Kayaking Moments of Zen by Jon R. Constant #giveaway #excerpt #nonfiction #sports #photography #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours

Nonfiction; Sports, Recreation, photography

Date Published: 10-15-2026

Publisher: Mission Point Press

In a search for simplicity and serenity, Jon R. Constant explores the idea that it’s not the quality of the equipment that matters most, but the attention to the moment with the equipment available. Using a mobile phone rather than a high-end camera, Jon captures many moments of inspiration as he explores the stunning waters of Michigan’s “Little Finger.”

Kayaking becomes a way to slow down, to be fully present enough to notice the light on the water, the natural surroundings, and the stillness between paddle strokes. These images are not about perfection. They are about moments of wonder on the waters of Michigan’s Leelanau Peninsula.

Excerpt

“It is wonderful living in a state that has two major peninsulas–the Upper Peninsula and the Lower Peninsula. It is even better to explore the waters and shores of a beautiful smaller peninsula.

If you seek a pleasant peninsula in Michigan, then look no further than the Leelanau Peninsula!

There is a certain quiet that exists on the water. It is not the absence of all sound, but the absence of the sounds of everyday life, and the absence of anything toxic in your life.

When you settle into a kayak, your world shifts. Movement slows down. Attention sharpens. Small things come into focus. The way the light reflects on the water.

The rhythm of each stroke of the paddle. The notion of being in another place that is closer to Nature. The feeling of being one with your surroundings. The feeling of being totally present.

This book was created in those moments. I believe that they were there not to be captured, but to be noticed and shared.

Nothing in this book screams for your attention. But just look around you and let the water of Leelanau do the rest.”

About the Author

Jon is a retired teacher, having taught social studies at Traverse City Central High School for 38 years. Jon was the offensive coordinator for the Trojans’ first state championship football team in 1978 and later was named the boys’ varsity head coach, a position he held for 22 years. His teams had a 341–161 record and won 12 district and 2 regional titles. Jon grew up in Grand Haven, Michigan. There he had a small boat and motor that he kept on the Grand River and would use to explore the river and its many bayous. He graduated from Hope College and played quarterback for the Flying Dutchmen for four years and played basketball for two years. Jon enjoys the variety of all four seasons at Cedar Lake. When he isn’t kayaking, he enjoys “working” at the scoring table for Trojans basketball games and in the press box at Thirlby Field for Trojans or Traverse City West Titan football games, reading, feeding and watching birds, and following the activities of his three active grandchildren. Among his proudest accomplishments is that he was able to write two books about kayaking. He is sure that this is also surprising to anyone who knew Jon in Grand Haven or at Hope College!

Purchase Links

https://mybook.to/KayakingMomentsofZen

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Kayaking Moments of Zen by Jon R Constant #giveaway #nonfiction #sports #photography #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours

 

Nonfiction; Sports, Recreation, photography

Date Published: 10-15-2026

Publisher: Mission Point Press

In a search for simplicity and serenity, Jon R. Constant explores the idea that it’s not the quality of the equipment that matters most, but the attention to the moment with the equipment available. Using a mobile phone rather than a high-end camera, Jon captures many moments of inspiration as he explores the stunning waters of Michigan’s “Little Finger.”

Kayaking becomes a way to slow down, to be fully present enough to notice the light on the water, the natural surroundings, and the stillness between paddle strokes. These images are not about perfection. They are about moments of wonder on the waters of Michigan’s Leelanau Peninsula.

About the Author

Jon is a retired teacher, having taught social studies at Traverse City Central High School for 38 years. Jon was the offensive coordinator for the Trojans’ first state championship football team in 1978 and later was named the boys’ varsity head coach, a position he held for 22 years. His teams had a 341–161 record and won 12 district and 2 regional titles. Jon grew up in Grand Haven, Michigan. There he had a small boat and motor that he kept on the Grand River and would use to explore the river and its many bayous. He graduated from Hope College and played quarterback for the Flying Dutchmen for four years and played basketball for two years. Jon enjoys the variety of all four seasons at Cedar Lake. When he isn’t kayaking, he enjoys “working” at the scoring table for Trojans basketball games and in the press box at Thirlby Field for Trojans or Traverse City West Titan football games, reading, feeding and watching birds, and following the activities of his three active grandchildren. Among his proudest accomplishments is that he was able to write two books about kayaking. He is sure that this is also surprising to anyone who knew Jon in Grand Haven or at Hope College!

Purchase Links

https://mybook.to/KayakingMomentsofZen

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Bookshop

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Not Done Yet by Brian Nelson #excerpt #nonfiction #sports #photography #comingsoon #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours

 

The Magical Run of the College Team That Lost Its School

Nonfiction; Sports, Baseball

Date Published: 11-17-2026

Publisher: Mission Point Press

In the spring of 2024, Birmingham-Southern College’s baseball team learned that their 170-year-old school would close before their season ended. Rather than surrender to disappointment, Head Coach Jan Weisberg and his players rallied around the program’s culture of playing for the person beside them. Amid uncertainty, grief, and growing national attention, the young team mounted a remarkable final run built on resilience, brotherhood, leadership, and purpose. More than a baseball story, Not Done Yet explores how people respond when the future they expected disappears—and what it means to finish with integrity when everything around you is ending.

Excerpt

The rise and ultimate fall of Birmingham-Southern College, a small liberal arts school on a hilltop in Birmingham, has a history that mirrors the fortunes and struggles of the United States since the mid-nineteenth century. In 1859, Alabama Southern University opened its doors in Greensboro but nearly closed them two years later when most of its all-male student body left to fight in the Civil War. By 1866, the student body had dwindled to twenty-eight. The school quickly rebounded, however, and in 1889, the graduating class numbered 289 students, including the first woman graduate.

In 1898, another Methodist school, Birmingham College, was established less than a hundred miles away. The new college was perched on a hill near the western edge of the rapidly growing city of Birmingham. After the Civil War, the two cities were a study in contrasts. While Greensboro was still largely dependent on cotton, Birmingham had made the smart move to steel, and its booming economy led to its nickname: “The Magic City.” By 1918, it was clear that two Methodist colleges this close together would be unsustainable. The answer: merge the two and call the new school Birmingham-Southern College.

The merger solved an immediate problem, and BSC thrived—for a while—but faced a devastating enrollment drop during World War I. The college hung on during the Great Depression but lost most of its male students and faculty during World War II. Two decades later, the Civil Rights Era brought new challenges. BSC became an early supporter of the movement, enrolling its first Black students in 1965, and continued to embrace diversity as a core part of its mission.

 

About the Author

 

 Brian Nelson is a lifelong baseball fan, former player, and dedicated coach whose love for the game spans generations. A pitcher at the University of California, Santa Barbara in the 1980s, he later coached his three sons and their teammates through Little League, high school, and college. Drawing inspiration from a deeply literary family—especially his grandfather and mother—Nelson brings an analyst's brain, a storyteller’s heart, and impressive baseball knowledge to his writing. After a multi-decade career in finance, he has returned to his earliest passion to tell this story. This is his first book.

Contact Link

Goodreads

Preorder Links

https://mybook.to/NotDoneYetMagicalRun

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Just Win Baby & Virtue Triumphs Vice by Joe Bill Campbell #christian #nonfiction #sports #history #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours

 

 

JUST WIN BABY: THE GAME OF LIFE

101 Game Changing Christian Devotionals for Young Athletes/Young Adults

 

Christian Nonfiction / Sports / History

Date Published: November 10, 2023

Publisher: WestBow Press

 

Just Win Baby contains 101 devotionals to help young athletes and young adults navigate life with Jesus Christ as their head coach.

Joe Bill Campbell, a successful trial attorney, former college athlete, and a Christian gives each devotional a title derived from a word, term, expression, idiom, or metaphor that comes from the sports world but is used in everyday living. Following each title are Bible verses that provide context and meaning to the titled expression.

The Bible verses are followed by a message to the young athlete and/or young adult, explaining how the term or expression plays a role in daily life. The author follows up each message with insights on how to win at the game of life with Jesus Christ leading the way. At the close of each devotional is space to write your own comments, notes, and reflections.

The bottom line is the only way to achieve victory—in this life and in the life beyond—by developing a personal relationship with your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Amazon

 

Virtue Triumphs Vice

 

Christian Nonfiction / Bible Study

Date Published: September 17, 2024

 

 

Which emotion do you value the most: love or hate? Who do you respect and cherish the most: your friends or your enemies? What do you prefer to hear: the truth or lies? What means more to you: success or failure? What would you rather experience: joy or sadness? How do you see the glass of water: half full or half empty? Where do you want to spend eternity: heaven or hell? 133 million Americans go to work every day, 3.5 billion worldwide. There are more than 30 million small businesses in America. Every person, indeed, every business, has three things in common: a place to work (workplace), a culture (environment); and a CHOICE. You can choose to be virtuous or to engage in vices. Virtue Triumphs Vice uses expressions, idioms, and metaphors, supported by Christian scripture and common sense, to bring Christian values to the workplace to improve the culture. There are approximately 1.3 million violent workplace victimizations in American every year. Virtue Triumphs Vice seeks to improve the workplace environment in a manner that is not only pleasing to owners, employers, employees, but more importantly, to God.

 

Amazon

 

About the Author

A lifetime of faith, integrity, and commitment to God’s will.

Welcome to the official website of Joe Bill Campbell! Joe Bill is a lifelong resident of Bowling Green, Kentucky, who has spent more than 50 years practicing law as a high-stakes litigator. A dedicated servant leader and former President of the Kentucky Bar Association, Joe Bill has been recognized as one of Kentucky’s top lawyers and is a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers. Now, in his retirement, Joe Bill has turned his passion toward writing Christian devotionals. His works reflect a lifetime of faith, integrity, and commitment to God’s will.

Here, you’ll discover his published devotionals, including Virtue Triumphs Vice and Just Win Baby: The Game of Life, as well as his upcoming release The Christian Lawyer: Not an Oxymoron. Joe Bill believes in the transformative power of faith, family, and friendship, and he shares these values through his writing.

Thank you for visiting! We invite you to explore Joe Bill’s journey and the wisdom he shares through his devotionals.

 

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