Matt Mikalatos

Love It's a Wonderful Life? No one got more from it than star Jimmy Stewart, who credited the film with giving his life new purpose post-World War II service. Learn the lessons on faith, community, kindness, and more from Stewart and the iconic film with this inspiring gift book. Beloved star and one of Hollywood’s greatest actors, Stewart achieved fame, fortune, and acclaim—but found that none of it guaranteed happiness. Leaving it all behind to serve as a combat pilot in World War II, he returned home changed by loss and searching for meaning. But while filming the perennial Christmas classic It's a Wonderful Life, Stewart learned how to heal and live with gratitude and grace with the help of friends, faith, and purpose. Drawing on his life and words, as well as iconic moments from It’s a Wonderful Life, this book explores how the actor who embodied decency on screen lived it off-screen, too. Endorsed by the Stewart estate and featuring little-seen photos throughout, Finding Wonderful is a heartfelt series of essays that capture the virtues and values of a man who discovered that the secret to a wonderful life has nothing to do with fame—and everything to do with love, service, and simple goodness.

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year--but how much do you know about the real story behind Saint Nicholas?We love Christmas. Not only because of the carefully wrapped presents and the twinkling lights, the loving family, the holiday parties, the singing. We love Christmas because we're hungry for miracles.For Christmas this year, discover the history as well as the origins of the myths and the legends of Saint Nicholas--a man who was hungry for miracles too. Nicholas made children feel seen, and he let them know they were loved. He paid attention to the people around him and asked how he could help. If they needed money, or a protector, or a prayer, Nicholas provided it for them as a servant of God. He showed them the miraculous love of the Father.In Praying with Saint Nicholas, you'll find twenty-five devotions with readings sharing a glimpse into Nicholas's life and prayers for insights that will bring us more deeply into the Advent season and help us be transformed to see the world through God's eyes, just as Nicholas worked to do. Prayers include: A Prayer for Light in Times of DarknessA Prayer for the Children of the WorldA Prayer to Be a BlessingA Prayer for God's PresenceA Prayer for Peace on Earth and Goodwill Toward All PeopleMay the Lord bring us more people like Nicholas. May God teach us to be those people.

Follow God's story of love, hope, and rescue from Genesis to the Gospels in this captivating graphic novel--through stories told by Jesus himself. The long walk home after celebrating Passover in Jerusalem should be a joyful journey, but this year the travelers are sad and afraid. Then a mysterious stranger shows up and starts telling stories--from many years ago all the way up to the recent death of Yeshua (Jesus) on the cross--and the friends can't wait to hear more. This intriguing, funny, and heartfelt journey explores Scripture from Creation to the Resurrection through the eyes of curious children (and grown-ups ) walking with Yeshua on the Road to Emmaus.

A cursed heir with a privileged past . . .A runaway prankster wanted dead or alive . . .A daredevil warrior called Black Skull . . .Join a diverse cast of characters, led by Madeline, Jason, and Darius, as they are thrust into a thrilling adventure in the Sunlit Lands, an epic fantasy world brimming with magical cures and granted wishes. Soon they'll discover that even in this safe haven, power has its price. Unravel the dark secrets and soul-searing revelations in this war-torn land wrestling with social justice, racial justice, and elitism. How far will they go for power?The Sunlit Lands books engage timely themes of racism, injustice, prejudice, power, and the importance of knowing our history. The writing is witty, which makes the challenging themes feel accessible and not too heavy. The characters are diverse in personality, ethnicity, and areas for personal growth and provide lots of different connection points for readers. It asks the questions: How far would you be willing to go for power? Who decides what justice is and how it is carried out?And don't miss these short stories from the Sunlit Lands series: Our Last Christmas Together and Jason Wu and the Kidnapped Stories--each available separately (e-book only).

After destroying the Crescent Stone, Madeline returns home, bringing Shula and Yenil with her. As her health continues to deteriorate, Madeline feels the Sunlit Lands calling her back. Meanwhile, Jason, Darius, and the rest of the inhabitants of the Sunlit Lands fight for survival and freedom. The magic that fuels the land is failing, threatening to destroy them all. Will Madeline's return save the land and its people? Matt's signature humor and epic storytelling are once again on full display in The Heartwood Crown.

After destroying the Crescent Stone, Madeline returns home, bringing Shula and Yenil with her. As her health continues to deteriorate, Madeline feels the Sunlit Lands calling her back. Meanwhile, Jason, Darius, and the rest of the inhabitants of the Sunlit Lands fight for survival and freedom. The magic that fuels the land is failing, threatening to destroy them all. Will Madeline's return save the land and its people? Matt's signature humor and epic storytelling are once again on full display in The Heartwood Crown.

"For Narnia fans who enjoy heavy snark, this is a must-read." --Kirkus Reviews"A compelling fantasy world with humor and heart." --Gene Luen Yang, author of American Born Chinese and Boxers & Saints"With the rich characterization of John Green and the magical escapism of Narnia, this book is a must read for all fantasy fans " --Lorie Langdon, author of Olivia Twist and the Doon seriesA girl with a deadly lung disease . . .A boy with a tragic past . . .A land where the sun never sets but darkness still creeps in . . .Madeline Oliver has never wanted for anything, but now she would give anything just to breathe. Jason Wu skates through life on jokes, but when a tragedy leaves him guilt-stricken, he promises to tell only the truth, no matter the price. When a mysterious stranger named Hanali appears to Madeline and offers to heal her in exchange for one year of service to his people, Madeline and Jason are swept into a strange land where they don't know the rules and where their decisions carry consequences that reach farther than they could ever guess.

Imagine an atheist sending you regular prayer requests. Or your coworker grabbing you by the arm and asking you to stay late at work to talk about God just a bit longer. When Jesus talked about the Good News, people ran to him.We should expect the same response. Good News for a Change is about working together with Jesus to share the gospel in ways unique to each person's situation.You will enjoy evangelism because it is a fun, deeply personal, community and person-oriented way to connect with people. You'll be energized and focused on helping people discover why Jesus is good news for them.

A compassionate memoir about a father's relationship with his children, the healing power of a small act of kindness, and the proof that love is everlasting. Love you, Dad. Miss you so much. Steph. A brokenhearted daughter scribbled those words on a sky lantern before sending it off to her father in heaven who had passed away. Halfway across the country, Steph's lantern landed in Matt Mikalatos's yard. As a father of three daughters, Matt could not let that heart-wrenching note unanswered, so he posted an open letter to her on his blog, which went viral overnight. Little did he know how that small act of kindness would lead him to the real Steph and change his family's life in remarkable ways. A poignant and lyrical account of the beauty and wonder found in domestic life, Sky Lantern shows how the miraculous events that followed Matt finding the sky lantern in his yard--and the widespread and lasting impact his letter had--prove that the bond between a parent and their child can last forever.

In the earliest days of the Christian church, the gospel spread out from Jerusalem in a burst of incredible stories. A man who could calm a stormy sea with a word, who healed the lame and the blind, who raised the ire of the religious leaders, and who even raised people from the dead. Compare this organic, even entertaining, method of spreading the Good News to how we are often encouraged to evangelize today, with clever arguments and our defenses already up in anticipation of rebuttal. Somewhere along the way, we've lost the plot to the greatest story ever told.Now Matt Mikalatos invites us back into God's story, both to find our place in it and to rediscover the wonder that the apostles saw in their listeners as they told the story of Jesus, the Messiah they knew personally and loved fiercely. As they lose themselves in modern retellings of the events of the book of Acts, readers will find that sharing the story is easier and more rewarding than they ever imagined.