In Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream (WaterBrook Multnomah 2010), Dr. David Platt presented a radical idea to American Christians: live the gospel in ways that are true, filled with promise, and ultimately world changing. Readers responded positively to his message, resulting in Radical sitting on The New York Times Best Seller List for a remarkable 55 weeks.

NavPress wondered what could happen if teens embraced the ideas in Radical and understood their biblical basis. Would their parents’ lives be impacted? Would schools and churches look different? And how would these teens live the rest of their lives?

Radical for Teens: The Bible Study (NavPress, July 2011) is written specifically to help students see how the revolutionary things Jesus said 2,000 years ago—such as denying ourselves, giving up everything, and loving Him above all else—still apply to Christians today.

But what makes this eight-lesson study unique is that it is subscription based, which allows a study leader to access lessons anywhere, at anytime. The cost is based on the number of students and includes everything a teacher needs for lesson preparation: commentaries, teaching plans, activities, downloads, discussion questions, and more.

“NavPress is proud to be able to offer Radical for Teens: The Bible Study,” says NavPress Executive Vice President Barry Sneed. “This generation of students has a deep desire to do more than attend youth group—they want to affect their communities and world. This Bible study is a catalyst for them to do something radical in their lives.”

For more information or to try Radical for Teens: The Bible Study for free, visit www.radicalforteens.com.

People often say they don't read the Bible because they can't understand it, mainly because of the language used. NavPress commemorates the Message Bible's 10 year anniver sary with 16 million copies sold, The Message is written in American English, words we use every day, making the Bible easy to read and understand; making the beauty and relevance of God’s Word available to everyone.

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110712/SF33881)

Eugene H. Peterson, the author for The Message, was pastor of Christ Our King Presbyterian Church when he translated several parts of the New Testament and Psalms for his congregation from the original Greek and Hebrew texts. These translations caught the attention of an editor from NavPress who proposed to Eugene the idea of translating the whole Bible into contemporary American vernacular. Reviewed by a team of exegetical consultants who examined the text to ensure a genuine communication of the original Greek and Hebrew, The Message New Testament was released in June 1993. By September of 1994, The Message had sold over 2 million copies, signifying the marketplace need for the full Bible which was released July 15, 2002.

"The Message is so well liked because of its readability," states NavPress Bible Publisher Jill Johnson. "It is written in the style and language that you would use to write an email to a friend making it easy to read and bringing a new perspective to passages that have been read hundreds of times." Jill also adds that The Message makes an excellent companion Bible and is not designed to replace a reader's current version of choice or traditional Study Bible. "When paired with a favorite study Bible, The Message offers deeper understanding to passages that are hard to understand."

NavPress is celebrating The Message's 10th anniversary for one full year with several new products, including a special limited-time edition of the full Message Bible that released July 15, 2011. Designed as a reading Bible, with no distracting verse numbers or formal language, the 10th anniversary editions are bringing back the non-numbered original format, set in a single column that made it first unique to the marketplace.

Often described as a "para-translation," Gold Medallion Book Award winner The Message makes a great tool for discipleship or evangelism. Eugene H. Peterson, who earned his B.A. in philosophy from Seattle Pacific University, his S.T.B. from New York Theological Seminary, and his M.A. in Semitic languages from Johns Hopkins University, works exclusively from the original languages, telling the miraculous, tragic, and triumphant true stories of the biblical past in a way that makes them come uniquely alive in the present; it will be like reading them for the first time.

For More Information or for an Interview,
Contact: Scott Spiewak, #425-245-3856, sspiewak@freshimpactpr.com

The Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA) has named NavPress author Becky Harling the 2011 AWSA Member of the Year.

In presenting the award at this month's 2011 Golden Scroll Award ceremony, AWSA founder Linda Evans Shepherd said, “Becky is both an abuse and cancer survivor. She inspires audiences, readers as well as our own prayer team to spend time daily praising God.”

Becky’s life experience as a pastor’s wife, mother of four, women’s ministry director, and survivor of both childhood sexual abuse and breast cancer all bring depth and realism to her message. She creatively combines biblical insight with her powerful testimony and the stories of other women who have found hope and healing in Christ.

Becky's books include Finding Calm in Life's Chaos and Rewriting Your Emotional Script. Her most recent book with NavPress, Freedom from Performing, released in May 2011.

The AWSA is a professional support group made up of the top 10 percent of Christian women in both publishing and speaking. The 2011 Golden Scroll Awards were presented on Sunday, July 10, at the Omni at CNN Center in Atlanta.

TH1NK (NavPress) is pleased to announce that Susan Brooks of Oxford, MS, has won the Create a Character Contest. Susan's winning character description will become part of bestselling author Melody Carlson's upcoming novel Trapped: Caught in a Lie, the next book in the popular Secrets series.

In Trapped, the main character is caught in a sticky situation after cheating at school. Those who entered the contest submitted ideas for the character's name, hobbies, family life, job, and more.

Melody selected Susan's submission from a field of 72 valid entries.

“I liked that she had GraceAnn, the main character, have an elderly friend named Miss Julia. I like writing about older people and thought it would be an interesting relationship to develop,” Melody explains. “Some elements, such as GraceAnn working Saturdays in a pharmacy,have lent some interesting developments in the plot that I hadn't considered.”

Susan will also receive a library of Melody Carlson TH1NK books (a $275 value).

Trapped: Caught in a Lie releases in April 2012.