From the beloved #1 New York Times best-selling author of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie Max is a determined puppy with a lot to learn on his adventure of becoming a life-changing friend and helper. Dogs are trained to do lots of things, like open doors, turn on lights and even help take off someone’s shoes. Max’s puppy raiser, Sam, takes him everywhere; on the bus, to puppy kindergarten, and even to restaurants. But it’s tough staying underneath the table when the french fries smell so good! Discover the fun and important ways Max earns his special yellow vest as he gets ready to help someone in need of a true hero. "A good message excellently illustrated." (Picture book. 4-8) - Kirkus Reviews

Christina Hunter's oldest daughter and a basketball star, Sabria Hunter answered her call to report to West Point Military Academy to become an officer in the US Army and play Division 1 basketball in the summer of 2019. Following this experience, Christina, whom the readers will come to know as Tina, felt urged to write a book. Being hard-pressed as a working mom of six, she never thought this could ever be possible, so she pushed off the idea. The urge came again, and she told God she was willing to write the book but wanted a solid sign to make sure it was him that was asking her to take on this feat. It was on a random trip to Barnes and Noble that a miracle took place. As she was found leafing through a book, Tina was approached by a complete stranger who, she came to find out, was an author himself, who began asking her about her life and told her she needed to write a book about it and he had tips that could help her. She was astonished with the instruction God gave her through this man and vowed to keep her promise to God by telling the world of his love for her and her family. This is a riveting story of a broken girl whom God put back together again. It is a story about breaking the chains of self-doubt and learning to face fear while maneuvering through storms in life when there seems to be no hope in the fight. Raising West Point: The Unmasking of a Hero is just the beginning of an extraordinary life God made out of such an ordinary girl and then was faithful in doing amazing works in her kids' lives especially in the world of sports and school. If you are searching for love, peace, and happiness in your life, this is a must-read! If you want to raise kids to be more than survivors of this life but to engage in a purpose-driven, passionate life of hard work, determination, and discipline, you must hear these stories that God told her to write. Starting out as a single teenage mom and having been told she would amount to nothing, Tina chose to have faith and dared to be the best mom she could be through God, teaching her kids to be explosive while blowing the roof off the ceiling of their potential. Through this captivating book, she tells of her emotional journey in raising a very talented athlete in Sabria and then sending her off to the academy, followed by the struggles of hitting rock bottom after a devastating ACL injury during basketball season.

How can you move beyond youth group? You already know that youth ministry is about much more than Sunday night Bible study and lock-ins. It's about changing the lives of youth and empowering young heroes to change their world. In this book Efrem Smith provides you with a model for holistic ministry that addresses all the needs of youth--body, soul and spirit. Powerful stories from Smith's urban multiethnic context shape the content of Raising Up Young Heroes. He shows how the fashion, music and lifestyle of the hip-hop culture are permeating youth culture and how you can enter that culture to help your youth meet Jesus. The principles that are the foundation of Raising Up Young Heroes are designed to serve the whole body of Christ. So whatever your own youth group context, you can benefit from the Smith's rich storehouse of experience and his huge heart for today's youth.

Families with boys often find the world reacts to them in mock horror. Even though parents love their sons, privately they admit that boys can be a handful to raise--they are boisterous, competitive, reckless, distractable. The challenge of wills between parent and son starts early, and the quest to civilize young bulls may seem hopeless some days. Yet believers know that God has given them children as a gift of heaven, specially chosen for their particular families and marked as a blessing. If that's so, why does it seem so hard? How can we prepare these boys to serve God when it's all we can do to make it through another day? Isn't there a better way? Raising Real Men: Surviving, Teaching and Appreciating Boys shows the answer is emphatically yes. Written by the parents of six boys, Raising Real Men provides hope and encouragement to families with sons. Starting from the premise that God made boys to become men, Hal and Melanie Young offer Biblical principles and tested, practical ideas for training the manly virtues that can drive parents and teachers up the wall. This is a practical guide to equipping the hearts and minds of boys without breaking or losing your own. "...earthy, realistic, humorous, and scriptural ..." -- Douglas Wilson, author, Future Men "This is just what the doctor ordered for parents who want to raise capable Christian men of character." -- John Rosemond, author, Parenting By The Book

In Hero Maker, you will learn how to bring real change to your church and community by developing the practical skills to help others reach their leadership potential. Drawing on five powerful practices found in the ministry of Jesus, Hero Maker presents the key steps of apprenticeship that will build up other leaders and provide strategies for how you can: activate the gifts of those around you help others take ownership of their mission develop a simple scorecard for measuring your kingdom-building progress With rich insights from the Gospels, Hero Maker is packed with real-life ministry stories ranging from paid staff to volunteer leaders--from established churches to new church plants. Whether you lead ten people or ten thousand, Hero Maker will not only help you maximize your leadership impact; but, in doing so, you will also help shift today's church culture to a model of reproduction and multiplication. Chicago pastor and church planter Dave Ferguson and award-winning writer Warren Bird make a compelling case that God's power and purpose are best revealed when we train and release others to further advance the Kingdom of God. By becoming a hero maker and investing in others, you can join a movement of influencers that are impacting thousands of people around the world. Everybody wants to be a hero, but few understand the power of being a hero maker.

Once upon a time, there was a nice boy and his name was Gideon. He lived in a nice house, and he had nice parents and lots of toys. But Gideon wasn't satisfied. He wanted to be a hero. You know, a hero, with his name on the front page of the newspaper. That sort of thing. So how does anyone get to be a hero, anyway? Heroes have to be strong. Heroes have to be brave. Heroes have to be clever. Don't they? With wry humor, Florence Parry Heide and Chuck Groenink explore how we choose our idols in a witty story that leaves it to readers to decide the real nature of heroism. Plus, this is the fixed format version, which looks almost identical to the print edition.

Davy Bowman’s dad looks forward to Halloween more than a kid, and Davy’s brother, Bill, flies B-17s. Davy adores these two heroes and tries his best to follow their lead, especially now. World War II has invaded Davy’s homefront boyhood. Bill has joined up, breaking their dad’s heart. It’s an intense, confusing time, and one that will spur Davy to grow up in a hurry. This is one of Richard Peck’s finest novels—a tender, unforgettable portrait of the World War II home front and a family’s enduring love.