Angels, Palms & Fragrant Flowers on Amazon

Angels, Palms & Fragrant Flowers: F. W. Boreham on C. H. Spurgeon is now available through Amazon. You can save $4.00 if you buy it direct from me. Clink on the link showing "2 new from $7.00" and look for the book under my seller name, "mdaltoneka."

It is also available on eBay, where you can save a dollar on postage, and my AbeBooks page. On the latter, you can also find over 2,000 other books.

It is inspiring to read about Spurgeon, one of the greatest preachers who ever lived, through the words of one of the most encouraging writers that ever lived.

New FW Boreham/CH Spurgeon book now shipping

Angels, Palms and Fragrant Flowers: F. W. Boreham on C. H. Spurgeon by F. W. Boreham is here. My earlier concern has been alleviated. It is ready to ship.

If you don’t need to use a credit card, the best deal for one copy is through my eBay listing. The postage there is only $3.00 rather than the $4.00 on my AbeBooks listing. You can also get the same deal from me direct, provided you don't need to use a credit card and just need one copy. PayPal payments go to my email address: dalton.michael@sbcglobal.net. If you order from me direct, paying by PayPal or check, I can ship up to five copies for only $4.00 postage.

My Amazon listing should show in a few days.

One of the bonuses in this book is a foreword that Boreham wrote for his friend A. Cunningham Burley. This was first published in 1933 by The Epworth Press in Spurgeon and His Friends. It highlights Spurgeon’s influence, and this is the first time that it appears in one of Boreham’s books.

By the way, if you have access to other forewords that Boreham wrote for other authors, I would be most grateful if you could send me a copy. I would be happy to pay for them or reimburse you for any expense.

Know that your feedback, comments and questions are always welcome. I will appreciate any help than you can provide in getting the word out about this new release.

Angels, Palms & Fragrant Flowers available soon

I expect Angels, Palms and Fragrant Flowers: F. W. Boreham on C. H. Spurgeon by F. W. Boreham to arrive any day. There may be a small problem, which I will review immediately. If it’s not significant, I will begin selling the book on AbeBooks, eBay and Amazon. The Amazon listing will take a few days to appear. You can also order it direct by emailing me at dalton.michael@sbcglobal.net. You can also email any questions.

If there is a problem with the book, there won’t be a long delay. It will be reprinted and made available as soon as I receive it. In that case, the books in the original printing might be sold at a discount. They would be specified as defective.

In the future I plan to list some Boreham books with slightly defective covers and sell them at a discount. They will be listed on my AbeBooks page. The word defective will appear in the title.

My day job ends this coming Sunday. I may have the opportunity to go to work for Borders. Any prayers for God’s will to be done would be appreciated. I would rather be devoted full time to publishing, bookselling and writing, but this could be God’s provision. I have spoken with the new manager of Borders’ Eureka store, and he seems interested in hiring me.

Thank you for your patience in waiting for this book. It will be worth the wait. I think those who read it will more than appreciate the contents. There is a little redundancy in Boreham's five essays but overall, with the two additional essays by Steve Miller, the preface by Geoff Pound, and the foreword on Spurgeon written by Boreham (published in a book by another author), the material is rich in wisdom and insight. It's Christ-exalting and will encourage people to be like Spurgeon, who lived to win souls. I am eager to get this into the hands of others.

New F. W. Boreham book printed

According to a person I spoke with at BookMasters, Angels, Palms and Fragrant Flowers: F. W. Boreham on C. H. Spurgeon by F. W. Boreham printed today. I should have it by next week, which will be a consolation for that week being my last at my day job. I will actually be glad when it is over. We have been in liquidation for over two months. After 105 years of business the last of the Gottschalks’ stores will close. Eureka and Humboldt County will lose its best clothing store.

I hope we can continue to publish even though it is expensive. I now order smaller print runs to minimize the risk of having too many books that I can’t sell.

I would like to spend more time writing, publishing and bookselling, but I’m not sure yet what would be best. I may need to find another job to support myself.

I have been collecting used books (including ones by F. W. Boreham) that I will slowly list for sale. You can purchase them along with any of the Boreham books that we publish at my AbeBooks webpage. I'm continually adding books. This does help support me, so purchases are appreciated.

If you are a Boreham collector, make sure you get Lover of Life: F. W. Boreham’s Tribute to His Mentor (Revised and Expanded). This new version is superior to the original.

If you have any thoughts or comments, Geoff Pound (geoffpound@gmail.com) and I would enjoy hearing from you. I will let you know when the new book is available.

Boreham/Spurgeon book at the printer

Angels, Palms and Fragrant Flowers: F. W. Boreham on C. H. Spurgeon by F. W. Boreham is at the printer. No print date yet, but I will post it once I know.

The total page count is 94 (24 Roman numeral pages, followed by 69 numbered pages and a blank page.)

A beautiful portrait of a Christ-centered life emerges from these pages. It will kindle fresh devotion. If Boreham and Spurgeon are looking on, I think they would be pleased.

The book is about Spurgeon, but God is glorified. I am eager to share this because of the fruit that I hope will come from this effort.

Update on new FW Boreham/CH Spurgeon book

I am ever reminding myself that it takes patience to be a good publisher and writer. No matter how much I might want to be done working on a book, I need to guard against a premature finish. It takes time to do a job right.

I just finished the first proof of the layout for Angels, Palms and Fragrant Flowers: F. W. Boreham Encounters C. H. Spurgeon by F. W. Boreham. Despite all my talk about patience, I can’t wait for it to see the light of day. I get excited about all the books I work on because I believe in them, and the content has always been rich.

Several things stood out to me as I read this book again after being away from it for awhile. It’s very Christ-centered. That was C. H. Spurgeon. He lived to make Christ known. This makes our book a two-edged sword. It could indirectly bring people to the Savior (the message of Christ crucified and risen pops up throughout) and could inspire Christians, ministers in particular, in their focus. I felt revived as if Boreham had taken a coal from the altar and touched my lips.

Though many Boreham fans may just be interested in his words, a Boreham scholar and a Spurgeon scholar have met together in Geoff Pound and Steve Miller and offered up some great insights of their own. Boreham is not to be outdone, but I like it when we can offer something extra for our readers.

Our cover designer is beginning to focus on our next cover, which she hopes to have done soon. At this point, it's hard to say with accuracy when this book might be available. A July release date is probably realistic.

Image: Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly

Sample chapter from Making Life Decisions

Day 23 - Discerning Our Thoughts

Approach
From the cowardice that shrinks from new truth,
from the laziness that is contented with half truth,
from the arrogance that thinks it knows all truth,
O Spirit of truth, deliver us.
Amen.

Scripture
But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord, and the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him, and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had very many flocks and herds; but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. He brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children; it used to eat of his meagre fare, and drink from his cup, and lie in his bosom, and it was like a daughter to him. Now there came a traveller to the rich man, and he was loath to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb, and prepared that for the guest who had come to him.” Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man. He said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die; he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”
Nathan said to David, “You are the man!”
(2 Samuel 11: 27b-12:1-7)

Silence

Reflection
In our last reflection we saw how Parker Palmer was spared the discomfort of taking on an ill-fitting job. In a similar story, which again values the scrutiny of others, management guru, Warren Bennis, tells how he accepted an invitation to head up a university but realized later that he had done it for the wrong reasons.

Bennis was delivering a lecture at Harvard University. He was a seasoned speaker and he loved the thrill of working a crowd. At the open time to follow, a question came from the Dean of the School, who was a respected figure in education. Bennis thought his experience at responding to questions was sharpened to a fine point after so many years of teaching and media work. His secret conceit was that there was not one question that he could not respond to in a convincing and winning way.

The question came “like a long, high lob floating lazily over the audience and masking its astuteness in that self-effacing (and deceptive) mid-western drawl of his. “Warren,” he asked, “Do you love being the President of the University of Cincinnati?” Bennis said he did not know how many seconds passed before responding. The room was suddenly so quiet he could hear his heart beating. Finally, he looked up at his questioner and haltingly said, “I don’t know.” Actually, that was the moment he knew the answer but had not yet told himself. The truth is that he did not love it and did not have the passion for it. He wanted to be a University President but he did not want to do university presidency.

A question from an interested observer had made Bennis aware that administration was not for him. It was this epiphany that led to his calling as an adviser and coach to leaders in corporate, government and academic life.

The biblical story concerns the wrongdoing of King David, that is followed by denial and the emergence of a blind-spot. In order to get through to David, God sends a courageous counselor whose story serves as a mirror to the truth.

Often by a question or a story (invited or uninvited), another person can help us discern our thoughts and trawl through our motives so that we may admit our mistakes and discover our genuine passions. To welcome and submit to regular, loving scrutiny is a key discipline in the ongoing pursuit of one’s call.

Journal
Do you really love what you’re doing?





Ask God to search your mind and test your motives as you explore your vocation.



Selecting a Souvenir



Prayer
Lord,
in patience you wait for us.
In love you pursue us.
In wisdom you confront us.
In grace you deliver us.
Amen.

Commission
All searching God,
your knowledge of us is intimate,
your love for us is complete,
your vision for us is expansive.
Send us forward in wisdom, compassion and hope.
Amen.