Years ago, we lived under the delusion that, as we grew older, life and ministry would eventually slow down for us. Yet, that has not been the case so far! Driven by a sense of urgency, we find ourselves fully absorbed and engaged in ministry activities that are becoming increasingly complex and multifaceted. Here is what has happened in the recent past and will be unfolding in 2012.
Over the last 18 months, we fully revised and updated the Preparation for Parenting DVD series, with its emphasis on birth to six months; created a new, four-part Babyhood Transitions series—Parenting Your 5 to 12 Month Old; and updated the Preparation for the Toddler Years series, Parenting Your 12 to 18 Month Old. We also edited and published two GFI parenting classics, Creative Family Times, by the Hadidians and Wilsons, and What Every Child Should Know along the Way, by Gail Martin.
Another major undertaking was the rewriting and expanding On Becoming Babywise and Babywise II. Those new editions just arrived at the GFI warehouse. Along with the updated Babywise comes a new frontier for us—a Babywise Nap App.
The new Nap App will work as an analysis tool that can help parents isolate the underlying causes of nap disruptions and sleep disturbances for infants between 2 and 12 months of age. When the user responds to four basic questions, the App reduces the hundreds of nap-disturbance variables down to the most likely sources. It then generates a short list of the most likely reasons, explains each specific challenge, and offers recommendations to solve the challenge. The Babywise Nap App will be available in March of 2012.
In March of 2012, we will be releasing the new Blending by the Book, by Lance and Susan St. Clair, a supplemental workbook for blended-family households taking Growing Kids God’s Way. Each chapter of the book parallels the lessons from the Growing Kids series, bringing special application to the often-complex relationships found in blended-family homes.
We also invested a significant amount of attention to the development of our new GFI website. This site should be up and running in April 2012, along with a new Video Website, which will host a library of parenting topics presented in two-five minute video segments. We are currently in the final phase of both websites.
Behind the scenes, however, our major focus continues to be the development and production of the long-awaited Gift series. This project, which includes hundreds of adults and children in a variety of settings, special effects and weather-dependent scenes, is designed to take parent education to a whole new level. The Gift series meets the unique needs of the millennial generation. Regarding a release date for this project, the only thing we can say to the “faithful” is that “we’re working on it diligently”! We know it will be released in 2012, but since we cannot control all the filming variables, we cannot promise a date yet. Please keep us in your prayers.
Finally, our shared ministry to families has always been thrilling, inspiring and, yes, challenging. At the same time, we recognize how privileged and blessed we are to be part of this great, unfolding, heavenly drama and to be participating in it with so many couples whom we are honored to call friends.
