When Saul of Tarsus (former terrorist) became the great Apostle Paul, he rocked the first century world with the gospel of grace. As the aged Paul penned what would be his last letter in a Roman prison, he confidently stated, “I have finished my assignment” (2 Timothy 4:7).

Since that time, Christians of every generation have been challenged to run their individual races with the fervor of Paul and complete their purpose on earth. The first challenge for all of us of course, is identifying our race. For PictureThis! Ministries the race has become more defined as years have gone by. Simply put, our objective is to put The Picture Smart Bible in every home around the world, while completing the art/Bible projects which we believe God has given us to do.

A. TPSB Around the World. Someone has said that if your goals are doable by you then you don’t need God. We have been exhibiting in 15 to 25 conventions each year across the U.S. and networking with missionaries who are laboring to spread TPSB in their countries. Our materials are being reviewed/sold in virtually all continents on the planet. That being said, we realize that the reality of getting the picture Bible into every home is definitely a “God thing”. We can only do our part and plead for prayer from partners like you..

B. Projects. Currently, we have 7 projects which are in various stages of development.
Our challenge is “finishing” the course. Life is full of interruptions and one of the most time consuming “interruptions” to finishing item “B” is item “A”. Coordinating 25 conventions and the related tasks (reps, shipping, order follow up) is a full time job. Trying to carve out time to develop projects is frustrating and most often, never happens. Adding to that dilemma is the fact that our time to complete our course is running out. (Translation: we are getting older). We are not complaining but we have been asking God, “how do we solve this problem?” And He has graciously answered.

At a convention several years ago, Dr. Kathy Koch president of Celebrate Kids, and Dan were talking and for some reason (probably God) he said, “If we ever decide to leave our ministry, would you be interested in assuming the leadership?” She was totally excited about that possibility. Last year Juanene and I decided to ask her again, and again she was excited. That lead to many discussions between the three of us and our boards. Long story short, earlier this year we signed an agreement which will at the end of this year, transfer The Picture Smart Bible, conventions and all related tasks mentioned in item “A” above to Celebrate Kids. Basically, CK will take over all of our ministry except New Product Design (item “B”). PictureThis! Ministries as a nonprofit organization will continue to do business until Juanene and Dan go to be with Jesus.

Although we will greatly miss relationships formed in the convention circuit and missionaries (who feel like part of our family), we believe that this is the right move. We will now be freed up to finish a major part of our assignment: providing new tools for the Christian community. As we have said often, we believe that a large part of the mess America is in today is the “loss” of God’s word in the families. We are passionate about trying to help fix that problem.

Finally, we have a 5 year plan to complete the 7 projects in item“B”. We desperately need you to help us finish the race.

Passing the Baton was not an easy decision. Although we loved Kathy Koch and highly respected her mission, we struggled to give up our baby. Yet we knew a change had to come and were convinced God had provided the one to whom we should pass the baton. We have talked about Dr. Kathy and Celebrate Kids in previous newsletters; here is a fresh look at this remarkable person and her ministry.

Celebrate Kids & Dr. Kathy Koch (from the CK website)
Dr. Kathy Koch (“cook”), the Founder and President of Celebrate Kids, Inc., based in Fort Worth, TX, has influenced thousands of parents, teachers, and children through keynote messages, seminars, chapels, and other events.

She is a featured speaker for the Great Homeschool Conventions and a regular presenter for Care Net, Summit Ministries, and other organizations. She speaks regularly at schools, churches, and pregnancy resource centers. She is also a popular guest on Focus
on the Family radio and other radio talk-shows. Kirk Cameron chose her as the technology expert to interview in hismovie, Connect: Real Help for Parenting Kids in a Social Media World. She has authored six books including four published by Moody Publishers.

Dr. Kathy’s practical, relevant, and results-oriented concepts and engaging, honoring, and humorous speaking style draw enthusiastic raves from children, teens, parents, and educators. They leave her events armed with new beliefs, attitudes, practical tools, and
increased hope to build healthy relationships and increase success in family, life, and school.

Dr. Kathy earned a Ph.D. in reading and educational psychology from Purdue University. She was a tenured associate professor of education at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, a teacher of second graders, a middle school coach, and a school board member
before becoming a full-time conference and keynote speaker in 1991. She has loved Jesus for years and her faith and desire to serve and glorify God is the foundation of her ministry.

Mission
Celebrate Kids relies on God to inspire, equip and teach people of all ages through awareness and understanding of their core needs to make positive changes with courage and God’s help.

Vision
We see a day when our God-directed ministry of transformational teaching enables people worldwide to advance their knowledge, understanding, and confidence so they can change their beliefs, attitudes, and actions for God’s glory.