Sunday, March 7, 2010

Introducing: One Million Arrows by Julie Ferwerda

Will the world change our children...or will our children change the world? Time is short and lives are at stake. Right now, God is inviting our families to become part of a bigger story—a vision that will engage hearts to make a radical difference. One Million Arrows is an inspirational call to raise our kids to impact their culture, community, and world for Christ. If we want our kids to discover their purpose, if we want them to live with passion for the Kingdom, if we want our family to go down in His-Story, accept the mission...and leave a mark for eternity.

I have been invited to be a part of the blog tour for a new book titled One Million Arrows by Julie Ferwerda. Due to a recent, rather lengthy illness, I have not yet had the opportunity to read this book. I did want you to know about it though. In this post you will find an interview with the author, a short book trailer, and a link to read the first chapter. Just lightly skimming through this book, it looks to be quite enjoyable. I'll be sure to post my review once I'd had the opportunity to read this book in it's entirety. Thank you to Julie Ferwerda for providing me with a copy of the book to review. My most sincerest of apologies for not having this read yet Julie!!

1. The title of your book is, One Million Arrows: What is that all about? The title originated with a man I met in India by the name of Dr. M.A. Thomas. He’s received many national awards in India such as the Mother Theresa Award and the Padma Shri for his humanitarian efforts, especially for his work with orphaned and abandoned children that he started in the 1970s. In the 90s, Dr. Thomas read a verse in the Bible that describes children as a gift and a reward, like sharp arrows in the hands of a mighty warrior (Psalm 127:3-5). He realized that all children, regardless of background and circumstances, should be seen as a gift and a legacy to society because they can make a significant and positive impact in the world if given the proper training and opportunities.

India has as many as 80 million orphans so he set a goal of rescuing one million orphaned and abandoned children, sharpening them with love, education, and spiritual nurturing, and launching them back into society to bring positive change through the power of the Good News about Jesus. To date he has raised over 16,000 orphaned and abandoned children who have become doctors, nurses, teachers, politicians, missionaries, and leaders, and he has planted over 21,000 churches in India and South Asia.

Relating to us…the arrow vision of raising children to be a gift and heritage to their society is for all parents, all countries. So many parents in our culture have lost their vision as to the incredible opportunity we’ve been given to shape—not just tomorrow’s leaders—but today’s leaders and shapers of their peer groups, schools, and communities. But this takes vision and deliberate investment and training. One Million Arrows casts a vision for parents to sharpen and launch our children right now to make a positive impact on society.


2. You mentioned the notion of parents investing in or training their children. Isn’t this what parents already do? Some parents do invest in and train their children to some degree, but there is also a lot of hands-off parenting in our society today, especially in training character development as well as teaching our children how to live for the big-picture—like what were they made to do in this world, what are their unique gifts and abilities, and how can they use them to make a difference now?

We have to train our children to serve others—it doesn’t come naturally. But for many of us, once our kids head into kindergarten, it’s easier to let someone else take over a lot of the training, or to allow our kids to fade into their entertainment-driven culture in their spare time. We need to see parenting as a much bigger opportunity and invitation than that!

I use an illustration in OMA from 9/11 about victims, bystanders, and firemen, the roles people take when lives are at stake. We must teach our children to see themselves as the firemen of this world…the heroes who are willing to set aside their own comforts in order to make a radical difference for others who are suffering or even in danger. There are so many in our world—whether the world around us or the world at large—who need our help and care in order to be saved from terrible circumstances.

I am so encouraged to see a great movement of young people in our world right now who are joining God in His work, coming back to historic levels of competence, purpose, and service for their fellow man. OMA emphasizes helping your kids find what they are passionate about and then training them to use it to serve and positively impact others.

3. Can you give us an example of kids who are using their talents and passions to serve others? Many of these kinds of young people are featured in the book, such as Chloe who is currently majoring in filmmaking in order to positively impact her culture by communicating truths that will spur her peers to make positive choices in life. She’s already received Film Festival awards for her work on the film, “The Enemy God” by (10X Productions), Ivan uses his love for extreme sports to hold events worldwide for sports enthusiasts where he shares a bold Gospel message and then plugs youth into local churches. My oldest daughter Dani uses her love for music and working with kids to impact hundreds of kids during the summer as a Christian camp counselor. These are just a few of many inspiring examples!

4. You have an emphasis in OMA for families to invest in taking care of international orphaned and abandoned children through established organizations. Why is that? Investing in other children is one of the best ways to get your kids hearts interested and engaged in serving and helping others. Also, there are so many children worldwide who are the truest victims and have no means to get out of the gutters of life without help. As mentioned, these kids are currently being rescued and shaped to become spiritual leaders and contributing citizens of their own countries. Our family can make a true difference in the world by impacting lives of these children, which will in turn impact whole villages and cities as they grow up. What a great investment of our time, talents, and money! Many organizations will even allow you to visit the orphanages and ministries you help support.

We love to make it known that all proceeds of OMA go to international orphan ministries.

5. Is this a “how to” parenting book? We do share many principles-based parenting tips from several successful arrow-raising families. But there are already many how-to books on the shelves and I’ve had publishers tell me that parents ask for them but then don’t buy them. That’s because parents need inspiration: “What’s possible through our family if I commit this kind of energy to deliberate parenting? Can our family make a true difference in the world?” The major emphasis in OMA is inspirational aspect of parenting—casting a vision of the exciting ways your family can plug in to make a difference.

6. Is there any place parents can go after reading the book for more inspiration and guidance? We are currently developing our website (OneMillionArrows.com) as a community where parents can share testimonies as well as spiritual training helps. We are also adding many resources on our site such as unique orphan ministries to consider getting involved in, suggested books and resources, daily spiritual training helps, and stories of young people around the world who are making a difference.




Read the first chapter here

I would also encourage you to check out these other bloggers on tour with this book this week. Please be sure to leave a comment when you visit. We all love comments! :)

  1. Homeschool Dad
  2. House Full of Joy
  3. Preschoolers and Peace
  4. So To Speak
  5. Little Cabin in the Woods
  6. Spiritual Journey with God
  7. Raising Olives
  8. Barefoot Voyage
  9. Sheaf - The Webster Family
  10. The Pabodys
  11. Musings from Graceland
  12. Homespun Heart
  13. Smockity Frocks
  14. Passionate Homemaking
  15. And Now There Are Five
  16. Ramblin Roads
  17. Such A Time As This
  18. Julia's Journal
  19. Glad Chatter
  20. The Forest Room
  21. A Day In Grace
  22. Homeschooling is Life
  23. Joyful Mother of 6 Children
  24. Soli Deo Gloria
  25. Clickety-Clack
  26. Christian Parenting Daily
  27. His Girl's Blog
  28. Forever n Ever n Always
  29. A Homegrown Life
  30. Raising Arrows
  31. Women Living Well
  32. Canadian Ladybug Reviews
  33. One Christian Mom
  34. Quiver Mom - Ohio Reviewing Mom
  35. Family, Faith, & Fibromyalgia
  36. All In A Day's Thought
  37. Life Lessons: Learning at the Feet of the Master
  38. Words in High Def
  39. Quiverfull Family
  40. Once Upon A Time
  41. Parenting as a Christian Single Dad
  42. One Bubble Bath at a Time
  43. The Greatest Mission Trip You'll Ever Take
  44. A Day in the Life
  45. God Speaks Today
  46. Aunt Pam's Closet
  47. What You Reading Now?
  48. Learning Curve
  49. Living for God
  50. The Parable Life
  51. The Puebla Ponderosa
  52. Choosing to Wait
  53. Serving the King of kings
  54. The 160 Acre Woods
  55. Homeschool Nations - The United Kingdom
  56. My Own Little Corner of the World
  57. The Excellence of Wisdom
  58. Enjoying the Ride
  59. Doing Things Anglo-American Style!
  60. More Things I Hate
  61. Thoughts and Thimbles
  62. Walking Out His Good Plans
  63. The Northcutt 8
  64. The Stanley Clan
  65. Kingdom Arrows
  66. Covenant Homemaking
  67. Renee Martin Music
  68. A Dash of Wife and a Pinch of Motherhood
  69. The Morels: Three Chicks and a Magnet
  70. Chrysalis: Thinking Christian Moms
  71. Pastoralia: Tales from the future of Christendom
  72. My Crazy Adoption
  73. Our Heart and Home
  74. It's Twinsanity!
  75. From Our Front Porch Lookin' In
  76. Wherever He Leads Us
  77. Little Rock Christian Examiner
  78. A Full Heart
  79. BLESSED Diablog
  80. Young Ladies Christian Fellowship

Where might you find this book? So glad you asked! You can find it at the following locations:

All proceeds from One Million Arrows have been designated for international orphan ministry. Learn more »

Individual Orders

If you are an individual and would like to order One Million Arrows, you can order directly from the following locations:

Online
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