1st November 2007 - Ladies Night

Well, what are men to make of a strictly ladies-only function at the bookshop? I feel left out: left to put the children to bed whilst they natter on about children's books (allegedly). No wonder rumblings of discontent have been heard from other quarters as well. Church leaders have even voiced suspicion, and this unrest has undoubtedly been increased by leaked details of the homemade cakes being provided. I can only hope that good sense will prevail amongst the men, and the ladies will not be forced into a lock-in situation! At least I should be well placed to get hold of leftovers next day, even if I have to hunt around the bookstands to find fragments...
Male griping aside, it promises to be a great evening. Bargains like 3 for 2 offers can't be passed over. If you're female, want to get your hands on quality children's books, and live north of Watford Gap, then 21 Queen Street, Ossett, WF5 8AS is the address to put in your Sat-Nav system to get to on Thursday evening from 7pm.
Jeremy

Books on offer

Grace & Truth Online Publications are a small publisher who are worthy of note. We stock all three of their titles, which are currently being sold at cut-down prices. Here they are, with the publisher's blurb...

Sovereign Grace: Past and Present, I Potts (ed), was £12, now £8.50

Collected writings from both past and present preachers of God's Gospel of Free and Sovereign Grace through Jesus Christ. Includes works by William Tiptaft, Tobias Crisp, William Huntington, William Gadsby, Robert Murray M'Cheyne, J.C. Philpot, John Kershaw, James Bourne, Eli Ashdown, Francis Covell, John Vinall, John Warburton, Don Fortner, Henry Mahan, Don Bell, Gary Shepard, Todd Nibert, Tom Harding, Peter Meney and Benjamin A. Ramsbottom.The book also includes an Introduction on 'Sovereign Grace', background information about each author and a useful appendix containing much information about other works written by or about the authors.These works are by authors whose lives span several hundred years, yet their message is the same - they proclaim the grace of God which brings salvation - because the One of whom they speak never changes, He is "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever".

The Fountain of Life, W Huntington, was £10.50, now £7.50

This publication contains six chapters taken from the works of William Huntington S.S. All the chapters are Christ-exalting and experimental as they set forth the true work of God in the salvation of sinners. We trust that this book will prove edifying and also provide a welcome introduction to the writings of Huntington to those who may be unfamiliar with the works of this man who was greatly used by God in his day and generation.

Christ the Sun of Righteousness, I Potts, was £6.95, now £4.50

This work sets forth pictures of Christ as He is revealed throughout scripture. The whole message of the Bible regards the person and work of Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God. He is to be found on every page of Holy Writ. He is the sum and substance of God’s message to lost mankind, the One through whom God reveals Himself to man, the One through whom God reconciles sinners to Himself, the One in whom all the blessings of God to His people are revealed. The Gospel of God concerns His Son, Jesus Christ, and the message of the Bible is of the salvation of sinners through Christ, by Free and Sovereign Grace.May the reader be pointed towards Christ, the Saviour, the “Sun of righteousness”.

If you want any further info, read these reviews on our site.

Lorna

N.B. The sale won't last forever, so take advantage of it now!

Caring for Life

What an incredible story 'The Deafening Sound of Silent Tears' tells. It is the story of Caring for Life and the work that they do among the homeless in Leeds. This book was lent to me by one of our regular customers but I intend to get it on our shelves asap. Caring for Life is a very practical Christian charity - no aggressive evangelism accompanies its work, but loving, practical support - for life. The people they help have often experienced years of unimaginable abuse and hardship, many of them with learning difficulties or mental health problems. The charity works to re-house them, teach daily living skills, provide therapeutic activities and in some cases jobs on the farm which is at the centre of the charity's work. Each person becomes a part of the Caring for Life 'family' and therefore experiences through example, the desire of every Christian to 'Love one another, as I have loved you'.
They hold regular open days at the farm, so for anyone local, I would recommend going along - I certainly intend to.
Lorna
(check out http://www.caringforlife.co.uk/)

Shop Repaint

External painting. I knew that it needed doing, but hoped it might go away if I ignored it. But on taking a closer examination of the state of the window sills, I realised that it wouldn't, and that because of my neglect more repair work was required than I had supposed. Thankfully a helping hand at just the right time has propelled us towards completion of the work within this week. I now just need to paint the door and it's job done thanks to the heroics of Lorna's Dad (who won't thank me for broadcasting his good deeds.) No vast change to the colour scheme though, so you'll still recognise us - a lighter grey all round, with a black (but hopefully not forbidding) door. We get so much dirt thrown up by the traffic on the road outside that even before the paint has chance to dry it looks dusty, hence the logic that grey shows it least! I admit a black door will show the dirt more, but we probably need to keep it cleaned more frequently anyway to give more welcoming signals out! Of course the shop will need to look spick and span inside and out for the ladies night coming up shortly - ask Lorna for details of how you could come and take advantage of superb deals on children's books.

We were granted a fine though cold day today, as you will see from the photo. Yes, the grey is the finished look and not another undercoat! Like it? Loathe it??

Jeremy

C H Spurgeon

For all those who enjoy the writings of C H Spurgeon, we have just taken stock of another 4 titles of his...

The Complete John Ploughman combines John Ploughman's Talk and John Ploughman's Pictures. They give answers to common questions of the day on doctrine and behaviour as explained by a ploughman to his wayward audience. p/b, £7.99.

The Suffering Letters of Spurgeon give a unique insight into Spurgeon's life. p/b £6.95.

Devotional Thoughts on the Bible - The Pentateuch. Spurgeon's expositions of Scripture given as he read biblical passages before preaching are mini sermons in themselves and ideally suited to daily reading. Once published in one volume, they are now being republished as a series of paperbacks. £9.95.

Spurgeon's Sermons on Prayer. h/b, £11.95

Lorna

The Classic Original

No, I'm not referring to cars or clothing brands but a Bible range newly produced by the Trinitarian Bible Society, that most generous and faithful of Bible publishers in the English speaking world. The Classic Original Reference Bible is the new kid on the block - larger than the Pitt Minion, and of a size which will nicely lay out for reading comfortably. It is not too big though, only 22cm by 15cm cover dimensions by my measurements. The actual text is slightly larger than the Concord Reference, on which it has been based, and which it would seem logical for the TBS to phase out now. Although there is a hardback, this is geared towards leather bindings. It has been printed in Holland and bound by Cambridge University Press, so at least no sweatshop labour involved here in its production. Complete with glossary, concordance and 8 colour maps it is an attractive package. Particularly eye catching is the two tone stitched soft leather model. Have a look: www.trinitarianbiblesociety.org/site/sales/salesimages/8E.jpg This costs just £39.50.
The TBS are to be commended for refreshing and adding to their range. You won't get any hard sell from their Sales Department either.
Jeremy

The Postal Strike

What a pain! Let's hope they sort themselves out v soon because we've got a shedful of parcels to go out. It's holding up the dispatch of our AV Block Calendars. But keep steady folks, it's still only early October, so you'll get them before Christmas abw. We do have a courier service available as a backstop, if Royal Mail fails to reach an agreement with the CWU. It has mainly been used for more expensive orders up to now, and those over 1.5kg in weight. However, it can be used for most orders on request, and provides a reliable next day delivery service.
Jeremy

Scrooge?

I have to admit to being a bit of a Scrooge when it comes to Christmas. Don't get me wrong, I don't have a problem with celebrating Christmas at Christmastime, but what I get rather annoyed about is the way Christmas starts earlier and earlier and becomes more and more commercialised. Because of this I always used to refuse to acknowledge Christmas in the shop until at least November. However, I have in more recent years bowed to customer pressure and as you will see in this photo, the Christmas stock hits the shop floor in early October.
So, for anyone that is interested you can check out our Christmas cards and 2008 calendars by following the links from our website home page www.christianbookshopossett.co.uk . We specialise in sourcing Christmas cards with AV Scripture texts and we also produce a (very stylish) double-sided block calendar (see below) which we believe to be the only AV Block calendar available without any additional devotional writings. Lorna

Caught on Camera

We thought things had been going missing lately! The hand will be in the till next...or has it already been in? £10 has gone astray.
Any alternative suggestions for a photo caption? By the way, this is Alex (No 3, 9 months old).
Jeremy