Protecting our Little Ones

The Child Safeguarding Policy Guide
for Churches and Ministries
Basyle Tchividjian and Shira Berkovits
(New Growth Press)
ISBN: 978-1945270055
August 2017/320 pages/$29.99

Churches have always sought to be a safe haven for children and families, but many today are dealing with the tragic reality of child sexual abuse.

This handbook, authored and edited by a multidisciplinary team of child abuse experts, is designed for use by a group that will be formulating policies and procedures to protect children and deal with possible child abuse in their ministry, school, and/or church. Working through this book will assist churches and ministries to assess their current child abuse polices and then guide them through each step they need to take to address the safety of children under their care. It will cover vitally important topics including:

—Protecting the children in a Christian environment from child abuse
—The warning signs of child abuse
—Crafting and implement a child protection policy
—Responding to abuse allegations
—Caring for victims of child abuse
—The legal implications and requirements for churches and Christian ministries

Written by a GRACE team with multi-disciplinary knowledge, headed by Boz Tchividjian, a lawyer and former child abuse prosecutor, this handbook will be an invaluable resource to Christians who are seeking to educate themselves and others about child abuse and how to best protect the little ones under their care.


Read an excerpt.


MORE ABOUT GRACE

GRACE (Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment) is a nonprofit organization made up of highly trained, experienced multidisciplinary professionals who seek to educate and empower the Christian community to identify, confront, and respond to the sin of child abuse. Find out more about GRACE at www.netgrace.org.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Boz Tchividjian founded GRACE in 2003. He is a former assistant state attorney, who served as chief prosecutor in the Sexual Crimes Division, where he gained experience in cases involving sexual abuse, and later served as the attorney for the Child Advocacy Center in Daytona Beach, Florida. Boz has also spoken extensively on the subject of child abuse at various events including the conferences sponsored by the American Association of Christian Counselors and the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of America (PCA). Boz currently serves as a law professor at Liberty University School of Law.

Shira M. Berkovits is founder and CEO of Sacred Spaces, a cross-denominational initiative to create systemic solutions to abuse in communal institutions. In this capacity she has worked with faith communities around the world to develop policies and training to prevent and respond to institutional abuse. She is a psychologist and attorney, and has completed postdoctoral fellowships in child trauma and rehabilitative alternatives to incarceration. Prior to founding Sacred Spaces, Dr. Berkovits worked on issues of youth advocacy, child protection, and criminal justice reform.


MY THOUGHTS

The thought of a sexual predator targeting children is heinous; the idea that someone would use a church ministry to gain access to a child is beyond repugnant. Sadly, this is a heartbreaking reality and a critically important issue that churches must address in today's world. This book provides an excellent resource for churches to use when developing polices and guidelines. Highly practical and including specific action plans, this book is a must-read for any pastor, preschool or children's minister, or anyone who oversees programs for children in churches and Christian ministries. Don't delay taking steps to protect the little ones within your care. Get your copy of The Child Safeguarding Policy Guide for Churches and Ministries today!


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book from New Growth Press and Litfuse Publicity Group for a blog tour. I was not required to write a review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Chasing Secrets

Chasing Secrets
Elite Guardians
Lynette Eason
(Revell)
ISBN: 9780800723910
August 2017/336 pages/$14.99
Intensity. Skill. Tenacity.
The bodyguards of Elite Guardians Agency have it all.

When a photo leads investigators in West Ireland to open a twenty-five-year-old cold case, Elite Guardians bodyguard Haley Callaghan's life is suddenly in danger. Haley knows how to take care of herself; after all, she's made a career out of taking care of others. But after she has an uncomfortably close call, Detective Steven Rothwell takes it upon himself to stay with her--and the young client she has taken under her wing. A protector at heart, he's not about to let Haley fight this battle alone.

In a sweeping plot that takes them into long-buried memories--and the depths of the heart--Haley and Steven will have to solve the mystery of Haley's past while dodging bullets, bombs, and bad guys who just won't quit.


Read an excerpt.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lynette Eason is the bestselling author of the Women of Justice series, the Deadly Reunions series, and the Hidden Identity series, as well as Always Watching, Without Warning, Moving Target, and Chasing Secrets in the Elite Guardians series. She is the winner of two ACFW Carol Awards, the Selah Award, and the Inspirational Readers' Choice Award. She has a master's degree in education from Converse College and lives in South Carolina. Learn more at www.lynetteeason.com.


MY THOUGHTS

Intensity. Suspense. Thrilling Romance.
Lynette Eason's final Elite Guardians novel has it all.

When I open a novel by Lynette Eason I take a deep breath, knowing it may be a while before I take another one, and Chasing Secrets definitely stretched my lung capacity! Eason immediately plunges the reader into the emotion and danger of this story and doesn't let up until the final page is turned. Each time I endeavored to stop at the end of a chapter, I found it impossible to set it aside. Filled with characters I either liked or suspected (sometimes at the same time!) as well as unrelenting action and a decades-old mystery, Chasing Secrets kept me up until the wee hours. I'm usually pretty good at sniffing out the culprit but Eason surprised me once again. A phenomenal finale to an outstanding series, I heartily recommend it as well as the previous (standalone but connected) novels. Chasing Secrets is a great way to wind down your summer reading list!


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book from Baker/Revell Publishing. I was not required to write a review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”



CLICK THE COVERS BELOW FOR MY REVIEWS OF THE FIRST THREE ELITE GUARDIANS BOOKS!

The Return

The Return
Amish Beginnings
Suzanne Woods Fisher
ISBN: 978-0800727505
August 2017/338 pages/$15.99
In a wild country, the true cost of love may be more than they can bear.

Beautiful and winsome, Betsy Zook never questioned her family's rigid expectations, nor those of devoted Hans--but then she never had to. Not until the night she's taken captive in a surprise Indian raid. Facing brutality and hardship, Betsy finds herself torn between her pious upbringing and the feelings she's developing for a native man who encourages her to see God in all circumstances.

Greatly anguished by Betsy's captivity, Hans turns to Tessa Bauer for comfort. She responds eagerly, overlooking troubling signs of Hans's hunger for revenge. But if Betsy is ever restored to the Amish, will things between Hans and Tessa have gone too far?

Inspired by true events, this deeply layered novel gives a glimpse into the tumultuous days of prerevolutionary Pennsylvania through the eyes of two young, determined, and faith-filled women.


Read an excerpt.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Suzanne Woods Fisher is an award-winning, bestselling author of more than two dozen novels, including Anna's Crossing, The Newcomer, and The Return in the Amish Beginnings series, The Bishop's Family series, and The Inn at Eagle Hill series, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace and The Heart of the Amish. She lives in California. Learn more at www.suzannewoodsfisher.com and follow Suzanne on Twitter @suzannewfisher.


MY THOUGHTs

Suzanne Woods Fisher closes out her Amish Beginnings series with another intriguing novel. I have enjoyed this series that depicts the early days of the Amish community in the colonies. This book stands alone but reading the first two books will reward the reader with a richer experience as there are a few references in this final book to earlier happenings. Fisher creates scenes that pulsate with emotion. I was capitvated - no pun intended! - by Betsy's situation and particularly liked how Fisher used it to mature her. I held my breath several times as I read, uncertain that the outcome would be what I hoped. Don't miss this book and series!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a digital copy of this book from Suzanne Woods Fisher and Baker/Revell Publishing. I was not required to write a review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”


AMISH BEGINNINGS - CLICK THE COVERS FOR MY REVIEWS