(Nashville, Tenn.) Thomas Nelson, Inc. was awarded six of Christian Retailing’s 2009 Retailer’s Choice Awards. The awards were announced on Monday, July 13th at the International Christian Retail Show in Denver, Colorado. Thomas Nelson received more any other publishing house and walked away with a fifth of the cumulative awards.

“There are two things about Retailer’s Choice Awards that make them among the highest honors in the industry,” said Michael S. Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson. “First, the awards are selected by Christian retailers, who work on the front lines helping Christians strengthen their spiritual journey. Second, the awards are judged on a product’s ability to inspire, encourage, and affirm Godly living. I am so proud of our team.”

The Thomas Nelson winners are:

• The Word of Promise Next Generation: New Testament Audio Bible (Audio)
• Baby’s First Bible (Bibles: General)
• What in the World Is Going On? by David Jeremiah (Bibles - General)
• Fireproof by Eric Wilson (Fiction: General)
• Looking Up When Life Is Looking Down by Beth Moore (Gift Books)
• Chronological Study Bible Campaign (Marketing/Promotion Campaign)

Products nominated for the 2009 Retailer’s Choice Awards must include clear Christian content, message or worldview. Retailers judged the 250 nominations in 30 categories on the impact they have had on staff and customers, including their ability to speak to people’s hearts and evoke emotion, open people’s minds to new ways of thinking, and encourage and affirm Christ-like living. For more a complete listing of the 2009 Retailer’s Choice Awards, visit www.retailerschoiceawards.com.

Thomas Nelson is a leading provider of Bibles, products, and live events emphasizing Christian, inspirational and family value themes.  For more information, visit our website www.thomasnelson.com.

Contact:    Lindsey Nobles
Director of Corporate Communications   

tel:    (615) 902-1109    

fax:  (615) 902-1110
cell:  (615) 476-5984    

e-mail:  lnobles@thomasnelson.com

(Nashville, Tenn.) Thomas Nelson, Inc. announced today that thirteen of its products or campaigns have been chosen to be finalists for Christian Retailing’s 2009 Retailer’s Choice Awards. Products or campaigns nominated for the 2009 Retailer’s Choice Awards must include clear Christian content, message, or worldview. Retailers judge nominations on the impact they have had on staff and customers, including their ability to speak to people’s hearts and evoke emotion, open people’s minds to new ways of thinking, and encourage and affirm Christlike living.

The winner in each category will be announced on Monday, July 13, during the International Christian Retail Show in Denver, Colorado. Winners will appear in the August 10 issue of Christian Retailing. The Thomas Nelson finalists are:

The Word of Promise Next Generation, New Testament - Audio
Chronological Study Bible - Bibles (Devotional/Study)
Baby’s First Bible - Bibles (General)
The Voice, New Testament - Bibles (General)

Sweet Dreams Princess by Sheila Walsh - Children’s Non-Fiction

What in the World Is Going On? by David Jeremiah - Church and Culture

Fireproof by Eric Wilson - Fiction (General)

Sinner: A Paradise Novel by Ted Dekker - Fiction (Mystery and Suspence)

Walking with God by John Eldredge - Personal Growth/Prayer

A Baby Changes Everything by Tim Nichols, K.K. Wiseman, and Craig Wiseman - Gift Books

Looking Up When Life is Looking Down by Beth Moore - Gift Books

Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore - Backlist

Chronological Study Bible Campaign - Marketing/Promotion Campaign

Thomas Nelson is a leading provider of Bibles, products, and live events emphasizing Christian, inspirational and family value themes.  For more information, visit our website www.thomasnelson.com.

Contact:    Lindsey Nobles
Director of Corporate Communications
tel:    (615) 902-1109
fax:  (615) 902-1110
cell:  (615) 476-5984
e-mail:  lnobles@thomasnelson.com

(Nashville, Tenn.) Thomas Nelson, Inc. was awarded nine of Christian Retailing’s 2008 Retailer’s Choice Awards. The awards were announced on Monday, July 14th at the International Christian Retail Show in Orlando, Florida. Thomas Nelson received more than twice the wins of any other publishing house and walked away with almost a third of the cumulative awards.

“There are two things about Retailer’s Choice Awards that make them among the highest honors in this industry,” said Michael S. Hyatt, President and CEO of Thomas Nelson. “First, the awards are selected by Christian retailers, who work on the front lines to help Christians strengthen their spiritual journey. Second, the awards are judged on a product’s ability to inspire, encourage, and affirm Godly living. I am so proud of the entire Thomas Nelson team.”
The Thomas Nelson winners are:

• The Word of Promise New Testament Audio Bible (Books/Bibles)
• Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible by Jerome Smith (Bible Reference/Bible Studies)
• The Message- NKJV Parallel Bible (Bibles – General)
• 3:16 – The Numbers of Hope by Max Lucado (Christian Living)
• Get Out of That Pit: A 40-Day Devotional Journal by Beth Moore (Personal Growth/Prayer)
• A New Kind of Normal by Carol Kent (Women’s Non-Fiction)
• Chosen by Ted Dekker (Youth/Teen)
• This Christmas Night by Billy and Ruth Graham (Gift Books)
• The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything (Vacation Bible School)

Products nominated for the 2008 Retailer’s Choice Awards must have been published or released in 2007 and include clear Christian content, message or worldview. Retailers judged the 245 nominations in 31 categories on the impact they have had on staff and customers, including their ability to speak to people’s hearts and evoke emotion, open people’s minds to new ways of thinking, and encourage and affirm Christ-like living. For more a complete listing of the 2008 Retailer’s Choice Awards, visit www.retailerschoiceawards.com.

Contact: Lindsey Nobles
Director of Corporate Communications
tel: (615) 902-1109
fax: (615) 902-1110
cell: (615) 476-5984
e-mail: lnobles@thomasnelson.com

Nashville, TN – Just as your mother persisted that you to go to the doctor for your annual checkup, the authors of The Couple Checkup (ISBN: 978-0-7852-2827-1, July, $22.99) are insisting that you take the same initiative in your relationships. That’s right. It’s time for your checkup. I hope you’ve been taking care of yourself and your partner. If not, your relationship vital signs are sure to give it away. However, there’s no need to worry. David Olson, Amy Olson-Sigg, and Peter J. Larson have developed a cure that will save your life (or at least your love life) in their revolutionary customized book.

The Couple Checkup is based on an unprecedented survey of 50,000 marriages nationwide. The results of these surveys have been broken down into principles that include:
• Discovering your “Couple Strengths”
• Communicating within your relationship
• Managing your finances and the accompanying emotional complexities
• Evaluating your sexual relationship, and
• Understanding roles, responsibilities, and teamwork.

However, this is not all The Couple Checkup has to offer. While it can be enjoyed on its own, the book comes with a free online individual profile as well as the SCOPE Personality Profile and the Couple and Family Map for your relationship. Each chapter of the book matches an individual category of the profile and contains couple exercises to help build your relationship strengths creating a completely customized program for you. The Couple Checkup is also customized based on the stage of your relationship- whether you are dating, cohabiting, engaged, married- your age and whether or not you have children.

The authors state, “Your road to a successful and happy relationship will be uniquely yours.” So what are you waiting for? It’s time to stop putting off your overdue appointment with your relationship doctor, The Couple Checkup.

David H. Olson, Ph.D., is Founder and President of Life Innovations, a twenty five year old company with a variety of products such as the PREPARE-ENRICH program designed to build stronger marriages. A national and international expert, Olson is Professor Emeritus at the University of Minnesota where he taught for nearly thirty years. Having written more than twenty books and one hundred articles in the marriage and family field, he has appeared on a variety of television shows including “The Today Show,” “The Early Show,” “Good Morning America,” and “Oprah.”

Amy Olson-Sigg is a Research associate at Life Innovations. Currently finishing her masters in marital and family therapy, Amy has co-authored several books including Empowering Couples and served on the Board of Directors as a student representative of the Minnesota Council on Family Relations.

Peter J. Larson, Ph.D., is Vice President of Life Innovations. He worked for several years a Clinical Director of the Smalley Relationship Counseling Center. Larson co-authored several programs including Marriage Mentor and Building Strong Families and has written numerous articles on marriage and family.

Contact: Beth Hood
Senior Publicist
tel: (615) 902-2742
e-mail: bhood@thomasnelson.com

Nashville, TN – Whether you are raising the next Tiger Woods or the next Steve Jobs, Proud Parents’ Guide to Raising Athletic, Balanced, and Coordinated Kids (ISBN: 9978-0-7852-2822-6, September, $16.99) will give you the tools to guide your children through the early stages of development. In this book you will find a step-by-step handbook to nurturing your child’s growing body and mind.

From her many years of experience as a parent, an NCAA tennis player, and a coaching instructor for the Special Olympics and the United States Tennis Association, Karen Ronney has learned that a child’s future success begins with the little things that we learn in those early stages.

In her two-part handbook, Ronney offers parents a program for children ages 0-6. The first part explains the stages of child development and focuses on topics that include:
• Physical fitness,
• Motor development,
• Coordination and sidedness,
• Sensory integration, and
• Rules of fair play.

In Part 2, Ronney offers 200 age appropriate games for you and your child that will develop balance, strength, and flexibility. The book includes new games such as Bubble Tennis and Tiny Toe Alert as well as traditional games like Jumping Rope and Backyard T-Ball that can be played in just 10 minutes while offering a lifetime of benefit.
According to the Director of The Healthy Living Project at Children’s Healthcare Medical Associates of San Diego, Whitney Carr Edwards, M.D., “The choices you make for your kids today are likely to influence them for the rest of their lives. So get you kids and start playing.”

Karen Ronney, an accomplished NCAA tennis player and a world touring pro, used her bachelor degrees in journalism and public relations to become a seasoned writer for several prestigious publications, including the Los Angeles Times, San Diego Tribune, Los Angeles Daily News, and Chicago Tribune. A professional journalist for more than twenty years, Ronney has also spent fifteen years as a dynamic public speaker and twenty five years as a professional sports coach. Karen travels nation-wide as a master coaching instructor for various organizations, including the Special Olympics and the United States Tennis Association. She currently lives in San Diego with her husband, Doug, and their trio of budding young athletes.

Contact: Beth Hood
Senior Publicist
Tel: (615) 902-2742
E-mail: bhood@thomasnelson.com

Nashville, TN –
“I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life.” (Deut.30.19).

In, 10 Choices: A Proven Plan to Change Your Life Forever, (ISBN: 978-0-7852-2820-2, September, $22.99), Dr. James MacDonald describes ten high impact choices that will help you and your family achieve the life God wants you to have. This book is about getting beyond self help and blame shifting and reaching for change at the deepest level.

Acknowledge the choice. Consider the choice. Make the choice.

By encouraging and motivating you to take action, 10 Choices gives you control of your life once again. The future is not a finished book, but a blank page waiting to be written! Dr. MacDonald states, “The key is believing with all your heart that the choices are yours and then making the rights ones that can alter the course of your life.”

In a revolutionary biblical plan, 10 Choices acts as a guide to help the lost:
• Learn to make better choices that will bring blessings to you and to those you love,
• Identify bad decisions and learn how to avoid them, and
• Discover the secrets to surrendering your will to God.

A book for those who struggle with their own identities, priorities, and destinies, 10 Choices is about the power of personal choice. This book is the map that will lead you to your destination: the life you’ve always wanted!

Contact: Beth Hood
Senior Publicist
tel: (615) 902-2742
e-mail: bhood@thomasnelson.com

There is a noticeable decline in civility, politeness and manners among the youth in our country today. Popular permissive parenting practices have created an atmosphere where children are not being punished, are encouraged to indulge their wants regardless of the consequences, and bad habits are applauded as expressions of individuality. That doesn’t fly in E.D.’s parenting play book! Accepting the time, patience, perseverance and sometimes disappointments it takes to raise a well-mannered child may not be chic or metropolitan, but it is simply right.

E. D. states, “If your greatest desire is to be your children’s best friend, if you want stress-free relationships with your children, if you find it impossible or uncomfortable to admit that your children will be disobedient, sneaky or deceptive sometimes, don’t read this book. It’s not pretty. The first step is to take a large spoonful of reality. No one can be a perfect parent, but anyone can be a very good parent if they are willing to take the time and make the sacrifice it requires. Be strong, have faith and, if you need a little help, turn the page.”

Topics found within the pages of I’m Not Your Friend, I’m Your Parent include:
• Manners
• Spanking, time-outs, and other eight letter words
• Allowance
• Dress codes
• Dealing with teenagers
• Driving, dating and other death-defying feats
Also included in the book are helpful appendix documents such as a “Home Rules Contract” and a “Driving Contract”.

While parenthood can bring the greatest joy God can possibly give, it can also cause the greatest anguish. Allow E.D. to shed light on how she manages being the successful mother of eight. In I’m Not Your Friend, I’m Your Parent, parents will find solid solutions, creative techniques and solace in knowing you’re not alone in your quest for the perfect parental balance.

E.D. Hill joined FOX News Channel (FNC) in March of 1998. Hill is FOX News host of “America’s Pulse with E.D. Hill.” She was also co-anchor for “FOX & Friends,” the network’s weekday morning program and from 2002-2007 was co-host with Bill O’Reilly on his radio program “The O’Reilly Factor.” Prior to joining FNC, Hill was a contributing reporter for ABC News’ “Good Morning America,” covering family issues. She is the mother of eight children.

Contact: Beth Hood
Senior Publicist
tel: (615) 902-2742
e-mail: bhood@thomasnelson.com

You’ve heard the horror stories: arguments over stuff . . . an inheritance lost forever when an easily deceived parent is scammed . . . siblings estranged . . . an adult heir taken from daily responsibilities for months because of the enormous task of emptying a childhood home.
It doesn’t have to be that way for you.

The Estate Lady®, professional estate liquidator Julie Hall, knows what to do. Whether your parents are still alive or you’re in the middle of a crisis, The Boomer Burden has solutions. Hall provides trustworthy counsel on how to:

• divide your parents’ estate with peace of mind
• minimize fighting with siblings during the estate settlement process
• clear out the family home in ten days or less
• identify potential items of value in the home
• have “that conversation” with your parents
• prepare your own children for the future
• be ethical during the entire process to keep the peace

The Estate Lady® offers guidance for any executor, heir, or beneficiary, sharing some of her most fascinating stories as well as helpful checklists of the things that need to be done now and at the time of your loss. If you have parents, this book is for you. The Boomer Burden gives you practical, effective steps for liquidating and distributing your parents’ assets in a way that both honors them and promotes family harmony for generations to come.

Author Julie Hall states, “The Boomer Burden offers trustworthy council for one of life’s most overwhelming challenges-the infirmity and death of a boomer’s parents. Grueling as that is, they are then faced with the daunting task of dividing the estate contents and finally clearing out the family home, totally unprepared for the battles ahead. The Boomer Burden will lead the reader through heart wrenching and heartwarming scenarios that will truly touch their hearts. It offers support and guidance during these times and was specifically written to instill hope and peace where there is little or none. It will assist the reader from beginning to end; what to do, what not to do, and how to do it all in the most appropriate manner. Taking a client from a place of confusion and worry and bringing them back to a place of peace and comfort is the goal of this book.”

About the Author: Julie Hall, known as The Estate Lady®, is a professional estate liquidator and certified personal property appraiser. With more than seventeen years experience with clients from the southeastern United States, she has assisted thousands of individuals in the daunting and often painful process of managing their deceased parents’ affairs. In addition to her hands-on experience with clients, she is a speaker to civic groups, businesses, churches, and professional organizations. Julie is also a consultant for those in need of advice in the midst of crisis. She has written a monthly column “Ask The Estate Lady®” and taught college courses on “Identifying valuables in your home and attic.” Julie resides in Charlotte, NC, with her husband and daughter.

Contact: Beth Hood
Senior Publicist
tel: (615) 902-2742
fax: (615) 902-2129
e-mail: bhood@ThomasNelson.com

(Nashville, TN) Discovery Network’s FitTV Diet Doctor, Melina Jampolis has evaluated many diets as the host of her hit show. From Weight Watchers and South Beach to Zone, she’s seen it all. But who has time for diets? Between business meetings, rush hour traffic, chasing the kids, or your friend’s dinner party, counting carbs and calories often takes the backseat to hectic days and busy nights, but not anymore thanks to The Busy Person’s Guide to Permanent Weight Loss (ISBN: 978-0-7852-2810-3, May, $14.99).

Busy people take care of everything and everyone—except for themselves. Fast food lunches and drive-through dinners can become unexpectedly routine leading to weight gain and an overall decline in health. Dr. Jampolis has created a diet program that you can actually stick to. What was her brilliant idea? A diet plan that fits into your schedule instead of overtaking it.

Dr. Jampolis states, “Whether you have a busy social life, a hectic travel schedule, a demanding job, a chaotic household, a new baby, no time for exercise , or limited time to cook or shop regularly, I have created a program that can and will work for you.”

But how is this diet different from the others? It provides realistic strategies and goals including:
• Basic principles for understanding how weight loss works
• A program that is customized for you
• Helpful dining options for eating out and travel eating
• Healthy, flavorful, and FAST meal ideas for eating in, breakfast on the go, and even no-cook dinners
• Time saving strategies to maximize results including ways to maximize exercise in the least amount of time, and
• Also included in the book are helpful appendix documents such as a “Home Rules Contract” and a “Driving Contract”.

Busy people need a plan designed for their schedule. However, Dr. Jampolis knows that no two people lose weight the same way so she has developed a customized plan that will work with every lifestyle and every schedule. You can even create your own plan by applying her seven principles into a plan that suits your lifestyle. If you are a man or a woman who is simply too busy to eat well and exercise and are looking for a real-world way to lose weight, look no further than The Busy Person’s Guide to Permanent Weight Loss.

Melina Jampolis, M.D., is a board-certified internist and physician nutrition specialist (one of only 200 in the country). She specializes exclusively in nutrition for weight loss and disease prevention and treatment. A graduate of Tufts University and Tufts School of Medicine, she completed her residency in internal medicine at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, a Stanford University teaching hospital. Dr. Jampolis hosted a ten-episode diet program on the Discovery Network’s FIT-TV’s “Diet Doctor”. She is currently in private practice with offices in San Francisco and Burlingame.

Contact: Beth Hood
Senior Publicist
tel: (615) 902-2742
e-mail: bhood@thomasnelson.com

(Nashville, Tenn.) It’s not hard to define what a “good Christian guy” is, right? They are the men who seem to have it all. Good job—check. Loving wife and family—check. Solid relationship with the Lord—check. Most people would be shocked to learn that lust, greed, infidelity, substance abuse, pride, and materialism also can have deep roots in the lives of many Christian men. Life’s most challenging issues are not saved just for the faith-less. Even “good Christian guys” grapple with these difficulties on a daily basis.

Author Tom Davis is a self-described good Christian guy. He also is a sinner. He has wrestled with difficult issues, and admits that since coming to Christ, he has sniffed cocaine, been sexually promiscuous, and spent time behind bars. His life is by no means perfect. He is saved, but he is also fallen. In his new book, Confessions of a Good Christian Guy, The Secrets Men Keep and the Grace that Saves Them (Thomas Nelson Publishers, January 2008, ISBN: 978-0-7852-2806-6, $14.99), Davis explores the darkest corners of the lives of men like him—men who are outwardly upstanding citizens, church leaders, and pillars of their communities. His new book is not a lurid expose, but instead is an honest, thoughtful exploration of the damaging secrets that often lurk behind the perfect façade that some Christian men have so carefully constructed.

For some Christian men everything seems fine on the surface, but on the inside often there are cracks in the veneer, as they repeat destructive behaviors and succumb to temptations. Davis explains that sometimes inviting Christ into one’s heart does not immediately mark the end of the brokenness and pain that many men feel. Davis delves into numerous difficult topics, in chapters like:

• “I’ve got a dirty mind” The Never-Ending Struggle of Sexual Sins
• “I’m a self- made man” The Surprising Pervasiveness of Pride
• “I want more stuff” The Hollow Promise of Materialism
• “I love booze” The Destructive Trap of Substance Abuse
• “I want to give up” The Weary Grind of Long-Term Discouragement
• “I’m so ticked off” The Harmful Reality of Anger and Abuse

Davis directs readers to scripture in each chapter, and offers Biblical examples of men who dealt with similar issues, like King David, Samson, and Nebuchadnezzar. He encourages readers to put themselves in God’s hands and wrap themselves in the protection of His grace and forgiveness.

While this book is primarily for men, co-author Tammy Maltby, author of Confessions of a Good Christian Girl, offers a brief reflection at the end of each chapter for the men or women who are connected to these problems in an indirect way. She provides suggestions as to how readers can walk alongside those that they about who may be suffering and offer them support and compassion. Chapters also include practical applications, reflective questions, key scripture, and prayers.

Tom Davis is an author, consultant, and the president of Children’s HopeChest, a Christian-based child advocacy organization helping orphans in Eastern Europe and Africa. His first book, Fields of the Fatherless, has sold over 60,000 copies. Tom’s second book, Red Letters: Living a Faith That Bleeds, was released in 2007 and offers both a challenge and encouragement to the Church to get involved in an increasingly interconnected, desperate modern world. Tom holds a business and pastoral ministry degree from Dallas Baptist University and a master’s degree in Theology from The Criswell College.

Tammy Maltby is co-host of the six-time Emmy nominated, two-time Emmy winning, 2005 NRB TV talk show of the year “Aspiring Wome” on the Total Living Network. She reaches thousands of women each year through her speaking ministry and has been featured on “The 700 Club,” “Focus on the Family,” “Family Life Today with Dennis Rainey,” “Life Today with James Robison,” and “Midday Connection” as well as hundreds of other radio and television programs. Tammy is also the creator of the Confessions series including Confessions of a Good Christian Girl which was released in 2007 and the soon to be released Confessions of a Good Christian Family.