Two Awards!

Young Adult Nonfiction
Courageous Teens
Michael Catt
with Amy Parker

Children's Fiction
Firebird
Brent McCorkle
and Amy Parker

When I got the email, all I could think was, "I'm gonna need a bigger shelf." (Okay, so we watched Jaws this weekend. . . .)

As a follow-up to my previous post, both Firebird and Courageous Teens were announced as recipients of Christian Retailing's Best Awards at the International Christian Retail Show (ICRS) this week.

Tickled, honored, humbled doesn't even cut it. But that's the closest I can get. 

I'm tickled that these books--the first to launch from the new B&H Kids line--have done so well. (Firebird was also named a finalist for the 2013 Christian Book Award.) I'm completely honored by the opportunity to play a small part in these projects. And still, it's humbling to think that these two little books are just drops in the bucket of all of the heart-and-soul-moving Christian products out there doing their parts to expand the Kingdom. They don't all get awards, but they all should. 

Every Christian product represents an individual (actually, an entire team of individuals) who takes a risk, who forfeits family time, who subjects himself to ridicule and criticism by placing his heart on public display in an attempt to follow God's call and to further God's purposes.

So let's not just celebrate the books with the sparkly statues; let's celebrate this mission that we're on, the part that YOU play, the impact that we're having in an ever-darkening world. 

Let's celebrate the light that still dares to shine.

Thank you and you and you and you and YOU for being part of that light.