Isn’t it wonderful to remind a little one how much God loves them? If you’re like me, it’s one of your most favorite things to do.

I recently caught up with former Christian Children’s Author contributor, Glenys Nellist, and we had the wonderful opportunity to talk about her newest book, God’s Great Love. And that’s just what her new book does – let children know in big ways how much God loves them!

Please enjoy our interview time together, included below, and order a copy of her precious new book for the little ones in your life! You’ll find my questions in bold, and Glenys’ answers below each question.

Tell us how the idea for your new book came about.

Featuring the cutest jungle-themed animals, God’s Great Love, is a rhyming picture book based on Ephesians 3:18, where it says, “May you have power … to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.” As a children’s author, the most important message I can convey to a child is how much God loves them. This little book is an attempt to solidify that truth in the minds of little ones.

What is your favorite part of the book?

As the second title in the Bedtime Blessings series, [the first is God’s Perfect Peace featuring woodland creatures], God’s Great Love closes with four different blessings that can be personalized for your child. This idea was inspired by my granddaughter, Colette. Ever since she was a baby, I have been giving her a bedtime blessing. After we’ve read together, I look into her eyes, trace the shape of a heart on her forehead with my finger and say the words, “Colette, you are a blessing and I love you.” There is power in children hearing affirmations such as this and when they are paired with scripture I think they are even more powerful. This blessing, along with three other Bible verses that speak of God’s love, is my favorite part of the book. The beautiful thing is that Colette is now TEN, but she still loves to receive her bedtime blessing and then returns one to me! 

What’s your favorite part of God’s great love for YOU?  

That NOTHING can separate us from God’s great love! How powerful and comforting and wonderful is that! 

What message do you hope children will take away from the reading of your book?

I truly hope that as little ones hear the words of the book, they will know, without doubt, that they are wrapped in God’s great love every single minute, day or night, and that NOTHING can ever separate them from it.

How many other books have you written?

It’s hard for me to believe, but God’s Great Love is my fortieth title. Thanks be to God! 

Can you give us a hint about your next book?

YES! It’s actually the third title in the Bedtime Blessings series! God’s Gentle Care releases on June 30th and, like God’s Great Love, contains four scriptural blessings that can be personalized for your child. This book features the cutest farm animals!

Tell us about your writing journey. When did you first know you wanted to be a children’s author? How long did it take to get your first book published?

I was an elementary school teacher in England, where I was born and raised and had always loved writing, but it wasn’t until we came to live in the United States, in 2000, that the door to the publishing world opened up for me. I became the Christian Education Director in a small church where my husband was the pastor, and began writing my own curriculum for my Sunday school teachers. In the process of rewriting the great stories of the Bible, I was delighted to discover that there’s always a new way to tell the old, old story. In 2008 I began to write Love Letters from God: Bible Stories, my first book. In 2011 I attended a writer’s conference and pitched my manuscript and proposal to a Zonderkidz editor. In 2014, that book was published. .and the rest is history! 

What else would you like our readers to know?

I’d love your readers to know that there are free downloadable resources to accompany all three titles in the Bedtime Blessings series, available from Paraclete Press at https://bedtimeblessingsbooks.com/. These resources include colorings, pencil skills, activities, Blessing Prints for a baby’s nursery or preschool room and Blessings Cards along with a Blessing Box template to keep them in.

Thank you, Glenys! It’s been delightful catching up with you and hearing all about your new book!

Julie Lavender

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