He's talking 'bout please and thank you,
They're called the magic words,
If you want nice things to happen,
They're the words that should be heard, [1]
When I was a child and asked my mother for something, she would often remind me to say "please" by saying, "What's the magic word?" Then, after she gave me what I asked for, she would remind me to say "thank you" by saying, "Now what do you say?" I knew what to say, but sometimes I would forget. We all know what to say, but unfortunately, we sometimes forget to say it.
In 2007, I wrote to Standard Publishing Company and asked permission to use coloring pages from their Thru-the-Bible Coloring Pages. To my surprise, I received a letter from the Rights and Permissions Consultant, Joann Van Meter, and she said, "Yes." So, for the past nine years, we have been using their coloring pages.
On March 7, 2016, I received an email from Ms. Van Meter and she informed me that Standard Publishing had been sold to David C. Cook and the coloring pages would need to be removed from our website. Even as I began to think about how I would accomplish this task, I began to pray, "Please, Lord, help me to resolve this problem. Open doors and make it possible for us to continue using these coloring pages."
I wrote back to Ms. Van Meter and asked if she knew of someone I could contact to see if it would be possible to continue using the coloring pages with the permission of the new owner. She gave me the name of Sondra Rymer in the Rights and Permissions division of David C. Cook and suggested that I start by contacting her.
I wrote to Ms. Rymer and shared information about Sermons 4 Kids, sent her a copy of the agreement we had with Standard Publishing regarding the use of the Thru-the-Bible Coloring Pages, and asked if we might be able to continue to use the coloring pages.
On March 10, 2016, I received a reply from Ms. Rymer granting permission to continue using the coloring pages.
Thank you, Lord, for the answer to our prayers.
Thank you, David C. Cook and Ms. Rymer, for allowing us to continue using the Thru-the-Bible Coloring Pages.
Would you like to help me say, "Thank you!" to David C. Cook? Here's how. Go to their online store and buy one of their coloring books, craft books, puzzle books, or any of their many fine products. CLICK HERE!
[1] (Words & Music by Phil Parker © 1992 Shimbaree Music)
