Jesus: His Life ~ First Look at Upcoming Documentary Series

HISTORY® TO PREMIERE EIGHT-PART EVENT

“JESUS: HIS LIFE” ON MONDAY, MARCH 25

Epic Retelling of the Life of Jesus Christ

Airs Over Four Weeks Leading Up to Easter

New York, NY – January 23, 2019 – HISTORY’s eight-part event “Jesus: His Life” explores the story of Jesus Christ through a unique lens: the people in his life who were closest to him. Each of the eight chapters is told from the perspective of different biblical figures, all of whom played a pivotal role in Jesus’ life including Joseph, John the Baptist, Mary Mother of Jesus, Caiaphas, Judas Iscariot, Pontius Pilate, Mary Magdalene, and Peter.

Each figure takes a turn guiding viewers through the emotional and epic story of the most famous man in history, through his birth, death, and resurrection, all conveyed through a combination of scripted drama and interviews with prominent religious and historical experts. Utilizing some of the world’s most respected Biblical scholars, historians, faith leaders, and theologians, the series weaves together the canonical Gospels, historical sources and cultural context to create a complete portrait of Jesus – the man and the Messiah. The series reveals his journey through a complex world of kings, politicians, reformers, and soldiers in a turbulent power struggle during a time of revolutionary change. “Jesus: His Life” brings viewers into this dramatic world to reveal the greatest story ever told. The series premieres two episodes back-to-back weekly beginning on Monday, March 25 at 8pm ET/PT, with the finale airing just before Easter. A+E Networks holds exclusive worldwide distribution rights for the series which is produced by Nutopia.

“‘Jesus: His Life’ brings together some of the world’s top scholars, historians and faith leaders from diverse ideological and theological perspectives to tell the story of Jesus in a new way,” said Mary Donahue, SVP, Programming and Development for HISTORY. “Viewers will see and experience the life of Jesus as never before, through this powerful and thought-provoking portrait of a man who is one of the most influential people in human history.”

Photos from the Series

Greg Barnett as Jesus Christ in HISTORY's Jesus: His Life. 

Photo credit: Jose Sarmento Matos / History

The series interviews and consulted with a diverse group of scholars, faith leaders, and theologians from across the ideological spectrum to provide a rounded picture of the life and times in which Jesus lived, including:

• Robert Cargill – Assistant Professor of Judaism, Christianity and Classics, University of Iowa
• Christena Cleveland – Associate Professor, Duke University Divinity School
• Bishop Michael Curry – Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church
• Nicola Denzey Lewis – Professor in the Department of Religion, Claremont Graduate University
• Joshua DuBois – Author and CEO, Values Partnerships and Head of White House Office of

• Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships under President Obama

• Rabbi Joshua Garroway – Associate Professor of Early Christianity and the Second Commonwealth,

• Hebrew Union College

• Mark Goodacre – Professor in the Department of Religious Studies, Duke University
• Nyasha Junior – Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible, Temple University
• Mark Leuchter – Professor and Director of Jewish Studies, Temple University
• Kimberly Majeski – Associate Professor of Biblical Studies and Christian Ministries, Anderson University
• 
  
• Father James Martin, S.J – Jesuit Priest and Author
• Ryan McAnnally-Linz – Associate Research Scholar, Yale Center for Faith and Culture
• Scot McKnight – Professor of New Testament, Northern Seminary
• Father Jonathan Morris – Catholic Priest
• Candida Moss – Professor of Theology, University of Birmingham (UK)
• Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III – Senior Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ
• Joel Osteen – Senior Pastor of Lakewood Church, New York Times Bestselling Author, and Executive Producer
• 
  
• Michael Peppard – Associate Professor in New Testament, Early Christian Studies, Religion and Public

• Life, Fordham University

• 
  
Reverend Gabriel Salguero – Pastor and President of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition
• Stephen Schneck – Associate Professor of Politics, Catholic University of America
• Simon Sebag Montefiore – Historian and Author
• Reverend Shively Smith – Assistant Professor of New Testament, Boston University School of Theology
• Pastor Susan Sparks – Preacher, Comedian and Author
• Miroslav Volf – Founder/Director, Yale Center for Faith and Culture and Professor of Theology, Yale
• 
  

  University Divinity School

  
  
• Ben Witherington III – Professor of New Testament for Doctoral Studies, Asbury Theological Seminary
• Annette Yoshiko Reed – Associate Professor of Religious Studies, New York University

“Jesus: His Life” is produced for HISTORY by Nutopia with Jane Root and Ben Goold serving as executive
producers. Eli Lehrer, Mary Donahue and Evan Lerner serve as executive producers for HISTORY. Joel Osteen
also serves as Executive Producer. A+E Networks holds exclusive worldwide distribution rights for “Jesus: His Life.”

About HISTORY®
HISTORY, a division of A+E Networks, is the premier destination for historical storytelling. From best-in-class
documentary events, to a signature slate of industry-leading nonfiction series and premium fact-based scripted
programming, HISTORY serves as the most trustworthy source of informational entertainment in media.
HISTORY has been named the #1 U.S. TV network in buzz for seven consecutive years by YouGov BrandIndex,
and a top favorite TV network by Beta Research Corporation. For a deeper dive, visit history.com or follow @history on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

About Nutopia

Nutopia is a leading television production company based in LA, DC, and London, creating innovative,
award-winning, premium content on a global scale. Founded in 2008 by Jane Root, former President of
Discovery Channel US, Controller of BBC2 and co-founder of Wall to Wall TV, Nutopia created the
‘mega doc’ model, blending huge scale history series and high-profile talent from the worlds of documentary
and drama. Nutopia has become synonymous with creating high-quality content that stands out from the crowd,
working with some of the most prominent global broadcasters including Netflix, CNN, National Geographic,
the BBC, PBS and A+E Networks. Most recently, Nutopia created National Geographic’s One Strange Rock 
which received three Wildscreen Festival Panda awards, was nominated for the Critics’ Choice Documentary
awards and was shortlisted for the Grierson Best Science Documentary award. Other recent projects include 
Civilizations (BBC/PBS) and The Great American Read (PBS). Some critical successes for the company include
the Emmy Award-winning series How We Got To Now; two seasons of ratings smash Finding Jesus. Faith. Fact. 
Forgery; Emmy Award-winning series America the Story of Us and Mankind the Story of All of Us.

Pretty in Punxsutawney ~ Review

Pretty in Punxsutawney
By Laurie Boyle Crompton

   Wake up. ✅
             Go to school. ✅
    Fall in love. ✅
                       Repeat. ✅

Andie's senior year of high school is about to start and she has high hopes for the coming year - hopes that include maybe her first ever kiss. And she knows just the boy she hopes to get it from. The one whom she has been not so secretly crushing on since she and her family moved to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Yup, the home of the king groundhog is now Andie's home.

To celebrate the coming school year Andie and her mother watch Pretty in Pink. Andie is finally ready for the classic in her mother's opinion and Andie is totally for it as she'll finally get to experience the movie for which she's named for. But when morning comes around Andie is surprised to discover that she missed the ending by falling asleep on the sofa. Whoops, the first day of school is off to a roaring start especially with the thrift store vintage pink dress that her mother purchased as her fashion of the day, she didn't mean to fall asleep in it.

Sure that she's made a less than stellar first impression at her new school by first losing Colton and then putting her foot in her mouth more than once she's more than a bit down. But when she begins day two by repeating day one she's hopeful that she can erase the mistakes of the day before, or rather the mistakes of today will never happen.

But this is just the start of an endless cycle of repeating the same day over, and over, and over. As Andie tries to break this curse she gradually discovers just how messed up the school is with all its little cliches dividing the student body from one another. Slowly she makes connections within each group, though none of them remember it when the day resets. And when she realizes that through each reset there's only been one person who has accepted her for who she is no matter how she dressed or acted she comes to understand that she too needed to see beyond the surface to who each person truly is. And she'll have plenty of time, she just may never graduate or have her next birthday anytime soon, but other than Andie who's counting the number of first days of school this year will have.

This book is quite engaging once the first introductory chapters have set the stage. And Andie's antics are at times over-the-top. And personally, I never got what she saw in Colton from the start but the scene where they met was rather amusing (take away from the book -avoid smuggling Whoppers into theaters - just saying). I'd probably disappoint Andie as I was totally uninformed about most of the movies that she and her mom were enjoying. And if you are unaware of what a cute-meet is you won't be after reading this one.  It is nice to have a book where the family gets along (my pet peeve in books is the often explosive relationship between tween/teens and their parents) and cares about each other. This is a fun book and one that I would highly recommend to tween and teen readers.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by the publisher through TLC Book Tours with no expectations but that I offer my honest opinion - all thoughts expressed are my own.


About the Book:

A Groundhog Day meets Pretty in Pink mashup from author Laurie Boyle Crompton, Pretty in Punxsutawney tells the tale of a girl willing to look beneath the surface to see people for who they really are.

Andie is the type of girl who always comes up with the perfect thing to say…after it’s too late to say it. She’s addicted to romance movies—okay, all movies—but has yet to experience her first kiss. After a move to Punxsutawney, PA, for her senior year, she gets caught in an endless loop of her first day at her new school, reliving those 24 hours again and again.

Convinced the curse will be broken when she meets her true love, Andie embarks on a mission: infiltrating the various cliques to find the one boy who can break the spell. What she discovers along the way is that people who seem completely different can often share the very same hopes, dreams, and hang-ups. And that even a day that has been lived over and over can be filled with unexpected connections and plenty of happy endings.

Hardcover: 304 Pages

Publisher: Blink (January 15, 2019)

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes and Noble

About the Author:

Laurie Boyle Crompton is the author of several YA books, including Adrenaline Crush and Love and Vandalism. Laurie graduated first in her class from St. John’s University with a BA in English and Journalism. She has written for national magazines like Allure, survived a teaching stint at an all-boy high school, and appeared on Good Day New York several times as a toy expert. And yes, “toy expert” is an actual profession. She grew up in a small town in western PA and now lives near NYC with her family and one enormous and very fuzzy “dog toy expert” named Baxter Bear.

Connect with Laurie

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Laurie Boyle Crompton’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:

Monday, January 14th: Bookmark Lit

Monday, January 14th: @bookish_nel

Tuesday, January 15th: Books Before Bedtime and @booksbeforebedtime

Wednesday, January 16th: A Bookish Way of Life

Thursday, January 17th: @the_readers_nook

Friday, January 18th: Rockin’ Book Reviews

Monday, January 21st: Run Wright

Tuesday, January 22nd: 100 Pages a Day

Wednesday, January 23rd: Book Fidelity

Thursday, January 24th: Blooming with Books

Friday, January 25th: @katielmae

Monday, January 28th: From the TBR Pile

Wednesday, January 30th: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

Thursday, January 31st: Kahakai Kitchen

Friday, February 1st: Books a la Mode

Saturday, February 2nd: @love_my_dane_dolly

Monday, February 4th: Christian Chick’s Thoughts

Tuesday, February 5th: Write Read Life

Wednesday, February 6th: Helen’s Book Blog

Catching the Nor’wester ~ Spotlight with Snippet and Giveaway

Catching the Nor’wester

Pursuing Voyageurs #3

By Emily Yager

About the Book

They both have made sacrifices to gain their independence and will make more if it meant they could keep it.

Orphaned Calliope Graydon turned down the chance to have a life of luxury and lost the only home she ever knew because of that choice. Years later, she struggles to survive in the inland territories that is particularly harsh toward an unmarried woman. When a local Nor’wester steals her heart, she must decide if her independence is worthy the pain of a broken heart.

Etienne Marcks enjoys his life on the river despite its hardships. With his contract with the North West Company almost fulfilled, he needs to decide what he is going to do next. The last thing he need is to be a protector to a fiery woman who is more of a distraction than helpful to the brigade. She is making his live more difficult as she challenges what he thought he wanted in life.

They must find common ground as they race to get back home before the harsh winter leaves them stranded on the frozen river.

GOODREADS | AMAZON (not available)

About the Author

Growing up in Northwestern Minnesota, Emily spent the long winter days dreaming and creating stories. She loves the mild summers and cold, windswept state so much that she incorporates the landscape and small towns into her stories. A life-long book dragon, Emily is fulfilling her dream by writing novels.

FACEBOOK | TWITTER | PINTEREST | WEBSITE

Snippet #1:

The smoke swirled up from the campfire, thick, white and smelt like burnt coffee. The smoke switched direction and came down and blew in her face until her eyes started to burn with hot tears. Standing from her spot, she moved to the other side of the fire and sat back down on the frozen ground. No sooner had she sat back down the smoke swirled around and into her face again.

“You do know that smoke follows beauty,” her friend told her.

“Apparently,” Calliope quickly replied as she tried to wave the smoke away from. Not wanting to move again, she fanned the smoke out of her face.

Snippet #2:

Etienne glanced around the camp, the icy air burned his lungs as he yelled out to the group that they were heading out as soon as they could get loaded up.

He waved Chauncy to go ahead and leave with the first canoe. Each canoe followed as they got ready.

“Where’s Miss Graydon?” Rias asked as they finished packing the last two canoes.

“I’m right here,” Etienne heard her said behind him.

Turning, he offered his hand to help her into the canoe. She casted him an irritated glare before walking right past him and straight to the other canoe that Rias was standing near.

Rias casted him a curious look before helping her in his canoe.

“Alright, that’s everyone,” Etienne said, waiting for their canoe to start down the river.

He grabbed his paddle off the shore and climbed into his canoe. A quick nod to the others then they were off.

Giveaway

Enter the giveaway HERE.

Giveaway is subject to policies HERE.

Tour Schedule

January 21-
January 22
Maiden of the Pages
January 23
Blooming with BooksRobin’s Nest
January 24
Wishful Endings
January 25
Why Not? Because I Said So!

How the Light Gets In ~ Review with Trailer and Excerpt

How the Light Gets In
By Jolina Petersheim

Ruth Neufeld's life is in tatters. Helping to care for her father before he succumbs to cancer added a strain to her already strained marriage, especially when Chandler again put his humanitarian work ahead of his family. But when she receives word that Chandler and his father were both killed in the Afganistan hospital in which they were working her life is forever altered. Traveling from her parents home in Ireland to Wisconsin for the funeral of her husband is not something she anticipated doing anytime some or ever.

When Chandler's cousin offers to allow Ruth, her daughters (Sofie and Vivienne), and mother-in-law Mabel stay in his home during their time of grief they agree. The Mennonite community Elam calls home is so foreign to what Ruth has known that it gives her a chance to heal and reflect on her marriage. But can you truly heal from a broken heart and crushed dreams? 

Elam has dreams of his own - he dreams of a family and having children in his life. But Elam's life has been marked by the ill health of his mother during his childhood and his speech issues. Elam is a quiet person whose gentle demeanor and offer of help are just what Ruth and her girls need at this difficult time. And friendship is something Ruth needs more than anything someone who will listen and understand what she is saying.

With Mabel's encouragement, Ruth and Elam soon have something more than friendship. But with her husband so recently killed Ruth has reservations about a relationship at this time. But Elam is so different from Chandler caring about her dreams and helping her to rediscover what she lost in the chaos that her life had become.

But when a chance to reclaim what she thought was lost comes Ruth is left with a most difficult choice. Does she choose the love of her youth or the love found in the midst of her grief? Does she settle for what was or will she fight for what could be?

How the Light Gets In is a moving story that will at various points affect the reader as Ruth and her daughters deal with the various losses that seemingly come within a short period of time. And when joy and grief become a tangle how one deals with it is seems an almost impossible task - yet Jolina Petersheim has her cast of character do just that. And the unexpected twists that come throughout keep the reader from becoming complacent and assuming just what the conclusion will be.

I have to admit this is the first book by Jolina Petersheim I have read so I went into this one with no expectations and was more than pleasantly surprised by this offering. A series of letters and memories between Ruth and Chandler are scattered throughout the book, adding another layer of depth by creating a backstory that is slowing unfolded as their life together is shared from their differing perspectives. When faced with a life-changing choice do we pick what we want and desire or do we pick the more difficult path the one that serves the greater good? How do we know what is the will of God? Does easier mean better? Love cannot be separated from pain, they are the counterparts to one another and necessary to grow and appreciate what is.

If you are looking for a book club selection this is one that will keep your conversation going. Highly recommended for your 2019 TBR (to-be-read) list. This one is releasing in March so get it on your list.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by the publisher with no expectations but that I offer my honest opinion - all opinions expressed are my own


About the Book:

“Compellingly woven by Jolina Petersheim’s capable pen, How the Light Gets In follows a trail of grief toward healing, leading to an impossible choice–what is best when every path will hurt someone?” –Lisa Wingate, New York Times bestselling author of Before We Were Yours

From the highly acclaimed author of The Outcast and The Alliance comes an engrossing novel about marriage and motherhood, loss and moving on.

When Ruth Neufeld’s husband and father-in-law are killed working for a relief organization overseas, she travels to Wisconsin with her young daughters and mother-in-law Mabel to bury her husband. She hopes the Mennonite community will be a quiet place to grieve and piece together next steps.

Ruth and her family are welcomed by Elam, her husband’s cousin, who invites them to stay at his cranberry farm through the harvest. Sifting through fields of berries and memories of a marriage that was broken long before her husband died, Ruth finds solace in the beauty of the land and healing through hard work and budding friendship. She also encounters the possibility of new love with Elam, whose gentle encouragement awakens hopes and dreams she thought she’d lost forever.

But an unexpected twist threatens to unseat the happy ending Ruth is about to write for herself. On the precipice of a fresh start and a new marriage, Ruth must make an impossible decision: which path to choose if her husband isn’t dead after all.

Want to learn more? Click here

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes and Noble

Connect with Jolina

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Want to get a glimpse into the book? click here

Check-out the book trailer

Check-out the rest of the TLC tour

About Jolina Petersheim:

Jolina Petersheim and her husband share the same unique Amish and Mennonite heritage that originated in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, but they now live in the mountains of Tennessee with their three young daughters. Jolina’s fifth novel, How the Light Gets In, a modern retelling of Ruth set in a cranberry bog in Wisconsin, releases March 2019.

Connect with Jolina

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram