Our Thoughts

We are always so refreshed when we get to review a faithful Christian resource and bring it to Christian parents. And the wonderful resources from Lamplighters are at the far end of that spectrum. It really feels like they just don’t make books like these anymore. This one is no exception. With these books we get to flip the script. Instead of incredibly lengthy concerning content lists we get to list out examples of the faith-building concepts your reader will experience with this one. The most beautiful thing about this book is the interaction between 13-year-old Olive and her mother. Olive and her siblings are not yet saved, and their mother is so intentional about leading them to Jesus (something that does happen within these pages). Here are a few of the incredible lines you will see: “But, Olive, Jesus will be with you, and He will love you, and comfort you better than I can” to which Olive replies, “But I wish I could feel Jesus was as real to me as He is to mother… I wonder if I shall ever feel like that”. Mother tells Olive she loves the Lord Jesus so much that she cannot bear to make Him sorry with sin. Here Olive again wonders if “I shall ever love Him as much as mother does”. Mother prays verbally over the children that He would “God would make us all His own dear children” and she directly tells Olive she longs to see her come to Jesus. She then kneels and prays specifically for this. How intentional! Mother’s actions lead Olive to think things like, “I began to wonder very much how I could come to know Jesus”, leading to a beautiful progression towards salvation. Other faith-building examples: Right up front, the Lamplighter intro ends with a Scripture reference (Heb. 4:16). Each chapter ends with a scripture reference, starting with John 14:16. These tie to the place in the story they land in. The book make sure to weave in the fact that being very obedient and loving are good, but not enough A very kind woman gives Olive a book that reminds us of the Pilgrim’s Progress, helping her understand salvation through a story. A really neat entry comes in this story when we see a focus on “What would Jesus do”, only to realize it is from 1881! During a time of fear, a Bible verse brings comfort. We see a beautiful lesson of Olive standing up for what is right, when no on else will. She finds out that most won’t follow the right example as we choose to turn down the narrow path, but occasionally someone will. We see this played out beautifully. The characters are wonderful. The message is exceptional. We see forgiveness, a love of Scripture, the critical nature of prayer. A book that will challenge and encourage both parent and child alike. HIGHLY Recommended title.