Authors of 'One Month to Live' return with a new 30-day challenge

The New York Times best-selling authors of One Month to Live are back with another 30-day plan in Love At Last Sight: Thirty Days to Grow and Deepen Your Closest Relationships.

The new book by Senior Pastor Kerry Shook and Chris Shook, co-founders of Woodlands Church in The Woodlands, Texas, helps readers focus on their key relationships—spouse, children, close friends—with the aim of deepening each. Instead of what they call "love at first sight," the authors are encouraging a "love at last sight" mentality.

With regard to marriage, Chris Shook said: "Love at first sight is the idea that you meet that one and fall in love and that's it. As Kerry and I found out in our 26 years of marriage and in raising four children, we found that love is really what happens in the in-between times, what you do in the tough times and in the times when you aren't filled with butterflies and roses and music.

"We want the last time that we see each other, we want us to be more in love than ever before," Shook added. "Since that's our goal, it means working on that every day."

Readers are challenged "to think of three key relationships in your life—and it could be family members, friends, co-workers—and tell them they are important to you," Shook said. "Find people in your life that mean a lot to you and then really focus on those three relationships during the first 30 days, and we hope that after that month, this will become a lifestyle, a 'love at last sight' lifestyle."

The book divides the 30 days into four weeks and the four keys behind the "love at last sight" lifestyle: being all there, acting intentionally, risking awkwardness and letting go.

The first key encourages being "totally engaged in the moment," Shook said.

"Kerry and I are just normal, average people, and it's so easy to get distracted by everything that is going on around us and not being fully there for the people we love, to really give them our full attention. I think of times when our kids were little and I might be reading or looking at the computer, and they would ask a question or they needed to talk and I wasn't really all there for them. I'm just kind of giving half an answer or helping them at the same time I'm thinking about something else. Multitasking isn't the most efficient way to do relationships."

In the "Crowded" chapter related to the second key, the Shooks talk about the importance of intentionally creating space to build relationships.

"If you're not willing to make plans with intentionally scheduling your own life, there are plenty of people who would be so happy to do that for you," Shook said. "Our list gets so filled up with things that other people thought we should be doing, our responsibilities and schedules and appointments, and we really weren't doing things that were important to our relationship—because the bottom line is, our relationships are the most important things in our lives."

As with their previous book, Love At Last Sight can be used by an individual, group or whole church. Drumming up interest among churches, Shook said: "There are actually many churches who did a campaign for One Month to Live who have already expressed a lot of interest in doing this as well, so we will be launching and meeting a lot of churches this fall with churches across the country."

As one part of the book's launch, the Shooks are encouraging participation in a Facebook Fast on Aug. 25.

"We do feel like it's really important to recognize that we're becoming too dependent on social-networking sites to conduct everyday affairs of relating to each other, to the people we love," Shook said. "So we are encouraging a national Facebook Fast where for a day you don't go to social-networking sites and only use your computer for necessary things that day for work or school or whatever—not texting if possible, but calling people or seeing them face to face."

For more information, visit waterbrookmultnomah.com or www.lastsightchallenge.com. To order the book in hardcover, e-book or audiobook format, call Random House at 800-733-3000.

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With what she calls "estrogen-flavored" comedy, Anita Renfroe has made a name for herself, from her take-off of the "William Tell Overture" to appearances on ABC's Good Morning America to her best-selling DVDs and books. This month she has another DVD—Big Ol' Sweet Iced Tea—releasing from her label, Blue Bonnet Hills, and Word Distribution.

Where does the title to your new DVD come from?

"We saw on a restaurant down in South Florida that had this big door on it that had sweet iced tea, which is one of our favorite things as Southerners. ... So we came home from that trip to Florida and I found an old door at a salvage shop and I tried to recreate that door from down there. ... So we were trying to think of a title for the DVD and we were thinking, well, what's really important to our family, and of course, our core value is sweet tea. So we went and took a picture with the door that I painted 10 years ago."

So it was filmed in a historic theater?

"Yes, it was right outside of Marietta, Ga., in a really tiny town called Acworth—it's a suburb of a suburb. I love to tape, when I do my DVD projects, in the Atlanta area because quite frankly I just love to sleep in my own bed the night before."

What do your fans have to look forward to on this DVD?

"Lots of new comedy. ... Quite frankly, it's all from my life. The great thing about real life and your comedy coming from real life is that there's constantly a wealth of new material. ... So this time there's stuff about secrets of Miss America, I watched a documentary on that and it was so hilarious. ... I'm a grandmother, so there is stuff on there about that. A couple new parodies that I think people are going to enjoy—we have a couple out there already going viral."

What does Beyoncé think of the parody of her song "Single Ladies"?

"I would hope she would think it's hilarious. No one can touch her in the dance moves, but you know, I'm Baptist and basically all the dance moves have been bred out of us genetically, so yeah, I hope she would just enjoy it for the comedy."

What inspires you?

"My kids are my No. 1 source of comedy. My husband is unintentionally funny. ... What tickles me is just life in general."

For an extended audio version of this interview, visit the specialty blogs at www.christianretailing.com.

Co-creator of VeggieTales and now vice president of creative development for Big Idea, Mike Nawrocki oversaw the production of this month's release, Sweetpea Beauty—A Girl After God's Own Heart, the first-ever VeggieTales episode just for girls.

How did the idea of a girls-only episode come about?

When General Manager Leslie Ferrell, offered a woman's perspective and said, "Let's make a show about inner beauty." To be honest, it's not the first thing a development team of three guys would think of. But we embraced the challenge and, being fathers of daughters ourselves, created a couple of stories that we would love for our own daughters to watch.

What did you do differently to reach this niche audience?

We didn't really change much of what we usually do in that, with any story, you want to try to write from a place of experience and truth. You need to speak to your audience with the story you are telling—whatever the niche. As male writers, we needed to rely on the input and feedback of our wives, daughters and female co-workers.

Isn't the message of Sweetpea one that boys need to hear, too?

Absolutely. Boys are also under a tremendous amount of pressure in our culture to "look good." The message that God looks at the heart and not on our outward appearance is also important for boys. As Petunia says (in closing), "Anyone can learn a thing or two from a princess story, Larry."

Will there be other targeted episodes, and if so, on what kind of topics?

We're currently working on an episode where we are partnering with World Vision on a lesson in serving others.

How did Nichole Nordeman come to write a song for Sweetpea?

She has some huge fans at Big Idea. Because of how she has addressed the topic of true beauty in the past, both personally and professionally, we felt that her unique perspective as a singer-songwriter—in addition to her role as a mother of two small children and her love of VeggieTales—would be a great fit. We were so thrilled when she agreed to write a song for the show and were absolutely floored when we heard it. "Beautiful For Me" is a wonderful and moving song that captures the lesson of Sweetpea Beauty perfectly.

How is today's VeggieTales audience different from the one in your beginning in the early 1990s?

People are much more visually sophisticated than they were at the birth of 3-D computer animation. Twenty years ago if it was computer animated, it was cool. VeggieTales benefited from that early wave of enthusiasm. As I go back and watch the shows, I notice the stories and lessons hold up well, but they look very rudimentary. Visually, we've had to improve as the art form has improved, and our audience's expectations have grown.

Will there be another full-length VeggieTales movie?

We have a script for The Bob and Larry Movie, which tells the story of how Bob and Larry met, that we would love to make into a movie when the time is right.

For an extended audio version of this interview, visit the specialty blogs at www.christianretailing.com.

In this day of Facebook and Twitter, people may wonder whether journaling is losing relevance. But this generation is writing more than any other since the invention of the pen. Even in an electronic age, journal use is growing in popularity.

When your customers are looking for personal gifts that are great for any occasion, fit every budget and help the recipients draw closer to God, there may be nothing more appropriate to suggest than a journal. Retailers who establish a well-stocked journal section help undecided shoppers find ideal and encouraging personal gifts for friends and loved ones—or to keep for themselves.

Journals provide a range of benefits as varied as those who pour their thoughts, hopes and aspirations into them. Content-driven journals featuring Scriptures and inspirational writings allow people to slow down and grow closer to God. Through encouraging and thought-provoking reflections, they provide a place for the owners to nurture their spirits.

Making a dynamic visual statement with a journal display will increase sales. Create a destination area for journals, a designated space that attracts the eye of customers and encourages multiple sales, or capitalize on limited space while maximizing profitability with a compact floor display that allows prominent presentation of journals in a high-impact area.

Cross-merchandising opportunities for journals abound. Feature titles based on popular Christian themes with books on the same topic to enhance sales. Round out gift tables with themed journals that complement products from other locations in the store. Create a nook with a popular Bible-verse theme and add journals to the selection. Or simply merchandise next to pens, stationery and other gift items.

Many journal themes are designed to correspond with holiday and promotional events throughout the year. Journals by popular teen authors are good, back-to-school impulse purchases. Those that focus on blessings enjoy stronger sales at Thanksgiving, while others with promises and new beginnings have extra appeal for the New Year. Love-themed journals make heartfelt gifts for Valentine's Day, of course. These are great additions to seasonal-product endcaps.

To provide cross-merchandising ideas and maximize display opportunities, we have developed a line of presentation options for stores, ranging from table and shelf displays to a free-standing acrylic gift center. Learn more at www.ellieclaire.com.

Carlton Garborg is president of Ellie Claire.

Latest project: Unburdened: The Secret to Letting God Carry the Things That Weigh You Down, SaltRiver (Tyndale House Publishers).

Resides in: Atlanta.

Currently reading: Bandits, Prophets & Messiahs: Popular Movements in the Time of Jesus by Richard Horsley and The Supernatural Ways of Royalty by Kris Vallotton and Bill Johnson.

Some authors write to teach themselves; was that the case with Unburdened? "Yes there's a whole lot of that in there. In fact, that's one way you can interpret that, that this is a serious message to myself. … I think an awful lot of Christians struggle with this, struggle with being burdened."

Is it really possible in this life to give our burdens to God and walk free in "weightless living"? "It does seem impossible. At the same time, in Scripture it tells us … 'Don't worry about your life. Look at the lilies in the field, look at the birds in the sky.' I've got to believe that (Jesus) didn't tell us to do something that is impossible, so it's an ideal, but I don't know if I really know anyone who is attained that yet. But I do know some people who seem to live much more carefree and much more weightlessly than other people."

If believers would really learn this, it would be quite an example to the world, don't you think? "I do, because I think it's one of the answers that people are looking for. The gospel is good news, and a lot of the world looks at us and thinks, 'Well, they don't really live in a way that's different than me. They have the same worries and anxieties that I have.' And again it's not to say that we have become unrealistic or idealized people who don't struggle with life, but I think there is a certain weightlessness that if we lived that way, the world would look at us and go, 'Wow, there really is a God who can carry their burdens. They really do have a source of help that I don't know about.' "

How can God become what you call our "stress-free occupation"? "The more preoccupied we become with God, the less these things really weigh on us. We can try to carry all our burdens ourselves, or we can turn our focus to God, be fully preoccupied with Him and still carry those burdens, but if we are focused on Him, then the stress of those other burdens starts to dissipate. We realize how big He is, how caring He is, how compassionate He is."

What can we learn from Jesus' example? "He went through days seeing opportunities that God put before Him and somehow discerned those from the obligations that God did not put on Him, and I think that's what we need to try to do. We take on a lot onto ourselves that we feel is our obligation that is not necessarily from God. And we miss a lot of opportunities because we are so focused on our agenda or so focused on our schedule we miss a lot of opportunities that He puts before because we are carrying all these things we weren't designed to carry."

How have you, personally, learned to yield your troubles to God? "It's been a process and I certainly don't write this book as someone who has mastered it. … I think we all have massive trust issues with God. We trust Him in certain areas, but then there's those really deep desires in our hearts, there's really important relationships or dreams that we have that we have a really hard time of letting go and trusting Him. I've learned to ask myself that question, 'What is it about this situation that I don't trust God with?' Even asking that question has helped me kind of take a deep breath, let the muscles loosen in my neck and assume a position of trust. Little by little I think we can do that, and that's how it's working for me."