BIG RAPIDS — Just in time for the Christmas season, one Big Rapids author is aiming to bring faith back to the holiday season through her latest children’s book publication.
Renee Jensen’s "The Twinkling Tree: A Christmas Story" is the latest installment in a faith-based children’s series she has been working on for several years.
Jensen was born and raised in Michigan, is married to her husband, Ron, and has two children, Rachael and Ryan, and four grandsons. Jensen is a born-again Christian and felt led by the Holy Spirit to write a series of children's books.
She enjoys celebrating the holidays with all of their festivities like most. But with marketing efforts focused on and promoting the glitz and glamour that the world seeks to glorify rather than faith, she feels the real reason for the celebration becomes skewed or even lost altogether.
Jensen said thre book's theme came from a conversation she had with her niece.
“I was inspired to write this book after I asked my niece if they had their Christmas tree yet and she told me ‘no’ and that her mom, my sister, didn't even want a tree because she didn't want the focus to be on anything but the birth of Jesus,” Jensen said. “I thought that was pretty extreme, not wanting a Christmas tree, but it got me thinking that sometimes people do tend to shift the focus of Christmas away from Jesus and onto stuff like the tree, decorations, presents, and parties."
"My sister did end up getting a tree, but in the meantime, the wheels were turning in my head about what she had said," she added.
What makes The Twinkling Tree so special to Jensen is that her niece, Katie Ratliffe, illustrated it, and her nephew, Benjamin Jusino, composed the music for the video book trailer, which can be found on YouTube.
Jensen said she hopes to educate kids on the faith aspect of holidays through her books.
“The point of my book is to bring an awareness of our human tendency to put too much focus on the things of Christmas rather than its true meaning,” Jensen said. “Sometimes people don't even realize they may be sending a message to their children, because of all the hype and fun we have with the season, that Christmas is all about the material things. Some children, if not raised with a Christian upbringing, may not even know that Christmas is really a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.”
“This Christmas story is a book like no other in that it is not a book just about a Christmas tree and presents, nor is it solely about the birth of Jesus, but it uniquely combines these two storylines into one book that compares and contrasts the worldly side of Christmas to its true meaning,” she added. “In John 14:6 Jesus says, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’ It is important for children to know who Jesus is and have faith in Him because He is the only means by which sinful mankind can be saved.”
The Twinkling Tree focuses around an evergreen tree that gets cut down to be a Christmas tree. As the tree gets decorated, he becomes prideful and thinks Christmas is all about him. But when Christmas morning comes and the little boy runs straight to the nativity scene instead of him and the presents and says happy birthday to Jesus, he realizes what Christmas is really about.
Jensen incorporated activities for kids in the book as an educational tool to engage readers.
“At the end of the book is a Digging Deeper section with questions about the story and keywords, relating practical questions to the everyday life of children, and then Bible verses that back those questions up for a fun and encouraging discussion,” Jensen said. “My hope is to have children know the true meaning of Christmas.”
Jensen explained that she plans to continue creating unique reading for children that can include faith education and enjoyment of the holidays.
“I hope to get my other two books published in the future: The Praise Pumpkin and The Thankful Turkey,” Jensen said. “All of these books have delightful illustrations and rhyming that make them enjoyable for kids.”
Jensen’s first book published just this spring, The Blessed Bunny, has just been revised to include a ‘Digging Deeper’ section and focuses on the true meaning of Easter. It is also now available in softcover. Both books are also available in e-book format and can be found on Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and online at many other major retailers.
Jensen will be holding a book signing from noon to 4 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 21, at the Christmas open house at The Old Pioneer & Emporium at 118 N. Michigan Ave. in downtown Big Rapids.
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Big Rapids author pens faith-based Christmas kid’s book - The Pioneer
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