Spirituality

Sep

2018

My Coffee-Cup Meditations

It All Started with a Phone Call…

I was driving at the time. Roger Ellsworth had emailed me and shared the idea of publishing some short topical articles he had written over the years for local newspapers in towns where he had ministered. His thinking was that a book of thirty or so Bible-themed reflections might be worth publishing.

Roger & Sylvia Ellsworth

“Roger, I cannot talk for long as I am driving,” I recall telling him, “but I think the readings you emailed me are brilliant. I think we should pursue these for publication. Do you think you could write more than the thirty or so you have sent me to take a look at?”

“Well, sure I could,” came his answer, his modest tones a little muffled against the background noise of my old Volvo as I drove toward Bob Jones Academy to pick up my son at the end of his school day. “Are you thinking we could make a short series?” he inquired.

“Yes, that’s the idea,” I responded as I eased my car onto Rutherford Road. “And I think we need to find a way to give the books a catchy look and feel. It’s likely that there won’t be too much of a response just to a one-off or two-off book of devotions. I think we have to make the books connect and engage.”

A day or two later, Sue and I were discussing the idea further. “We need something that will connect with the culture,” she said insightfully. “Something like coffee; could you brand them with that kind of idea?”

Well, that’s how it all started. My Coffee-Cup Meditations. We found a way to get some really nice graphics, and Roger, careful and disciplined writer that he is, soon had many more topics lined up that he could write on.

We defined the series right at the start with a strong and clear mission:

My Coffee Cup Meditations are short, easy-to-read, Bible-based devotions to help you consider God’s greatness, the wonderful gospel of Jesus, and be better equipped for life here and hereafter.

I think the series is achieving this. We are not much more than a year on from when we started, and already there are nine books in print. The final three are presently in editorial preparation and expected to release in November this year!

There is a dedicated website (another of my projects) to tell you much more about this delightful series. Visit www.mycoffeecupmeditations.com for much more information!

Sep

2018

Counsel for the Heart

Connecting with Heart Issues

A significant measure of my time is devoted to serving Shepherd Press. Shepherd Press started a few decades ago because Tedd Tripp’s doctoral thesis from Westminster Theological Seminary–written on the nurture of children–was proving so popular the librarian was being requested to make multiple copies of the doctoral thesis. No publisher at the time really wanted to take on the book for publication, so Tedd and his wife, Margy, decided to self-publish it as Shepherding a Child’s Heart. So was born Shepherd Press.

I love the story–how they thought just a few thousand copies would be enough to satisfy the interest and demand.

But it turned out to be one of those paradigm-shifting books that incisively change people’s thinking. Since those days, more than one million copies have sold.

Shepherd Press publishes books for the heart. The books have to be gospel centered, heart focused, and life changing. And so it is that a new category or imprint has been established, a range of books that are very specific in the application of the gospel and the whole counsel of God to the hearts of individuals. As we thought and prayed about this, it seemed good to define the category in this way:

Resources for Word-Based Transformation and Practical Discipleship

We’ve kicked off with three books so far–one by Paul Tautges, Discipling the Flock, one by Joel James, Counsel with Confidence, and an important book written by two ladies, Sue Nicewander and Maria Brookins, titled Treasure in the Ashes–Our Journey Home from the Ruins of Sexual Abuse.

Each of these books is significant in its own way. Paul’s addresses the nurture and care of the flock is an urgent appeal to return to authentic discipleship; it is a call to shepherds to be tenacious in their preaching of the whole counsel of God, and tender in their application of its truth to the lives of God’s sheep through their personal ministry. There is more info HERE.

I’ve also known and respected Joel for a long time. I first met him at the commencement of his ministry in South Africa, so, when he presented the idea of a book of applied Bible references to guide counselors, I was immediately excited! The book is described briefly in these terms: a book to guide counselors and church leaders in being well informed and to help them bring about heart-based change in the lives of the people they counsel, through the right application of Scripture. Find out more HERE.

Sue Nicewander & Maria Brookins

Sue and Maria are deeply caring authors who write with insight and compassion on a difficult topic. Their book is soon to be released. Here is a short description of it:

Treasure in the Ashes is an interactive book that gently leads readers on a biblical journey through the grueling questions and doubt, emotional turmoil, and relational fallout that follow sexual abuse. It encourages honest and thorough Christ-centered discipleship through the aftermath of sexual abuse, addressing hard questions and painful issues that are feared and often denied by the Christian community. People using this resource will…

Learn to push against shame by giving voice to their stories in a safe setting;
Address doubts and questions they harbor about God, and learn to consider Scripture’s rich, bold worldview on the subject;
Apply the gospel of Jesus Christ and learn the importance of His character and grace-filled sacrifice to them personally;
Be introduced to a biblical self-image, and challenged to gain hope by defining themselves and their purpose in Christ;
Learn how to apply the gospel to their relationships with four basic biblical principles;
Learn to embrace their story as part of the larger story of redemption and reach out to others with the hope of Jesus.

Find out more HERE.

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Aug

2017

Publishing: 2

Why I Publish: Jim’s Account Continues . . .

In my last post [HERE], I reflected somewhat on the early interests and influences that were involved in steering me into publishing. I wrote a little about how I faced rejection from a secular publisher in South Africa, notwithstanding the fact that I (probably rather vainly) considered myself eminently suited to the position.

Providence directed my steps into a book-selling and distribution operation in South Africa, one Sue and I started from scratch. Interestingly, what led to this was really, humanly speaking, a low-level dabbling in selling books on a church book table. I think my passion, and Sue’s, was helping others to be enthusiastic about books, and how they could enrich one’s life in the experience of transforming grace. The book table we started was pretty inauspicious, but, like a steadily rising stream, it flowed further and faster and pretty soon became a full-time operation. Our intention, under God, was to fill and flood southern Africa with good books.

But back to why I publish, and some developments that took place once we had the book business in place and had started some printing…

Britain

A family situation arose in which we felt that our time in South Africa was coming to an end and that relocation to the UK was necessary. By the late 1990s, I had developed significant and strategic relationships with several UK- and US-based publishers, so it was not entirely an unexpected development for me to receive a job offer from Darlington-based Evangelical Press, now known as EP Books. David Clark’s crisp voice on my cell phone as he spoke to me from England (I was in the bank in Johannesburg at the time) spoke confidently of EP’s interest in hiring me, and in due course, the contract was signed for my impending position of International Sales Manager, with particular activity anticipated in developing sales in the North American market.

With our feet firmly planted on British soil, so began a new chapter in our lives. Working for EP was both stimulating and challenging. Frequent travel to the USA introduced us to new friends, new ways of thinking, and new opportunities. And because I maintained friendships with other publishers I knew, there were always fresh opportunities at trade shows and other events to compare notes and to think of new ways of doing things.

The Shortest Distance between Two Points

This publishing thing… there often seemed a top-heavy dynamic in the process of moving an idea into print, processing it through all the systems, getting the content edited, a book jacket designed, typography agreed, and then the process of channeling it out to would-be readers through a wholesaler, distributor, retailer, and sales-representative system. Why couldn’t we just get the book from the publisher to the end-user and make the process leaner and more efficient?

In other words, why not just make the whole process more efficient?

I plan to write more of this in my next post…

Christian Care for Body and Soul

When I met Jackie Ross of Blythswood Care, I liked him straightaway. I think most people liked Jackie; he was the kind of person you couldn’t not like. At the time, he was terminally ill with cancer, but close friends reported that his energy was almost unabated. Good friends with him, and related by marriage to William Mackenzie of Christian Focus Publications, the two men were very much like brothers. Both had been visionary and instrumental in the inception of Christian Focus. “We’d like you to work for Blythswood and help us with our literature ministry,” Jackie intoned in his highland Scots accent. My heart was strongly pulled. Some months later, I was engaged as director of Blythswood Books for Life. Blythswood’s primary mission was to show Christian care for body and soul; what better way to help with the soul part than with books! How exciting it was to be back in the discount mail-order operation system once more, this time in the United Kingdom. All the skills learned in South Africa came in useful as once again Sue and I were able to promote the best kinds of books from reliable publishers. And it was a relatively short gap between publisher and reader!

And guess what? I found myself talking again to printers, and also developing a website!

One thing leads to another, and, after Jackie’s passing, a certain measure of restructuring was inevitable. How would God lead us now, I found myself wondering. Then the phone call came from Day One. Would I give some time to them, maybe equivalent to one day a week, on a flexible basis? It seemed a fair question. “What would you like me to do?” I asked. “Well, more or less anything you think you could or that you are good at,” came the reply. So, soon I was in up to the elbows in new projects; there was some editing, there was magazine work, there were customer relations to take care of, and there were authors—authors to encourage, to nurture, and to discuss projects with. John Roberts’ Yorkshire accent was distinctive: “Well, lad, if you think you could develop this series, I think that’d be a right good idea,” his voice boomed. Before I knew it, I was the invisible series editor of “Opening up the Bible” and also pioneering many other of Day One’s sub-brands, such as Creation Points, Life Stories, Faith Finders, and several others.

America

“Jim, I think you have really put Day One on the map as a publisher,” offered one friend and mentor. “You’ve straightened up the list and brought discipline and order to it in a significant and strategic way.” His words were carefully chosen. And it was around that time relocation to the USA became a serious consideration. A week before Thanksgiving 2010, the Holmes family placed their six feet on American soil for the first time with the intention of not taking them off US soil for several months. With things that took place then, there might even be a book’s worth of events that I could derive from those early months!

April Fool’s Day

Here is not the place to go into what happened in Day One’s revised thinking with respect to its US operation and my and my family’s being transplanted here. Suffice it to say that I am thankful to know that the Lord God omnipotent reigns in the details as much as the big-picture events of our lives. So it was that on April 1^st 2014 I awoke with somewhat of a sense of “What is God going to do in my life now?” I had but the barest sense of whatever it would be, it would be in publishing…

So, why am I a publisher? Let me try to share some more about that in another blog post! [HERE]

Jun

2017

Paul Tautges on Prayer

Pray About Everything

One of the many things I get to enjoy is working with gifted authors.

My good friend, Dr. Paul Tautges (“Say my last name to rhyme with couches,” he quipped to me when I first met him some ten years ago) is hard working in the ministry, as well as being prolific in his writing and editing. It was my privilege to be involved in his first main publication, then called Counsel one another (published by the company I used to work for in the UK) and subsequently upgraded to Counseling One Another, and now available from Shepherd Press.

One of Paul’s subsequent books was also brought into print by the same UK publisher, but, for various reasons was released to Shepherd Press, too, and is now making its second debut as Pray About Everything. It was originally titled Teach them to pray, and had as its assumption that the primary users were church ministers and office-bearers.

One of the reasons for changing the title in the Shepherd Press edition is that prayer should not only be about everything, but that prayer is for everyone who is walking in a right relationship with God. Ordinary people, not just church leaders, should be praying people!

Extensively endorsed, Paul’s book carries recommendations from men such as Jerry Bridges (he contributed the foreword), Brian Croft, Joel Beeke, and Mark Dever. Dever calls it “one of my favorite books on prayer.”

The short description of the book goes like this:

An urgent call, with practical guidelines, for believers to commit themselves to regular and systematic heartfelt prayer as an essential spiritual discipline of the Christian life.

The Table of Contents is in itself an appetite-whetter:

Foreword; Preface
Part 1 Prayer and the New Testament Church
1 Common People in Constant Prayer
2 The Priority of Prayer
Part 2 Brief Meditations for Prayer Meetings
3 Praying in Jesus’ Name
4 Praying for Unbelievers
5 Praying for Government Leaders
6 Praying Constantly
7 Praying with a Forgiving Heart
8 Praying with Tears
9 How Stubbornness Kills Prayer
10 How Husbands Get Their Prayers Answered
11 Asking Your Elders to Pray with You
12 Keep Praying!
Part 3 Practical Helps for Cultivating God-Dependency
Appendix 1 Annual “9 Days of Prayer”
Appendix 2 Four Seasons of Prayer
Appendix 3 Monthly Missions Prayer Nights
Appendix 4 Praying Scripture through Trials
Appendix 5 Prayer Sermon Outlines
Appendix 6 Small Group Bible Study on Prayer

Practical Stuff

You may order the book from Shepherd Press HERE

View a downloadable PDF information sheet HERE

KEY DETAILS AT A GLANCE
Pray About Everything: Cultivating God-Dependency
Paul Tautges
Trade Paperback, 128pp, 7.8 x 5.06 inches
ISBN: 978-1-63342-114-1
Suggested retail price: $12.95

Enjoy listening to an interview and discussion between Paul Tautges and Kevin Boling of Knowing the Truth Radio.

May

2017

Our Everyday Conversations…

A Book That Engaged Me for Several Hundred Miles

Notwithstanding my smaller-than-average stature and build, I was feeling cramped and as if I had been traveling for over twenty-four hours. I shifted again in my seat to try to alleviate the numbness in my posterior. The American Airlines plane, a small two-engine jet en route from Chicago to Greenville, South Carolina, hit another patch of turbulence; involuntarily I looked out of the small window and noted the proximity of denser cloud–purples etched with grays. “Not too much longer,” I thought to myself above the all-pervading hum of the aircraft. I turned my eyes back to the book that had been holding my attention for much of the journey that day on an earlier flight from Manchester airport, and now on this last leg of the journey: “Everyday Talk–Talking Freely and Naturally about God with Your Children” written by Jay (John A.) Younts (further details HERE). I must say that an important detail escaped my attention at the time: the author lived in the very town to which I was traveling!

Rummaging through my laptop bag wedged under the seat in front of me, I checked my papers for when we would arrive at GSP, the Greenville Spartanburg Airport. With my wife, Sue, and our son, Matthew, just five or so years old at the time, we were to be staying for a few weeks in the Greenville area to get a sense of whether we might one day be able to live there. My UK employers at the time were keen for me to establish a greater presence in the United States.

Happily, in my many travels, my pathway had often crossed with that of Rick and Linda Riggall, a delightful couple from Shepherd Press. Often at trade events, Rick would show me the latest resource that had been produced. I was always struck by the commitment to editorial integrity and production quality that was a hallmark of Shepherd Press. The one I held in my grasp in that turbulent air was another such book. As I had read through it all those hundreds of miles over the Atlantic and then over the US landmass, I had found myself mentally underscoring large sections and I could hear my voice (the auditory equivalent of my mind’s eye) affirming, “Yes, that’s right!”

In Everyday Talk, Jay writes from the heart about making and taking those natural opportunities to speak to our children about spiritual matters. There needs be no divide between the “secular” and the “sacred.” All of life belongs to God, and, if we are living in reference to Him, there are certainly many ways a spiritual conversation may be engendered, and many is the time that there is an event that intersects with our lives that proves a natural node for discussion. You can find out a lot more about the book here; to you, let me say that I rate it a five-star book!

Some Years Later

Fast-forward nine or so years and I find myself in different yet related circumstances. Instead of living in the UK, I am now resident in the USA—in Greenville, South Carolina—and no longer in the employ of Day One, but serving Shepherd Press on a part-time and freelance basis. And it has been my delight to make the personal acquaintance of Jay Younts. He is the blogger at Shepherd Press. Moreover, he has more than one book in him!

Today, we are seated in the studio of HIS Radio, from which Kevin Boling, host of Knowing the Truth Radio, broadcasts a live, one-hour interview with Jay. Kevin, energetic, distinguished, articulate, friendly, has a way of putting his radio guests at ease. With Gary, the engineer behind the desk managing the controls, and Jay occupying a seat next to me, I enjoy the passive perspective of listening in on the interview, ready to chime in if appropriate, but mostly just glad to have Jay be able to share with the radio listeners—and you (for you can listen in online–see below)—to the wisdom he has gained over the years on how to cultivate a relationship with our kids so that we may speak to them in natural terms and ways about the special relationship God has established in marriage. Jay, himself not only a father but also a grandfather, is a natural communicator and has worked with his son, David, in putting together this resource titled “Everyday Talk about Sex and Marriage” and subtitled “A Biblical Handbook for Parents.” Silver-headed (and now without a beard after radiation treatment for throat cancer), his easy-to-listen-to voice comes over well on the radio, and he punctuates his conversation with illustrations and some humor.

I am so thankful to be able to have a part in the ministry of Shepherd Press, and to be able to help produce and promote such excellent, biblically faithful resources. Find out much more about the book in the information sheet HERE. And do be sure to listen in to the interview between Kevin and Jay–below.

Nov

2016

Evangelical Times Promotes “The Twelve Days of Christmas”

An Article Published in November 2016 of Evangelical Times

Reproduced with the kind permission of www.EvangelicalTimes.org

The Twelve Days of Christmas

Recently, Evangelical Times interviewed Roger Ellsworth and Jim Holmes about a new project they are working on, the publication, promotion and distribution of a small-format, 112-page book, The Twelve Days of Christmas: morning and evening thoughts on Immanuel — God with us. The book is by Roger Ellsworth (details from http://twelvedaysofchristmas.net).

ET: Jim, tell our readers how the Twelve Days idea came about.

Jim Holmes: Several years ago, Evangelical Press published Roger Ellsworth’s book The 31 Days of Christmas. I loved the title and the idea — short devotional readings that could be consumed by ordinary people in one month — but it went out of print. To cut a long story short, Roger and I have been able to rework some of the original content and make it available once again.

ET: Roger, you have evidently preached a lot about Christmas over the years. Are people receptive to the gospel message at this time of the year?

Roger Ellsworth: Yes, people do seem to be more receptive to the gospel during the Christmas season. There is such a sustained emphasis on showing kindness and goodwill to our fellow citizens, that even those who are opposed to Christianity are apt to be a bit more patient with Christians in general, and especially with those in their own family and among their colleagues.

It is also the one time of the year that some unbelievers are willing to attend a church service, perhaps to honour a family tradition or please a family member. Individual Christians should seize opportunities to invite unbelievers to attend services at Christmas, and pastors should be prepared to clearly and winsomely proclaim the gospel.

ET: Jim, tell us why you chose the title The Twelve Days?

Jim: There is something really catchy in the idea of ‘twelve’. And as everyone knows the song, it seemed such a good idea to pack some good, Bible-based content in bite-sized chapters into a book with this title.

By the way, we express the mission of the book thus: ‘It is intended to help the hearts and minds of believers to focus on the wonder of the incarnation, as well as to encourage unbelievers to come in repentance and faith to Christ’. The meditations are easy to read and include bulleted points for practical application.

ET: Roger, in a nutshell, how do you define Christmas?

Roger: Christmas is the celebration of the Son of God coming to this earth in our humanity. The angel who appeared to the shepherds outside Bethlehem put it this way: ‘For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord’ (Luke 2:11).

ET: What do you think many people greatly misunderstand about Christmas?

Roger: While most still understand that Christmas is the celebration of the birth of the Lord Jesus, very few know why it was necessary for him to come. Many seem to think that Jesus only came among us to be an example to us. They do not connect the manger of Bethlehem with the cross of Calvary. They do not understand that Jesus came in our humanity for the express purpose of dying on the cross. And they certainly do not understand why it was necessary for him to die on the cross.

People do not realize the reality and enormity of their sins. They do not realize that our sins deserve the wrath of God and that Jesus went to the cross to receive that wrath, so that all who put their trust in him will not have to endure that wrath.

We must never think of Jesus’ death on the cross in terms of just another man dying a physical death. Jesus’ death was much more than that. It was a special death, in which he received the full measure of the judgement that our sins deserve.

When we view Christmas through the lens of the cross — assuming we truly understand the cross — Christmas will become exceedingly precious to us.

ET: Roger, over the years, ET readers have seen how your writing strongly directs them to apply what they read, in personal, practical ways, to their lives. How challenging is it to write like this?

Roger: As far as I am concerned, the Christian author faces the most challenging of all tasks, namely, to put the glorious truths of Christianity into clear and understandable language without losing the glory of those truths.

ET: This is a devotional book, and yet it calls people not only to worship the one true, living God, but first to come to him in repentance and faith. How do you expect ordinary readers who may not yet be believers to respond to this emphasis in your writing?

Roger: Repentance from sin and faith in Christ have never been popular topics. No mere man can produce repentance and faith in himself, let alone in anyone else. This always has been and will be the work of the Holy Spirit.

As I preach and write, I pray that the Spirit of God will use my feeble efforts to powerfully convince sinners of their sins and draw them to Christ.

ET: Jim, we understand that there are aspects of Roger’s book that can be personalised for the specific use a certain church. Please explain how this works.

Jim: Yes, this is customisation: personalising a high quality book so that it is identifiable with a church or ministry. Poorly produced material used in the name of advancing the gospel can be a turn-off to unbelievers, but it is possible to print nice literature affordably and with its own unique look and feel.

Our method is simple: people may select the cover they prefer, and Bible text using the version they most like (AV, NKJV or ESV), and then place their order. If they wish to add their church’s name and contact information on the cover and inside page (to describe or promote their ministry or use the book as a giveaway), we offer this option too. What a great way to help churches connect meaningfully with their communities!

ET: Isn’t this quite an expensive kind of project to undertake?

Jim: No, it’s actually a fairly low cost, high value project, and it is a very well produced product. The book’s suggested retail price is £4.99. But, by producing it in a prepublication model that has low overheads, collects payment before printing and arranges for the printers to send the books directly to the user, we are able to give generous discounts. It is very affordable.

ET: So it’s really just one book (with the option of Bible texts quoted from three different versions) and with the choice of three different covers?

Jim: Yes. The content is exactly the same in all three editions of the book — other than that Bible texts are quoted from a different version in each one. The covers reflect different tastes, ranging from modern to traditional designs. We’re really happy to accommodate people’s wishes.

If there is an ET reader who has a new and different idea to share, we’d love to explore this (visit the site http://twelvedaysofchristmas.net for contact details)

ET: Roger, as we close this interview, in one sentence what is your prayer for people who will read this book?

Roger: I pray that unbelievers will come to faith in the Lord Jesus and that believers will have a greater sense of awe and wonder regarding the Lord Jesus.

May

2016

Tweetable One-Liners!

Fun Quotes

Some time back, my friend Brian Darroll in South Africa sent me some fun quotes–they were referenced as “Christian One-Liners.” He did not originate them but passed them on from somewhere else in the ether. Many of them make a good point. Enjoy!

Christian One Liners

Don’t let your worries get the best of you; Remember, Moses started out as a basket case.

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Some people are kind, polite, and sweet-spirited until you try to sit in their pews.

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Many folks want to serve God, but only as advisers.

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It is easier to preach ten sermons than it is to live one.

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The good Lord didn’t create anything without a purpose, but mosquitoes seem to come close.

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When you get to your wits’ end, you’ll find God lives there.

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People are funny; they want the front of the bus, middle of the road, and back of the church.

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Opportunity may knock once, but temptation bangs on the front door forever.

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Quit griping about your church; If it was perfect, you couldn’t belong.

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If a church wants a better pastor, it only needs to pray for the one it has.

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We’re called to be witnesses, not lawyers or judges.

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God Himself doesn’t propose to judge a man until he is dead. So why should you?

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Some minds are like concrete: Thoroughly mixed up and permanently set.

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Peace starts with a smile.

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I don’t know why some people change churches; what difference does it make which one you stay home from?

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Be ye fishers of men. You catch ’em — He’ll clean ’em.

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Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous.

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Don’t put a question mark where God put a period.

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Don’t wait for 6 strong men to take you to church.

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Forbidden fruits create many jams.

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God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

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God grades on the cross, not the curve.

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God loves everyone, But probably prefers ‘fruit of the spirit’ over ‘religious nuts!’

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God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.

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He who angers you, controls you!

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If God is your Co-pilot, swap seats!

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Prayer: Don’t give God instructions, just report for duty!

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The task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us.

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The Will of God never takes you to where the Grace of God will not protect you.

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We don’t change the message; the message changes us.

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You can tell how big a person is by what it takes to discourage him or her.

Image credit: courtesy of http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/

Mar

2016

From Wood Off-cuts to Desk

A Place for Everything

A place for everything, and everything in its place. It’s a good saying. I like to try to inculcate this in my young son, aged twelve. Or, to adjust an old saying slightly, “Orderliness is next to godliness.”

“He really needs his own desk,” I said to Sue. “That way, he can start to develop good study and work habits.” We were in a departmental store a day or two later, and we spotted a small desk for sale. “Something like that would be good for Matthew,” we found ourselves saying to each other.

I sketched it up in my mind’s eye. “I have some wood from the bookshelves I made,” I remarked, referring to a project I had recently completed” (oh, the joys of being in publishing and book-selling!) “I think I could make something rather like this.” Sure enough, when we got home, and when I checked the supply of off-cuts in the corner of the garage, it looked like there was enough lumber to make a small desk.

Some days later, a trail of sawdust leading into the house, some sandpapering, and a couple of coats of varnish, the outcome was a compact little desk about the same size as the one we had seen in the shop–and for just a few dollars for the materials that I did not already have to hand. Pine can look nice when it has a lick or two of stain and varnish on it.

Our predecessors, early settlers in Africa and America, learned to make do with what they had, finding that they could be both frugal and artistic in the process. I’ll always remember the words of a mentor who said to me: “We often discover that we need what we already have.”

I’m glad to say that I had what I already needed, as well as needing what I already had!

Dec

2015

A Hymn for the New Year

Standing at the Portal of Another Year (Frances Ridley Havergal)

This evening in our family devotions, we thought of and then sang, the words of the lovely new year’s hymn written so many hears ago by Frances Ridley Havergal.

Standing at the portal
Of the opening year,
Words of comfort meet us,
Hushing every fear;
Spoken thru the silence
By our Savior’s voice,
Tender, strong and faithful,
Making us rejoice.

Refrain

Onward, then, and fear not,
Children of the day;
For His Word shall never,
Never pass away.

“I, the Lord, am with thee,
Be thou not afraid;
I will help and strengthen
Be thou not dismayed.
Yea, I will uphold thee
With My own right hand;
Thou art called and chosen
In My sight to stand.”

Refrain

For the year before us,
O what rich supplies!
For the poor and needy
Living streams shall rise;
For the sad and sinful
Shall His grace abound;
For the faint and feeble
Perfect strength be found.

Refrain

He will never fail us,
He will not forsake;
For His eternal covenant
He will never break.
Resting on the promise,
What have we to fear?
God is all sufficient
For the coming year.

Refrain

To listen to the midi score courtesy of Cyberhymnal, activate the following link: hermas

Image of Frances Ridley Havergal courtesy of Cyberhymnal.

Sep

2015

Friend Focus: John Blanchard

Why Focus on a Friend?

I’ve previously mentioned how my work in books introduces me to some delightful people. In serving them, it is my privilege to have made new friends over the years, so I thought it would be good from time to time to point the camera, as it were, on some of them, and the excellent ministries that they themselves conduct.

Right with God

I first heard the name of John Blanchard in 1979. His book, Right with God, was known as a popular and standard explanation of the gospel. But it was not for another several years that I was to meet him in person. At the time, recently married, I was living in South Africa and Martin Holdt, pastor of a church in the Johannesburg area, had invited him to speak at key meetings throughout South Africa.

Somehow, I managed to get his phone number in about 1987 and (it was a big deal back then in the 1980s) I put through a person-to-person phone call to him in his home near London. “You’d like me to take a special meeting in Pietermaritzburg…?” asked the voice with a melodious sounding Guernsey accent. “Well, that should be no great problem. Yes, I’d be glad to do that!”

A few years earlier, Sue and I had seen his excellent color illustrated booklet, Ultimate Questions, and immediately purchased 100 copies to be used as giveaway items. We cleaned out the suppliers almost all in one go! We knew that, if we could get him to come and speak in our church (we met in a school hall), we could pack the place out… and we did, with a few people coming to faith in Christ the evening he spoke. Some years later, we were involved in preparing a Zulu edition of Ultimate Questions and having it distributed in Southern Africa.

But back to some details about John Blanchard: South Africa became one of his favorite ministry countries. People there loved his clear gospel presentation, and so it was that he came to make many repeat visits there, speaking to large crowds at key locations in cities such as Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.

In 1999, Sue and I relocated to the UK, and I served Evangelical Press (now EP Books) for a while as international sales manager. That connected us more closely, a link that did not weaken in subsequent work and projects I undertook in literature, both in the UK and the USA. It was a special delight to work with John in promoting his major work, Does God Believe in Atheists?, a labor of love that has helped persuade many of the folly and impossibility of consistent atheism. I sometimes would joke with him about his PCA program. PCA is what John referred to as his Popular Christian Apologetics; I rephrased it to Program to Combat Atheism!

“As much as I can, as well as I can, for as long as I can”

John cannot sit still! I met with him about a year ago when he was visiting South Carolina, and we enjoyed a morning of happy fellowship in the country some way away from Greenville. “Well, I’ll be preaching tomorrow in town, and then the next day in Savannah, and after that I am flying to Arkansas and…” (he rattled off several places where he was scheduled to be speaking). Well does he describe himself and his ministry in these terms: “As much as I can, as well as I can, for as long as I can!”

Origins and Ministry

John’s life story is engagingly and fascinatingly told in a DVD and a biographical travel guide. Born in Guernsey before World War 2, he was evacuated before the German occupation of his island, and resided for much of the war in Scotland. Later converted, he found himself part of a team of itinerant evangelists in the UK, and with an expanding ministry.

Joyce, the wife of his youth, died in February 2010, but I was delighted to learn that God has brought another special woman into his life, so now he and Pam together serve the Lord! You can connect with John and read his updates by visiting his site here, and also subscribe to his regularly ministry updates, Newsline.

Do You Use Literature?

When I think of John, I cannot but think of him as a speaker and writer. Books and booklets are a must when it comes to establishing others in the truth. I cannot recommend his books too highly! In one of my web initiatives, I am endeavoring to make all of his titles available, and, with the kind assistance of EP Books and their distributors, these are available at generously discounted prices. To find out more, visit here or click or tap on the image of John’s books near the head of this page!

It All Started with a Phone Call…

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Why Focus on a Friend?

Right with God

“As much as I can, as well as I can, for as long as I can”

Origins and Ministry

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