Too Low Key?

The most observant amongst you may have noticed a major but low key change to our website over the past week... we have finally gone 'e-commerce'.  You can now order online using a 'shopping basket' and if you wish you can also pay online using a secure payment method. Our main reason for taking this step was (believe it or not!)... you!  We believe that customers find it easier to 'add to basket' when on the website rather than to type up an email order. Plus orders can be paid for by card at any time of day or night rather than having to wait until shop opening hours to give us card details.
What we also need to emphasize is that we have not suddenly become a big impersonal organisation. We are not your typical e-commerce driven site - we will not start demanding payment upfront.  You can make your order via the site and we will contact you before despatch to confirm availability and prices.  Your order will then be despatched with an invoice in the usual way.  On receipt of the order you can choose to pay however and whenever you like... by cheque, by phoning us with card details (we always love to speak to you!), or, if you happen to be a night owl you can click the 'make a payment' link on the site (on the bottom left of every page) and enter your card details to pay securely online.
We are hoping that this will make life easier for you... customer satisfaction is, as always, our top priority!
Lorna

Reading Initiative Award

I don't want to embarrass him, but I think that David Farrow deserves recognition in the field of christian literacy. He is so keen to encourage good reading. The pastor of Hethersett Reformed Baptist Church in Norfolk, he naturally has a concern for the spiritual education and nurturing of his flock in that remote spot. But beyond this he is striving with might and main to encourage the reading of sound books through his websites (yes, plural) as well as his blog. He has exchanged ideas with us and the result is the start up of a 'Book of the Month' feature on his church website. This is not intended so much to highlight new titles as to bring profitable ones to the forefront. We wish him well, and that many will benefit from reading his short monthly reviews. As you will see from checking out the links below he is proud to be a Norfolkman through and through, although secondary to his heavenly citizenship by grace. That is the subject of his first book 'The Christian's High Calling' by Maurice Roberts (Free Church Continuing, former editor of the Banner of Truth magazine).

http://www.hethersettbaptistchurch.com
http://www.theforceoftruth.com
http://www.norfolkman.blogspot.com
Jeremy

Crushed yet Conquering

Crushed yet Conquering is a historical novel based on John Huss and the Hussite Wars. Although placed in our 11+ section I would hesitate to recommend this book to someone of such a young age.  It is a typical Deborah Alcock story, accurately historical, spiritually sound and a gripping read.  My reservations are only because the first part of the story dwells on John Huss and his theology in some detail using his writings at length to describe his defence before the 'Holy' Council and his eventual martyrdom at the stake.  This section takes some ploughing through at times, but is helped by the fictional story woven around it and becomes an easier read as the Hussite wars following the death of Huss are described.  I certainly learnt a lot about the history of this time and the theology of the Church as it was developing in the period leading up to the Reformation.
Lorna
Crushed yet Conquering by Deborah Alcock, published by Inheritance Publications, £12.50

Christmas Evans

No, I'm not getting ahead of myself - this is not about Christmas. Just about a man who was named after the day he was born on! He lived from 1766-1838 and became a Baptist minister in Wales. Have you heard of him? Read this commendation by Dr D Martyn Lloyd-Jones no less: 'The great Christmas Evans, whom some would say was the greatest preacher that the Baptists have ever had in Great Britain'. This is quoted from the short biography written by B A Ramsbottom, published by The Bunyan Press at £2.95. I took this little book on holiday as we stayed on the Lleyn peninsula, scene of some of Evans' labours. It is hard to imagine now the powerful revival that came to that rugged and beautiful place through his ministry. There were 5 chapels on the peninsula built for him, but he used to preach in every village he visited, and 5 times on a Sunday! He also found time to translate John Gill's Commentary into Welsh, which shows the nature of his theology I think.

Following the careful directions given in the book we managed to locate the ruins of one of the chapels, before continuing on up to the top of Rhiw Mountain (not a true mountain at all!) where fine views over land and sea may be enjoyed. The cause of the ruination of the chapels was not time, but the fatal infection of false doctrine. Sandemanianism (bare belief in the facts of the Bible and Christ's redeeming work is sufficient for salvation) wreaked havoc where great blessing had been known. The Baptist cause suffered greatly and Christmas Evans was turned out of his beloved Anglesey, to their loss. Many good men and women found a new home amongst the Calvinistic Methodists. History has lessons for us...

Tim Shenton has written a book about Christmas Evans. It is a larger hardback published by Evangelical Press, but sadly out of stock from them at the moment. Last price was £11.99. Day One have also published a paperback by him at £8 (contains historical photos). We have this one in stock.

Jeremy

Just the Two of Us?

There were groans around me as I unpacked this book from the publisher... 'oh no, it's another issues book' my colleagues were thinking!  But I felt able to fully justify my choice - we have only one other book directly on this subject in the shop, I often get them in but don't often feel they are good enough to take up shelf space.  This is one I will be putting on full view in the shop.  'Just the Two of Us?' is subtitled 'help and strength in the struggle to conceive' and is a really useful book for anyone to read, whether directly facing these issues or not.  Firstly, it is British - not only does this help when discussing the medical options available, but it also defines the style of writing (and I won't specify why for fear of causing offence to our friends across the water).  Secondly, it includes men, who let's face it are one half of every couple facing infertility issues.  Thirdly, it continually directs the reader to Scripture and reminds us of where our priorities lie in our Christian walk even when faced with such emotional and life changing (as planned by us) circumstances.  Written by two women who have walked this pathway with differing outcomes, it covers a wide range of issues including secondary infertility, miscarriage and stillbirth.  I found it sensitively written and usefully interspersed with a lot of anecdotal testimonies.  It is a good reminder to us all of how we can be sensitive and supportive to those suffering these particular trials in our Church families.
Lorna
'Just the Two of Us?' by Eleanor Margesson & Sue McGowan is published by IVP, £7.99.