BOOKS ON THE PATH

40% Off Ends in 2 Days

2011-12-29T13:45:00.000-08:00

Our amazing sale ends on Saturday, December 31st! Available only on currently in-stock items and not on any previous orders. No coupon code necessary!

May God's mercy and grace be evident to you in the New Year!

God bless!

Toby, April and Our 3 Brown-Eyed Girls

50% off A LIttle Girl After God's Own Heart by Elizabeth George

2011-12-01T21:19:00.000-08:00

These are now SOLD OUT! Check your email for upcoming books drastically reduced.

Only 2 copies left. This is not on our website, so you must send us an email and we will send you an invoice through Paypal or you can pay by check. Whoever emails first will get it. On Sale for $8.00 (normally $15.99) Shipping is $4.45 media mail or $7.55 for 2-3 day service.

Now the principles of Elizabeth George's bestselling A Woman After God's Own Heart (more than 750,000 copies sold) are shared in sweet poetry for little girls. 9" x 9" hardcover book.

Teaming up once again with popular artist Judy Luenebrink (who did the artwork in God's Wisdom for Little Girls), Elizabeth George shares the blessings of pursuing a heart filled with:

* love
* gentleness
* faithfulness
* kindness and goodness
* joy and peace

With charming paintings on every page and easy-to- learn rhymes, this is the perfect way to give a little girl the gift of knowing God and His love for her.

Thank you and God bless!

Toby, April & Our three brown-eyed girls

Sale Now Working Properly

2011-11-16T12:55:00.000-08:00

There was a glitch in the sale, but now it appears to be working fine on the website.

And thank you to everyone who confirmed that the email is working. It looks back on track.

God bless and Happy Thanksgiving!

April

Books on the Path Store

Get Books at our Cost!

2011-11-15T17:07:00.000-08:00

For a limited time, almost all of our books are 40% off, which is roughly our cost on most items. This is a great time to get Christmas gifts! Spread the word!

Also, if anyone would like to carry on the torch of Books on the Path, please email us. It is a great blessing for many families to have these books available at conferences and online, but we are feeling the need to free up our time (or mostly mom's time :)

So, enjoy the discount and act fast before the titles are all gone! (There are some items we are not allowed to discount per the publisher, so those prices have been raised for the storewide sale, but with the discount are the normal retail price.)

God bless,

Toby, April and our 3 brown-eyed girls!

Books on the Path is For Sale!

2011-11-09T22:08:00.000-08:00

Would you like to own a family home business? Consider Books on the Path! If you are interested in any way or know someone who might be, please email service@booksonthepath.com. With our reduced inventory, we might be right in your price range! Of course, you should love Christ, family, and, of course, books!

God bless,

Toby, April and our 3 brown-eyed girls

Random Coupon

2011-09-21T20:35:00.000-07:00

It is becoming that time of year again. School has started, the weather is changing and cuddling up on the couch with a good book is sounding pretty good. Got your hot tea and a fire crackling...well maybe not that cold yet.

Just wanted to send out a random coupon! Type in coupon code autumn and receive 15% off now until the end of September.

God bless,

Toby, April and our 3 brown-eyed girls

A Woman After God's Own Heart

2011-07-27T14:11:00.000-07:00

My sister is going to do a Bible Study with Elizabeth George's book A Woman After God's Own Heart. She began reading it and was so stirred in her heart by the book that she felt led to encourage other moms and wives to read this as well.

I will be ordering up several copies for her group to buy at a discount through August 8th, 2011. If you would also like a copy at a discount, you may order the book online, but it will not ship out until the second week in August unless you get one of the 3 we have in stock currently. There is no need to use a coupon code, it is discounted already on the site.

Here are some reviews from other women who have read this book:

"EXCELLENT book! My husband started noticing positive changes in me once I started reading it. Every Christian woman should read this book. I'm sure I'll refer to it again and again." ~Amy

"I read this book every so often to refresh me on how my marriage should look. I love these books they are honest and hard hitting, but wonderful in setting straight the role of a woman in marriage.

I first read this book to fix my husband, but I ended up crying out to God to change myself after reading how wrong I was to be so selfish in my marriage.

Elizabeth George is not afraid to tell it how it is and she definitely says it in love." ~Taryn

New Books!

2011-07-08T14:37:00.001-07:00

We have added several new books to our site, with more to come!

Click on What's New to see these treasures. Many are around $6. Great summer reading or to add to your character-building book list for the school year!

We are currently reading The King's Daughter at bedtime. These stories were in nearly every orphanage in the 1800's. To think that such character-laden books were the norm then. Today, they would consider them politically incorrect because of the godly character that stems from the Bible and the references to God.

We read a strong story out of The Two Bears and other addresses to children by J.C. Ryle on the topic of God seeing all that we say and do, not mocking others and finally that we need Christ to change us. It was powerful. I was surprised how seriously my girls listened and took in the true story from the Bible when Elisha was mocked by the children and the sad results that came of that. Yes, it was a strong story, but it was truth, and in the end J.C. Ryle pointed the kids to our need of Christ.

God bless and thanks for stopping by!

Elsie, Millie, Violet on Sale through July 15

2011-07-08T14:28:00.000-07:00

We have a few titles left from the A Life of Faith series. These are now out of print. If you had been waiting to finish up your collection, we are offering our remaining titles at a discount through July 15th.

If You Want a Book We Don't Have...

2011-05-25T15:33:00.000-07:00

If you would like to order a book that we do not currently have on our site, most of the time we can get our hands on it for you. Let us know and we will add it to our list when we place an order with our distributor. When we place our order, we will send you an invoice.

We appreciate your business. Because we are a small, family-run company, we are unable to have the inventory selection that we would like to have at this point. Not to mention, the books we have waiting to be added to our site, but not the time to put them on. Raising our 3 brown-eyed girls tops the list and so some things go undone longer than we like, but keeping our priorities straight is important to us.

So thank you for stopping by our site and don't let that missing book you wish we had, stop you from inquiring. We would be happy to track it down for you if we are able.

Life-Changing Conference in the Northwest! Watch the Testimony!

2011-04-22T17:10:00.000-07:00

The Light Switch Came On from NCFIC on Vimeo.

The video above is so similar to what Toby and I experienced at the very same conference in 2009! We can't say enough about the vision behind Christian Heritage. Their focus of family-discipleship really has made such a huge transformation in our family vision! If you think it is just another home school conference to buy curriculum at, think again. Even if you are not sure that homeschooling is for you, discipling your children is something that every Christian parent wants to pursue. I encourage all to come and be challenged and inspired!

Books on the Path will be there. Stop on by our booth to take advantage of our conference special and enter our drawing for a free gift certificate! We look forward to seeing some familiar faces from last year and also meeting new ones!

God bless,

Toby and April and our three brown-eyed girls!

Against His Will

2011-04-18T15:13:00.000-07:00

Another great book by the Castleberry family! This one written by Steve and Susie's daughter, Betsy Castleberry. She did an excellent job drawing me into this story. So much so, that I wanted to stay up late and keep reading each night. I hope she writes another book soon!

I always wondered what was completely meant by "being sent to the Americas" when hearing that term in a movie. I knew it was a punishment, but didn't realize fully how it all played out. In this book Will Lawson, a Scottish rebel, is sent to America as a punishment against the crown of England. He is auctioned off as an indentured servant for seven years. To have your freedom completely gone and become a slave with no rights is hard to swallow for young Will. I have a much clearer picture now of the realities of this punishment now and how it could mean death from just the voyage over in the ship.

Some books are predictable and this one was not. I enjoyed the twists and turns and wholesome story-telling as well as the moral message that "being spiritual is living a whole new life." Keep the books coming, Betsy!

P.S. Will Lawson was a real person. And, in fact, Betsy is Will's great, great, great, great, great-granddaughter. (Another fun tidbit to remember as I read the book.)

Gift Certificates on Sale! One Week Only!

2011-04-09T10:44:00.000-07:00

Gift Certificates are 20% off! What a great way to give a gift and save at the same time. If you prefer, buy one for yourself to use later! $50 gift certificates are only $40. Do any $ amount you prefer and save.

We have many new books that will be uploaded onto the site soon. That would be a great time to spend your certificate. Don't feel the pressure to get your homeschooling readers all figured out now. Take your time in deciding next year's focus and then use your certificate. It is like having a sale when you want it.

We have also extended our Faith and Doctrine sale a few more days as the email didn't go out properly and some may have missed the promotion. Everything in this category is 30% off and some more than 80% off.

God bless,

Toby, April and our 3 Brown-Eyed Girls

Books on the Path Store

One Week Sale! Pass the Word!

2011-04-01T19:53:00.000-07:00

Visit our Faith and Doctrine Category. Everything in this category is at least 30% off and some books are more than 80% off!

EXPIRES APRIL 8TH, 2011

We are hoping to clear some of our shelves to make way for some new books. Spread the word. We appreciate it!

Evy's Endorsements...Joyfully At Home by Jasmine Baucham

2011-02-24T18:33:00.000-08:00

I love books! And, Joyfully at Home reminded me yet again of exactly why I love good books so much-a great chance to learn about life! Jasmine Baucham offered me a firsthand glimpse of a young woman striving to be Joyfully at Home. Here, in the comfort of my home and at my convenience, I got to know this stay-at-home daughter as she honestly shared her everyday life with me, with it's challenges and struggles, as well as joys and blessings. Some of you might have ample opportunity to see the reality of stay-at-home daughters' lives. On the other hand, others of you may be like my daughters and me, perhaps not knowing any of these young women, or maybe just knowing a few stay home daughters in passing. Joyfully at Home shares a powerfully relevant (and often quite fun and humorous!) perspective, along with great answers to common questions regarding staying at home. I benefited richly from reading her story!

Are you a stay-at-home daughter? If yes, do your friends and family see you Joyfully at Home?

Do you have questions about what stay-at-home daughterhood could look like for you?

Joyfully at Home is a must-read for any young woman (and their mamas too), and definitely a must read...

...if the words "joyfully" and "at home" seem like a contradiction in terms
...if you think "a lazy, directionless attitude" might define your stay-at-home daughterhood

...if "purposefully content" can't readily describe your everyday life

...if the concept of "home as the hub of ministry" doesn't really make sense to you
...if "blessing my family as a godly daughter or sibling" seems like an impossibility
...if you need encouragement to see your home as "a training ground for life ahead"
...if you sense a lack of "confident enthusiasm about home" in your everyday life

...if "a passionately focused pursuit of the Lord's will" while you are at home sounds unattainable

..if you'd like help seeing the connection between "serving the God and staying at home"
...if you feel unprepared to answer questions like "why are you staying at home"

For some young women Joyfully at Home will give gentle encouragement, for others it might present a big old wake up call, while yet others may find this concept entirely new and unusual! If you're a daughter, get reading-you won't regret it, and you'll come away enriched and equipped as a daughter, or maybe even on the road to being Joyfully at Home!

Happy Reading!

~evy

P.S. If you are a daughter who might dismiss Joyfully at Home because you think it might condemn you or be too "out there" a concept for you, please reconsider! The author hopes that all daughters will consider staying at home, but she graciously understands that not all young women will pursue it. In Joyfully at Home she presents neither a cookie cutter "how to" book, nor a step by step one-size-fits all plan for young women. Joyfully at Home's pages overflow with encouragement any daughter needs...getting along with parents and siblings while growing in the Lord, learning to focus on others, developing a heart of ministry and service rather than living for everything "me," addressing faulty thinking about life issues, working on attitudes and being purposeful in life before marriage.... Yes, Jasmine Baucham addresses all her topics within the context of stay-at-home daughters; yet I found that what she discusses remains applicable, pertinent and useful in so many ways to any young women.

Mothers, you'll want to read it too-or maybe read it with your daughter-for great insight in guiding and helping your daughter if she has (or needs) a vision to be Joyfully at Home!

Go to the Ant..Scripture Songs for Your Kids

2011-02-10T10:01:00.000-08:00

You just never know if a cd you buy is going to "click" with your kids. What a delight when they instantly like the songs and ask to hear it again and again. We found these songs to be creative and catchy and an enjoyment to hear for the whole family, not just for the littlest ones. Our youngest girls particularly like Isabelle is a Pig which speaks of a pretty little girl in ribbons and curls but with a disagreeable attitude. You can dress piggy up but you can't take her out!

Just a quick little review to share a treasure we have enjoyed. Hopefully it blesses your family as well.

To order a copy or two, click here.

Marie's Home

2011-01-29T21:17:00.000-08:00

by Caroline Austin

This book was one I had no problem reading through quickly. It was set in the time of the French Revolution and when the book was originally published in 1885, only 100 years had passed. While the book does not go into great detail explaining the background of the revolution, it gives you a taste of the times and hardships. We have decided to add this book to our historical fiction category.

There is not necessarily a deep Christian message directly, though trusting in God and thanking the Father for His blessings are mentioned at the right moments. The main moral theme can be summed up well by the publisher...

"In Marie's Home, Marie's father tells her, "If we would find happiness in this world we must go where duty calls, and be loyal and patient even though things seem hard." This concept of doing our duty even when it is difficult is no longer commonly held as a virtue in our society but that does not mean it is any less important for us." --Daniel Mills

When one of my children are ready for this period of history or just need a boost in courage, compassion, self-sacrifice and true nobility, this will be one to pull off the shelf for them to enjoy.

God bless,

April

P.S. For those of you following our customer on their adoption journey..they have posted an exciting announcement today saying that they have accepted a referral for a little boy named Abraham. You can check out their fundraising blog...here.

One of our Customers...On an Adoption Journey

2011-01-07T12:20:00.000-08:00

Toby and I love to encourage others when God has called them to adopt. After all, He called us with each of our brown-eyed girls. Below is the story of why they are on this journey and ways to help! Now added to our list of books to acquire is Adopted for Life as they mention below!

God bless,

Toby and April
Books on the Path

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Jam 1:27
Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their misfortune and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

Me adopt??? This was not a decision that came easy to us. God laid this desire on Donna's heart first 2 years ago after she read an article in an Above Rubies magazine. She thought, “Surely I am just being emotional,” as she never thought she could adopt. She didn't have any desire to adopt and felt that was something only special people could do. God gently nudged her and she began to pray about this and kept silent as she was not ready to let anyone know, she desired to wrestle this out with just her and God. Donna's biggest concern was Jeff. He was content with their size family and Donna knew he was looking forward to having all older children and no more little ones. But she knew if this desire was of God, then He would change Jeff's heart. He did!

The journey to adopt is filled with ups and downs, doubts and fears, joys and excitement, disappointments and victories. However, if God is for us, who can be against us! With every step of the way His blessing has been upon us and we can feel His pleasure as we continue to walk this journey step by step, praying for His perfect timing in all things.

To share our passion for the issues concerning adoption we found a nice article written by Christian Advocates for Adoption, please read and consider God's heart in this matter.

(Start quote) "Why Should Christians Adopt? The Old Testament contains more than 40 scriptures that show God's concern and compassion for orphans. God's people then and God's people now must care for this disenfranchised and neglected segment of society. Adoption is the most loving and permanent way to care for these little ones. Psalm 68:5-6a says about God, "A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families..."

God is the Creator of life. Every child, born and unborn, is created in His image and therefore has intrinsic worth! While the church has for many years championed the cause of the unborn through pro-life activity, it has not been nearly as supportive in finding homes for the newborn children of these crisis pregnancies. In fact, this is often one of the charges leveled by so-called pro-choice advocates! Adoption completes the cycle of a true pro-life position. If we are going to be pro-life, we must also be "pro-adoption!"

Adoption is good for a child. Through adoption a child gains the opportunity to live in a two-parent home with a loving mother and father. Through adoption these little ones are introduced to the loving embrace of Jesus Christ, affecting them for eternity. Practically speaking, adoptive homes are more likely to be stable, loving, and economically secure than the average home. Adoption gives a child an outstanding opportunity for success in life! (And the opportunity to grow up knowing Him!-Donna here)

When Christians adopt we demonstrate love to the watching world. We show love not only in word, but also in action. When we adopt, we choose to give our life away. After all, adoption is expensive; it is inconvenient; and finally, it lasts a lifetime! Why would we do this? Very simple: "We love because He first loved us." (1 John 4:19). Isn't it time for Christians to realize that our lives are not our own?

Now is the time for the Church to rise up and take seriously the Biblical mandate of James 1:27 "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress..."

More and more followers of Christ are choosing to adopt. They do so carefully and intentionally after counsel and much prayer. It is not an easy decision for many believers, but it is very often the right decision. Jesus says, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these my brothers you did it for me." (Matthew 25:40)." (End Quote)

So with all the being said, we know that our hearts are to do the will of our Father and we desire to raise up more children to know Him and to make Him known to the nations! This is a missions lifestyle and we are looking at this as a part of fulfilling the Great Commission, not only are we going into all the world (Ethiopia) but we are bringing the world (our Ethiopian children) into our hearts and into our very home!

For a thorough look at the biblical mandate to adopt and the church’s responsibility to help adopting families please consider purchasing Adopted For Life by Russell D. Moore.

We have set up a couple of ways for folks to help us raise the necessary funds needed (Approx $30,000).

We have created a ministry called Threads of Hope.

Threads of Hope was created to help provide the necessary funds for the Hebert Family's adoption process. Threads of Hope provides modest dresses and skirts, our 16 yr old daughters photography, hot packs, soaps, candles and will be adding many more items to sell, all with the theme of modesty, purity, to glorify the Lord Jesus. 100% of proceeds go towards the adoption process!

We also have organic coffee from Ethiopia that helps our fund. For each bag of coffee, Just Love Coffee gives us $5 per bag. This is really good coffee! Great gifts for others! You can sign up to become a monthly coffee partner with us. Just have to make sure the link you use has our HebertFam name at the end of the link.

Just Love Coffee Shop

We will end with these verses that has truly been our driving force:

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” James 1:27

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” John 14:18

Soli Deo Gloria!
Jeff and Donna Hebert

Emails Can Still Be Received

2010-12-09T14:43:00.000-08:00

Though we are stopping our email service for the time being, we have figured out a way for emails to be delivered to your inbox whenever we have an update for you!

At the very bottom of our blog posts is a place to enter your email address. That way any time we have a book review or promotion or such, you will be notified of our post. It will only email you if there is a new post.

We'll see how this works out for now. We appreciate staying connected with you in some way. And this way it can be a two-way connection when you leave comments for us!

Thank you!

April and Family

Books on the Path Blog

The Runner from Ravenshead DVD

2010-10-26T23:30:00.000-07:00

Produced by Little Crew Studios

"Pilgrim's Progress meets Little Rascals" in this fun action/adventure movie featuring an all-children cast. Shot in Oregon's picturesque Willamette River Valley and accompanied by an original score recorded live by the FILMharmonic Orchestra of Prague©, The Runner from Ravenshead is an allegory about finding refuge and rest from the metaphorical wardens we face in life.

After a daring escape from Ravenshead Prison, Sam finds herself in worse trouble trying to outrun the relentless wardens. But help is on the way - kind of. Henry, janitor for the City of Refuge Guide Service, is unexpectedly thrust into the line of duty when all the trained guides are called out on other missions. As he sets out on his long-awaited first assignment, he gets more adventure than he bargained for. Will the enthusiastic but awkward amateur guide persuade Sam to trust him before it's too late.

"This movie was made by the Steege family. All of the actors in the movie are their children, which is such a unique way to make a movie. I had the pleasure of meeting this family in person at a home school convention and enjoyed visiting with their eldest, Amelia, who was very well spoken at age 9. My daughters crack up watching this movie and have viewed it over and over. This is a fun one for family night, especially if you have children or grandchildren under 10, that all can enjoy. Good, clean entertainment that can also open up a discussion about our walk with Christ or salvation." --April

Genre - Action/Adventure Family/Children
Length - 81 Minutes

Order Here

We Need Some Help

2010-09-13T22:50:00.000-07:00

We would like to add more books for girls to our site, particularly for young girls between the ages of 7-12. Fiction or Non-fiction, Christian and full of godly character.

We also would like to add several missionary biographies for young and old alike.

Tell us your favorite titles and we will try and take a look at them. We love recommendations! Thank you in advance!

Instructing a Child's Heart

2010-09-01T18:28:00.000-07:00

Once again, Tedd Tripp (along with his wife, Margy) have written an outstanding book. I gleaned so much from Shepherding a Child's Heart and this sequel was just as inspiring. I love how it reinforces reaching our children's hearts with the gospel to bring about a heart change. So much of today's parenting tips seem to focus on just getting our kids to do what we want whether it be by giving them choices to make them feel in control or appropriate consequences, but much seems to be missed with teaching our kids the "why" of obedience which ties into the gospel message.

One example from the book really grabbed me as we have a 4 year old struggling in this same area.

You want your children to develop the habit of prayer during times of temptation. Imagine a four-year-old who becomes angry with siblings over every offense, real or imagined. You want to accomplish more than adjudicating the conflict of the day. You want him to turn to God in prayer when he is tempted to be angry.

Have this converstion with him in the morning.

"Today you may be tempted to be angry with your sister. When you are tempted, I want you to come to Mommy and I will help you pray to God for grace. God can help you when you are tempted to be angry."

If your young child can learn to come to you to lead him to the throne of grace to find mercy and help in his time of need (Heb. 4:16), he will learn how to go there himself in the years to come.

Today, I applied this in our home. Strife was seeming to reign amongst our brown-eyed girls, so instead of reacting all frustrated and berating my kids with their errors, I gathered them together and prayed over them. I told God that we needed His help today to be kind and patient as it seems to be harder to do today. We do not want to be angry and impatient with each other, but we are a family that wants to show love to each other. Refocusing with prayer with them really helped to stifle the rivalry and brought unity into our home and reinforced the idea that we need God's help to change our behavior. It also proved to be a quick reminder when that impatience wanted to rise again by just saying, "Remember that we want to show kindness to each other." And they replied, "Oh, yeah."

This is just one tidbit that I learned from Instructing a Child's Heart. It will definitely be one that I will recommend to others.

Evy's Endorsements....Books Worth Reading!

2010-08-13T11:30:00.000-07:00

The homeschooling mom’s number one summer book! Need a fresh perspective to prepare you for the upcoming school year? Or do you need to remind yourself of the life-changing impact of the homeschooling you’ve done thus far? This refreshing book ought to be mandatory summer reading for every homeschool mom :)

The Spiritual Power Of A Mother by Michael Farris recharged and renewed me for our homeschooling journey. Moms will find WONDERFUL, MUCH NEEDED support and encouragement as the author points moms to God in the context of everyday life. Realizing that homeschooling is an incredible discipleship tool, mothers who do so “are sowing the fields that will produce a crop of freedom-loving citizens who are essential if America and the free world are to survive,” the author states. He brings up many issues that concern moms (from clean houses-or not so clean, to hard days, graduation and beyond), helps adjust perspectives and reminds moms of the rewards of homeschooling, as he gives realistic examples from his own family’s 21 years of homeschooling.

Leading Little Ones to God

2010-07-31T13:43:00.000-07:00

Leading Little Ones to God is our current bedtime devotional with our 6 and 4 year old. We had tried doing Training Hearts, Teaching Minds with them for awhile, but found that they needed something geared for a younger age. We will return to that one in a few years, especially when they are able to look up scriptures themselves to read aloud to the family.

Leading Little Ones to God seems to be just right! I am one that hates to not finish a book, but my wonderful husband wanted to try this out and I am so glad that we switched for the time being. This is similar to Training Hearts, Teaching Minds in that it introduces the basics of our Christian faith in a simple way. There are follow-up questions, a hymn, and a prayer and a suggested reading of scripture to follow each reading.

Having this tool has helped us introduce things that we have known about God for years, but forget that our little ones have never learned these truths. This is about our foundations that God is everywhere, is a spirit, what sin is and the like. It is a great way to get the big picture of God, sin, and ultimately to introduce God's plan of salvation. I am so thankful for a book like this, so my children can have a Biblical worldview instilled into them while they are young.

Waiting for Her Isaac

2010-07-14T11:05:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading Waiting for Her I saac by Mr. and Mrs. Stephen B. Castleberry with my 12 year old daughter. It was very enjoyable to read a fictional story with her on courtship to begin introducing the idea.

The beginning of the book was more about the daughter learning to trust God with her life when things were not going how she would have liked. One example was her family moving away from all of her friends and church that she so loved. In the end you see God's hand in all of it.

Towards the end of the book, you delve into the courtship relationship. Seeing how the parents interacted with the courtship process was very valuable. Courtship may seem to some as legalistic or old-fashioned, but to me the example set in the book was showing how comfortable, safe, and full of wonderful relationship a courtship can be for the whole family. Surrounding the relationship with prayer and seeking God's will is what I want for my daughters someday, as well as quality time with their courtee. Being able to discuss the important things in life and expectations the couple may have for married life was very refreshing. It was such a stark contrast from the Hollywood romance which can be so superficial and unrealistic and most often would lead one to divorce because of the lack of a solid foundation.

My daughter on her own accord has now asked to read Before You Meet Prince Charming which focuses on walking in purity and living for the Lord before He brings your mate along, if He should choose to do so. I think this a great next step to continue the encouragement of purity, which seems to naturally lead to the idea of courtship.

Here are some other titles on courtship by the Castleberry Family: Jeff McLean: His Courtship (A courtship story of a young man!), The Courtship of Sarah McLean, and Journey of the Heart (a book for those still waiting for a spouse).

Be sure to check out our category of Courtship and Marriage for more titles on this subject.

The Wonderful People We Meet

2010-07-03T21:58:00.000-07:00

We were told that one of the best things about owning a Christian business like this would be all the wonderful families that we would meet. We have been blown away by the various homeschool families we have met at the conventions this year. Hearing others share their visions for their families, their favorite books that we carry, and their encouragement to us as a family business has been priceless.

Even before we arrived home from the CHOIS convention in Idaho (which we truly enjoyed being a part of), there was an encouraging email from a lady we had met at the convention sharing how much she enjoyed visiting and encouraged us to check out Lamplighters audio dramatizations as we both love their books.

Most recently we were hosted by a wonderful homeschool family in order to attend the OCEAN convention in Portland, OR. This family did not know us, but heard we were looking for a place to stay and offered their home to our whole family and our dog! Our girls had great fun with their children and we enjoyed what little time we had together in wonderful fellowship. You have encouraged us in hospitality to strangers. Thank you for blessing us.

There are more stories like this that I could share, but I will end with sharing an email that we received just yesterday (used by permission, of course.) The amazing part is how God knows just how and when to encourage us. To see His hand in our lives is so reassuring and uplifting.

From Jenny to Books on the Path:

My 7 year old son has a favorite genre--mysteries! I thought we had exhausted all of the wholesome children's mysteries available. After searching our library today, I asked the Lord to provide decent, God-honoring mystery books for him. I was thrilled to receive your email tonight, introducing us to the Farm Family Mystery Series! God has been so faithful to answer the little prayer that I whispered to Him just today in our library.

If you don't mind, I'd like to share one more thing with you...last week at the library, my son found a book from the Clue Jr. series. We hadn't seen this series before, but he and his siblings enjoy playing the older board game--the one where children solve which pet ran off with the missing toy. I was so disappointed with this little book, because the children in these stories blame and accuse each other of the "crimes" at hand. There's no biblical love represented--believing all things, hoping all things. Just right off the bat they accuse their closest friends when something comes up missing. In these stories they need to solve which club member is lying. That's the mystery! No thank you!

I was pleased to read that the Farm Family Mystery series contains positive and loving interaction between its characters. You don't know how much this means to me. We try to be so careful about what we put in front of our little ones. I know that many people call this "sheltering" my children, but I've come to the realization that the word "shelter" is a good Bible word. Never is that word used negatively in Scripture. David cried out for it! It is used to describe our Lord. The Israelites held frequent festivals, building booths or shelters to celebrate God's protecting them in the wilderness. I love knowing that I can provide this same comfort and security to my children--heaven knows they cry out for it, too, only they aren't always willing to admit it. :) I think of our home as a little greenhouse, sheltering and protecting the little buds that sprout up around us. They're simply not ready to be out and among "the elements."

I've loved reading the books that I purchased from you at the Inland Northwest Homeschool Conference. After browsing the conference wares, yours was the only booth from which I purchased books. I brought home with me Housewives Desperate for God (I had been searching for this book for 2 years now), Pocketful of Pinecones (I had been searching for this book for several years, as well; I so enjoyed Mrs. Andreola's, A Charlotte Mason Companion), Hinds Feet on High Places for Children (I've tried for years to order this from CBD, but it's always out of stock), and one of Nancy Wilson's books--its title now eludes me.

I was also thrilled to see the Elsie Dinsmore series on your site. I have 4 year old twin daughters who will most likely enjoy the doll and book series in a few years. I've been somewhat disappointed with the turn that American Girl has taken in recent years with political correctness and promoting the secular agenda of tolerance among the American people. Why can't our little girls just have dolls and read stories about the dolls themselves? Dolls don't need to hold protest rallies. They need to have tea parties!

Thank you for your time. And have a wonderful 4th of July weekend with your 3 brown-eyed girls!

Jenny

Thank you, Jenny, for taking the time to encourage us. It truly does mean a lot! Thank you to all who have taken the time to visit with us at a conference or correspond through email or quietly purchase a book or two from us or host us in your home for that matter :)

Oh, and we purchased a few of the Lamplighter audio dramas at the OCEAN conference, listened to one and a half on the way home, got home and our 6 year old begged to finish it. We had been driving all day, but we all wanted to hear how it ended, except for our 4 year old who had fallen asleep in the truck. We came in the house, brought in essentials, and had to gather around and listen to the rest of the story. So, as you have probably figured out, we love the audio dramas that were recommended by that one customer and now they will be on our website. (As soon as we can find some time to upload them.)

God bless and thanks for stopping by!

Conference Time...A Time to Chuckle

2010-04-29T15:11:00.000-07:00

As we get our feet wet learning how to be vendors at homeschool conventions, we have had many opportunities to laugh at ourselves.

Our first conference we forgot our tablecloths and had to rent some last minute. (See Watch Conference story.)

Our second conference , Inland Northwest Homeschool Conference, was a bit stressful as we loaded up our books in the back of our truck and hoped it didn't rain for the short drive to our local convention. Guess what? It began to rain. Thankfully we had a tarp to put on to protect everything, 15 minutes away from our destination. Next, we bought a canopy.

And our most recent convention was 4 hours away. We were feeling pretty good as we had packed the day before and just had a couple of things to load in the morning. Goal: to leave by 8 am, we were only 30 minutes behind schedule. We were happily driving along when one of our girls needed to visit a rest stop. As we are getting back in the truck, I double-check that we grabbed the final box of very important items. To our disappointment we had overlooked that bin. What was in it? Do we need to turn around? Well, our cashbox was in it and I am sure there are other important things, but can't remember. So, we turn around. This would be no big deal, but we had already driven one and a half hours!!!! So now, we are 3 hours behind schedule. Three hours!!! As we arrive home, pick up the bin, we realize our tablecloths were in there as well as our business sign and things we would have really missed. This just means that we will have to rush our set-up when we get there because we have to be open that night for the conference. Thankfully, thankfully, my parents drive up to meet us there and pick up our little girls for the evening and our dog. Without them meeting us there, we would have been really behind schedule. So, lesson learned lately is Checklist, Checklist, Checklist!

This latest conference was Christian Heritage. Last year we attended as attendees, this year as vendors. The heart of family discipleship is so prevalent with the speakers, volunteers, leadership and the families that attend. I would say that what we enjoyed the most was meeting the people who stopped by our booth.

We had many little girls coming by as we were holding a drawing for the last Elsie Dinsmore doll that Mission City Press had before they closed their doors. When we finally drew the name, the girl was not present, but someone knew her and they tracked her down. She had been sleeping and they woke her up so we could present the doll to her and take her picture. It was exciting and sad at the same time as there were many disappointed girls. I wish we had one for all of them. It was so sweet later as a young girl stopped by and was wondering if we had found the winner. I told her that a girl had won and thanked her for entering and I was sorry they all couldn't win. She said, "I am happy that she won!" That really touched my heart.

The winner was a sweet girl named Rebekah!

I am sure we will have many more stories to share as we continue on our adventure! Each time we learn something more. Thank you to all those that visited with us. We hope to see you again next year if not sooner!

Evy's Endorsements...Books Worth Reading!

2010-04-05T13:12:00.000-07:00

Family Fellowship by Jonathan and Maranatha Owens

What does it mean to have Family Fellowship and how does one work fellowship into the home? How do parents establish the proper balance between obedience and fellowship and how can papas gain fellowship with their children? How does mama manage the keys to a joy filled home and what are the roadblocks to fellowship? Here's your chance to gain some godly and practical wisdom on the subject.

We are blessed to know this REAL family who REALLY works this stuff out in their REAL lives-ordinary people who not only talk about Family Fellowship but actually DO family fellowship-making them extraordinary folks to me! I am inspired, encouraged and strengthened a little more for my journey of parenting each time I get to spend time with this family and I can't encourage you enough to read this book, on your journey of figuring out Family Fellowship to the glory of God!

Happy Reading!

~evy

Amazing Stories From Times Past

2010-03-05T14:41:00.000-08:00

Ages 7-10

Amazing Stories From Times Past is a great book to read for family or kid devotions. It was fun to read about things that happened and it also had scriptures for it and questions. Some were sad stories but had things to think about. There are stories from 651 A.D to 2000!! I looked forward to doing devotions with this book!!

(Book Review by Dramagirl)

Evy's Endorsements...Books Worth Reading!~

2010-02-23T13:04:00.000-08:00

Mother by Kathleen Norris

Women! Moms! Daughters! Here’s a WONDERFUL book for you! Have you forgotten where joy can be found in the everyday, mundane life of helping children, runny noses, diapers, mounds of laundry and endless cooking? Are you a daughter chaffing at the dull and uninteresting way life seems to be going for you, as you grudgingly help your mother in the daily routine of family life? Is there restlessness in your heart about the unending effort and sacrifice as a wife and mother? Does home making seems so commonplace, the bearing of children so ordinary? Read on, friend, if any of these things have crossed your mind, for you and Mother’s Margaret have some things in common! This wonderful story of a young woman's journey from discontentment to understanding joy in everyday life is tops on my list of great books for women, moms and girls. Margaret sees her godly mother sweetly spending her life for her family, yet perceives it to be slaving away for a husband and family, utter drudgery, being tied down in a servant- like existence as a wife and mother. Walk a ways with her and learn what she learned in this very readable and heartwarming story that could easily change your heart!

Happy Reading!

~evy

Evy's Endorsements...Books Worth Reading!

2010-02-23T12:57:00.000-08:00

Home-Making by J.R. Miller

Every family should read this book. The pages of Home-Making carry inspiration and hope for a harmonious Christian household! Do you need a vision for beautiful family life along with a better understanding of what the Bible teaches on roles and relationships in the home? Then Home-Making is for you. The duties and responsibilities of each household member are set before the reader as Bible based wisdom, and you’ll walk away from this book with a new or renewed desire to faithfully live out your part in making your home a better representation of God’s truths.

Happy Reading!

~evy

A Reminder to Pray for the Orphans

2010-02-22T10:54:00.000-08:00

The ministry of Vision Forum is inspiring. I love how they help and love others.

Rescue Haiti's Children: The Rescue of an Orphan from Douglas Phillips on Vimeo.

Family Discipleship

2010-02-18T23:04:00.000-08:00

We have been on an amazing journey. God has opened our eyes to personally discipling our children. In fact, we don't know how we were so blind to this before, but we were. Now we realize that we need to be intentional for it to happen, to be intimate with Christ ourselves, and to cut out distractions that are stealing our time away.

Statistics show that if we leave the discipling of our children to the church, many of our children will not walk with the Lord when they are older. Most youth today do not even have a grounded biblical worldview.

How does one get started? What is a biblical worldview? How do I disciple my children? Check out the books below. They are outstanding resources that will help you gain a greater vision in shepherding the ones God has entrusted to you and how to get started. These could be a life-changing gift for your family or someone you love who has children or has a heart to impact children for Christ.

God bless,

April

"These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." Deuteronomy 6:6-7

Disciple Like Jesus for Parents

by Alan Melton and Paul Dean

The church is losing over two million children every year and they are not returning. What can parents do about this? Jesus showed us the way. Immediately following three years of making disciples, Jesus commanded us to do the same. Disciple Like Jesus For Parents offers practical, creative ways to make disciples of your children. Learn how His approach can transform your family into the image of Christ and allow you to enjoy the great blessings of children.

"Get your highlighter ready. This book is an easy-to-read, enjoyable, truth-filled book. I hope to pass this book on to many parents, whether they homeschool or not, because this book urges us on in discipling our children right where we are at. Then God will progress us as we grasp the vision for our family and children. I love this book!" April, Books on the Path

Family Driven Faith

by Voddie Baucham, Jr.

Family Driven Faith equips Christian parents with the tools they need to raise children biblically in a post-Christian, anti-family society. God has not left us alone in raising godly children. He has given us timeless precepts and principles for multi-generational faithfulness, especially in Deuteronomy 6. God's simple command to Moses to teach the Word diligently to the children of Israel serves as the foundation of Family Driven Faith.

"Voddie Baucham has written an insightful and convicting book challenging parents to prioritize the spiritual development of their children. Only read this book if the salvation and sanctification of your children is of the utmost importance to you." Tony Evans, pastor, Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship, Dallas

Bold is definitely a word to describe this book. Voddie unashamedly promotes homeschooling and the re-thinking of youth groups. His practical tools for beginning to disciple our children are extremely useful. He explains what a Christian biblical worldview is and how to begin teaching our children these truths. This book is not for the faint-hearted.

Two other great books that we have previously written about in this blog are Everyday Talk and Training Hearts, Teaching Minds. For those reviews, please click on their titles in the category menu. Two more wonderful tools!

This is a sampling of one of our latest email updates. If you would like to receive more of these, please sign up here. Many times we will include a coupon or special as well. Thank you for stopping by!

Evy's Endorsements...Books Worth Reading!

2010-02-12T17:02:00.000-08:00

Love That Lasts by Gary and Betsy Ricucci

Have you ever read a book and wanted to shout, “yes, yes, YES!” Ok, well, maybe you don’t love reading as much as I do, and maybe you don’t get that excited about something like… a book! However, to discover what happens when marriage meets grace, clearly defined and explained, rooted in Biblical truths and all within less than two hundred pages…who knows, you might be the next one saying “YES!” This must read book is unquestionably one of the best ever on marriage! (Can you tell yet that I REALLY like this book???)

Doesn’t everyone want a Love That Lasts? From good marriages to failing ones, this transforming book stands to make an incredible difference in them all. With humble honesty this husband/wife-authored book offers hope for a Love That Lasts in a way that leaves a deep and lasting impression on the reader through the true-life experiences shared therein. I think many of us don’t truly understand what the gospel means to marriage-this book clarifies that important concept. Impact your own marriage, the marriage of a friend or the marriage of newlyweds with this fantastic book!

p.s. Makes a great wedding gift!

Happy Reading!

~evy

Castaway Kid: one man's search for hope and home

2010-01-26T15:16:00.000-08:00

By R. B. Mitchell

Besides owning a bookstore and carrying meaningful books, we want to know what our family ministry should be. Where does God want to use us as a family? We have a heart for the fatherless for sure. It probably stems from the fact that God has built our family through adoption. We have had each of our children from the newborn stage, but a compassion and burden has been growing in our hearts for those older kids who may never have a family of their own. We don't know where He is leading us specifically. Is there an American orphanage where we can touch these lives somehow as a family and/or is He calling us to adopt once again. We don't know, but He always has a way of directing our steps if we allow Him.

All this detail to introduce an autobiography that I just read called Castaway Kid. This is a true story of a boy who had to grow up in a children's home, always wishing for a family to call his own. You will need some tissue as you read this book, but He does find the Lord through his heart wrenching young life. I am recommending this book for you if you want to gain a greater understanding for those children who have hurts and wounds from such tremendous rejection of living without a mother or father to call their own. Maybe God has put these children on your heart to serve them in some way or maybe He is leading you to adopt.

We hope to gain more wonderful books on adoption. If you know of any to recommend, please let us know so we can preview them. This issue is obviously close to our hearts. We hope to write a book someday sharing our stories of adoption with our 3 brown-eyed girls. If ever we doubt that there is a God all we have to do is remember and look at our children and stand in awe at God's handiwork in bringing them to us to be their mom and dad.

(Here is the Reading Guide for Castaway Kid if you want further discussion with each chapter.)

Another review of Castaway Kid..

"Mitchell's life story is written in a way that draws you in and makes you want to go ahead and read the next chapter each time you finish one. Yet
it does not feel as if it is embroidered one bit. He simply tells you the
plain truth of what happened in his life in a very direct way. We are allowed time to linger with the feelings he experienced, the good and the bad, but mostly the mixed and confused. We feel the bewilderment that he
felt as he tried to understand things that just did not make sense. The story is unbelievable at times, although we don't doubt for a second that it indeed happened just as written. Many who have felt pain in their formative years will relate very well to this story, even if it was not the same kind of pain. Mitchell then takes us through his spiritual evolution, once again, in a very straightforward way. There is nothing sappy about it. He finds the only kind of faith that will help a troubled
adolescent. The real kind. In a few very short and simple episodes he asks the biggest questions that can be asked, and finds the kind of answers that an angry kid, (or angry adult), can sink his teeth into.
Ultimately the author finds reconciliation and peace, and the reader will too." -by Alan M.

Evy's Endorsments...Books Worth Reading

2010-01-03T23:28:00.000-08:00

Thoughts For Young Men by JC Ryle

Young man-call yourself to a higher standard with Thoughts For Young Men.
Parents-call your sons to a higher standard with Thoughts For Young Men.

The Bible speaks specifically to young men (Titus 2:6) and the words of friendly exhortation in this booklet pack a powerful punch, helping the student of Truth fix his eyes on Jesus. Author Ryle points out that young men have the ruinous inequality of strength, disproportionate to their wisdom as he proceeds to address: reasons for exhorting young men, dangers of young men, general counsels to young men, special rules for young men and encouraging conclusions for young men. Thoughts For Young Men, a must read book for young men, can be read and re-read!

Happy Reading!

~evy

Don't Waste Your Life

2010-01-03T19:40:00.000-08:00

There is no mystery to the topic of John Piper’s Don’t Waste Your Life. From his childhood training, significant writers of his education and Scripture he builds a thorough definition of what a wasted life is and is not. The reader will not be able to dismiss this as a vague, “over my head” book.

There were spots that seemed slow, but abruptly therein was a nugget, so thereafter I read with greater caution. His theme reminded me of Paul E. Billheimer’s Don’t Waste Your Sorrows, as both writers passionately plead with the Christian to understand there are great purposes in the every believer’s life, quite beyond their own story. Other Christian writers have sounded a similar call such as Max Lucado and John Eldridge

Below are a few samples from Don’t Waste Your Life I have added to my journal for more reflection:
*Begin to treasure Christ and here gain an aptitude for Joy in Him
*I am Your Treasure and Your Great Reward—embrace all His Promises; more pleasure in His Presence; gladness in the present taste of glory. . .
*Quiet peace along the path He chooses for us with its pain, being satisfied that nothing comes to us in vain
*”I am hungry above all to pass this present test of faith and to have a deep restfulness in the goodness and power of Christ. I am hungry to enjoy His name being esteemed as others see my demeanor, my integrity and give Christ glory. That is a wonder not a wasted life” (p. 149)

Pastor Piper writes of his regularly assessing his own life- thus assuring the reader this is not a new topic for him, and he heeds his own word, a sober subject aligned clearly with the Word. In my view he succeeds in sharpening the vision, and bracing the reader to change course if need be to avoid wasting his life.

(A review by Jane a.k.a. Mom and Grandma)

Evy's Endorsements...Books Worth Reading!

2010-01-02T11:07:00.000-08:00

A Father’s Stew by Stephen Beck

No dinner clean up needed for this meal! While not a crock-pot recipe for tonight’s dinner, A Father’s Stew cooks up a great challenge-will you take it? Stephen Beck explains both the importance of Biblically integrating family, work and ministry as well as how to blend them together to be a sweet savor to God. The time spent reading this short, straight to the point, scripturally sound book will reward you hundred-fold with a clear understanding of how the life ingredients of family, work and ministry create A Father’s Stew.

This book is GREAT for dads, super for young men preparing for marriage and family and also a worthwhile read for those discipling young men in life issues (including moms of sons!). This is on the "to read in a few years" list for my son :)

Happy reading!

~evy

Evy's Endorsements...Books Worth Reading

2009-12-17T09:13:00.000-08:00

Fathers & Sons: Stand Fast In The Way Of Truth
by Douglas Bond
Fathers & Sons: Hold Fast In A Broken World
by Douglas Bond

I finished reading Stand Fast and Hold Fast and thought to myself, “Is there any subject pertinent to young men that isn’t addressed?” My answer was, “I don’t think so!” It is a straight shooting and hard-hitting book to say the least, but don’t let that deter potential readers. This author draws from literature of days gone by as well as current events to motivate the young man’s walk with God. Hold Fast can’t help but drive the sincere hearted young man toward greater Christian maturity with topics on leaders and servants, culture and art, culture and humanity, truth, lies, death, suffering and heaven. Page after page of pertinent, godly guidance offers fathers and sons a chance to learn what it means to Hold Fast In A Broken World. Each chapter ends with specific prayer resolves, a memory verse, discussion questions and further study options which make it an excellent resource for young men-just read the chapters, or delve in deeper. Also great for an interesting and discussion-provoking family reading or devotional book, or for fathers and sons to read together! May these books inspire many young men to Stand Fast in God's truth and Hold Fast to His righteous ways!

Happy Reading!

~evy

A Life of Faith Fans

2009-12-15T22:54:00.000-08:00

We have finally received our long awaited order for more A Life of Faith books. Things have been busy at Mission City Press as they are shutting down their line of books and dolls. So sad. As a result, our original order was lost. (Completely understandable) By the time we were able to re-do the order, we missed out on the dolls that we had anticipated receiving. We do have a few more book titles in stock. We were not able to get every title, but I hope that everyone is able to complete their collections somehow.

God bless and Merry Christmas,

April

Evy's Endorsements...Books Worth Reading

2009-12-14T14:31:00.000-08:00

Boyhood and Beyond by Bob Schultz
Created For Work by Bob Schultz
Practical Happiness by Bob Schultz

Three of a kind! Bob Schultz turned his own life experiences and his understanding of God’s word into three invaluable and timeless books. Every short and easy to read chapter overflows with godly wisdom for boys and young men and lends itself well to family reading or devotions too. All three books incorporate real, day-to-day life into lessons that will be remembered long after the last chapters are read. We are thankful to have great books reinforcing what we teach our children, giving them opportunities to “hear” God’s truths from other wise people.

Boyhood and Beyond passes on practical wisdom for becoming a man to every boy or young man reading it, touching on so many pertinent subjects of a young man’s life.

Created For Work teaches practical insights for young men through Biblical life lessons on the importance of work while cheering them on to godliness in areas related to work.

Practical Happiness is a young man’s guide for a contented life and provides one insight after another to challenge a young man in his every day walk with God.

Sadly, this author went to be with the Lord in 2008, but I hope these books never goes out of print-they ought to become classics, in my opinion :)

Happy Reading!

~evy

Evy's Endorsements...Books Worth Reading

2009-12-11T19:50:00.000-08:00

Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss

”That book changed my life!” proclaimed my 15-year-old daughter as we talked about Stepping Heavenward, which she reads yearly. Well, there you have it-what greater endorsement can I extend than that? I can’t promise life changes for all young women who read this book, the journal of Kate Mortimer that spans a lifetime, but I would definitely say this book’s honesty and authenticity touches the heart in much needed ways. It ought to not only live on every girl’s bookshelf, but should be read repeatedly as life goes on. Women of all ages will benefit from the realistic journey of Stepping Heavenward, portraying a woman’s everyday life from girlhood on. For anyone who has ever had a sense of “is this all there is to life,” for one who has thought “but I am not growing in my walk with God” or for those who ponder “will I ever be the person I so very much desire to be”…this special book will encourage, motivate, and urge you onward, helping you to continue Stepping Heavenward.

P.S. Both of my daughters name this one of their favorite books and I LOVE this book too.

Happy Reading!

~evy

Evy's Endorsements...Books Worth Reading

2009-12-11T19:41:00.000-08:00

Before You Meet Prince Charming by Sarah Mally

I am sure most of us would agree that what happens Before You Meet Prince Charming impacts how the happily ever after part of life goes. In today’s world, with the dating game not only rampant and acceptable but also encouraged for younger and younger girls, our daughters need inspiration for godliness in preparing for that Prince Charming. Parents (or mentors/friends/ family) interested in imparting the wisdom of an emotionally pure and set apart life for their girls will want to read this book to their daughters long before they are sixteen and long before they are influenced by the world’s ideas of boy/girl relationships. Girls-read this book to discover and then ponder the principles of 1) embracing and loving the protection of your parents rather than just tolerating it, 2) shining brightly to change the world rather than attempting to fit in 3) preparing for marriage by serving the Lord where He has you today and more! Before You Meet Prince Charming provides Bible based insight and down to earth advice to help young women navigate through life until God sends their Prince Charming along.

You'll find this book unique, in that books on romance and purity that are discreet and appropriate even for younger girls (by steering clear of unnecessary details) are rare!

Happy Reading!

~evy

Evy's Endorsements...Books Worth Reading

2009-12-09T12:13:00.000-08:00

Upgrade by Kevin Swanson

Upgrade your grasp on education, with this fantastic book on ten essential keys to the best education for your child! By clearly presenting factors that produce a quality education, Upgrade offers insight, help and hope to every parent and teacher. In this vitally important book the author connects the dots between preparing a child for life as well as for eternity, while helping readers gain understanding on the indispensable aspects of educating children. Parents and teachers alike, don’t we need all the help we can get in educating our children for God’s glory, whether we home school or not? Upgrade ranks in the top twenty-five best books I’ve ever read!

Extra thought…This book provides an excellent resource for someone who wonders about home schooling or the goals of a godly education for children. When I got done reading Upgrade, I thought, “Wow, this book formulates and consolidates our family thoughts and beliefs on preparing our children for life and for eternity perfectly-it says it all!” This author put into words things I had long thought about (as well as some things I didn't fully understand), but had not yet pulled all together. THANKS, Kevin Swanson, for a truly incredible book!

Happy Reading!

~evy

Evy's Endorsements...Books Worth Reading

2009-12-08T17:19:00.000-08:00

Everyday Talk by John A. Younts

Everyday Talk presents clear, gospel at the core teaching that promises to impact your parenting greatly. Some books I read just give me a deep sense of "aha" and Everyday Talk did just that. An easy to read style, the appealing way the author sets forth the Biblical concepts of everyday conversations and descriptions of how all that looks in REAL LIFE encouraged my heart a heap! This is a do-able book...you can read it and directly put into action any of the heartening lessons today, with the goal of making them all part of your life. Chapter titles include Your Children and the Gospel, Don't Be Ordinary, Your Home Is God's Greenhouse, The World: The Grand Deception and more. Each one addresses specific areas of every day talk as well as how to understand and implement these thought provoking truth in daily parenting. The short chapters followed by excellent application questions and written with a wonderfully conversational approach, instruct on how God wants us to talk of Him every day and how the influence of Everyday Talk with our children works.

Happy Reading!

~evy

Evy's Endorsements....Books Worth Reading

2009-12-05T12:26:00.000-08:00

Hostage Lands by Douglas Bond

Question: What book should I get for the young men on my Christmas list?
Answer: Hostage Lands, by Douglas Bond!

Excitement, intrigue, danger and thrills. History comes alive one day, changing the life of an average but rather bored 15 year old in modern day England (who deems Latin the dreariest of all school topics!) when his all terrain vehicle…oh wait, better not tell the whole story. Great reading for boys of all ages as well as for family story time-even young ladies and grandpas will be drawn into Hostage Lands, and may find it impossible to put down.

This books rates high as a super Christmas present for the boys and young men on the Christmas list. Hostage Lands brought excitement and anticipation to our daily family reading time-it was all we could do not to holler and protest, or to tie daddy to the reading chair nightly to force him into reading longer! Each day passed with yet more anticipation as we waited, waited and waited for daddy to come home from work and continue reading the next chapters. While the topic of battles and wars appeals to boys and young men, this historical fiction grabs the interest of readers of all ages (yep, even the girls).

Hint…. Parents, sometimes your children need suggestions for gifts to give a brother for Christmas-this fits the bill!

(In the interest of full disclosure, the antiquated word for donkey gets used once in a soldier’s conversation.)

Happy reading!

~evy

Introducing Evy and Evy's Endorsements

2009-11-21T15:53:00.001-08:00

Many hands make for light work. Or in this case, an extra set of eyes makes for double the book reviews or should I say triple! We are pleased to introduce Evy who loves to read and read and read and better yet is great at finding those gems of books that are worth recommending. We are so excited to have her on-board with Books on the Path. Thanks for joining us, Evy!

Below is her personal introduction.

Evy
As the wife of one wonderful husband and mother to three great children (ages almost 14, 15 and 16), God gives me many, many areas of life to grow in, to work on and to change, as I daily strive to live my life for His glory. Since I love reading, I enjoy combining my life’s learning with my reading. What a great way to “see” the world, “experience” cultures, “discover” treasure, “encounter” people, to “know” issues, all without even leaving my house, and what a marvelous way to gain an understanding of life. Among the many blessings in our home is a special room…a LIBRARY! I dream of having floor to ceiling shelves completely covering all the walls when I grow up :) My current reading, a stack of books on my bedside windowsill, grows ever higher- my daughter recently suggested that I move the stack elsewhere, lest I be hampered in using my window as a fire escape (no plans to need it for that purpose any time soon, I informed her!).

Best Ever Book
The Bible, my unrivaled, best ever, favorite Book in the world, recently made a modern appearance into my life. Though our family has listened to Alexander Scourby’s non-dramatized CDs of the Bible for years, my husband’s gift of putting that on my cell phone (yep, my lack of love for technology does have a few fickle loopholes!) made my day as the best birthday present ever. I can’t begin to tell you how great it is to have this at my fingertips for my half hour daily walk, and for my get-ready time each morning! I would highly encourage young and old to have an audio version of the Bible available for daily use and to devote some of the mind’s “free time” to listening to God’s Word. Grandparents, parents and children alike often have all sorts of audio/media input daily-grow a love of God’s own words any way you can, by reading the Bible or listening to it!

Book Lists
After the Bible, on the list of “books I love,” comes…well, now that’s the debate in my own mind :) What comes next? What are my favorites? And how do I determine which are greatest? How do I rate and rank them, when I say, “Oh, that was THE best book on marriage” and no sooner have I said that, than another great book comes my way? Or, I can be heard saying, “WOW, that has GOT to be the most wonderfully encouraging book on parenting!” only to read the next book and find that it rivals the prior one!

Hence, my list making remains a yet unfinished and an ongoing project. In spite of the incompleteness of my “list” I can share which ones I like very much, which ones at least tie (or triple tie??? laugh!) for first place, which ones I think are so good that everyone should read them and which I think ought to be required reading for various stages in life. The “must read” lists include several categories, from “every human should read them” to “all young women should read them,” “every wife should read them” and so on. I imagine I shall come up with more ways of grouping them as time goes on-I can’t wait to see what my final list looks like someday :)

Happy reading!

~evy

Check back soon for Evy's Endorsements....Books Worth Reading

A Life of Faith Fans

2009-11-20T00:34:00.000-08:00

Mission City Press is closing its doors. If you are looking for some of their books to finish up your collection, now is the time to find them. We just placed an order with them to beef up our inventory. So, check back in a couple of weeks to see if we have what you are looking for. We even purchased a few remaining dolls.

Dangerous Journey: The Story of Pilgrim's Progress

2009-10-28T23:40:00.000-07:00

I know this a classic, but I have never read this book before. So, my oldest was getting intrigued by the first few pages last night. It has become our new nightly bedtime story for all three of our brown-eyed girls. Usually our younger two have their bedtime story without big sister there, but she has been cuddling up with our 3 year old listening in. The challenge has been being patient with the many questions our littlest and almost 6 year old keep coming up with, while Sienna and I want to keep reading the next line. You know the in-depth questions of , "Why is a bird in the bed?", when it is not a bird at all, but a profile of Christian sleeping with his head turned sideways. That gave us a chuckle. His face apparently looked like a beak to one of my girls.

The pictures have really been enjoyable, not to mention the great allegory that it is teaching. It reminds me of the style of The Giant Killer. No wonder I am enjoying it so much! When we are all done, we will watch the movie version of Dangerous Journey. Now, I will finally know what people are talking about when they refer to Pilgrim's Progress and so will my children.

Dessert

2009-10-13T00:35:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, we were able to spend some quality time with some new friends of ours. They operate a retreat center called Peniel Ranch. While we gleaned a lot of wisdom from them and I could go on an on, one conversation that sticks out at the moment involved what we allow our kids to be entertained by. We were discussing different books and the analogy was given with dessert. If we are always allowing dessert, how will we be able to have our kids enjoy the meat and potatoes. Their children are reading such books as Boyhood and Beyond, Before You Meet Prince Charming, Created for Work, Raising Maidens of Virtue, health and wellness books. They are only 13 and 14 years of age. Their 8 year old treasures Thoughts for Young Men that a dear friend gave to him. The neat part is that they are really enjoying them and excited to share what they are learning. It really made me think about unspoiling my kids from mostly consuming "fun" books and getting those life-changing books in front of them most often instead of the opposite approach. This same principal definitely can apply to the movies we watch. They gave the example of how their kids enjoy watching the Moody Science videos, which are incredible. If they had been watching all the Disney movies or any such type of movies or tv all the time, how in the world would they get them to enjoy a science video?

It is great to be around people who inspire you to new levels and make you think about things that had never crossed your mind in such a way before. God is so good to bless us with people in our lives like this.

Let's Get the Truth Out There

2009-10-05T17:17:00.000-07:00

I saw this quote over the weekend, "Truth may not be popular, but truth is always right."

Let's help get the truth out there to combat the flood of Darwinism that will be appearing to celebrate the anniversary of his evolutionary book. I received this email today and wanted to pass it on.

This is a huge week in the war of the worldviews between biblical Christianity and Darwinism. The enemies of the Christian family and the biblical account of human origins are ramping up their efforts. We are about to see the largest pro-Darwinism media assault in history as the world prepares for the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species. In fact, this morning the New York Times ran a front page story on Darwin and the Galápagos. Over the last week, there has been a spate of television broadcasts and news stories preparing people for the new films, conferences, television broadcasts, and events directing citizens of the world to honor Charles Darwin.

At Vision Forum Ministries, we are exceedingly grateful for the unique opportunity that the Lord has given us to tackle the great idolatry of our age and to raise the standard of Jesus Christ in a timely and creative way through our new feature documentary, The Mysterious Islands. Everything is coming together beautifully. This weekend I watched a rough cut of more than 50% of the film. The power of the message and the beauty of the cinematography was stunning.

I am writing to ask you to seriously commit to praying for Vision Forum Ministries and our filmmakers as we scramble to put the final touches on this film. We truly need the favor of the Lord at this time. It’s going to be an intense rush to the finish line, but I have every confidence that we will make it and do so with excellence.

There is another reason I am writing. In the providence of God, the Lord has kindly sent us a donor who has made a $50,000 challenge to help us raise the necessary funds to complete our film and have the maximum impact getting it out in the culture. If we are able to raise $25,000 in the next seven days, he will match that amount with his own $25,000.

Let me explain why that is important: It is one thing to make a great film that proclaims the glory of the God of creation, but it is another thing to be able to take advantage of a unique moment in time to multiply our efforts and influence many fold. God has given us that moment in time. Now we need the resources to multiply the power and impact of this film. Here are some of the things that would help us accomplish this goal:

Having sufficient capital to enable us to complete the film with all the necessary bells and whistles in tip-top excellence.

Being able to hire a publicist to multiply our efforts with the press, which would significantly help in getting a number of important print articles published and give us access to important radio and television opportunities.

Providing screenings of the films in key cities around the country, thus exposing it to tens of thousands and creating a media event that brings attention to the biblical message of creation. (If possible, we want to screen the film at the same locations where the Darwinists are holding their international conventions.)

It has also been suggested to us that we consider a creative billboard strategy in key locations around the country.

Click here to help support The Mysterious Islands project

Time is of the essence for us. We do not want to presume upon the Lord's provision, but we do want to be bold for the Lord. As God provides, we will be taking immediate action. The specific number we hope to raise is $100,000. The $50,000 matching grant offer brings us a significant way toward this goal. If you believe in this mission, then I would welcome your consideration to help us meet this generous matching grant.

Thank you again for your love for Vision Forum Ministries. We earnestly desire your prayers at this time.

Persevero,

Doug Phillips

President, Vision Forum Ministries

My Daughter

2009-10-01T23:30:00.000-07:00

I am proud to introduce my 11 year old daughter who is better at blogging than I am. I am so excited that she enjoys reading books and then tellling me all about them. Her nickname is drama girl. That title needs no explanation. I love her so much!

Elsie's Endless Wait

2009-10-01T22:12:00.000-07:00

Hello,

I am 11 years old. My parents nicknamed me drama girl. This is my first post for our business.

This was my first time reading A Life Of Faith book and it won't be my last!! It was so good that I wanted to go to bed so I could read!!!! I'm on the first book of Elsie and can't wait to see what happens in the next ones. I think these would be great for girls of any age or for moms and daughters to read together. It has a family tree in the front so you know who is who so it's not hard to figure out. Because with some books I read I'm like who is this? Or how old are they and stuff like that, so it was nice to have the background in the beginning.

Elsie is nine years old and she has never seen her mom and dad before. But when her dad does come home, she fears that he doesn't love her. She has a hard time fitting in with her extended relatives. Elsie knows God, but her relatives don't have a very good relationship with God and she is kind of the only one. This plot grabbed my attention right away. I went through our inventory tonight to see how many more Life of Faith books we have and I can't wait until I am on to the next ones! I looked on the back of each book to see what I have to look forward to!

So I hope you will take a look at them and here is a comment that was in the front of the book.

Kelly, age 11
The books helped me get deeper in my faith, and helped me deal with everyday problems. I feel if I didn't have the books, I wouldn't be half as close to God.

Courage to Flee: Living a Moral Life in an Immoral World

2009-09-29T23:26:00.000-07:00

by Dr. Jefffrey A. Klick

It seems the divorce rate among Christians is not all that different from the world. Those in the ministry are caught in affairs or pornography. Marriages are dissolving left and right. They didn't just wake up one day deciding to run off with their secretary or co-worker. No. Small decisions were made long ago that brought them to where they are today. Steps that were unnoticed or "innocent" in the beginning. This book is a must read for every Christian. If we can stop ourselves from taking one step down the wrong path, we will be saving ourselves and others a lot of hardship and grief. Such practial insights are in this book. It is a great teaching tool for our sons and daughters, ourselves, and all those around us.

What Others Are Saying:

“Whether you are single, dating, courting, engaged, married, or parenting, Courage to Flee should be a book in your library.” - The Courtship Connection

“Most of us don’t have the time, money, or desire to wade through a stack or relational/purity books looking for a few diamonds in the rough. So where do you even start? Well, I believe that Dr. Klick’s Courage to Flee: Living a Moral Life in an Immoral World is an excellent starting point for anyone desiring to bring their love lives under Christ’s control.” - The Hebrews 5:14 Blog

“When you shared real life illustrations, it was powerful and impacting” “Outstanding book” “Thanks for already making an impact and perhaps saving a brother from a stumble or a fall!” - Glenn Miller- Miller Management Systems

“Pastor Jeff Klick, author of a new book, "Courage to Flee," provides some helpful wisdom and hope to those who are in the spiritual battle of their lives.” - Generations Radio

Meet Sugar

2009-09-27T13:36:00.000-07:00

Our 3 year old kept saying recently how she wanted a dog. I kept telling her to pray and ask God to bring us the right dog for our family.

Yesterday my husband and I thought it would be fun to go to the animal shelter and "look" at dogs. Well, our daughter has had her prayer answered already. We have found the perfect dog for our family. What won us over immediately was how sweet and loving she was and how calm. She put her two front paws up on me as if to say, "Will you love me?" We came up with her name this morning. Sugar because she is so sweet. Have you ever heard the saying, "Give me some sugar"? It means give me some love. She loves to be loved and give kisses. Her name suits her, I'd say.

We are amazed at how God delights in answering above and beyond even the littlest prayer. He loves to bless us. He even gave us a dog that could care less about our cat. Our cat loves to make friends and they both slept in our room last night a few feet apart. We were just hoping they would tolerate each other, but I think they will make great companions.

Here are a couple of pictures of our sweet Sugar.

The Princess and the Kiss

2009-09-26T12:08:00.000-07:00

The Princess and the Kiss is a book that I stumbled upon at the library years ago and wanted to buy someday for our home library. Then one day at a homeschool curriculum sale, I spotted it at a booth and bought it. And you know what? It was Books on the Path. I was so excited to find the book. Now we are Books on the Path and we sell it and it's companion devotional Life Lessons from the Princess and the Kiss. It is fun to look back at things that happen like that.

This book is a story of God's gift of Purity for girls. I was so happy to see such a book at a public library. I don't know if they still carry it these days. I hope so.

If you want a similar book for boys, we have The Squire and the Scroll and it's companion devotional Life Lessons from the Squire and the Scroll.

Here is the author's testimony from The Princess and the Kiss...

"I Asked God how I could teach my young daughters the value of their purity, how I could begin in their early years to stress the importance and beauty of saving themselves for marriage. This is God's poignant answer. My prayer is that this simple story will fulfill the same purpose for many other loving parents."
--Jennie Bishop, author

Training Hearts Teaching Minds

2009-09-05T10:44:00.000-07:00

We have begun reading Training hearts, Teaching Minds by Starr Meade as a devotional with our 11 year old daughter. We have wanted to teach the foundations of our Christian faith with our children. This book is a great start for our family because it is easy to read and the lessons are short, which makes it easy to be consistent everyday. If you miss a day, it is easy to catch up as well. (We know this from experience...oops we missed our devotion yesterday!)

We have found basic doctrine can take a backseat in weekly church services, and we have realized (thanks to the Lord for showing us) that it is our responsibility as parents to teach these truths to our children. These foundations are a good refresher for my husband and I as well. We want to have answers when others ask why we believe what we believe.

Here is a sample page if you would like to see what a lesson looks like:

Here is another review.

"Most devotionals our family have tried are either too long, too short, or too shallow. This one is the only one we've tried that seems to be just right. As a father, I am commanded to be the spiritual leader of the home. This book has given me a good framework that I can use to teach my kids. I don't want to hand over that responsibility to my church, and have felt guilty in the past for passing the buck over to my wife to do so. No longer! This book has given me exactly what I need to teach the basics of the Christian faith to my family. I recommend it highly! We started it about 7 weeks ago and have been consistent with each lesson ever since. We have 5 children aged 11 down to 3 and all of them enjoy this devotion. We all look forward to Bible time at night now instead of the obligatory check list mentality we've had in the past. I've felt more like the spiritual leader I am supposed to be than ever before. Do yourself and family a favor, buy and use this book!"
Reviewed by B. A. (Colorado Springs, CO), June 02, 2007

The Giant Killer

2009-08-28T23:03:00.000-07:00

We will break through the web of Sloth, struggle out of the pit of Selfishness, choke up the fount of Anger, flee the secret lurking-place of Untruth, and triumph over our most malicious enemy—Pride.

The Giant Killer, written in 1856, is a great book to use as a read-aloud to your children. In fact, it would make a great family devotional tool.

The book starts off introducing a nice family with 3 children. Two spoiled brothers end up coming to live with this family for awhile. While you might think the book would focus on all the faults of these two rascals, it goes much deeper in teaching the "good" kids to look at themselves and see the areas they are lacking in, especially once their world is not as they are used to.

The giant killer part enters in when the mother uses stories to teach the children about conquering Giant Sloth or Giant Untruth. Our middle daughter loves hearing about the giants. She is only 5 1/2, but would listen intently. I know that much of the allegory is over her head still, but we will reread this book when she is older.

Here is another review:

"The Giant Killer takes the reader back to a time before auto-mobiles. It is a time of horse drawn carriages and Church every Sunday. The story is about a family which must adjust to the new arrival of two spoilt boys, who arrive at the outset of the tale. The mother of the house reads to the children the tale of "The Giant Killer" over a couple of weeks. In-between readings the children are inspired to inspect their responsibilities to family, community and God; and how to get along with each other. This is a great book to start introducing children to Biblical values and wisdom. 5-10 year olds "
-----by J.P.

This is one of those classics that will have a permanent spot in our bookcase. If you'd like to own a copy, please click here.

Our First Post

2009-08-12T21:23:00.000-07:00

Well, it is official. We are the new owners of Books on the Path. This is truly a dream come true for us. We have desired a family-based business for a long time, but never knew exactly what it would be. About 9 months ago, our desire for an online business was really growing. April was reading books on the topic, but feeling puzzled as to why she was reading them. So, she tucked all the info she'd learned away to see if God had plans for it someday. As we had no clue what online business we would do.

Then all of a sudden we wanted to attend the Christian Heritage Conference in WA. We hadn't been to a homeschool conference in years, but God was leading our steps unbeknownst to us. We learned so much on the topic of family discipleship and really being active in discipling our children firsthand. After the conference, April was looking up more information on family discipleship and stumbled upon Books on the Path's website. For Sale? I wonder where the owners live? Well, out of the whole United States, they were 45 minutes from our home. We met with the owners, took time to pray and ....the rest is history.

To bring you up to speed, we have owned the business for less than 3 weeks, attended our first conference last weekend, and have had a whirlwind experience with learning all about websites, shipping, and credit card transactions. Now, we have lots of reading to do in order to acquaint ourselves with the 450+ titles we have! Oh, and we just purchased some new titles we came across at the conference that we are excited to read and hopefully recommend.

Even our 11 year old is on board. She helped with almost every transaction the first day of the conference, and is looking forward to reading and giving us her opinion on some books. She enjoys packaging up orders and doing some data entry. She loves pricing! We had many late nights together when we were getting ready for the conference!

So, check out our website at http://www.booksonthepath.com/ We have some changes in store, but for now we are just learning the business. The previous owners did a wonderful job with the business and we hope we can carry on the torch of bringing quality books to our customers.