Quotes

Don't you just love a good quote? I confess to being absolutely fascinated by them, especially those of a christian nature. Who can match the pithiness of a Puritan preacher? The doctrinal demarcations of the Reformation? The burning earnestness in times of Revival? The crafted words of the Victorians? I wonder, does the C21st church provide much material for quotation? Yes, sound bites to be sure, and jokes aplenty, but how many weighty words which really make one stop and think.

John Blanchard has done a fine service in collecting quotes and they can be found bound together as 'The Complete Gathered Gold'. This is a lovely hardback book with a stylish dustjacket from Evangelical Press and costs £24.99. Actually not too bad in cost per quote terms given there are 16000 of them! But fear not, if this is all too much, a selection of 366 has been made and produced in the form of a spiral bound perpetual desk calendar (ie. it has one quote per day but the day is not stated so it can be used for any year not just 2009). The quote is big and bold and eyecatching. I intend starting mine in the New Year. It has a RRP of £9.99, but this price has proved unpopular, and we will now offer it at £7.99, but only if this blog is mentioned at point of order and while stocks last.

Jeremy

The Birth of Jesus

I have been reading this book to a group of children over the past few weeks (in instalments) and I think it is brilliant! What an accurate and exciting telling of the amazing story of the birth of our Lord and Saviour. When children are hearing so much about the birth of Jesus at schools and nurseries, this book fills in all the gaps and dispels all the myths. It includes the stories of Simeon and Anna, it explains that the wise men didn't go to the stable the night Jesus was born, and that there may not have been just 3 of them. It gives simple spiritual applications throughout. My children have been enthralled by the way it tells the story ... 'Mummy, Herod told a really terrible lie to the wise men, he said he wanted to worship Jesus when really he wanted to kill him' (Matt with a face of horror!). I really think this is the best book on the Birth of Jesus that I have ever read to children.
The Birth of Jesus by B A Ramsbottom, Gospel Standard Publications, £3.95
Lorna

William Mason

"Many complain of bad memories. They cannot remember many things. They cannot retain things long. Here then is the one thing needful. Here is but one short, gospel work for your memory. 'Remember that Jesus Christ was raised up from the dead' 2 Tim 2:8. Exercise your memory upon this. Clothe your memory with this. For this finishing stroke contains the whole of thy Lord's blessed and joyful works, from his birth in the ignoble stable, until his ascension to his kingdom in glory. O clothe your memory constantly with the joy of this, that the eternal Son of the eternal Father became an infant of days, lived to be a man of years, died as an accursed malefactor, bearing our sins, the guilt of our sins, the curse of our sins, all the wrath due to our sins, and all the penalties which our sins deserved, in his own blessed and innocent body on the tree. That he, the true scape-goat, carried all our sins away into the land of forgetfulness. Hence, thus saith your God and Father, 'Your sins and your iniquities, I will remember no more' Jeremiah 31:34. 'Though your sins and your iniquities be sought for, they shall not be found.' Jeremiah 1:20. You cannot; but at times remember your sins. It is fit you should to humble you, and to cause you to remember the love of Jesus, who bore them, suffered for them, and has taken them all away, O then remember that, Jesus was raised again from the dead."

Quoted from 'The Believer's Pocket Companion or The One Thing Needful To Make Poor Sinners Rich & Miserable Sinners Happy' by William Mason (1719-1791).

Available in a small hardback for £7.95 or a paperback for £4.50

I would also recommend Mason's Spiritual Treasury (Morning and Evening Portions), as an excellent way to start and end the day (2 vol set for £16.95).
Lorna

It's a gift!

For those that don't know, our AV block calendar is the only daily tear-off calendar in publication which purely has a Scripture quote from the Authorised (KJV) Version with no other verse or meditation. That may sound a pretty bold statement, but we believe it to be true. In fact if it wasn't we wouldn't produce it! It is really a labour of love (especially when the traditional KJV Bible is becoming less and less popular), but we know from many testimonies that it is spiritually profitable, and has been over many years. So, every year someone amongst our circle of family/friends is asked to choose 365 scripture portions for the calendar and they have often commented on how good it is for them to do this.

The other unique thing about our calendar is that it is doublesided - you don't have to choose which picture you prefer because you will get both! Perfect for indecisive people because you can simply turn the calendar around halfway through the year and you get to enjoy both pictures for 6 months each!

It is also worth mentioning that if you buy the 2009 calendar for yourself or as a gift for anyone, you are really getting value for money. As you tear off each text throughout the year you will come across Loyalty Vouchers and other hidden treasures qualifying you for extra discounts on books from the shop. Search for yourself - it's a gift at only £6.95!

Lorna