Failure is Peter. Leaning over the edge of the boat; squinting at the shadow.
No. The man… The Lord! 
It's Jesus, walking towards the boat. Walking on the water as if it was solid ground. His clothes flapping in the evening breeze. 
‘Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you!’ 
And Peter leans. His faith is new. It’s untested. High and heady in this adventure of following Jesus, who could be the Christ. And what if he is?
​That would change everything. Absolutely every-
‘Come!’ ​

​Those who receive my author newsletter have probably heard a little about some of the other writing projects I've been working on in the background to my part-time PhD. I tend to have a few projects on the go at the same time even as I chip away at the big ones. This way of working, however, does have its challenges because the more projects you have on the go, the more ups and downs you encounter, as well as multiple versions of uncertainty.
And here's the thing, uncertainty is just part of the game when it comes to creative pursuits. We make, we hope, we dream, we build and then - with tentative imaginations and wistful expectations - we send that creativity out into the world.

Little Music Church is a brand new children's ministry resource that combines music, movement and age-appropriate encouragement for children learning about God (and all with an Aussie accent!). I got to know Steph, the program's creator, a while back when she contacted me to chat about Christian children's books. As you know, I love talking about kids books and had a few suggestions she could use with young children at church. However her vision wasn't just limited to books. She wanted to create an early childhood curriculum to support young children as they explore the Christian faith, and she wanted to use music and movement too. I loved hearing her story and heart for encouraging kids in their faith, so when I heard Little Music Church was being launched I was pretty excited. Even though my kids are all grown up, I know the songs and music they learned as little kids stuck. That's how children learn! And when the songs they engage with contain truths about following Jesus, it's even better.
I had the chance to interview Steph about Little Music Church the other day. Here's what she had to say...

As a writer and a reader, I'm always on the lookout for great children's books. This is because I firmly believe children's books aren't just for humans under the age of 18. They are a unique form, with deliberate audience requirements, and they offer readers of all ages a special way of engaging with story and content. It is true that children's books don't always have to be serious. Sometimes they are just good fun stories. Both are great! But when I'm hunting for a really top quality children's, or sitting down to write one myself, there are several things I keep my eyes open for:

The Compassion Storybook Bible is a new release storybook Bible for young children and I was drawn to review it for a couple of reasons. Firstly, one of the authors is Crystal Bowman and, as some of you already know, I love her children's books. Secondly, it was a children’s Bible that claimed to focus on compassion as it’s driving theme. This immediately drew my interest as I wondered how the authors would approach the Biblical text through this lens and what it would offer children and their families. ​