John Broadbanks Publishing News

Alfred the Great Society writer discovers FW Boreham

2011-12-08T14:14:00.001-08:00

Special thanks to my friend Robin Phillips for his interest in F. W. Boreham and his willingness to share his thoughts, not only on Boreham, but beauty and wonder. He is a kindred spirit when it comes to appreciating these in relation to God, who is the source of every good thing. I have thoroughly enjoyed Robin's writings, including this post on Boreham which follows:

Special Sale of Boreham Books

"Love achieves its creativity by being perceptive" wrote Oliver O'Donovan in his book Resurrection and Christian Order.

I like that quote, because it encapsulates the reality that for the great artists of the Western tradition, creativity was a form of love. This is the point that Josef Pieper made so eloquently in his tender book Only the Lover Sings: Art and Contemplation.

Great sculptors like Michelangelo could look at a slab of unworked marble and ‘see’ the finished product that they would then take months to lovingly bring to reality. Similarly, Bach could be given a series of five or six notes and instantly realize in his mind the potential those notes had for an entire invention. (In the case of the Goldberg Variations, Bach was able to take a simple musical statement that by itself might seem unimportant and, under the loving care of his creativity, to worked it into some of the finest music that has ever existed.) This is similar to the way that we are the workmanship of our Heavenly Father, whom He is steadily bringing to completion (Ephesians 2:10). The Lord sees us not as we are, but as the people He is making us into and the people He will have brought to perfection when we are finally glorified.

If this is true of the way artists perceive raw materials and how God perceives us, it can also be true for how you and I perceive the world. We can train ourselves to observe the glory and beauty inherent in the world we inhabit.

Children do this naturally, since they have an inborn sense of wonder and enchantment. Part of what it means to grow in maturity, however, is to recover this sense: to learn to once again experience a child-like delight in the things we have become accustomed to taking for granted, to perceive the world around us in fresh and exciting ways. As I have observed elsewhere, we can begin to feel about the moon like a young child feels about a silver dollar in his pocket; we can begin to perceive events that would otherwise be merely routine (like the sun rising in the East) as being part of the delightful dance that we have been privileged to get a sneak peek at.

Like lovers who find creative ways to explore each other, and through such perception realize the potential of love’s creativity, we can begin to find creative and fresh ways to perceive our world. As a lover unveiling the apparel of his beloved to explore what is normally hidden from view, by approaching the world in love we learn to remove the veil of cynicism, boredom and ungratefulness that normally conceals the wonder and enchantment that was there all along.

This is an important perspective since we live in a world that has become increasingly disenchanted and stripped of this sense of wonder. As I explained in my earlier post, ‘A Festival not a Machine,’ the scientific revolution of the 16th and 17th centuries implicated a view of the universe that was increasingly mechanistic in its orientation. Similarly, the Protestant reformation (for all its indisputable benefits) mitigated against a sense of wonder and enchantment by disputing the notion of sacred space (a topic that William Dyrness has recently written about and which I hope to publish on in the near future).

Precisely because of this, I was excited when my good friend Michael Dalton introduced me to the writings of F.W. Boreham. Rather like George MacDonald, Boreham is able to help us find beauty in unexpected places, to perceive splendour in the ordinary, to be filled with wonder over those little things that most of us overlook. Boreham is able to help us to behold the grandeur – even enchantment - in what would otherwise seem everyday and commonplace.

I am currently reading Boreham’s book A Packet of Surprises, and am continually delighted at his ability to perceive the world through the eye of love’s creativity. He is able to take something like the alphabet, or a seemingly straight-forward painting, that most of us might find prosaic and commonplace, and transform it into an occasion of glory. I plan to start reading the book to my children at the meal tables because his warm and fresh perspective is one I want them to imbibe.

The reason I am posting about Boreham today is because I learned earlier this week that John Broadbank Publishers, who have brought many of Boreham’s titles back into print, are now doing a special offer of his works on a pay-what-you-can-afford basis. The books make great Christmas presents and I would encourage all my readers to check it out. The John Broadbanks Publishing news blog also contains numerous articles about, and selections from, the writings of Boreham. Don't delay to check it out.

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You can find Robin's original post here.

FW Boreham on eBay

2011-12-08T13:43:00.001-08:00

F. W. Boreham books published by John Broadbanks Publishingare now available on eBay. For the first time ever, these listings will alsoshow on eBay’s UK site. It seems fitting that they should appear in the UK,since Boreham was born in England.

Beginning in 1984, I lived in Birmingham, England for nearly a year.Unfortunately, I never knew of Boreham at the time. I missed the opportunityto search for his books on his home turf and explore the places in his life.

I hope potential UK readers of Boreham will take advantageof their opportunity.

Here are the links for the US listings:

All the Blessings of Life (Revised): The Best Stories of F. W. Boreham

Loose Leaves

In Pastures Green

A Packet of Surprises: The Best Essays and Sermons of F. W. Boreham

The Chalice of Life: The Significant Stages in Life

Lover of Life: F. W. Boreham's Tribute to His Mentor (Revised and Expanded)

Second Thoughts - Introduction by Ravi Zacharias

Angels, Palms and Fragrant Flowers: F. W. Boreham on C. H. Spurgeon

Pay what you can afford

2011-12-06T08:00:00.001-08:00

This ABC News story inspires me to make a special offer. For the next couple of weeks, feel free to contact me about paying what you can afford on any of the F. W. Boreham books published by John Broadbanks Publishing.

Visit the John Broadbanks Publishing catalog for a listing and description of all our Boreham books.

Recently, a couple of individuals who received our books shared the sentiment that they had stumbled across treasure. It's not so much the beautiful packaging; as Gregory Wolfe writes in the most recent issue of Image, "The writer is one who uses words in such a way that they may become habitations of the logos, the Word." Boreham's words are rich in meaning. They are like treasure waiting to be discovered by a new generation.

Be Yourself - FW Boreham

2011-08-28T05:29:00.000-07:00

The following is one of my favorite passages from All the Blessings of Life: The Best Stories of F. W. Boreham (Revised):

Be Yourself

John Constable’s name will always be held in honor on several grounds. His landscapes are admittedly incomparable. His cloud-effects and sky-effects have never been surpassed. The delicacy of his color-sense has been the admiration and the despair of all his disciples.

But the finest thing about him was his fidelity to his own ideal. He insisted on seeing every object through his own eyes and in depicting it as he himself saw it. As Sir Charles John Holmes says, ‘he hated painters who take their ideas from other painters instead of getting them direct from Nature.’ It was the glory of Constable that he shattered, and shattered forever, a particularly stubborn tradition. As the late E. V. Lucas said, ‘he brought the English people face to face with England—the delicious, fresh, rainy, blowy England that they could identify. Hitherto there had been landscape painters in abundance; but here was something else: here was weather!’

There is a famous story to the effect that Henry Fuseli, the historical painter, who, in Constable’s time, was keeper of the Academy, was seen one day engrossed in the contemplation of one of Constable’s paintings. It represented an English landscape in a drizzling rain. Lost to all the world, the old man became saturated in the spirit of the picture that he was so ardently admiring, and, to the astonishment of the onlookers, he suddenly put up his umbrella!

So triumphant a thing is truth! Let every person who is charged with the solemn responsibility of expressing his soul for the public good take notice! Let no painter paint in a certain way simply because he fancies that it is in that particular way that painters are expected to paint! Let no preacher preach in a certain way simply because he fancies that it is in that particular way that preachers are expected to preach!

I remember one evening standing at a street-corner listening to a chain of testimonies being given at an open-air meeting. They were all excellent; but—they were all exactly alike! I could see at once that each speaker was saying what he imagined that he was expected to say. Then there stepped into the ring a man whose lips were twitching with emotion: he said one or two things that sent a shudder down the spines of his hearers: but the force of his testimony was overwhelming. He had done, in his sphere, precisely what Constable did in his.

Let each painter, each preacher, each person whose duty it is to write a newspaper article or lead a Christian assembly to the Throne of Grace, realize that his view of God and of Humanity and of the Universe is essentially an individualistic view. He sees as nobody else sees. He must therefore paint or preach or pray or write as nobody else does. He must be himself: must see with his own eyes and utter that vision in the terms of his own personality. He must, as Rudyard Kipling would have said, paint the thing as he sees it for the God of things as they are. And, expressing his naked and transparent soul by means of his palette, his pulpit or his pen, he will find sooner or later—sooner rather than later—that truth, like wisdom, is justified of all her children.

Original publication: F. W. Boreham, I Forgot To Say (London: The Epworth Press, 1939), 131-133.

I’m excited that Dr. Geoff Pound is writing about Boreham in the way that only he can. God willing, his thoughts will become a book published by John Broadbanks Publishing.

FW Boreham on Facebook

2011-08-22T08:08:00.000-07:00

Please consider becoming part of the FW Boreham Facebook community. Choose LIKE here. Dr. Geoff Pound does an excellent job of providing pithy excerpts from Boreham's writings.

The following link is to an old but interesting post about Boreham with links to writings and articles:

Thoughts Aglow

July sale on FW Boreham eBooks

2011-07-08T11:03:00.000-07:00

During the month of July, you get an extra 25% off at checkout on the already reduced prices of our two F. W. Boreham eBooks at Smashwords.com. The titles are All the Blessings of Life: The Best Stories of F. W. Boreham (Revised) and Loose Leaves.

In Melbourne, Australia, Geoff Pound recently participated in the filming of a documentary on Boreham's life. Since Geoff may know more about Boreham than anyone on the planet, the producer was wise to interview him. I will share more on the documentary as the information becomes available.

Boreham once preached a message on the Old Testament character Benaiah, who "struck down a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen" (2 Sam. 23:20 ESV). I am looking for the content of this message if anyone has access to it.

F. W. Boreham eBooks available at reduced price

2011-07-04T09:47:00.000-07:00

John Broadbanks Publishing's F. W. Boreham eBooks, All the Blessings of Life: The Best Stories of F. W. Boreham (Revised) and Loose Leaves, are now available at a reduced price. You can get them direct from Smashwords.com, or you can purchase them where eBooks are sold.

Apple iPad users can purchase the two books for $5.99 (All the Blessings) and $2.99 (Loose Leaves) on iTunes.

John Broadbanks Publishing formed in 2007 to bring the writings of F. W. Boreham back into print. Born in England, Boreham trained for ministry at C. H. Spurgeon's college. His first pastorate was in New Zealand where, along with Australia and Tasmania, he spent most of his ministry.

Many have been introduced to Boreham's thoughtful and enchanting writings through Ravi Zacharias, who wrote that he tries to reach a chapter of Boreham every day. Boreham brings wonder from the commonplace.

You can order F. W. Boreham paperbacks published by John Broadbanks Publishing here.

John Broadbanks Publishing is managed by Michael Dalton, Geoff Pound and Jeff Cranston.

F. W. Boreham Collection now available at Logos

2011-06-29T16:59:00.000-07:00

The F. W. Boreham Collection is now available for purchase at Logos Bible Software. Thank you Logos for doing such a beautiful job with these books. If you have any interest in bible software, check out what Logos has to offer. Each of the Boreham books in the collection have live links and are fully-searchable.

FW Boreham on iTunes

2011-06-17T08:31:00.000-07:00

Loose Leaves: A Travel Journal and All the Blessings of Life: The Best Stories of F. W. Boreham (Revised and Expanded) are eBooks available through Apple’s iTunes store. These two F. W. Boreham titles are compatible with the iPad.

FW Boreham on empathy / Logos update

2011-06-15T19:22:00.000-07:00

I sure appreciate these thoughts from a sermon on empathy from John Leffler of Castle Rock Christian Church.

An effective tool for forgiving others is empathy, and empathy comes when we pause long enough to look at others through the lens of their own experience. . . .

Writer F. W. Boreham once lost patience with a difficult man named Crittingden, who had spoken many critical words. Boreham wrote a flaming letter designed to rebuke the complainer. He walked to the mailbox to post the letter. Since it was a lovely night for a walk, he passed the mailbox without dropping the letter in, thinking he’d mail it on the way back. Further on he met a friend who said, “Poor old Crittingden is dead.”

Boreham was shocked. “Is he, indeed? When did this happen?”

“Oh, he died suddenly early this afternoon. It’s really for the best, you know. He’s had a hard time. You know all about it, I suppose?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Oh, I thought everybody knew. He only had two children, a son and a daughter. The son was killed soon after his wife dies, and the daughter lost her mind and is in the asylum. Poor old Crittingden never got over it. It soured him.”

Boreham returned to his fireside that night, jumbled and ashamed. He tore the letter into small fragments and burned them one by one. And as he knelt before the blaze, he prayed that, in days to come, he might find grace to deal gently and lovingly with difficult people. . . .

________________________________________
David Jeremiah, Signs of Life, p. 239

The F. W. Boreham Collection (nine volumes from John Broadbanks Publishing) will be available through Logos Bible Software on June 28, 2011.

The Other End of Nowhere

2011-05-27T11:50:00.000-07:00

I discovered the following delightful illustration by using my Logos Bible Software. It is attributed to Mrs. Clarence Jones in the Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations by Paul Lee Tan. Logos will soon be producing the F. W. Boreham Collection, which consists of nine Boreham books published by John Broadbanks Publishing.

F. W. Boreham tells of the happy soul whose home is the Other End of Nowhere. He has two pockets. One has a hole in it and the other is carefully watched that no hole develops in it. Every thing that he hears of a hurtful nature—insult, cutting remark, gossip, unclean suggestion, or any such thing—he writes on a piece of paper and sticks it into his pocket with the hole. Everything which he hears that is kind, true, and helpful, he writes on a piece of paper and puts it in the pocket without the hole.

At night he turns out all that is in the pocket without the hole, goes over all that he had put into it during the day, and thoroughly enjoys all the good things that have come his way that day.

Then he sticks his hand into the pocket with the hole and finds nothing there, so he laughs and rejoices that there are no evil things to rehearse. Too many of us reverse the other, putting the evil things in the pocket without the hole so that we can mull over them again and again, and the good things in the pocket with the hole so that they are quickly forgotten. Paul’s way was: “whatsoever things are true … think on these things.”

F. W. Boreham Collection for Logos going into production

2011-05-17T16:23:00.000-07:00

Great news! The F. W. Boreham Collection for Logos Bible Software has received enough orders to go into production. No word yet as to when that will happen. If you have or obtain Logos software, you can purchase the collection now at a significant discount. Watch for future updates.

View it here: F. W. Boreham Collection.

Many of us have our heroes but we often fail to recognize the people who helped shape them.

2011-05-09T15:12:00.000-07:00

Lover of Life: F. W. Boreham’s Tribute to His Mentor (Revised and Expanded) was the first Boreham book published by John Broadbanks Publishing. It might be easily overlooked because of its age (first published in 2007) and its size (44 pages), but it remains an easy and delightful read.

The cover exceeded my expectations, which includes Geoff Pound’s choice words on the back.

In Lover of Life the distinguished author Dr. F. W. Boreham draws back the curtain to pay tribute to one of his mentors, Joseph John Doke.

This is a tantalizing sketch of a pastor, artist, author, who later in South Africa became a friend and freedom fighter with Mahatma Gandhi in the struggle for the rights of minority races.

Instead of offering a treatise on effective mentoring, F. W. Boreham, in his inimitable way, tells stories of how it worked for him and how pivotal such a relationship was in his own life and ministry.

“It would be good if seminary and denominational leaders put this book into the hands of every seminary student and pastor who are embarking on a new mentoring relationship. This short story about the friendship between J. J. Doke and Frank and Stella Boreham provides a wealth of insight and a hopeful vision of what a mentoring relationship might become” (Dr. Geoff Pound).

Please consider reading about two forgotten heroes. You can order the book here, and I think so highly of it, that you can ask for a refund if you are not completely satisfied.

Eagerly waiting on Logos Bible Software

2011-04-30T05:27:00.000-07:00

Be sure to like the F. W. Boreham Facebook page managed by Geoff Pound: F. W. Boreham. It's a unique source of Boreham information. About a week ago I was excited to discover that a Boreham documentary and companion book are being produced.

I eagerly wait for word from Logos Bible Software. Each one of the F. W. Boreham books published to date (eight titles plus the previously unpublished From England to Mosgiel) by John Broadbanks Publishing will soon be available for order in Logos' pre-publication process. Once they receive enough orders to cover their costs, the books go into production. I will share a link when the books go into "pre-pub." If you are not familiar with Logos, I highly recommend their software.

Our latest F. W. Boreham book is In Pastures Green, which has been well-received by those who have read it. It's an exposition of Psalm 23. Ministers of the gospel have turned to it for years to console the dying. Just yesterday a friend called asking if I had a book that would help a lady facing death because of cancer. It dawned on me that it would be hard for me to find something better than In Pastures Green, where Boreham walks us through the valley of the shadow of death, providing the comfort that he himself received from God.

For those with eBook reading devices, you should be able to find All the Blessings of Life: The Best Stories of F. W. Boreham (Revised) and Loose Leaves in that format. If you purchase either eBook, let me know how you like it.

From England to Mosgiel - FW Boreham

2011-04-07T15:21:00.000-07:00

The layout and cover on From England to Mosgiel is now complete. This rare book is one of F. W. Boreham’s earliest writings. It’s a series of five dispatches from Boreham to the editor of his hometown newspaper in England. He provides details of his journey by train and ship to the pastorate that awaited him in Mosgiel, New Zealand.

Geoff Pound provides a fascinating preface that by itself makes this worth having.

A printing is doubtful because the demand for this early work is likely to be insufficient to justify the estimated costs. However, if you would like to see the book in print and can help with the printing costs (approximately $260 plus shipping), please contact Michael Dalton at dalton.michael@sbcglobal.net.

Publication as an eBook and through Logos Bible Software is possible. John Broadbanks Publishing has signed a license agreement with Logos that will make all of our existing Boreham titles including From England to Mosgiel available in the Logos format.

The books will go into production at Logos if they obtain sufficient preorders to cover their costs. I hope to provide a link when the books go into the pre-publication process. Owners of Logos software will then be able to preorder the books.

Pastor Jeff Cranston on In Pastures Green

2011-03-28T16:24:00.000-07:00

Pastor Jeff Cranston blogs here about In Pastures Green by F. W. Boreham. Jeff wrote the preface for the book and is part of the John Broadbanks Publishing team.

He is also the author of Happily Ever After: Studies in the Beatitudes, John Broadbanks Publishing (2010).

Dr. Cranston serves as Lead Pastor of LowCountry Community Church, a multi-campus church in Bluffton and Hilton Head, South Carolina. For over a quarter of a century, his global ministry has included evangelism, leadership development and pastoral training. Jeff is married to Darlene and is the father of three daughters.

Response to In Pastures Green

2011-03-20T06:31:00.000-07:00

A special thank you to the Rev. John B. Woodward of Atlanta, GA, who had this to say about In Pastures Green by F. W. Boreham:

"I just read Boreham's book, In Pastures Green and what a delight. The added insight he provides on the 23rd Psalm is profound and to me his Old English style of writing is most enjoyable. No wonder so many of his books and essays are still in demand."

Thoughts like these are such an encouragement. Please email your comments about Boreham and his books to dalton.michael@sbcglobal.net.

Take this as an opportunity to introduce a forgotten hero of the faith to a new generation. It will also serve to make people aware of the value of older writings.

2011-03-15T16:47:00.000-07:00

Loose Leaves is now available at a reduced price. Get it for only $7.00 at AbeBooks. The eBook is available through Smashwords for only $5.00.

“Loose Leaves chronicles F. W. Boreham’s pilgrimage to the birthplaces and homes of many great English and Scottish writers and his communion with them as the young writer recalls quotations and thoughts from their books. His pen romps over the pages as he writes about the topics which would become some of his lifelong themes—history, literature, faith, heroism, royalty and the charms in everyday life. Boreham’s ability to paint a picture, tell a story and uncover fascinating detail is evident on every page” (Dr. Geoff Pound).

Out of print for over 100 years, this is the first time it has a proper cover (it was originally printed as a stapled gray booklet) and a table of contents.

With the exception of a few minor alterations, the language including the British spelling is intact. An “About the Cover” section is included in the back.

FW Boreham eBooks on sale through the 12th

2011-03-06T16:22:00.000-08:00

Get 25% off All the Blessings of Life: The Best Stories of F. W. Boreham (Revised) eBook and 50% off Loose Leaves: A Travel Journal eBook through March 12th.

Smashwords supplies a code that is used at checkout to get the discounts. This is part of a special eBook promotion.

Use the following links to view and purchase:

All the Blessings of Life

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/15368

Loose Leaves

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/17030

Both books were updated so that the contents pages are live. Please share this post with anyone who might be interested.

FW Boreham makes his subject interesting

2011-02-27T06:17:00.000-08:00

Today's reading from Day by Day is fitting for a Sunday.

I remember Sir Robert Anderson saying the he could not understand any man standing up with the Bible in his hand and failing to be interesting. He told how a friend, a general in the army, had said, "Give me any page you chance to open of one of our military handbooks, and I'll undertake to speak upon it in a way that will interest soldiers. How is it that with that wonderful Book in their hands the parsons and ministers succeed in being uninteresting?"

This is why I like reading F. W. Boreham. Whatever he writes is interesting.

In Pastures Green: A Ramble through the Twenty-third Psalm is now available.

In Pastures Green on the way

2011-02-21T10:40:00.000-08:00

In Pastures Green: A Ramble through the Twenty-third Psalm by F. W. Boreham is scheduled for delivery on Friday the 25th. If you use PayPal you can preorder by sending $10.00 to my email address: dalton.michael@sbcglobal.net. Contact me for the total if you live outside the US or want the amount for more than one copy.

The book will be available on Amazon, AbeBooks and eBay soon after I receive it.

It includes a foreword from Jeff Cranston, pastor of LowCountry Community Church in South Carolina and a vital part of John Broadbanks Publishing.

This book will also be available soon in the eBook format.

The rare From England to Mosgiel, one of Boreham’s early writings is in process. I would like to print this book, but I am unsure if I can sell enough copies to justify the expense. At the very least, it will be an eBook. If you would like to see it in print, let me know if you can help by making a purchase or donation. I have requested an estimate for a limited print run.

The Hocken Blog: Baptists and best sellers on the Taieri

2011-02-07T06:01:00.000-08:00

It is good to see this New Zealand blog post about F. W. Boreham.

http://thehockenblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/baptists-and-best-sellers-on-taieri.html

In Pastures Green - FW Boreham

2011-01-18T11:22:00.001-08:00

In Pastures Green - A Ramble through the Twenty-third Psalm by F. W. Boreham has gone to layout. It's exciting, and I welcome anyone to join me in praying for its completion.

Pray for Stephanie Martindale as she works on the layout. Steph could also use prayer as she continues treatment for cancer.

Pray too for Laura Tonkin, who is now preparing Loose Leaves: A Travel Journal and All the Blessings of Life: The Best Stories of F. W. Boreham (Revised), for the widest possible distribution as eBooks. Hopefully, more eBooks will follow.

You can also pray for Laura Zugzda as she looks for just the right cover images and text for In Pastures Green.

Special thanks to RZIM for recently purchasing All the Blessings of Life (Revised). Please consider supporting them by ordering the book. Let them know if you would like them to carry more of our titles. You can find them at www.rzim.org.

FW Boreham and eBooks

2011-01-11T11:12:00.000-08:00

All the Blessings of Life: The Best Stories of F. W. Boreham (Revised) and Loose Leaves are the first two John Broadbanks Publishing books being prepared as eBooks. Through Smashwords.com they will become available through a variety of outlets and should be accessible by most, if not all, reading devices.

We are now conforming the books to Smashwords guidelines in order to have the widest distribution. You can support us by praying for this effort and by making a purchase of these two eBooks once they are available. It will help defray the cost and will encourage us to consider producing more books in this format.

I will post an update with more information once the eBooks are done.

I am also working again on F. W. Boreham’s, In Pastures Green: A Ramble Through the Twenty-third Psalm. I hope to publish it in both formats.

As always, your prayers for guidance, help and provision will be most appreciated.

John Broadbanks Publishing Books

2010-12-16T09:00:00.000-08:00

Grace and peace to you during this busy time of year.

All F. W. Boreham and other books published by John Broadbanks Publishing are available here: John Broadbanks Publishing Books.

This includes the following titles published this year:

All the Blessings of Life: The Best Stories of F. W. Boreham (Revised and Expanded) – F. W. Boreham
Loose Leaves: A Travel Journal – F. W. Boreham
Talk About Thanksgiving: Stories of Gratitude – Geoff Pound
Happily Ever After: Studies in the Beatitudes – Jeff Cranston

It’s not too late if you need something for Christmas.

Please contact me if you have questions.

Mike

Discounted FW Boreham books

2010-12-01T14:41:00.000-08:00

Multiple copies of three F. W. Boreham books published by John Broadbanks Publishing are available at a significant discount due to minor to moderate defects to the cover. These are new books with covers that have small, clear specks or blotches. This may have been caused by rubbing during shipping from the printer. It's not something that will show in a picture.

In some cases, the blotches are so minor that many people may not even notice them. It’s more obvious in other cases, but people still may not see them. A number of people have purchased these, and I have had no complaints.

I just want to clear out the following titles, which are shown at the reduced price:

All the Blessings of Life: The Best Stories of F. W. Boreham (This is the first edition now out-of-print, not the 2010 revision) - $4.00

Second Thoughts (Includes an introduction by Ravi Zacharias) - $2.00

Lover of Life: F. W. Boreham’s Tribute to His Mentor (Revised and Expanded) - $3.00

Shipping in the US will be a minimum of $3.00 and a maximum of $6.00 depending on the size of the order.

My preferred payment method is PayPal to my email address: dalton.michael@sbcglobal.net. You can also make out check to Michael Dalton at 2163 Fern Street, Eureka, CA 95503.

Please contact me if you have questions.

Print date for Happily Ever After

2010-11-14T17:17:00.000-08:00

The print date for Happily Ever After: Studies in the Beatitudes by Jeff Cranston is Friday, November 19th. It will be available for purchase towards the end of this month.

Talk About Thanksgiving: Stories of Gratitude by Geoff Pound is now available as a PDF file through AbeBooks. It contains 61 pages of stories that relate in some way to giving thanks.

Both books are well-written and contain excerpts from the writings of F. W. Boreham.

The Kiss of Christ by Mark Buckley

2010-11-08T05:50:00.000-08:00

Mark Buckley is a friend who is the senior pastor at Living Streams Church in Phoenix, Arizona. Periodically, he writes a column that he calls Reflections, which he distributes by email. His most recent musing references a story from All the Blessings of Life: The Best Stories of F. W. Boreham (Revised).

The Kiss of Christ
by Mark Buckley

I had a bad fever for over a week recently as a nasty virus worked its way through my system. I’m not pleasant to be around when I’m sick—I don’t even like myself. About five days into this sickness, I was lying on my bed too sick to read, pray or watch TV.

I started thinking about people I love who I had not seen for awhile. I wondered if I would ever have a chance to say good-bye to them before I died. I started to think about my memorial service. I could picture the place and a few people who might come. I wanted to address the congregation with a videotaped message. It would start with the obvious, “Thanks for coming today. If you are watching this, then I have already gone to be with the Lord.” I would then throw in Yogi Berra’s line, “You know what they say, ‘If you don’t go to their memorial service, they won’t go to yours.’ ”

Lying on my bed, I thought about Robert Fulgham, an eccentric author who occasionally lies on the grave site he purchased for himself. He goes to his cemetery plot at night, lies down, and looks up at the stars. He says that someday this will be his permanent view, so he wants to get the perspective now. Even though I don’t agree with his theology, I like the way he faces his mortality. How can we really get the most out of life unless we embrace the reality that our days our numbered?

Part of what made my sickness depressing was that I couldn’t seem to accomplish anything significant. I wasn’t getting much out of my prayer times, the Bible seemed lifeless and I couldn’t exercise or serve the people in the church I love. Out of exasperation one day, I pulled several books off our shelves. I usually give away the books I enjoy after reading them, so our shelves have books I might read someday but probably won’t. In a book by F.W. Boreham, I read a story that pierced my heart.

In the mid-1800s, Mr. Gladstone made an announcement to the House of Commons in London about the death of Princess Alice. Alice’s young son had contracted diphtheria, a fatal disease. As her little boy tossed and turned on his bed with a raging fever, Alice came and stood by his side. The doctors had warned her to not get too close because he was contagious—his breath was like poison. When the boy felt his mother’s cool palm stroke his forehead, he threw up his hands and cried, “Kiss me Mama, kiss me!” The instinct of a loving mother was stronger than the instinct of self-preservation. The lips of the mother and child met; and the Princess paid the penalty with her life.

I read that story and wept. I then threw up my arms to the Lord, “Forgive me Jesus, forgive me.” The response of Jesus to each of us is like the kiss of Princess Alice. He was willing to become vulnerable unto death so that we could live. I could feel the reality that I had nothing to offer the Lord in exchange for the mercy I needed. There was nothing good in my soul at all until the Lord kissed me with his love.

When my fever finally broke, I was weak and more aware than ever that I am a dependent man. I had gone through a trial and barely squeaked by with my faith intact. The Lord is the strength of my life. When he seems distant, I have almost no strength or joy at all. There is a big difference between sickness and sin, but the feelings we get in each condition can be very similar. I don’t want to taste the loneliness of separation from the Lord ever again. A big part of our calling is to reach out to those who live with that separation and encourage them to receive the kiss of Christ. He gave us His life so that we could live forever.

F. W. Boreham on Discernment

2010-11-02T06:28:00.000-07:00

Occasionally, I catch a look or tone of voice in which I discern someone asking, Why should I read Boreham? They question his relevance.

Let me answer by sharing a favorite passage from All the Blessings of Life: The Best Stories of F. W. Boreham. You decide how relevant it is.

Discernment Forces

I once heard Dr. A. T. Pierson advise the students never to leave one church for another unless they felt both a propelling and an attracting force at work. ‘Do not go,’ he said, ‘unless you distinctly feel a hand pushing you out of your old sphere and distinctly see a finger beckoning you to the new one!’ Was I conscious of these dual forces?

F. W. Boreham, My Pilgrimage (London: The Epworth Press, 1940), 176.

I may share more excerpts like this just to show how meaningful I find Boreham.

Happily Ever After: Studies in the Beatitudes

2010-10-25T13:59:00.000-07:00

Happily Ever After: Studies in the Beatitudes by Jeff Cranston should be available prior to Christmas. The initial layout is being corrected. The book includes some choice F. W. Boreham quotations.

Laura Zugzda designed the front cover image that you see.

Talk About Thanksgiving: Stories of Gratitude by Geoff Pound is available for purchase as a pdf file. You can find this well-written collection of stories here.

Bryan Gish's Loose Leaves review

2010-09-26T13:05:00.000-07:00

Loose Leaves is different from his regular genre of writing, yet this is very much an F. W. Boreham book. If memory serves me right, I believe this was the first of two trips that he made home during all of his years down below, and this journal is full of the youthful excitement that he felt when leaving home for New Zealand.

No, there are no sermons on these pages (well, the story of Cromwell, which I've copied down for myself, is a very good sermon on making friends out of enemies), yet even without the usual dose of religious sermonizing, this book is full of Boreham's taking the ordinary things of daily living and turning them into a most interesting travelogue.

To me it's a bit similar to his autobiography, My Pilgrimage, and the stories he shares there. I read that book over ten years ago, and I've never forgotten his tale of getting out of the car, walking over to a large constrictor type of snake and trying to make it move. He succeeded, and by the time he got the car door closed, that snake had its head on the running-board!

In Loose Leaves you'll find many other personal, historical and fun stories. I found myself drawn onto the deck of the Tongariro, and was caught-up into the sights and sounds of daily ship life. I found myself wishing that I could have been in one of those Sunday services when Dr. Boreham gave a sermon, but I must content myself with reading one.

The detail he wove into these Loose Leaves is astounding. Who would have thought that standing on the deck of a boat watching a group of men load coal into the ship could be turned into an interesting story, but that's exactly what he did. If you don't believe me, you'll have to read it for yourself.

Then the anticipation builds as we draw nigh to the homeland of England and Scotland. I felt myself standing beside him, straining my eyes, and looking for that first glimpse of home. Then you feel the excitement leaping off the pages as you read of his enjoyment being home again after many years.

Oh, the history that he shares with us as he revisits those places of his childhood. (Do you know why horseshoes are considered lucky? Read Loose Leaves and you'll discover the answer!)

I'm a history buff, and as I read I actually realized I was getting two doses of history: the ancient history that he shares with us, and the things that were modern to him in 1903 are now glimpses of history to me as well. There is no getting bored with Boreham, and even when writing travel notes, he takes the hum-drum of life and makes it rich reading that captures your attention.

For my fellow Boreham book-lovers make sure you add this title to your collection. No, it's not a first edition, but until you discover one of the original undiscovered copies, you can enjoy everything it contains and enjoy making your own journey through a new Boreham-land! Believe me, it's a trip you'll immensely enjoy!

You can order Loose Leaves here.

Two new titles in process

2010-09-05T06:13:00.000-07:00

Two new titles are in process: In Pastures Green by F. W. Boreham and Happily Ever After: Studies in the Beatitudes by Jeff Cranston.

I always appreciate that Billy Graham attributed his success as an evangelist to prayer. If you want to support us, consider joining me in prayer for these two projects. We are dependent on God’s help and provision.

Our cover designer would especially appreciate your prayers as she searches for just the right images and designs.

Hopefully soon, I will be able to send In Pastures Green for layout.

I’m excited about both books. In the meantime, consider purchasing the recently released Loose Leaves, Boreham’s travel journal, which has been out of print for over 100 years. No Boreham collector should be without it.

You can purchase it at Dalton Books.

Image: A young F. W. Boreham

Tom Davis on FW Boreham

2010-08-28T16:11:00.000-07:00

This is a recent post from Red Letters: Living the Words of Jesus by Tom Davis.

One of my favorite authors in the world was a man named F. W. Boreham. I've often described him as an "artist with words." Here are a few inspiring quotes and stories that come from the 55 books he wrote. There is a blog dedicated to his life and writing you can find here. Enjoy!

"The charm and value of a love-letter lie in the fact that the recipient sees in the fervid and passionate phraseology a portrayal of the writer's inmost soul. His secret feelings are laid bare. Therein lies the fascination of the Bible. God concelas nothing. He tells us exactly how he feels towards His world, towards ourselves, towards all our waywardness and folly." - When The Swans Fly High

F. W. Boreham once wrote, "The most solemn trust committed to each of us is his personality--the self--the ego--call it what you will. It is the thing that makes me me, a creation quite unique, having no duplicate in all of God's eternities. And the supreme thing that we each have to do in the theatre of life is to give that individuality its full and natural expression." - From Geoff Pound
"There is a beautiful story by F. W. Boreham [in which] he tells of a woman who was sitting beside him on a bus. As the journey progressed and the conductor came around to check the tickets, the woman was dismayed to realize that somewhere during the ride someone must have dipped into her purse and stolen two gold coins, along with her ticket.

"Boreham reacts by saying how embarrassed he was because he happened to be sitting next to her and she kept giving him a look of suspicion. But thankfully, he said, the problem was resolved quickly when, digging her hands deeper into the purse, she found the coins. Promptly and with a red face she apologized, saying that it was her birthday and this was a new purse her daughter had given her. 'The compartments of the purse were more elaborate and ingenious than she had noticed,' he said.

"Boreham, in his inimitable way, titled his essay 'Hidden Gold,' reminding the reader in the following words: 'Now this sort of thing is very common. We are continually fancying that we have been robbed of the precious things we still possess. The old lady who searches everywhere for the spectacles that adorn her temples; the clerk who ransacks the office for the pen behind his ear; and the boy who charges his brother with the theft of his penknife that lurks in the mysterious depths of his own fearful and wonderful pocket.' "

Ravi Zacharias adds, "Often we are not aware of how close we are to that which we need but we think we do not have. In His grace, God has placed some hidden gold somewhere in all of us that meets our need at a desperate moment."

Ravi Zacharias, God in the Shadows: Walking from East to West
F W Boreham, Mushrooms on the Moor

You can also find F. W. Boreham on Facebook. The site is managed by Geoff Pound, a foremost authority on Boreham.

Making Life Decisions - Geoff Pound

2010-08-26T15:32:00.000-07:00

Geoff Pound, the author of Making Life Decisions: Journey in Discernment (John Broadbanks Publishing) discovered this online review written by Rowland Croucher for the Victorian Baptist Witness. You can view it here: Making Life Decisions.

You can order the book for $14.00 plus shipping from Dalton Books. It's also available on Amazon.

It's an excellent resource for individual or group study. One church in New Zealand (Geoff's native land) chose to go through it together. It's also been used by one of Geoff's former students in Australia.

All the comments have been positive. Please share your thoughts with us if you have read the book.

A pleasant surprise

2010-08-22T13:00:00.000-07:00

It was a pleasant surprise to find praise for Angels, Palms and Fragrant Flowers: F. W. Boreham on C. H. Spurgeon.

You can view the post here: http://fragrant.bloogertoday.com/angels-palms-and-fragrant-flowers-f-w-boreham-on-c-h-spurgeon/.

Thank you to the author.

Reading Boreham, Spurgeon and others who have gone before brings a realization that their thought and writings are valuable. I can enjoy contemporary authors as much as anyone, but I appreciate the perspective of those from a different era. They have enriched my life.

One of my early influences was My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. That led to his other writings and reading about his life. There are so many others that I could name.

If you have not already discovered the wealth in writings of Christians from the past, I encourage to do so. Give authors like F. W. Boreham a try, and don't give up if the style is a little difficult to read. Your patience will be rewarded.

An introduction to F. W. Boreham and John Broadbanks Publishing

2010-07-12T19:02:00.000-07:00

Here is an update of the cover letter I use to introduce people to F. W. Boreham and John Broadbanks Publishing. Two new books have been added (see the end of the list), and pastor Jeff Cranston is now part of our team.

F. W. Boreham was the Max Lucado of his day. His 51 books were bestsellers. Some people had a standing order for each new volume. It wasn’t unusual to see Boreham books being carried or read in public places. He was once famously introduced as “the man whose name is on all our lips, whose books are on all our shelves and whose illustrations are in all our sermons.”

But then a generation arose that knew not Boreham. Consult a Baptist (Boreham’s denomination) encyclopedia of persons and you might not even find an entry. It seems an odd turn of events for a man who spent most of his life pastoring in New Zealand, Tasmania and Australia, and sold millions of books. If it wasn’t for the frequent mentions of his name by Ravi Zacharias, he might be mostly forgotten.

Dr. Geoff Pound, who probably knows more about Boreham than anyone else, Michael Dalton, and Jeff Cranston are working together to bring the writings of Boreham back into print.

The following collections of Boreham’s writings are now available from John Broadbanks Publishing:

• Second Thoughts, 68 pages, $6.00 (2007) – Ravi Zacharias introduced me (Michael Dalton) to Boreham’s writings. It’s a thrill to have an introduction to Boreham that Ravi wrote specifically for this book. Each of the five essays in this volume have something to do with the word “second.” “The Second Crop,” a personal favorite, expounds on an obscure Bible verse about possessing our possessions. It’s applicable to the current economic crisis.
• Chalice of Life: The Significant Stages of Life, 58 pages, $7.00 (2008) – Boreham wrote essays on the major decades of life as he experienced them. He begins with life at 30 and ends with life at 70. Two other essays on life’s milestones are included.
• A Packet of Surprises: The Best Essays and Sermons of F. W. Boreham, 298 pages, $14.00 (2008) – The complete essays and sermons are some of Boreham’s best. Discover the wonder when you open this packet of surprises.
• Lover of Life: F. W. Boreham’s Tribute to His Mentor (Revised and Expanded), 44 pages, $7.00 (2009) –This is a reprint of the rare 1948 book, The Man Who Saved Gandhi. This is Boreham’s brief but insightful sketch of the relationship that he had with his friend and mentor, J. J. Doke.
• Angels, Palms and Fragrant Flowers: F. W. Boreham on C. H. Spurgeon, 69 pages, $7.00 (2009) – There is a little redundancy in Boreham's three sermons, one lecture and an essay, but the portrait he paints in words of Spurgeon more than makes up for any repetition. A preface by Geoff Pound and two introductory essays about Spurgeon and his college by Steve Miller, a Harvest House editor that has studied him, provides context for a book that is not only biographical but inspiring. Spurgeon's Christ-centered focus and passion for souls are invigorating. If you need refreshing, get to know this giant of a man through the eyes of F. W. Boreham and a few admirers of these two men.
• All the Blessings of Life: The Best Stories of F. W. Boreham (Revised), 288 pages, $14.00 (2010) – This is a new revised version of our most popular title. Donald Grey Barnhouse said that illustrations are like the windows that let the light in. Boreham was a master of this art. This volume contains some of his best anecdotes.
• Loose Leaves, 126 pages, $10.00 (2010) – This is a travel journal that chronicles Boreham’s trip from New Zealand to England and back again. Geoff Pound writes, “His pen romps over the pages as he writes about the topics which would become some of his lifelong themes—history, literature, faith, heroism, royalty and the charms in everyday life. Boreham’s ability to paint a picture, tell a story and uncover fascinating detail is evident on every page.” This book has been out of print for over 100 years, and this is the first time that it has had a proper cover (it was printed as a stapled gray booklet) and a table of contents.

In each of these volumes the life of faith becomes a beautiful thing. There is a warm optimism in Boreham’s words. Is there balm in Gilead? Boreham answers “yes.”

In addition to the Boreham books, we have published Making Life Decisions: Journey in Discernment (2009) by Dr. Geoff Pound. This spiral bound book is all about discovering God’s will in any situation. It’s arranged in a 40-day devotional format with space for journaling in the back. It also has a special group discussion section to encourage making the journey with others. 222 pages follow twenty Roman numeral pages.

Books may be obtained from the following sources:
Michael Dalton: email dalton.michael@sbcglobal.net
Dalton Books: www.abebooks.com/home/MDALTONEKA

Amazon.com
eBay: Michael Dalton’s seller name is mdaltoneka
Baker & Taylor
COC Online Bookshop (Australia): http://www.coc.org.au/ssl/shop2.0/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=6&cat=F+W+Boreham

For correspondence or questions contact:
Michael Dalton
2163 Fern Street
Eureka, CA 95503
(707) 422-8967
dalton.michael@sbcglobal.net

Dr. Geoff Pound
P O Box 4114
FUJAIRAH
United Arab Emirates
geoffpound@gmail.com

Loose Leaves now available

2010-06-25T13:02:00.000-07:00

After more than 100 years since its original publication, Loose Leaves, F. W. Boreham’s travel journal is back in print. It’s also available as an ebook, along with All the Blessings of Life: F. W. Boreham’s Best Stories (Revised), at Smashwords. In addition, these ebooks should be available where others are sold, with the exception of iTunes, which last time I checked was temporarily limiting the number of publishers for the iPad.

A print copy is obtainable through eBay, where you can save a dollar on postage, AbeBooks and Amazon.

If you prefer to pay by credit card, please place your order through AbeBooks. If you use PayPal, you can send $10.00 plus $3.00 in postage to my email address: dalton.michael@sbcglobal.net. Please add fifty cents in postage for each additional book ordered.

If you would like to review the book, please email me. Honest, concise reviews are appreciated and are posted in a variety of places, possibly including the Amazon listing.

Dr. Geoff Pound offers the following summary of Loose Leaves:

"This book chronicles F. W. Boreham’s pilgrimage to the birthplaces and homes of many great English and Scottish writers and his communion with them as the young writer recalls quotations and thoughts from their books.

"His pen romps over the pages as he writes about the topics which would become some of his lifelong themes—history, literature, faith, heroism, royalty and the charms in everyday life. Boreham’s ability to paint a picture, tell a story and uncover fascinating detail is evident on every page."

For the first time Loose Leaves has a proper cover (it was printed as a stapled gray booklet) and a table of contents.

With the exception of a few minor alterations, the original language including the British spelling is intact. An “About the Cover” section is included in the back.

If you order the book and for any reason are not happy, please let me know. I will do what I can to satisfy you.

Questions and comments are always welcome.

Print date for Loose Leaves

2010-06-05T06:16:00.000-07:00

BookMasters in Ohio will print Loose Leaves on Friday June 11th. I should receive it by the week of June 20th at the latest.

It will be available almost immediately at eBay and AbeBooks, and shortly thereafter at Amazon.

All the Blessings of Life: The Best Stories of F. W. Boreham (Revised) is now available as an ebook. You can purchase it at Smashwords.

You can email comments about the ebook to dalton.michael@sbcglobal.net. Let me know what you think as this is our first ebook.

Loose Leaves going to print

2010-05-28T06:29:00.000-07:00

Loose Leaves is being uploaded to the printer. Special thanks to Geoff, Jeff, Laura and Steph for all their work, and thank you to those who have supported us with encouragement and prayer.

I will pass on a print date once I have it.

Today’s Our Daily Bread reminds that our times are in His hands.

Cinderella of the Parables - Peter Geizer

2010-05-21T15:23:00.000-07:00

Peter Geizer is a friend to John Broadbanks Publishing and a distributor of our F. W. Boreham books in Australia.

In his latest blog post, he references two Boreham essays: "A Box of Blocks" from our A Packet of Surprises: The Best Essays and Sermons of F. W. Boreham, originally from Rubble and Roseleaves, and a later related essay called "The Cinderella of the Parables” from The Tide Comes In.

You can read his thoughts at peter geizer.blogspot.com. At the end you will find a link to the COC on-line bookshop.

Loose leaves are gathering

2010-05-18T14:41:00.000-07:00

The loose leaves are almost fully gathered. And yet, they take flight on every page. They swirl on the wind and find repose in tranquil thoughts.

Loose Leaves by F. W. Boreham has never looked better. The layout is beautiful. It may be our best yet. For the first time, the book has a table of contents (thank you Steph!). It is exciting to be close to sending files to the printer.

The finished product will honor Boreham. Except for a few minor alterations, the original writing is intact. British spellings are retained.

Imagine taking a pilgrimage with Boreham, seeing it all through his eyes. This book provides a taste of something even greater, “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!” (Psalm 34:8 ESV).

FW Boreham books jockeying for position

2010-05-12T15:02:00.000-07:00

How does it happen? Loose Leaves, F. W. Boreham's travel journal was scheduled to be our first e-book. In the process of proofing the text toward that end, All the Blessings of Life: The Best Stories of F. W. Boreham (Revised) has seized the moment.

The latter is now on its way to being available for a multitude of electronic readers. Loose Leaves will have to console itself with the thought that being second does not make it inferior. Second Thoughts by F. W. Boreham more than makes that case.

I'm not accustomed to our books jockeying for position. These new formats have fostered a competition.

It seems fitting that All the Blessings of Life be our first e-book. It's been the most popular, and most have probably not discovered the new, revised version, which makes it even better. This may be what lies behind its sudden impulsiveness.

Hopefully, A Packet of Surprises: The Best Essays and Sermons of F. W. Boreham, which has seen a recent surge in sales, will not become jealous.

I suppose the other titles not mentioned will soon be clamoring for attention. I see what a balancing act parenting can be. Begin to favor one and cries of protest come from the others.

Stay tuned. The unexpected is becoming commonplace.

Recapture the wonder

2010-05-05T14:01:00.001-07:00

I just finished my review of the initial layout for Loose Leaves. Stephanie Martindale, our layout person, has done a splendid job. It will be a wonderful book.

I enjoyed reading the book more this time than on the first occasion. Maybe it’s because I was anticipating more devotional content on my first read. This is a travel journal.

Having my preconceived ideas out of the way, I thoroughly enjoyed the journey. Boreham’s whimsical way with words enriches me. Here is a small, random sample where Boreham describes a town that encircles what we would think of as a park: “The village spreads itself out around the green, like children joining hands around the maypole, as though each resident was anxious to see as much as possible of that pretty reserve which is the village pride.”

I hope that you too can be moved by mere words. If not, keep reading until you are, and reading Boreham is a good place to start. To use the words of Ravi Zacharias, authors like Boreham, help us to “recapture the wonder.”

Loose Leaves cover

2010-04-27T09:14:00.000-07:00

I have said it before; I will say it again. F. W. Boreham books by John Broadbanks Publishing are worth getting for the covers alone. Check out the new cover for Loose Leaves, which will hopefully be available in early summer. I am waiting for the first draft of the layout.

Special thanks to Laura Zugzda for her outstanding cover design.

All the Blessings of Life: The Best Stories of F. W. Boreham (Revised) is now available on AbeBooks, eBay and Amazon.

Revised All the Blessings book now available

2010-04-08T13:49:00.000-07:00

All the Blessings of Life: The Best Stories of F. W. Boreham (Revised) is now available. This is a revised version of the original book, which corrects a number of small errors and updates and improves it. Aside from the corrections, the main text is the same as the first printing.

The book contains more than 250 of the best stories found in F. W. Boreham's writings. Dr. Geoff Pound compiled the stories and wrote a foreword. A biographical essay on Boreham written by Dr. C. Irving Benson is included for those who may not be familiar with Boreham. Topical and name indexes are in the back.

Geoff Pound writes, "Throughout his life F. W. Boreham wrote and refined his stories in order to master the difficult art of telling a story well. Such diligence was rewarded as Dr. Boreham became recognized as one of the leading Christian preachers and writers in the first half of the twentieth century. In the second half of the last century, well-known preachers such as Billy Graham, Ravi Zacharias (USA) and Gordon Moyes (Australia) have frequently expressed their indebtedness to Boreham's writings."

You can order from Dalton Books, or if you have a PayPal account, just send a total of $18.00 (shipping expense included) to dalton.michael@sbcglobal.net. Add fifty cents for each additional book ordered.

Revised All the Blessings uploaded to printer

2010-03-25T11:53:00.000-07:00

The new and improved All the Blessings of Life: The Best Stories of F. W. Boreham (Revised) has gone to the printer. Because it is changed and improved, it will have a new ISBN number and a 2010 publication date. You can also expect new listings with the word “Revised” as part of the title.

The price will be the same. It sells for $18.00 at Amazon and other retailers. It will be $14.00 if you buy it from me direct.

This second printing provides some needed corrections and updates. It was necessary because, aside from the ones that I have with slightly defective covers (available at a reduced price), the first printing is almost gone. So if you have been waiting to get the book, this is the version that you want. If you already have it, you may want to give your copy away and get this one.

I’m not sure how soon I will have it, but I will provide more information in the near future.

More info on FW Boreham's Loose Leaves

2010-03-22T20:21:00.000-07:00

Please consider joining the F. W. Boreham Facebook group if you are not yet a part of it. Geoff Pound does a terrific job of managing it. In addition there is a treasure of Boreham material at THE OFFICIAL F W BOREHAM BLOG SITE.

Choose the link that follows to learn more about F. W. Boreham's rare Loose Leaves.

John Broadbanks Publishing hopes to publish this as soon as early summer. Your prayers and support are appreciated.

Response to Loose Leaves when it was first published

Geoff Pound announces publication of Loose Leaves

2010-03-11T08:28:00.000-08:00

Very few lovers of FW Boreham books have read Loose Leaves because only about two of the original copies are still in existence. Loose Leaves is a short travel book which tells the account of the voyage made from Mosgiel, New Zealand to the United Kingdom and home again. It is an important book because it is one of the earliest books from the pen of Dr Boreham.

John Broadbanks Publishing is making this book available and for the first time a Boreham book will be published as an eBook. Michael Dalton of JBP will give a better idea of when this book will be ready but here is the ‘Introductory Confession’ from the young author:

An Introductory Confession.

This is, one of those publications that really must not be taken seriously. It merely consists of a sheaf of fugitive notes, gathered from a stack of such scribblings, made in the course of a trip around the world, such as is now enjoyed by some hundreds annually.

If it is to be understood that every Tom, Dick and Harry who circles the globe in this twentieth century of ours is to inflict upon suffering humanity a volume of his impressions, we shall soon hear of the popular inception of a Society for the Suppression of Steamship Companies. The present writer, therefore, feels very much ashamed of himself.

The fact is: The notes were jotted down mainly for his own pleasure. An enterprising editor, “fossicking” after copy, and hearing of their existence, put the first temptation in the scribbler's way. One downward step having been taken, the road to ruin is notoriously easy. Being in type, it is not surprising that the thought should then arise of giving these 'Loose Leaves' their present form; and the author was weak enough to shelter himself beneath the execrable philosophy that he might as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb!

No idea of prices yet but it is not too soon to put in your order for a first edition of Loose Leaves by sending a note to Michael Dalton.

Note from Mike Dalton: If you are interested in this book, it would be helpful to know if your preferred format is digital, print or both. Please email me at dalton.michael@sbcglobal.net.

Image: Cape Horn was seen by FWB on the way to England.

The best bathroom book?

2010-03-08T13:19:00.000-08:00

All the Blessings of Life: The Best Stories of F. W. Boreham has been our most popular book. I am down to my last few copies of the first printing. A new revised version will be available in the near future. I may even have it formatted for Kindle. Let me know if that is of interest.

I enjoyed the following blog post about All the Blessings, I hope you enjoy it too.

I got this book for Christmas. It is called, All the Blessings of Life: The Best Stories of F.W. Boreham. Not too deep, never that shallow, always random, it is a buch of little snippets from his books and journals and such, just about a couple paragraphs each usually. This fact makes it the best book to have on the back of the toilet EVER. It gives you something to think about, but not TOO much to where you'd rather not have to mentally shovel through it just at that moment in the bathroom. Very good so far.

The bit I read today was a little longer. It talked about a clean conscience and how it relates to sleep. Quite amusingly interesting. Boreham talked about the book Les Miserables, where Jean Valjean was robbing the good bishop whose house he was staying at. As he was creeping around and about to leave, he spotted the bishop sleeping. He quoted the book as saying, "The moral world has no greater spectacle than this, a troubled, restless conscience, which is on the point of commiting a bad action, contemplating the sleep of a just man." Then he talked about a scene in English history, when the Earl of Argyle was about to be executed. One of the traitor lords came up to the prison and asked to see his lordship. The man was sleeping peacefully, as if he didn't mind that he was going to be killed at all. The conscience of the traitor smote him and he ran home to his family, saying, "I have been to Argyle's prison. I have seen him, within an hour of eternity, sleeping as sweetly as ever a man did! But as for me..."

Boreham wraps up his thought by saying, "(the church) has excelled in the production of heroic and magnificent sleepers. That is why I insist that every candidate for her membership should be searchingly questioned as to his ability to sleep."

Here is the link to the original post:

http://darkness-2-light.blogspot.com/2010/03/all-blessings-of-life.html

Thanks to the author for sharing her thoughts.

Feedback on Making Life Decisions: Journey in Discernment

2010-03-02T16:52:00.000-08:00

Geoff Pound, the author of Making Life Decisions: Journey in Discernment, recently received an encouraging email (slightly edited).

"I loved your Journey's study and have recommended it to quite a few people
who are now also loving it. Do you have other Bible studies?

"Someone recommended it to me after I gave up full-time employment and felt completely lost. What was God doing?...

"I head up a Christian dance and drama team. I worked through it on my own, in fact, I've been through it twice and it brought a great sense of peace to me as I realized God was actually in control of my circumstances and was leading me into something new (still waiting for the something new).

"I often quote bits of it to the young adults in my dance team and have just recommended it tonight to a young lad who's unsure what the Lord wants him to study next year.

"I found that even though I didn't get any clear answers I feel sure God is leading me everyday as I stay plugged into him.

"I also especially enjoyed the meditations as I'm a very active person and find it hard to be still and wait on the Lord.

"I would be happy to do this study with a group of youth, perhaps later this year. I have just begun a Bible study for about six of my dance youth and almost all are fretting about what God wants them to do with their lives - its amazing (sad) the amount of stress it’s causing in their lives."

We have done well with this book, especially in New Zealand, Geoff's homeland, and Australia. In addition to private and group study, the book is suitable for use as a seminary or college textbook.

Copies from the first printing are still available. If you live in the US and want to order it, you can send a PayPal payment of $17.00 to dalton.michael@sbcglobal.net.

You can also write a check for the same amount to Mike Dalton, 2163 Fern Street, Eureka, CA 95503.

Each book is $14.00 plus $3.00 shipping. Add $1.00 in shipping for each additional copy ordered.

Shipping outside the US will vary depending on your location and the quantity ordered. You can contact me for an estimate or just place your order on AbeBooks (see the link below), and you will be notified if I need to adjust the shipping rate.

I can process credit card orders through my AbeBooks homepage. You can also order the book at Amazon through me or Amazon.

Rowland Croucher reviews Angels, Palms and Fragrant Flowers

2010-02-25T06:36:00.000-08:00

F. W. Boreham, Angels, Palms and Fragrant Flowers: F. W. Boreham on C. H. Spurgeon, John Broadbanks Publishing, 2009.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) was probably heard by more people in the second half of the 19th Century than any other English-speaking preacher. (Another Baptist preacher - Billy Graham - is said to have been heard in face-to-face crowds by more people in the second half of the next century than any other human being). And the gifted preacher and essayist F. W. Boreham - one of 'Spurgeon's men' who may have been the last student Spurgeon interviewed for his Pastors' College - has probably been read by more people than any other Baptist in the 20th century.

So when Boreham writes about Spurgeon, it's interesting.

On a snowy morning, on January 6, 1850, the teenager Charles Spurgeon wandered into a Primitive Methodist chapel in a side street in Colchester, 'hoping that some minister would tell him how he might be saved'... The boy under the gallery... 'was only fifteen, and he died at fifty- seven. But in the course of the intervening years, he preached the gospel to millions and led thousands upon thousands into the kingdom and service of Jesus Christ' (xiv, 34).

From the age of 20 Spurgeon's sermons were published each week until his death: they 'went on to sell into the millions of copies and were translated into 25 languages' (xv).

A few teasers in a category we might title 'Can you believe this?':

* There were long queues by the five or six thousand people who packed into Spurgeon's Sunday morning services. 'And this sort of thing went on, summer and winter, year in and year out, for a generation. The service was never advertised. Mr Spurgeon's trouble was to keep people away. He was everlastingly imploring his own members to absent themselves in order to make room for ... strangers. He had no organ and no choir. The singing was led by a precentor with a tuning fork' (43).

* The secret behind Spurgeon's appeal? Certainly not his appearance. Boreham tells us that Spurgeon was 'by no means a handsome man... [indeed] physically he was one of the least attractive figures in the public life of England. But when he uttered the name of Jesus, he stood transfigured. His soul caught fire. His face literally shone...' (13).

* Another clue? 'He was moved to the depths of his being by his passion for the souls of men' (15). Sometimes Spurgeon would leave home early in the morning, listen to the stories of some thirty or more persons during a whole day, attend a prayer meeting and another meeting at night, and at ten o'clock wonder why he felt faint! He'd forgotten to eat all that time! (48)

We are indebted to Dr. Geoff Pound, who probably knows more about Boreham than anyone else, for this 'Boreham taster on C. H. Spurgeon.' It's worth getting a few copies to give to young aspiring preachers you may know.

Shalom/Salaam/Pax! Rowland Croucher

http://jmm.aaa.net.au/

February 2010

Thank you Rowland Croucher.

If you wish to order Angels, Palms and Fragrant Flowers and live in the US, you can send a PayPal payment of $10.00 to dalton.michael@sbcglobal.net. You can also write a check for the same amount to Mike Dalton, 2163 Fern Street, Eureka, CA 95503.

Each book is $7.00 plus $3.00 shipping. Add fifty cents in shipping for each additional copy ordered.

I can process credit card orders through my AbeBooks homepage. You can also order the book at Amazon through me or Amazon.

An Open Book - David Roper

2010-02-22T17:34:00.000-08:00

In addition to F. W. Boreham, David Roper is one of my favorites. As a publisher and as someone who has aspired to writing a book, his January 11, 2010 blog post provides a healthy perspective.

An Open Book

"You are an epistle of Christ" (1 Corinthians 3:2).

Because I'm a writer, folks sometimes tell me they too would like to write a book. "That's a worthy goal," I reply, "and I hope you do write a book someday, but it's better to be one than to write one."

I'm thinking, of course, of Paul's words: "You (Christians) are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart" (1 Corinthians 3:3)

Lewis Bayly, the Chaplain to King James 1st of England, in his book, The Practice of Piety, suggests that "one who hopes to effect any good by his writings" will find that he will "instruct very few ... The most powerful means, therefore, of promoting what is good, is by example, and this is in every individual's power. One man in a thousand can write a book to instruct his neighbors ... But every man can be a pattern of living excellence to those around him ... and he that successfully performs that duty possesses an influence in society, superior to that which can be acquired by any other distinction whatever."

The work that Christ is doing in you can result in an influence far greater than any book you may write. Through his words and by his Spirit he is writing his love and goodness on the pages of your heart. Change will come quietly, imperceptibly, gradually, but it will come. Then, though you may never write a book, you will be one!

Borders showing Boreham listings

2010-02-18T16:11:00.001-08:00

Thanks to Bryan Gish for pointing out that Border's shows online listings for F. W. Boreham books published by John Broadbanks Publishing. You can see a more extensive list in their used books section. I'm not sure why their list of new books is incomplete, but I'm glad for what they do show.

There is a Borders store in my hometown of Eureka.

Anyone should be able to walk into Borders or any other retail bookstore and order any of our F. W. Boreham books. That's because our titles are listed with Baker & Taylor, a major distributor. I will have to check on the status of Making Life Decisions by Geoff Pound.

Soon I will be reviewing the corrections for a revised editon of All the Blessings of Life: The Best Stories of F. W. Boreham. This is a significant improvement that corrects a number of small errors.

In the near future I should have news about an exciting new project.

You can order books direct from me by emailing dalton.michael@sbcglobal.net. This is for check, money order and PayPal purchases. If you want to use a credit card, please visit my storefront at AbeBooks.

Reading Biographies

2010-02-10T06:33:00.000-08:00

New Zealander Mike Crowl, with a little help from Geoff Pound, lets us see F. W. Boreham's taste for biographies. You can see the original post, which follows, at The Daily Writer.

F. W. Boreham possessed a bias towards Disraeli’s decree, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory,” and Emerson’s variation, “There is properly no history; only biography”.

Dr. Boreham wrote of the means by which readers might experience the personalities of significant people who had died and asserted, “The biographies of the noble dead are among the most stimulating volumes in our libraries. By means of their pages we come in touch with the richest and rarest spirits of the past: and in the process, our finest impulses are quickened and our highest aspirations inflamed.”

Thanks to Geoff Pound for these quotes.

Steve Bell, another admirer of FW Boreham

2010-02-03T08:24:00.000-08:00

Add Steve Bell to the list of admirers of F. W. Boreham. Early this week a friend and I attended Bell’s concert in Sacramento. It was a feast for those who enjoy thoughtful reflections in word and song. We had the privilege of meeting Steve after one of his Sunday morning performances. Despite the busyness of performing in all three of the morning services, he was most congenial. I gave him several of the F. W. Boreham books published by John Broadbanks Publishing, which he graciously accepted.

Upon returning home this past Monday I was delighted to find an email message from Steve. “I woke early his morning, and picked up A Packet of Surprises and read the first essay of the book, 'A Box of Blocks.' I must say, it left me almost breathless. What a staggering essay. I am trying hard not to overstate here, but I'm not sure one could. Not only is the writing uniquely elegant and masterful, but almost traumatizing in its capacity to bring the reader to a startling encounter with Jesus. I almost feel like I was tricked by Christ into an encounter I didn't ask for. My goodness Michael, thanks for bringing me these books.”

I appreciate Steve’s enthusiastic response. I encourage you to check out his website, which you can view here. I highly recommend his music; go see him in concert if you get the chance. I doubt that you will be disappointed. I think F. W. Boreham would applaud his ability to combine songs and storytelling in such an engaging way.

Boreham and Bell - two great storytellers

2010-01-25T12:17:00.000-08:00

My corrections for a new edited version of All the Blessings of Life: The Best Stories of F. W. Boreham are with Stephanie Martindale, who does the layout for our books. As mentioned in a previous post, she could use your prayers as she has been going through a second round of chemotherapy.

My seasonal employment at Kohl's has come to an end. They left the door open for me applying again but said they just don't have enough hours for all their employees. Employee hours are tied to sales, and this is the slowest time of the year.

Lord willing, I hope to use any extra time I have to reprint All the Blessings and work on another project.

This weekend I plan to visit Capital Christian Center in Sacramento to attend a Steve Bell concert. This will be the first time that I have seen him perform. I will be going with a friend that wants to see him more than any other artist in the world. How is that for a commendation?

Visit Steve's website to learn more about him, and go see him if you ever get the chance. You may want to order one of his CDs. One of my favorites is Story and Song; he is a great storyteller. I guess that's one reason why I like him and Boreham.

Image: Steve Bell

Pray for Steph

2010-01-13T14:02:00.000-08:00

My work of editing a revised version of All the Blessings of Life: The Best Stories of F. W. Boreham continues.

Please consider praying for Stephanie Martindale, our layout person, who has been going through chemotherapy again. I am sure she has lots of work to do and it’s harder when you are not feeling well.

I appreciate this thought from F. W. Boreham, “Our inveterate habit of belittling other people’s losses is a very ugly one. Let any man look back over his own life and count the tears that he has himself shed over the merest trifles before making a jest of his neighbor’s minor losses” (The Passing of John Broadbanks).

All the Blessings in revision, Mosgiel stories considered and Stella Boreham tribute

2010-01-07T08:12:00.000-08:00

I made a good start yesterday in revising All the Blessings of Life: The Best Stories of F. W. Boreham. I hope to reprint it soon since the initial printing is almost sold out. I was glad to include in my list of corrections an error found by Bryan Gish shortly after the book was published. If you know of any corrections or changes that should be made, please let me know.

I am also considering a new collection of Boreham’s writings that feature stories from his Mosgiel years. If anyone would like to help with this effort, I could use a list of essays along with the title of the book where they can be found. If nothing else, feel free to share your favorites.

I may also be looking for someone to create the initial word document of the stories and essays that are chosen. It might save a lot of time, since I am not a fast typist. I am willing to pay someone.

As always, I could use your prayers. I sense God nudging me in this direction, but I am dependent on Him and others for help. I welcome any support.

Special thanks to God and Geoff Pound for helping me to get this far. This is the fourth year of operations for John Broadbanks Publishing.

All the Blessings includes an essay about Boreham by C. Irving Benson. It contains a lovely tribute to Boreham's wife. As a person who has never been married, I admire those who can walk together like these two.

"Through all the ministering years, he was loved and companioned by the lady -- Stella Cottee -- whose love he had won during his student pastorate at the village of Theydon Bois in Epping Forest. She was not out of her teens when she voyaged alone across the world to become the first mistress of the Mosgiel Manse. Her quiet grace and lovely serenity, blended with good sense, imaginative thoughtfulness and steadfast courage, inspired and sustained, protected and defended him, and smiled away his fears. He knew more than all of us how much she gave to make him the man we admired and loved. They walked and worked together and she was beside him on 'the long last mile.' This must be said of him -- that he was at his brightest and best with wife and children around him in the blessed peace of his home."

And of course, Stella's love was a reflection of a love greater than her own: "Frank Boreham had his share of sorrows, but they were never wasted sorrows, for 'aye the dews of sorrow were lustered by His love.'"

You might think a tribute like this better suited to Valentine's Day, but if love is at the heart of the Christian faith, it's always worth remembering.

Image: Boreham and his wife Stella Cottee

Boreham in Korea

2009-12-23T14:55:00.000-08:00

All the Blessings of Life: The Best Stories of F. W. Boreham is on its way to South Korea. Today I processed an order for the book from that part of the world.

I am thrilled that it is on its way there. I would welcome the opportunity to provide Boreham books to believers in the north. I think his influence could be a wonderful antidote to some of the suffering and despair in that nation. Who knows what good will come from this exposure?

As I mentioned recently, this has been our most popular book, and since I am down to my last few copies, I am looking at reprinting it. The book is also still available from Ravi Zacharias International Ministries. RZIM informed me that they anticipate reordering the book from me in January or February of next year.

I will appreciate any prayer on this matter. I will most likely review the book to see if any minor modifications need to be made before I order another print run.

I believe one reason why All the Blessings has been our most popular book is that our other titles, though equal in quality, remain undiscovered. For example, Angels, Palms and Fragrant Flowers: F. W. Boreham on C. H. Spurgeon, our most recent release, is a little like one of the seraphim of Isaiah 6 touching one with a coal from the altar. Spurgeon’s example as seen through the eyes of F. W. Boreham can have a purifying effect. This is a beautiful portrait of someone who loved souls so much that he sought to win them to Christ the Lord.

It would make an excellent gift for anyone in the ministry. You can purchase it at AbeBooks, eBay and Amazon. The best deal right now is to buy at eBay. However, if you want to pay by credit card, you will need to buy it from one of the other sources.

The eBay listing can be viewed here. You can find my AbeBooks store here.

I want to say thank you to all who have supported and contributed to John Broadbanks Publishing, but especially to Geoff Pound, without whom this would not have been possible. I recognize that one of the greatest ongoing needs is prayer for God’s wisdom and guidance.

Merry Christmas, and I wish everyone a blessed New Year.

FW Boreham and Geoff Pound available on eBay

2009-12-18T12:21:00.000-08:00

Books by John Broadbanks Publishing are once again available on eBay. You can now find the following titles by F. W. Boreham and Geoff Pound:

Second Thoughts
The Chalice of Life: Reflections on the Significant Stages in Life
A Packet of Surprises: The Best Essays and Sermons of F. W. Boreham
Lover of Life: F. W. Boreham’s Tribute to His Mentor (Revised and Expanded)
Angels, Palms and Fragrant Flowers: F. W. Boreham on C. H. Spurgeon
Making Life Decisions: Journey in Discernment – Geoff Pound

All the Blessings of Life: The Best Stories of F. W. Boreham is not listed because I only have a few left.

Here is the link to A Packet of Surprises. This is a companion to All the Blessings of Life and one of our best books.

With the smaller-sized books, you can save a little in postage by ordering from eBay. I can accept PayPal payments and checks but am not able to process credit cards. If you want to use a credit card, please visit my AbeBooks store here.

Peter Geizer and the gift of consideration

2009-12-14T08:02:00.000-08:00

Peter Geizer lives in Brisbane, Australia and has been a friend to Geoff Pound and I and are publishing concern, having distributed our Boreham books on his side of the world.

In his most recent blog, which you can view here, he references F. W. Boreham. Among the books he is currently reading are two published by John Broadbanks Publishing: Making Life Decisions: Journey in Discernment by Geoff Pound, and A Packet of Surprises: The Best Essays and Sermons of F. W. Boreham. Geoff and I think highly of Peter and are blessed to have him as a friend.

I am down to my last few copies of All the Blessings of Life: The Best Stories of F. W. Boreham. Now is your chance to get it before it goes out of print. Amazon has consistently been ordering it, so they also are a source, but the well is about to run dry unless I reprint it soon. This has been our most popular title.

Once again I have been in the thick of the Christmas retail season, having been hired by Kohl's as a seasonal, part-time employee. Lately, it's been more like a full-time job, averaging over 30 hours per week.

It's a challenge to keep up with what we call "recovery," which is putting the store back in order after it has been picked over. It's been good to meet new coworkers and to see customers that I have not seen since the closing of Gottschalks. Many of the latter have been so kind in wishing me well.

I am not sure how this new employement will work out. It is somewhat hard on my physically, with all the bending over and carrying. May the will of the Lord be done.

There is still time to order and receive F. W. Boreham books by Christmas. You can visit my online store at AbeBooks here. I also have a large selection of Christian books, including rare and out of print titles. I add to my inventory regularly.

This past Sunday I had the privilege of hearing from one my favorite speakers, Pastor Gary Loop of Faith Center church in Eureka. He gave a Christmas message that highlighted the consideration that Joseph and Mary gave each other in a time of severe stress. The gift of consideration is a precious gift that we can give each other this Christmas and the coming year.

New books announcement to email list

2009-11-02T09:25:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone!

It has been over a year since I sent out an email about new books. In case you were not aware, the following are now available from John Broadbanks Publishing:

Angels, Palms and Fragrant Flowers: F. W. Boreham on C. H. Spurgeon

Making Life Decisions: Journey in Discernment – Written by Geoff Pound in a 40-day devotional format, the book includes space for journaling and a special section for those who want to do this with a group.

Lover of Life: F. W. Boreham’s Tribute to His Mentor (Revised and Expanded)

The two Boreham books are $7.00 each, and the one by Geoff Pound is $14.00. Shipping in the US is $4.00 for the first book and fifty cents for each additional book. Contact me if you want the cost of overseas shipping.

If you would like to order by credit card, please visit my AbeBooks web page. I can also accept PayPal payments to my email address: dalton.michael@sbcglobal.net.

You can also pay by check or money order. Please make it payable to Michael Dalton at 2163 Fern Street, Eureka, CA 95503.

If you are interested in used Boreham books, my current inventory is listed here.

A book that I often use as an introduction to Boreham, Second Thoughts, is now available for only $6.00. It includes Ravi Zacharias’ thoughts about Boreham, which he wrote specifically for this book.

As a reminder, we have two best-of collections priced at $14.00 each:

All the Blessings of Life: The Best Stories of F. W. Boreham
A Packet of Surprises: The Best Essays and Sermons of F. W. Boreham

Lastly, The Chalice of Life: Reflections on the Significant Stages of Life ($7.00) consists of Boreham’s thoughts on life’s milestones, specifically the different decades of life.

The holidays are nearly upon us. Keep these books in mind if you need a gift for a reader.

Please feel free to share your thoughts about Boreham and any of the books. I enjoy hearing from people.

Image: F. W. Boreham reading a book.

A Scottish woman blesses F. W. Boreham

2009-10-14T17:09:00.000-07:00

The Lord bless you ...

F. W. Boreham tells the true account of an elderly Scottish woman who, just before she died, lifted her feeble, thin hand and gently placed it upon his head as he was kneeling in prayer at her bedside. With a thick Scottish accent she pronounced this benediction over him, "The Lord bless ye, the Lord bless ye and keep ye! The Lord bless ye in your youth and in your auld age! The Lord bless ye in your basket and in your store! The Lord bless ye in your kirk and in your hame! The Lord bless ye in your guid wife and in your wee bairns! The Lord bless ye in your gaeings out and in your comings in frae this time forth and even for evermair!"

And so may the Lord bless you!

Source: Meet Me in the Meadow by Roy Lessin http://roy.dayspring.com/2009/10/blessings.html

F. W. Boreham on "The Second Crop"

2009-10-13T10:29:00.000-07:00

Second Thoughts contains one of my favorite Boreham essays. In “The Second Crop,” Boreham writes, “Dan Kirkland and Molly Aitken were just bringing
their courtship to its natural climax when I arrived in Mosgiel.” Boreham married the couple and it was toward the end of his stay in Mosgiel that Dan shared a discovery.

‘Well,’ he began, in response to my appeal for more exact information, ‘it was—let me see, how long ago was it?’ And then, calling to Molly in the other room,
he inquired, ‘Molly, how old’s Jack?’ ‘He’ll be ten next month,’ Molly replied.
‘Ah, then,’ he resumed, ‘it must be more than ten years ago: it was a month or two before Jack was born. It seemed as if everything was going badly with us just then. If you remember, the gold fever was at its height that year. Everybody went mad over the dredging in Central Otago. Every morning’s paper brought a new prospectus; each prospectus told of wealthy veins of gold just opened up: each new company promised fabulous dividends to enterprising investors. Molly and I had about a hundred and fifty pounds in the Savings Bank: we bought up mining shares and lost every penny. At just about the same time, the barn was burned down, and, a week or two later, two of our best cows died. We were hard hit and we felt it terribly.

‘Molly wasn’t able to get to church, or to go anywhere else, just then; and she used to sit at home here and mope. And I wasn’t much better; I fretted about things from morning till night, and, sometimes, from night until morning. Then, one Sunday morning—it was two or three weeks before Jack was born—Molly’s mother drove over to stay with her while I went down to the church: I hadn’t been going for a week or two. And it was the sermon you preached that Sunday morning that set me laughing.’

I inquired as to the theme. ‘I’m afraid,’ he continued, ‘I can’t tell you much that you said, but I think I can find the text.’ He reached for the Bible on the shelf behind his chair—the Bible that he was accustomed to use at family worship.
‘Yes, here it is,’ he exclaimed. ‘I always keep a bookmark in the place, because it’s in the prophecy of Obadiah, and the prophecy of Obadiah isn’t easily found, especially if you’re in a hurry. But this is it: “The house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.”

I forget the sermon. I know that you said that a man might merely possess a big estate, and get but little satisfaction out of it, while another man, who knew how to possess his possessions, would get twenty times as much pleasure out of a place nothing like so big. You used an illustration about books. You said that a man who had got together fifty books, and read them, would get more satisfaction out of his modest shelfful than the man who owned a splendid library and never dipped into the volumes he had bought. The only secret of real happiness, you said, lies in possessing your possessions.

My word, that sermon set me thinking. I went away laughing at myself. “Here,”
I thought, “I’ve been spending all my time fretting about the money that’s lost, and the barn that’s burned down, and the cows that are dead: and I’ve clean lost sight of the only things worth thinking about—the things that are still mine!” I thought of Molly—the best little wife in the world: I thought of the baby that was so soon to be born: I thought of the home and the farm and the cattle: I thought of the health and strength that I enjoyed—I’ve never had a day’s sickness in my life—and I burst out laughing. I believe I laughed all the way home from church. And, when I got home, I made Molly laugh too. We’ve often smiled about it
since.’

There is more to this essay, but this is one of my favorite parts. The book also includes an introduction written by Ravi Zacharias. This is available from me direct for only $6.00 plus shipping. If you pay by check or PayPal (to my email address: dalton.michael@sbcglobal.net) just send $9.00. Checks should be made out to Michael Dalton and mailed to 2163 Fern Street, Eureka, CA 95503.

You can order through AbeBooks here. Second Thoughts is also available at Amazon.

C. H. Spurgeon’s master passion

2009-10-05T09:15:00.000-07:00

Angels, Palms and Fragrant Flowers: F. W. Boreham on C. H. Spurgeon is a collection of Dr. Boreham’s writings on the life and ministry of the famous London preacher. In one of my favorite passages, a Spurgeon biographer looks at why he was so influential.

Boreham writes, “In his Life of Spurgeon, Dr. W. Y. Fullerton devotes a good deal of his space to an inquiry as to the sources of Mr. Spurgeon’s power. It is an elusive and difficult question. It is admitted that there is scarcely one respect in which Mr. Spurgeon’s powers were really transcendent. He had a fine voice; but others had finer ones. He was eloquent; but others were no less so. He used to say that his success was due, not to his preaching of the gospel, but to the gospel that he preached. Obviously, however, this is beside the mark; for he himself would not have been so uncharitable as to deny that others preached the same gospel and yet met with no corresponding success. The truth probably is that, although he attained to super excellence at no point, he was really great at many. And behind this extraordinary combination of remarkable, though not transcendent, powers, was a deadly earnestness, a consuming passion, that made second-rate qualities sublime. The most revealing paragraph in Dr. Fullerton’s book occurs towards the end. It is a quotation from Mr. Spurgeon himself. ‘Leaving home early in the morning,’ he says, ‘I went to the vestry and sat there all day long, seeing those who had been brought to Christ by the preaching of the Word. Their stories were so interesting to me that the hours fled without my noticing how fast they were going. I may have seen, some thirty or more persons during the day, one after the other, and I was so delighted with the tales of divine mercy they had to tell me, and the wonders of grace God had wrought in them, that I did not know anything about how the time passed. At seven o’clock we had our prayer meeting. I went in and prayed with the brethren. And after that came the church meeting. A little before ten I felt faint, and I began to wonder at what hour I had eaten my dinner, and I then for the first time remembered that I had not tasted any! I never thought of it. I never even felt hungry: God had made me so glad!’

“Mr. Spurgeon lived that he might save men. He thought of nothing else. From his first sermon at Waterbeach to his last at Mentone, the conversion of sinners was the dream of all his days. That master passion glorified the whole man and threw a grandeur about the common details of every day. He would cheerfully have thrown away his soul to save the souls of others.”

You can purchase this book from me for only $7.00 in one of several ways. You can send a PayPal payment of $10.00 (includes $3.00 for shipping) to dalton.michael@sbcglobal.net. You can send a $10.00 check made out to Mike Dalton to 2163 Fern Street, Eureka, CA 95503, or you can order it at AbeBooks.

You can also order the book from my Amazon listing here. You have the option to buy it from Amazon, or you can buy it from me by purchasing from the seller “mdaltoneka.”

Your support will be appeciated. In addition to this book, John Broadbanks Publishing has published five other books by F. W. Boreham (see below) and Making Life Decisions: Journey in Discernment by Geoff Pound. The prices vary but all of them can be purchased through the same means listed above.

Additional F. W. Boreham books published by John Broadbanks Publishing:

All the Blessings of Life: The Best Stories of F. W. Boreham
Second Thoughts - Includes an introduction by Ravi Zacharias
The Chalice of Life: Reflections on the Significant Stages of Life
A Packet of Surprises: The Best Essays and Sermons of F. W. Boreham
Lover of Life: F. W. Boreham's Tribute to His Mentor (Revised and Expanded)

Used FW Boreham books for sale

2009-09-05T14:07:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for F. W. Boreham books, you may want to browse more than 30 used ones that I have listed for sale. These are duplicates of titles that I already own.

These listings will show at AbeBooks in the next 6-24 hours. My bookseller name is Dalton Books, but you can go to the "Christianity - F. W. Boreham (Used)" catalog that I created.

Special F. W. Boreham book offer

2009-08-24T04:52:00.000-07:00

You can buy all six of the F. W. Boreham books published by John Broadbanks Publishing for $50.00. This includes the following titles:

Lover of Life: F. W. Boreham’s Tribute to His Mentor (Revised and Expanded)
All the Blessings of Life: The Best Stories of F. W. Boreham
Second Thoughts
The Chalice of Life: The Significant Stages in Life
A Packet of Surprises: The Best Essays and Sermons of F. W. Boreham
Angels, Palms and Fragrant Flowers: F. W. Boreham on C. H. Spurgeon

Shipping is $6.00 in the US and $13.00 outside the US.

Are two “best of” collections, All the Blessings of Life and A Packet of Surprises are available for a total of $22.00 plus $4.00 shipping in the US. Shipping outside the US is $13.00.

PayPal payments go to my email address: dalton.michael@sbcglobal.net. Make checks or money orders payable to Michael Dalton at 2163 Fern Street, Eureka, CA 95503.

Credit card orders must go through Dalton Books at AbeBooks.com. I will reduce the shipping expense after you place your order to make the total match this offer. This is the easiest way for me to pass on the discount.

This special will automatically apply to orders received for either of these packages. Please reference this offer when making your order.

At Dalton Books I have created two new catalogs under the following names:

Christianity – F. W. Boreham (Used)
Christianity – F. W. Boreham (Defective)

The first catalog will contain any used Boreham books that I have for sale. The second catalog consists of new Boreham books published by John Broadbanks Publishing that have been discounted due to damage or defects. Most, if not all of these books that are currently listed, have surface rubbing to the cover, which looks like specks of blotches. Rather than destroy them I want to make them available at a reduced price.

Lastly, if you or someone you know would like to try one of these Boreham books but are unable to afford one, please contact me. Let me know what you are able to pay.

Reader comments on FW Boreham book

2009-08-20T14:16:00.000-07:00

I want to be grateful for the smallest of things. The following email from a customer that purchased Lover of Life: F. W. Boreham’s Tribute to His Mentor (Revised and Expanded) is one of those blessings that I wanted to share.

Dear Michael,

Just to let you know that the two copies of Lover of Life arrived in our mailbox yesterday. The first thing I noticed (obviously!) was the cover. What a superb job Laura did on that! Then when I read your beautifully written comment on it, I thought to myself, Mike has expressed exactly how I felt when I first saw it! If you see or are in touch with Laura, tell her about this satisfied, and inspired, customer.

I read the book through last night. It truly is a little gem. One cannot help but be touched by the story of the friendship between JJD and FWB. And the picture Boreham gives of his friend is so skillfully and tenderly written.

Both Doke and Boreham were great, large-spirited men, the like of whom it is hard to find in these spiritually poverty-stricken days.

Thanks once again, Mike, for your generosity in sending me the two copies. I know my son will enjoy reading his copy as much as I have enjoyed reading mine. I'll certainly be recommending it to my friends.

Shalom.

Barrie (Hibbert)

You can get Lover of Life from me for only $7.00 plus shipping. To pay by credit card, please visit Dalton Books. PayPal payments (add $3.00 for shipping) go to my email address.

This is the new, updated and slightly expanded edition, which includes corrections to the first edition.

Three titles uploaded to Baker & Taylor

2009-08-06T07:21:00.000-07:00

John Broadbanks Publishing has uploaded three new books to Baker & Taylor, Inc., a major book distributor. In the near future, you should be able to order any of the following three titles from your local bookstore:

Books by F. W. Boreham
Lover of Life: F. W. Boreham’s Tribute to His Mentor (Revised and Expanded)
Angels, Palms and Fragrant Flowers: F. W. Boreham on C. H. Spurgeon

Books by Geoff Pound
Making Life Decisions: Journey in Discernment

Please allow me to summarize these books for your benefit.

Lover of Life is F. W. Boreham's tribute to his mentor, J. J. Doke. These vignettes illustrate the value and beauty of this kind of relationship. Geoff Pound writes, “It would be good if seminary and denominational leaders put this book into the hands of every seminary student and pastor who are embarking on a new mentoring relationship.”

In Angels, Palms and Fragrant Flowers, F. W. Boreham writes, "A king-maker occupies a more exalted eminence than a king. And in that (Victorian) age of crisis and transformation there were many kingly spirits who gratefully confessed that, but for Mr. Spurgeon's ministry -- in public or in private -- their own contribution to the nations' development would have been negligble." This maker of kings was also known as the Prince of Preachers. Boreham’s three sermons, one lecture and an essay paint a portrait of a man that loved Christ so much that he had to proclaim him to others. Two additional essays by Harvest House editor, Steve Miller, provide background on Spurgeon and his college, where Boreham trained for the ministry.

Dr. Geoff Pound's Making Life Decisions: Journey in Discernment, is a workbook and travel guide for people wanting to make a forty-day journey in discernment. The book, which draws on down-to-earth biblical principles, is written for seekers, believers, doubters and specifically for those at a vocational crossroads. It also contains seven group studies for people who want to take this trip with another person or with a small group. This can be used as a resource for a church exploring this theme over a short period by means of an integrated process of personal reflection, small group studies and worship services.

Making Life Decisions is the author's response to the one question he has been asked more than any other in thirty years of local church, denominational and seminary leadership: ‘How can I know God's will for my life or in this situation?’ Geoff Pound says, "This is the book I wish I had been able to give every person that asked that question, to help them find their paths."

You can contact me at dalton.michael@sbcglobal.net to order these books or any of our previous titles. If you want to pay by credit card, please visit Dalton Books at AbeBooks.com.

Blessings and Surprises at Arcata bookstore

2009-07-30T15:12:00.000-07:00

You can now find All the Blessings of Life: The Best Stories of F. W. Boreham and A Packet of Surprises: The Best Essays and Sermons of F. W. Boreham at Northtown Books. Three cheers for the kind owner who agreed to take these two books on consignment.

Northtown Books is located at 957 H Street in Arcata, CA. They can be reached by phone at (707) 822-2834.

Arcata is the location of my alma mater, Humboldt State University. The city has a definite counter-culture reputation. People have compared it to Santa Cruz.

I will be thrilled if a student, professor, visitor to or citizen of Arcata, walks into Northtown Books and makes what could be an enriching discovery. Nothing can compare to the riches that are in Christ, but anyone with an open heart will discover a wealth of insight and comfort in Boreham's winsome words.

Image: Greg Kidd of Oakland, CA took this photo of the coast just outside of Arcata.

Rain All Day Books carrying John Broadbanks titles

2009-07-30T09:21:00.000-07:00

Special thanks to Monica Hubbard of Rain All Day Books for stocking all seven of the titles currently offered by John Broadbanks Publishing. This consists of six F. W. Boreham books, including our most recent, Angels, Palms and Fragrant Flowers: F. W. Boreham on C. H. Spurgeon, and Making Life Decisions: Journey in Discernment by Geoff Pound.

Rain All Day Books just recently moved to 1136 Main Street in Fortuna, CA. You can reach them by phone at 707-725-5600.

Please consider visiting them if you are in the area and supporting them. They have new pine shelving and take used books in exchange for cash or a store credit. If you appreciate the writings of F. W. Boreham, please thank them for stocking his books.

Cast your bread upon the water

2009-07-21T10:21:00.000-07:00

In Rubble and Roseleaves, F. W. Boreham writes, ‘The water!’ he exclaims. ‘He tells me to cast my bread upon the waters! It is the last place in the world to which I should have thought of casting it! But I shall venture!’

Tomorrow I venture north to visit my mom and her husband in Rogue River, Oregon. I also hope to visit my friend Nick Harrison at Harvest House Publishers in Eugene on Friday. In that same office I look forward to meeting Steve Miller, who contributed to our most recent book, Angels, Palms and Fragrant Flowers: F. W. Boreham on C. H. Spurgeon. If you are a fan of Boreham or Spurgeon, I strongly encourage you to get this book, which is among our best work.

F. W. Boreham books won’t be available from me until I return on Monday, July 27th. In the interim you can still order from Amazon.

I would like to hear any thoughts that you may have on Boreham's quotation.

Angels, Palms & Fragrant Flowers on Amazon

2009-07-04T16:59:00.001-07:00

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

2009-06-26T09:00:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-24T09:01:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-15T16:29:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-09T14:17:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-28T09:37:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-19T06:32:00.000-07:00

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.

Rowland Croucher Reviews Making Life Decisions

2009-05-19T06:22:00.000-07:00

AN EXCELLENT MANUAL ON DISCERNMENT

Making Life Decisions: (Journey in Discernment) by Geoff Pound (2009).

Good books about discernment - or 'guidance' as our forefathers preferred to call it - are not common. Parker Palmer's Let Your Life Speak has a beautiful illustration of the Quaker model of group discernment, and Marva Dawn's Joy in Divine Wisdom is a collection of 'group wisdom' from many cultures on this important topic.

Geoff Pound's approach is to combine the personal and group quests for discernment, spread over forty days plus perhaps seven group sessions.

Each day's discipline begins with an 'Approach' where we centre down and 'focus our lives before God.' Then there's a Scripture, a time for silence (that's a challenge for mind-busy Evangelicals and noisy charismatics!), a Reflection, suggestion for journaling, selecting a 'souvenir' (something to keep in mind for further reflection), a time for prayer, and finally a commission: something practical to take away on our journey.

In terms of the group meetings, the excellent suggestion of making this exercise a church-wide one is good. (I found when a practising pastor this sort of coordinated activity gives folks something other than a sporting event to talk about 'after church'!).

People like me make judgments about whether an author is worth reading by looking at her/his endnotes. Geoff combines the best of a broad range of Christian traditions, though his approach is predominantly what I would call 'progressive evangelical.' Someone who finds John Claypool, Thomas Merton, Sam Keen, the Book of Common Prayer, Richard Foster, Richard Rohr, Karl Barth, and Frederick Buechner - among many others - worth quoting, plus a lot of Bible, is my kind of mentor!

Geoff now lives not far from a middle eastern desert. He's lucky. All the biblical leaders spent significant chunks of their lives in deserts. Finding a desert in cities and suburbs (i.e. where you can't hear a phone or door-bell) is a great challenge.

I would highly commend this book to individuals and church-groups who want to 'go deeper' into the quest for discernment. I've begun a forty day journey-with-coffee each morning with the help of this manual.

Google Amazon.com or AbeBooks to locate a copy.

Rowland Croucher

Thank you Rowland!

Geoff Pound on Making Life Decisions

2009-05-08T17:17:00.000-07:00

Geoff Pound recently shared the following about his new book.

New Book
I wanted to alert you to the news that my book, Making Life Decisions: Journey in Discernment, rolled off the printing presses recently.

This is the workbook I wrote for those challenged by making everyday decisions, long term vocational issues and crossroad choices.

Best Source
You can purchase this book at Amazon.com for $22.00 US and this might make sense if you already have an account with them or you want to read the book on Amazon’s new Kindle (for E-Books).

But the best source is AbeBooks.com where the book is selling for $14.00 US or ₤9.35 (check out the converter on the site for your currency). Packing and postage are extra as they are with Amazon.

Bulk Bargain
I said to the publisher (Mike Dalton) that the book is not only intended for individuals who want to engage in a 40 day journey of discernment but for couples, small groups and classes, hence the inclusion of seven group studies. I pestered him saying “Could you offer a special price for groups who want to study this theme together and for churches who want to address these themes over a seven week period in their midweek or weekend services?” Just to get him interested I told him about a pastor in the USA who recently asked me whether he would get any discount if he ordered 100 copies (he is planning to use this as an integrated series and he is possibly wanting to keep a stock of these books on hand as a pastoral resource).

The publisher calculated his margins, pondered these tough financial times and came up with this deal: His special price is $12.00 US (plus p&p) for those who make a bulk order of six copies or more. I reckon that is a pretty good price for a 222 page book.

Strike Your Own Bargain
If you are making a bulk purchase or want to negotiate a special price I would encourage you to email Mike Dalton (dalton.michael@sbcglobal.net) to work out the exact cost. You can then buy them through AbeBooks by credit card.

If you want to, you can order from Mike direct if you use PayPal, personal check or money order. PayPal payments go to his email address (dalton.michael@sbcglobal.net) and checks or money orders should be made out to ‘Mike Dalton’ and mailed to 2163 Fern Street, Eureka, California, USA 95503.

Further Information
A couple of readers have left comments on the Amazon site:

"Drawing from his vast experience and wisdom, Dr. Geoff Pound has written a wonderful workbook on spiritual discernment. His approach to spiritual discernment is not as structured as the Ignatian approach but rather by stories and quotations leads his readers into the process of spiritual discernment. It is easy to read. One can finish the workbook in forty days or at a more leisurely pace. The workbook also caters for individual or group studies."

“What I first enjoyed about this book was how ‘user-friendly’ it is. Spiritual or not; if you're looking for a little reflection take the time to read this book. The journal is a great element and is, for me, what makes this a great book to keep close at hand. I love having an immediate way to get out what I'm thinking and feeling.”

Wise discernment

Geoff Pound

Boreham/Spurgeon book sent for layout

2009-04-25T14:40:00.000-07:00

Delays can be providential. The foreword F. W. Boreham wrote for Spurgeon and His Friends by A. Cunningham Burley (The Epworth Press: London, 1933) will be part of Angels, Palms and Fragrant Flowers: F. W. Boreham Encounters C. H. Spurgeon. Thank you Jeff Cranston for bringing this article to our attention.

Today I sent the book for layout.

Hopefully soon, Kindle users will have the opportunity to purchase their first Boreham book. Lover of Life: F. W. Boreham’s Tribute to His Mentor (Revised and Expanded) is the first book I plan to make available in this format. Watch for the update, and thank you Geoff Pound for the foresight to expand into a new market.

Any Kindle users out there? Let me know how you like it. I would like to try it.

Please contact me if you have questions or comments. Your support is appreciated. Consider giving Boreham books as a gift, especially to Christian leaders.

Lover of Life back in print

2009-04-13T20:08:00.000-07:00

Lover of Life: F. W. Boreham's Tribute to his Mentor (Revised and Expanded)(2009) by F. W. Boreham is now in print. It's available for $7.00 and can be obtained by emailing me, or through ordering at AbeBooks, eBay and Amazon. If you buy from Amazon the cost is $9.00, but I will also make it so that you can order the book from me, through Amazon, for $7.00. Look for the seller name "mdaltoneka."

If you want to pay by credit card, please order through AbeBooks or direct from Amazon. PayPal payments go to my email address: dalton.michael@sbcglobal.net. Shipping is $4.00.

This new edition corrects previous errors, adds a short biography of J. J. Doke, the subject of the book, and an "About the Cover" section. This has a new layout with ten introductory Roman numeral pages, followed by 44 pages of text.

As I worked on this book, I wondered how any of our books could possible exceed this one. Geoff Pound divided the text into short sections with fanciful names, making it an easy but profound read. The content is so rich that it would be entirely appropriate for me to be out of my seat wildly applauding throughout the book. This is classic Boreham and serves as quite an introduction for those not familiar with him.

On a personal note, Gottschalks, my employer for the last three years, is going out of business. I'm now part of the liquidation process, which is expected to conclude in June or July.

Work is proceeding on Angels, Palms and Fragrant Flowers: F. W. Boreham Encounters C. H. Spurgeon. I need to obtain permission from The Epworth Press to use a foreword that Boreham wrote for the book Spurgeon and His Friends. Please pray that I will be able to quickly locate the successors to The Epworth Press, or find the copyright holder, so that we can seek approval to use this piece. With or without this foreword, it's going to be a wonderful book.

Pray too, for our cover designer, Laura Zugzda, as she once again seeks divine help in translating words to images.

Print date for F W Boreham's Lover of Life

2009-03-22T12:16:00.000-07:00

Lover of Life: F. W. Boreham's Tribute to His Mentor by F. W. Boreham will be back in print on April 10th. It should ship on that date and will be available for sale as soon as I receive it.

It has a new look. The blue lettering on the cover will be bluer. A new symbol adorns the beginning of each chapter. It's a fresh layout with some different fonts.

Hopefully, all the errors are gone. I corrected all the ones that I knew about and the others that I found, but is a book ever perfect? I tried to get as close as I could to that lofty height.

New material consists of a J. J. Doke biography. He is the mentor that Boreham writes about so eloquently. I also added some thoughts about the making of the cover, which I have been eager to share.

We are still gathering material for the book that will feature Boreham's writings about C. H. Spurgeon. We had hoped to include the introduction to Boreham written by Warren Wiersbe in the book, Walking with the Giants (Baker). The publisher is requiring a payment of $250, which would add significantly to the cost of the book. I've reluctantly resigned myself to not using the article, but I'm leaving room for the possibility that something might work out. We do have a foreword written by my publishing partner, Geoff Pound, that will be part of the book.

If you have an article about Boreham that might take the place of the Wiersbe article, or have something that might fit with the content of the book, please email it to dalton.michael@sbcglobal.net.

Steve Miller at Harvest House Publishers is writing two articles for the book that we hope to include. His contributions will provide background information about Spurgeon and his college, where Boreham studied.

Special thanks to Bryan Gish for emailing a copy of the Billy Graham Crusade tract, "The Victory of the Veterans" written by F. W. Boreham for Graham's outreach in Australia and New Zealand. It was a reminder that those who may not have been able to go in person, like Boreham, who was aged, could still play a role in prayer.

I would appreciate your prayers. I may be losing my my job at Gottschalks since the company is facing possible liquidation that could begin as early as April 3rd and last for 90 days. It would be great if God provided in such a way that I could devote more time to publishing, writing and bookselling.

At times I feel like I need more of the help that can be found in our latest publication Making Life Decisions: Journey in Discernment by Geoff Pound. By the way, you can view our recent Amazon listing of the book here. You can also get the book direct from me. I don't think anyone who orders the book will be disappointed. If you get it from me and are not satisfied, I will happily refund your money.

If you want to use the book in a church or small group, I can sell multiple copies at a reduced rate.

I truly enjoy publishing and would be delighted if we could do many more books. It's not easy to be a small publisher. Any form of support and encouragement is greatly appreciated.

Remember to help us by posting your reviews of our books on Amazon. Be concise, honest and write it out. Give yourself time to read and edit it more than once. Then post it. Those thinking about buying our books will appreciate your thoughts.

Lover of Life nearly complete, Boreham/Spurgeon next

2009-03-06T16:30:00.000-08:00

Lover of Life: F. W. Boreham’s Tribute to His Mentor is getting its final makeover. It will never be perfect, but I thank God that he has helped me to find so many little corrections that needed to be made.

We may be able to upload the files to BookMasters as early as next week.

It’s a beautiful book, and Steph Martindale is making it look better than ever. I like how Geoff Pound divided the text into short segments with catchy titles. It makes it so easy to read, yet the content is so rich.

What makes it especially endearing our lines from Boreham like this: “Whenever he (J. J. Doke) entered our Mosgiel manse, every room echoed with the Glory to God in the Highest of the Bethlehem angels; and, whenever the front-door bell rang, we half suspected that, out in front of the house, we should see the Wise Men with their train of camels.” Where in all Christendom can you find a line like that?

If I can possibly obtain it, I want to get a scan or Microsoft word file of the “Frank W. Boreham” chapter in 50 People Every Christian Should Know. Otherwise, I will need to type it. I left a message with the publisher of the book, so they may be able to help.

God does answer prayer. I was asking this morning for direction as to whether we should include this chapter in our upcoming book of Boreham’s writings about Spurgeon. I went to my mailbox at noon and discovered a letter from Warren Wiersbe giving me permission to use it. He also suggested that I get the okay from Baker Books since they publish the aforementioned book. I’m grateful to Mr. Wiersbe, but I have no idea how he found out I was looking for permission, since I never tried to contact him directly. After reading the article through this morning, I thought it would make a great addition to our book.

Would greatly appreciate your prayers as these our difficult times for us all. By the end of this month, I should know if I will still have my retail sales job. If I lose it, I hope to devote more time, Lord willing, to seeing some other possible books through to completion.

Lover of Life Reprint & Boreham book on Spurgeon

2009-02-26T11:10:00.000-08:00

Lover of Life by F. W. Boreham is closer to being back in print. The 2009 revised and expanded version will have corrections, a few additions, including a short biography on J. J. Doke and an “About the Cover” section, and in some places a new look.

I’m thrilled to report that a new book is taking shape that will feature Boreham’s writings on C. H. Spurgeon. It may also include some background information on Boreham, Spurgeon and Spurgeon’s college, where Boreham was taught. I’m hoping to include Warren Wiersbe’s essay on Boreham from Walking with the Giants. The copyright holder, Moody Monthly, has not yet responded to my request. Any help in securing permission will be appreciated as are your prayers for these two projects.

If you read our latest offering, Making Life Decisions by Geoff Pound, please consider posting your comments on our Amazon listing.

Making Life Decisions available on eBay

2009-02-13T06:57:00.000-08:00

Making Life Decisions by Geoff Pound is now available on eBay. You can view the listing here.

Here is the description that I posted.

Dr. Geoff Pound's Making Life Decisions: Journey in Discernment, is a workbook and travel guide for people wanting to make a forty-day journey in discernment. The book, which draws on down-to-earth biblical principles, is written for seekers, believers, doubters and specifically for those at a vocational crossroads.

Making Life Decisions also contains seven group studies for people who want to take this trip with another person or with a small group. This can be used as a resource for a church exploring this theme over a short period by means of an integrated process of personal reflection, small group studies and worship services.

Making Life Decisions is the author's response to the one question he has been asked more than any other in thirty years of local church, denominational and seminary leadership: 'How can I know God's will for my life or in this situation?' Geoff Pound says, "This is the book I wish I had been able to give every person that asked that question, to help them find their paths."

This may be the most helpful book that we have published since it deals in depth with the subject of guidance. Rather than providing steps to know the will of God, through story and illustration it equips readers to discern God’s leading as they make their way through life.

It's well-written, to the point and in short segments, which makes for easy reading. Each of the forty sections starts with an introduction followed by a Scripture reading. The reader is then encouraged to ponder the Bible passage in silence. This is followed by a reflection, which contains a story or quotation that illustrates the topic being considered. Journal questions follow with space for writing in the back. Participants are then encouraged to focus on something that will serve as a reminder of what they have learned. A prayer and a commission follow.

Those of you who like F. W. Boreham will appreciate the many quotations and illustrations found in this book. There is a wealth of potential sermon material.

Twenty Roman numeral pages precede 222 pages. These are spiral-bound with a hard plastic coil to make it easier to write.

Please consider checking out the books we publish by F. W. Boreham. Our most recent is A Packet of Surprises: The Best Essays and Sermons of F. W. Boreham (2008).

Please contact me at dalton.michael@sbcglobal.net if you have questions or want to order from me direct. Credit card orders can be processed through my Dalton Books listing at AbeBooks.

Making Life Decisions now available through AbeBooks

2009-02-07T07:56:00.000-08:00

Making Life Decisions: Journey in Discernment by Geoff Pound is now available here at AbeBooks. Credit card orders must be processed through AbeBooks.

You can order from me direct if you use PayPal, personal check or money order. PayPal payments go to my email address (dalton.michael@sbcglobal.net) and checks or money orders should be made out to Mike Dalton and mailed to 2163 Fern Street, Eureka, CA 95503.

The list price is $22.00 but you can buy the book at AbeBooks or direct from me for $14.00. Let me know if you have questions about the cost. Shipping in the US is $4.00, and I can ship up to four copies at that price.

This is a softcover book with a black hard-coil spiral binding. This makes it easier to journal. Space is provided for your personal response.

I highly recommend Making Life Decisions to those of you who cherish the writings of F. W. Boreham. I think he would endorse it, and his writings and thought make an occasional cameo.

Making Life Decisions on the way

2009-02-03T19:50:00.000-08:00

Making Life Decisions: Journey in Discernment by Geoff Pound is on its way to me. I may have it this week. It will be available through Dalton Books, Amazon, eBay and Baker & Taylor. Watch for more updates.

Please contact me if you are able to write a review.

Lover of Life: F. W. Boreham’s Tribute to His Mentor by F. W. Boreham is temporarily out of print. I am now working on a revised and expanded version. I’m excited about the new content, which I’m now gathering. If you happen to come across something about Boreham (especially some sort of tribute) or mentoring (a theme raised in the book) that might be worth including, please get that to me as soon as possible. The new version will be worth having even if you have the first printing.

Geoff Pound and I will appreciate your purchase of Making Life Decisions. Help us spread the word about it. It could be the most helpful book that we have published. I don’t think anyone who reads it will be disappointed.

Preorder Making Life Decisions

2009-01-16T06:34:00.000-08:00

Making Life Decisions: Journey in Discernment by Geoff Pound is now at the printer. I should receive it in early February.

I’ve already received my first order. Our layout person ordered four copies. She’s never done that on any of the other books that she has worked on. It’s an encouraging sign.

If you can’t wait to order, and want to do so by PayPal or personal check, you can send your payment now. Credit card orders will have to wait until I receive the book. PayPal payments go to dalton.michael@sbcglobal.net. Personal checks should be made out to Mike Dalton and mailed to 2163 Fern Street, Eureka, CA 95503. Any preorders I receive will be the first to ship.

Shipping is $3.75 in the US for one copy. If you order two or more copies, pay just $4.00, which is a special offer. Shipping rates are scheduled to increase on 1/18/09, but this offer is good for at least the month of January.

I won’t be able to calculate the shipping cost for customers outside the US until I receive the book. But if you mention this offer, I will give you some break on the total cost.

The cost to buy the book from me direct is $14.00. If you buy the book from a retailer like Amazon, the cost will be $22.00.

There are 221 pages plus 20 Roman numeral pages in the front. The back pages are designed for journaling.

If you are wondering what the book is all about, please read the following summary, which will appear on the back cover:

Dr. Geoff Pound's Making Life Decisions: Journey in Discernment, is a workbook and travel guide for people wanting to make a forty-day journey in discernment.

The book, which draws on down-to-earth biblical principles, is written for seekers, believers, doubters and specifically for those at a vocational crossroads.

Making Life Decisions also contains seven group studies for people who want to take this trip with another person or with a small group.

This can be used as a resource for a church exploring this theme over a short period by means of an integrated process of personal reflection, small group studies and worship services.

Making Life Decisions is the author's response to the one question he has been asked more than any other in thirty years of local church, denominational and seminary leadership: 'How can I know God's will for my life or in this situation?'

Geoff Pound says, "This is the book I wish I had been able to give every person that asked that question, to help them find their paths."

I highly recommend Making Life Decisions to those who cherish the writings of F. W. Boreham. I think it's a book he would endorse, and his name and stories pop-up in it. You will enjoy it and will be helping to support this and future publications.

By the way, Lover of Life: F. W. Boreham's Tribute to His Mentor is temporarily out of print. If you own a copy, you now have a collector's item. I'm beginning the work on an improved version that may have a few surprises. More on that later.

George Myers' Review of Lover of Life

2009-01-02T06:23:00.000-08:00

Lover of Life: F. W. Boreham's Tribute to His Mentor is a tantalizing sketch of Joseph John Doke, a Baptist Minister, artist and author, who was born in 1861 and ministered in England, New Zealand and South Africa. It is the stirring account of a frail man who became a fighter against discriminating legislation and an advocate with Mahatma Gandhi in championing the freedom of Indians in South Africa. As well as serving as pastor of the Johannesburg Baptist church, Doke participated in protests, contributed to newspapers and had the distinction of writing the first biography of Mahatma Gandhi. In 1913 he visited Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) to explore a new development for the South African Baptist Missionary Society and died tragically on his way home.

You can find the original posting here.

You can purchase Lover of Life on eBay, AbeBooks or Amazon.com.

Rowland Croucher's Review of A Packet of Surprises

2009-01-02T05:59:00.000-08:00

F. W. Boreham: A Packet of Surprises, John Broadbanks Publishing, 2008

I've been a Boreham collector for 50 years, and have often reflected on why he's still so popular. Yes, he's an outstanding wordsmith (how often have you alluded to 'rich clusters of tawny filberts' in passing?); yes, he's widely read (at least a book a week for most of his adult life); and yes he touches issues about which 'the common man' has a deep interest.

Boreham had a prodigious memory. I have in my possession a photocopy of one of his 10cm x 15 cm cards with hand-written headings from which he preached. His biographer Howard Crago tells us each sermon was preached from memory in almost the exact words in which it was printed.

But I reckon there's another reason for his popularity: respect. Frank Boreham had such an abiding respect for his audiences, that, bower-bird-like, he assiduously collected thousands of quotes, literary allusions, stories and ideas - and indexed everything. This discipline produced some astonishing 'connections' in his sermons and essays.

This new volume of 'the best of the best' of Boreham's essays and sermons begins with Dr. Geoff Pound's introduction/rationale for making his selection; then there's a profile of Boreham's life and work by Howard Crago (whom I was privileged to know, when I was his pastor for eight years). At the back there's a subject and name index.

From his first pastorate Boreham resolved 'never to condemn anything but always present a positive aspect. (As he put it) "the best way to prove a stick is crooked is to lay a straight one beside it."' His many hearers and readers obviously appreciated this softer irenic approach: in each of his three pastorates he doubled the membership. (But, if I might add a footnote to that, many drifted away from at least one of those churches - Armadale Baptist Church in Melbourne - when he left).

Each of these chapters is just long enough to develop a theme, to be read in a short sitting. (But they're never so long that you flip to see if you're near the end. People wonder about that with sermons in church too, don't they?). The longest chapter here (15 pages) is from his first major book - The Whisper of God - with its thesis: 'The truth of a whisper is as great as the truth of a shout. A whisper from God is enough to tell me that God is, it is enough to tell me that he cares for me.... God never thunders if a whisper will do.'

Here are some examples of his wonderful 'turns of phrase':

* '... Our best Sunday clothes, with clean collar, brightly polished boots and finger-nails destitute of any funereal suggestion....'

* 'There are books that we bought by mistake; books that we know to be valueless; books whose room is of much more value than their company.'

* 'I drew aside to collect my thoughts. But my thoughts politely, but firmly, declined to be collected.'

And a rare mixed metaphor: 'No menagerie since the world began could hold a candle to it.'

We meet Frank Boreham the man here: a couple of his favourite places were the Melbourne Art Gallery, and Melbourne Cricket Ground. He writes about one of his major detestations - 'ready-made clothes'; another was the telephone (he's in good company there!).

Some of his most famous sermons are here: 'He Made as Though' (on the story of the Emmaus Road); A Prophet's Pilgrimage (Jonah); The Powder Magazine (Paul and Barnabas's dispute over John Mark); and perhaps the best in the book - and maybe in all of Boreham - his great missionary sermon 'The Candle and the Bird' (with its thesis: 'a period of spiritual sterility invariably represents, not the extinguishing of a candle, but the frightening away of a bird.')

He has an essay on the astonishing coincidences in his own life, and elsewhere (pp 245 ff.). I won't spoil it for you by mentioning them, but Boreham has the impertinence to suggest that any one of us will find 'a wealthy hoard' of similar coincidences stowed away in our memories. Well, most won't, sir, at least not on this scale!

The chapter on Interruptions is brilliant. I remember an experienced minister reminding me early in my pastoral career that most of Jesus' healings were the result of interruptions: 'Interruptions,' my wise friend said, 'are not disturbing your ministry-plans: they are your ministry!'

Finally, a few insightful and/or memorable tid-bits:

* (The cryptic utterance of a parishioner): 'When I've shut the door, I've shut the door.'

* 'Doubt is a very human and a very sacred thing....'

* 'The gravest mistake made by educationalists is [to suppose] that those who know little are good enough to teach those who know less.'

* 'Ritualism [is] perilous. "Now abideth" ... what? Altars? vestments? crosses? creeds? catechisms? confessions? Now abideth faith, hope love - these three; and the greatest of these is love.'

* 'Orthodoxy and heterodoxy stand related to truth just as those wonderful wickerwork stands and plaster busts that adorn every dressmaker's establishment stand related to the grace and beauty of the female form.'

A minor complaint: Boreham would not have liked his writing being 'corrupted' by American spellings (luster, favorite, gray, molded, behavior; but interestingly 'gaol' is retained). If we're going to fiddle with spellings, why not do the same with his sexist language? Now that would be a challenge!

See also http://tinyurl.com/6rzr5g

Rowland Croucher

http://jmm.aaa.net.au/

November 2008

Thank you Rowland for an excellent review. Sorry about the spellings.

You can now purchase A Packet of Surprises on eBay at a shipping cost of only $3.00.

Jeff Cranston on Boreham and Christmas

2008-12-10T05:19:00.000-08:00

I've just received the initial layout for Making Life Decisions: Journey in Discernment by Geoff Pound. This will be available in early 2009. More updates will follow.

Here is a new blog post about F. W. Boreham and Christmas from Jeff Cranston, a friend and helper in our work:

The Essence of Christmas

And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour (Luke 1:47)

My all-time, hands-down favorite author is F. W. Boreham. I try to read a bit of Boreham every day. You know how there are some authors that just do it for you? He’s mine. I’ll tell you all about him one day, but for now, let me share with you a thought from one of his books. I’ve been thinking about Christmas today and this just sort of sums it up for me.

“My soul doth magnify the Lord!” she sang. “The Lord!” exclaimed Gaspar. “Then I have found my Sovereign, my Monarch, my King, my Lord!” And he offered his gold. But Mary sang on.

“And my spirit hath rejoiced in God…” she continued. “In God!” cried Balthazar, his face lighting up. “Then I have found Him – the God for whom my spirit hungered!” And he presented his incense to the Babe. But not even yet had Mary finished her song.

“My soul doth magnify the Lord and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour!” “My Saviour!” echoed Melchior. “My Saviour!” and he offered his vase of myrrh.

And so Gaspar found in Jesus the King of his desire. And Balthazar found in Jesus the God he had so passionately sought. And Melchior found in Jesus the Saviour for whom his very soul was aching.

Everyman finds in Jesus exactly what he needs most. That is the essence of the Christmas story, and that is the essence of the everlasting Gospel.

Arrows of Desire, pp 80-81.

You can find the original post at JeffCranstondotcom.

Image: Cover of the rare booklet A Village Lattice by F. W. Boreham.

FW Boreham & John Broadbanks Publishing

2008-12-01T06:05:00.000-08:00

The following letter is an introduction to F. W. Boreham and John Broadbanks Publishing. I'm mailing this to Costco Wholesale hoping that our F. W. Boreham books will begin to grace their tables.

If you know of other businesses, organizations, ministries or churches that could help in the distribution of our books, feel free to forward this post. You can also contact me with your suggestions.

F. W. Boreham was the Max Lucado of his day. His 51 books were bestsellers. Some people had a standing order for each new volume. It wasn’t unusual to see Boreham books being carried or read in public places. He was once famously introduced as "the man whose name is on all our lips, whose books are on all our shelves and whose illustrations are in all our sermons."

But then a generation arose that knew not Boreham. Consult a Baptist (Boreham’s denomination) encyclopedia of persons and you might not even find an entry. It seems an odd turn of events for a man who spent most of his life pastoring in New Zealand, Tasmania and Australia, and sold millions of books. If it wasn’t for the frequent mentions of his name by Ravi Zacharias, he might be mostly forgotten.

Dr. Geoff Pound, who probably knows more about Boreham than anyone else, and Michael Dalton formed John Broadbanks Publishing to bring the writings of this beloved man back into print.

Our first book, Lover of Life: F. W. Boreham’s Tribute to His Mentor, 34 pages, $7.00 (2007) was a reprint of the rare 1948 book, The Man Who Saved Gandhi. This is Boreham’s brief but insightful sketch of the relationship that he had with his friend and mentor, J. J. Doke.

Since then the following new collections of his writings have been published.

All the Blessings of Life: The Best Stories of F. W. Boreham, 288 pages, $14.00 (2007) – Donald Grey Barnhouse said that illustrations are like the windows that let the light in. Boreham was a master of this art. This volume contains some of his best anecdotes.

Second Thoughts, 68 pages, $7.00 (2007) – Ravi Zacharias introduced me (Michael Dalton) to Boreham’s writings. It’s a thrill to have an introduction to Boreham that Ravi wrote specifically for this book. Each of the five essays in this volume have something to do with the word "second." "The Second Crop," a personal favorite, expounds on an obscure Bible verse about possessing our possessions. It’s applicable to the current economic crisis.

Chalice of Life: The Significant Stages of Life, 58 pages, $7.00 (2008) – Boreham wrote essays on the major decades of life as he experienced them. He begins with life at 30 and ends with life at 70. Two other essays on life’s milestones are included.

A Packet of Surprises: The Best Essays and Sermons of F. W. Boreham, 298 pages, $14.00 (2008) – This is our best book so far. The complete essays and sermons are some of Boreham’s best. Discover the wonder when you open this packet of surprises.

In each of these volumes the life of faith becomes a beautiful thing. There is a warm optimism in Boreham’s words. Is there balm in Gilead? Boreham answers "yes."

Making Life Decisions: Journey in Discernment (2009) by Dr. Geoff Pound will be available in early 2009. This spiral bound book is all about discovering God’s will in any situation. It’s arranged in a 40-day devotional format with space for journaling in the back. It also has a special group discussion section to encourage making the journey with others. It will be approximately 160 pages.

Books may be obtained from the following sources:
Michael Dalton: email dalton.michael@sbcglobal.net
Dalton Books: www.abebooks.com/home/MDALTONEKA
Amazon.com
eBay: Michael Dalton’s seller name is mdaltoneka
Baker & Taylor
COC Online Bookshop (Australia): http://www.coc.org.au/ssl/shop2.0/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=6&cat=F+W+Boreham

For correspondence or questions contact:
Michael Dalton
2163 Fern Street
Eureka, CA 95503
(707) 442-8967
dalton.michael@sbcglobal.net

Dr. Geoff Pound

P O Box 4114FUJAIRAH

United Arab Emirates

geoffpound@gmail.com

Thanksgiving Thoughts

2008-11-26T07:40:00.000-08:00

Jacqueline Bisset, star of The Deep (1977), plays a grandmother in Hallmark Channel’s An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving. “It’s a reminder that maybe we don’t need everything we think we need,” says Bisset, a Brit who calls Thanksgiving “the best American holiday, … a concept that you can try and keep in your heart.”

Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday. I can’t help thinking that if I can move the concept of giving thanks from my head to my heart, I will be the richer for it. Perhaps it’s why I cherish stories that inspire me to be more thankful.

Geoff Pound, my publishing partner, has posted a number of Thanksgiving stories on one of his blogs. You can view them by following this link: Stories of Gratitude. Please take advantage of this wonderful resource.

I am thankful for what Geoff and I have been able to accomplish, with the help of God and some others, through our small publishing endeavor.

Thank you to all of you who have helped and supported us in some way. I hope that God will allow us to continue and that the books we publish will be source of thanksgiving.

Let's all endeavor to be marked by a Christ-like gratitude. What a difference it might make if we could just remember to be thankful each and every day.

The song "Thankful Heart" by Petra has always resonated with me.

I have a thankful heart that you have given me
And it can only come from you
There is no way to begin to tell you how I feel
There are no words to express how you've become so real
Jesus, you've given me so much I can't repay
I have no offering

There is no way to begin to tell you how I feel
There's nothing more I can say and no way to repay
Your warming touch that melts my heart of stone
Your steadfast love - I'll never be alone

I have a thankful heart that you have given me
And it can only come from you
I have a thankful heart; words don't come easily
But I am sure you can see my thankful heart

Help me be a man of God
A man who's after your own heart
Help me show my gratitude
And keep in me a thankful heart

Geoff Pound's review of "The Chalice of Life"

2008-11-20T04:40:00.000-08:00

Fancy a total abstinence campaigner stating that “the richest wine in the chalice of life still waits their thirsty lips.”

This book took decades to write, for Dr. Boreham wrote his chapters 'Life at 40,' 'Life at 50' and right through to 70 soon after reaching those momentous milestones.

Boreham doesn’t seem to have written about 'Life at 20' or 'Life at 80' but we have added an article first published in the Hobart Mercury in his 87th year, which was the last year of his life, and another essay on the art of reaching and living into ‘Life’s Landmarks.’

F. W. Boreham in his seventies was asked to give a series of talks which he entitled ‘Our Golden Milestones.’ This appears to be the first time he brought his thinking together but he had to write a new essay entitled, ‘Life at 30.’

When Boreham gave this series he drew a warm and appreciative response from his audience.

The Chalice of Life is a Boreham version of what others have attempted, notably John Claypool in his book Stages: The Art of Living the Expected (also called The Saga of Life) and Gail Sheehy in Passages: Predictable Crises of Adult Life. Boreham skillfully weaves the biblical stories with some contemporary texts and his personal reflections as a practiced observer of life.

Frank Boreham takes his readers on a journey through life and reflects not only on the increase in years but the art of drinking in the richness that is to be enjoyed at each stage. The author is not blind to the bitterness that can sometimes be found at the bottom of the chalice as he points out the dangerous decades and the challenges for each phase. Overall, this book exudes the author’s exuberance and love for life.

The author does not dominate the reader with his own pontificating and prescriptions. Rather, in the typical Boreham style, he writes like a pointer to the Southern Cross, allowing the reader to bounce off the author’s thoughts and ponder one’s personal reflections.

Four Reasons to Buy this Book
1. This Boreham book has never been published before.
2. Like all of Boreham’s books, this will become a collector’s item.
3. It will do you good to think often about your own development.
4. It is an ideal and reasonably priced gift for people of all ages.
5. It is only 60 pages in length.
6. You can purchase this easily with two of the other very popular new Boreham books, 'All the Blessings of Life: The Best Stories of F. W. Boreham' and its companion, ' A Packet of Surprises: The Best Essays and Sermons of F. W. Boreham .'

F. W. Boreham, The Chalice of Life: Reflections on the Significant Stages of Life (Eureka, CA: John Broadbanks Publishing, 2008).

Sources:
Michael Dalton
eBay
COC Online Bookshop, Australia

Dr. Geoff Pound

Making Life Decisions sent for layout

2008-11-18T06:11:00.000-08:00

Making Life Decisions: Journey in Discernment by Dr. Geoff Pound was sent today for layout. This will be our sixth book, but our first that is not by F. W. Boreham. If you are a Boreham enthusiast you may be a little disappointed, since John Broadbanks Publishing was established to bring the writings of F. W. Boreham back into print. That we will do provided the Lord provides the resources and the calling to carry out that work. From time to time we may also publish other writings as we are doing now. My desire is that all of our publications will serve to enrich readers and bring glory to God. May it ever be so.

I hope that you will give this excellent resource on decision making and vocational calling a chance. I’m so proud to be publishing such a helpful and important book.

If Boreham were here today, I think he would heartily endorse the content. It’s written in a style similar to his. It contains numerous stories, illustrations and quotations. If you like Boreham, I think you will like this book. His words and thoughts even make a cameo appearance.

You might say that it’s interactive, since we have included ample space for journaling in the back. There is also a special section at the end that adapts the material for small groups. If all goes well, we may even have some copies available around Christmas or toward the end of the year. Otherwise, you will be able to purchase this early next year.

Please stay tuned for more updates on our progress. Your prayers for the layout, proofing and cover design are appreciated.

Your thoughts and comments are always welcome. Your support in any form is appreciated. Geoff and I are grateful to all of you who have stood with us in some way. Let's remember to keep our focus on Christ as we head into the holiday season.

Making Life Decisions - Journey in Discernment

2008-10-23T06:36:00.000-07:00

John Broadbanks Publishing was established to bring the writings of F. W. Boreham back into print. At least occasionally, we might also publish other books. This marks the beginning of one of those occasions.

Dr. Geoff Pound has written Making Life Decisions: Journey in Discernment. He writes, "I would be rich if I had been given $50 for every time someone asked me the question (or a variation of it): 'How can I discover God’s will for my life or in this situation?' " This interactive book brings this subject into focus in a way that should delight our Boreham readers. He follows Boreham's style of illustrating his points through engaging stories taken from diverse sources. If I remember right, you will even find a few quotations from Boreham.

More information and updates on my progress will be provided in future posts. For now, I would appreciate ongoing prayer, if you are so inclined, as I prepare the book for layout and printing. We want to make this the best book that we can.

You may also want to pray for Geoff, who is at work on a book about Boreham. Ask God to give him the inspiration and the words.

We have several potential Boreham books in mind. We need God's guidance and provision as we consider each one. I'm dependent on God and the help of others for anything that I can accomplish.

Know that Geoff and I value you your prayers and your support in this endeavor. Thank you to each one of you who have contributed in some way or just shown an interest in what we are doing. We welcome your ongoing involvement in whatever way you can give.

Dr. Geoff Pound's Ten Reasons To Read 'A Packet of Surprises'

2008-10-10T06:20:00.000-07:00

Have you got yourself a copy of the new F. W. Boreham book that has just been released?

I think it is one of the most important books to read for these ten reasons:

1. This is the first time the best sermons and essays of Dr F. W. Boreham have ever been brought together. Over the years commentators on preaching have selected one representative sermon from Boreham's preaching archive to put in their Best Preaching of the Twentieth Century books, which is testimony to his prominence. But 'A Packet of Surprises' is the first selection of the Best of Boreham's sermons and essays.

2. For the many newcomers to the writings of F. W. Boreham, and there are a growing number in the younger generations, this is a wonderful starter as it draws thirty essays and sermons from more than twenty of the more than fifty-five books that he wrote.
There is an informative introduction in the book to the person and ministry of F. W. Boreham. This is written by Howard Crago who was Boreham's biographer.

3. New and old readers of Boreham books have great difficulty finding Boreham books and when they do, the price often puts it out of their reach (one of the best sermons comes out of Boreham's book, 'The Whisper of God' which, when it is on sale through eBay fetches prices of well over US$500).

Mike Dalton and I, through John Broadbanks Publishing, have published five new Boreham books in the last three years to make the writings of Boreham accessible to a new generation of Boreham readers.

We have deliberately self-published (not drawing any money for ourselves) in order to keep the cost of these books as low as we can for our readers. We have not made a profit but in keeping with the wishes of the Boreham estate we send 10% of the income we receive to help fund the cost of training pastors and Christian workers throughout the world (two passions of Dr. Boreham). When you buy a copy of this book you are investing in the important work of training Christian leaders and we thank you for this.

4. 'A Packet of Surprises' is a must for homiletical scholars and students of the craft of preaching. The selection draws sermons from the first decade of Boreham's preaching ministry, some from the last decade of his life and many from in between, thus offering samples from the different stages of Boreham's career.

There are a great variety of sermon types represented, ranging from the textual sermon ('The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ…'), to doctrinal (The Meaning of Easter), a biblical exposition (on the book of Jonah), some Life Situational sermons (Handling interruptions and exploring the meaning of coincidences) through to Boreham's innovative biographical preaching (Abraham Lincoln's Text). A big part of Boreham's popularity then and his enduring significance is his preparedness to innovate and try out many different types of preaching.

5. This volume includes three sermons from the longest, most popular (judged by congregational response and sale of books) and most evangelistic series that Boreham ever delivered. There are valuable lessons in this trio for modern day Christian communicators.

6. A Packet of Surprises gives ample evidence of Boreham's creativity. Readers will see his brilliance as a marketer with his catchy titles that were printed on billboards and advertising leaflets—titles like 'Sermons and Sandwiches,' 'I.O.U,' 'Dominoes,' 'Mind Your Own Business,' and 'Please Shut the Gate.'

7. F. W. Boreham was the Rick Warren of his age as he was a much-loved preacher who wrote many books and magazine articles. Like Warren, Boreham was on the best sellers list many times and over a million copies were sold causing the manager at Epworth Press to say that Boreham was their 'greatest catch' since John Wesley. Rick has about another 40 books to write before he can get near to Frank Boreham's number of published books.

Such was his influence that FWB was once introduced to a Pastor's Conference as "the man whose name is on all our lips, whose books are on all our shelves and whose illustrations are in all our sermons!" A Packet of Surprises is full of vivid illustrations and stories you can use to great effect.

8. Boreham has enriched many communicators and leaders down through the years through his writings. When Billy and Ruth Graham visited Australia in 1959 he said that the person he wanted to meet more than any other was F. W. Boreham because his books had so enriched his spiritual life and ministry. They did meet and they exchanged books. During his amazing campaign Billy got some time for pursuing another passion of his viz. golf. Out on the fairway when he was mulling over a sermon to preach at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (which incidentally became the largest gathering ever to fill the huge MCG), Dr. Graham said to his golfing mate and host, "Where can I find the amazing illustration by Dr. Boreham about…?" I can give you the details if you're interested concerning this event but that sermon is included in The Best of Boreham's Essays and Sermons.

Contemporary leaders including Gordon Moyes and Ravi Zacharias have testified to their habit of reading one sermon a day from Boreham's books to feed their minds and kindle their spiritual devotion.

9. F. W. Boreham once wrote, "When a man has been fifty years in his grave it ought to be possible to review his work dispassionately. The sentiment that is born of human fondness has by that time evaporated; and the prejudices that arise from personal animosity have died down."
Next year (2009) it will be fifty years since the death of F. W. Boreham and for many reasons it will be an important year to reflect on his contribution and distil the insightful lessons from his life. The Packet of Surprises will therefore be a timely book to read and….

10. A wonderful gift to give.

Purchase

Check out Mike Dalton's site to discover how you can get your hands on these two books.

If you live in the southern hemisphere you may want to order your books from Peter Geizer. You can email him at PeterGeizer@coc.org.au.

Dr. Geoff Pound

Rowland Croucher's Second Thoughts Review

2008-10-09T05:40:00.000-07:00

Dr F. W. Boreham was introduced at an international conference of pastors in 1936 as 'the man whose name is on all our lips, whose books are on all our shelves and whose illustrations are in all our sermons.'

Frank Boreham lived in England, New Zealand and Australia between 1871 and 1959. He authored 55 books, wrote 3,000 editorials in major papers and was a premiere preacher. He is the most 'collectible' religious author Australia has produced.

Michael Dalton (USA) and Geoff Pound (UAE) have teamed up to establish John Broadbanks Publishing to produce new books by or about F W Boreham. So far, All the Blessings of Life: The Best Stories of F W Boreham (2007), Lover of Life: A Tribute to F. W. Boreham's Mentor (2007), Second Thoughts (2007), The Chalice of Life: Reflections on the Significant Stages of Life (2008) and A Packet of Surprises: The Best Essays and Sermons of F. W. Boreham (2008) have come off the press.

Second Thoughts comprises five of Boreham's typically brilliant essays: "Second-Hand Things," "The Second Crop," "Second Fiddles," "Our Second Wind," and "Second Thoughts." This last week I've read one each day. (Ravi Zacharias in his Introduction/Tribute says he tries to read one Boreham chapter every day: a wonderful discipline).

How about this for a wordsmith's brilliance (in "Second-Hand Things"): 'Hester Spanton - Auntie Hester, as everybody called her - was the tenant of a large second-hand store and a small asthmatic body. I used at times to think that the adjectives might be regarded as interchangeable...' Or this: 'The lamp by which my path is lit all day, the lamp that burns in heaven's eternal noon, is second-hand ...'

When I was pastor of a Baptist Church in Melbourne, a couple of our parishioners were members of a church where Boreham was an interim minister (Kew Baptist Church). They showed me a note he wrote to them on an important milestone in their lives, and affirmed him as a 'wonderful encourager and friend'.

The story of Dan and Mollie ("The Second Crop") has priceless pastoral insights. The text was from Obadiah: 'The house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.' The message (as we would put it today): one person can have lots of stuff, and not enjoy any of it; another just a few possessions and enjoy them all. (I must give away more books I won't need again).

The chapter on "The Second Fiddle" really got to me. Is a person a 'first fiddle' because he or she cannot be a 'second fiddle'? Gladstone and Disraeli were both first fiddles, and had to form separate political parties because neither could tolerate being a second fiddle. About endurance in stressful times: 'The Duke of Wellington used to say that British soldiers were no braver than Frenchmen, but they could be brave 'five minutes longer.' And an idea I've never thought before: 'Conscience expresses itself like the lightning, instantaneously; the mutterings of reason and self-interest, like the thunder, come lumbering along later.'

As Geoff Pound writes in the Preface, 'Frank Boreham said that within the everyday, commonplace things there was a romance, a quality that was usually not immediately apparent.' So true. If you see any Borehams in second-hand bookstores or church fetes, snap them up. Keep them at your bedside, and read a chapter a day. You won't be disappointed.

Visit Dalton Books, Amazon, eBay, or email Mike Dalton at dalton.michael@sbcglobal.net to order. For more information about Boreham or to read some of his writings, please see THE OFFICIAL F W BOREHAM BLOGSPOT.

Rowland Croucher October 2008