much as an unvarying diet of stale bagels feeds her body. When she digs a scrapbook from the dumpster, the last thing she expects is to fall in love with the sexy Latino man in its pages. With the rich friendship and hands-on love of her strong and zany female friends - a luchadora, a yarn-bombing midwife, a professor and foraging partner, a psychic Jewish grandmother, a savvy fellow bartender, and her deeply religious, unofficially adopted mothers - Vanessa heals from her past and begins to build the graceful life she thought was out of her reach. Her love story with Javier seems on course for a happy ending, until Vanessa is publicly humiliated and loses Javier''s trust. Faced with losing Javier for good, Vanessa must decide if she''s willing to fight for what she loves. This is a tale of romance, friendship, and healing the hurts of the past. Fans of The Sugar Queen (Sarah Addison Allen), The Lost Recipe for Happiness (Barbara O''Neal), or Julia''s Chocolates (Cathy Lamb) are sure to wrap themselves around Can''t Buy Me Love.