Our Thoughts

It is easy to look back and romanticize the “good ole days”. Often this completely ignores the fact that sin has been the disease of the human race since the fall and it has impacted all of creation. It has always been with us. However, this book is a great reminder that there is absolutely truth to the sentiment that we as a western culture have lost much as the Christian faith has been intentionally pushed to the background of society. We need these stories from another time to remind us of this. To remind us that the emperor of the modern world has no clothes. This book is at its core focused on our Christian faith and promoting holiness. This is also the heart of the organization, Lamplighters, who brings this story to us. The prologue from the person who adapted the title to its current form communicates this, “I would like to thank God for allowing me the privilege of publishing such an amazing and powerful little book… As you enter the pages… please remember that this story is merely a vehicle with which to impress upon young hearts the meaning of the external Word of God”. This short story comes in two core parts. The first is a story of a young boy who makes an incredible mistake, a mistake that has huge impact on others, as he is tempted off of the narrow path, ignoring the natural guardrails (with thorns) that God puts in place to warn and correct us. This is done through a vivid setting and experience that is the type of thing that can stick with a child their entire life (we were actually pointed to this book by an adult who had this very experience). The second is a similar mistake made by the same young man much later in life, again with huge consequences. The narrator of this story, one that is believed to be a true story, makes sure we know that he has written this as a desire to point young hearts and minds away from the sin that so easily entangles us and instead point us to our Loving Father. In-between chapters the narrator steps in to admonish and encourage the reader towards a life of holiness. While we are tempted to suggest that this is for older children (Lamplighters has it listed in one place as 9-14), we really would recommend providing it to any child who you feel is ready to hear this life-changing truth in the form of a memorable story. You can quickly and easily read through this short story yourself or, even better, read it to or alongside your kiddo and enjoy the deep discussion that will inevitably follow. While the whole story is excellent and Christ-centric, we will point out a few of our favorite things from this tale: A great intro to this story comes from an image captured from a later page shown right at the start of the book. This image showing a single statement, “To this very day, I do not know what caused me to completely abandon the values and morals upon which I had been raised”. There are multiple godly characters. The main character’s father is a poor and uneducated, but faithful man. There is a great quote about him, “Though he was a man of low condition, yet, from constantly reading the Bible and thinking on holy things, being no doubt taught by God the Spirit, he had such sweet sayings as made my heart burn within me”. He is said to share about God daily. At first he asks his son to quote the Bible nightly (from what he learned at school), but he eventually sells one of the family’s cows to purchase their own copy of the Scriptures to read and share daily with his family. At one point the narrator points out to young readers the sacrifices that parents make for their children. The main character also cherishes his baby sister and loves her dearly. He enjoys spending time with her. He gets happy to teach her to say her first prayer. Mrs. Warning is seen as a strict teacher by the children, but again the narrator takes the time to shine light on her positive qualities. She is said to be wealthy and educated, but has become a holy woman willing to teach the poor, with a focus on the Christian faith. Salvation is presented and detailed in a way that we have never seen before in a book for children. The main picture is also explained in detail, similar to how Jesus explained several key parables in detail, to ensure no one will miss the fruit that is available from it. A few other small items: There are helpful notes at the bottom of the pages. Most are verse references, even if it is not an exact quote being used, but only a reference. We hear great memorable quotes, “the foolish are willing to wallow in the mire when they could be dining at the table” and “can the pleasures of sin be so blinding?”. The parents handle an incredibly challenging situation of failure with their children in a way that will challenge and inspire all of us as Christian parents. Christian death is shown in a beautiful, heaven-focused light. For those with children who are ready please take the time to check out this story. Our faith seeps through every aspect of this story. It is very direct and has a high value on morality. Also, for everyone, please make sure to check out Lamplighters. Our copy of this story points out several other similar highly-impactful stories (“The Basket of Flowers”, “Titus: A Comrade of the Cross” and “Lamplighter”) and an age-bracketed list of suggested stories and a list of “books of the year”, all united by the mission of honoring Christ and helping children grow in holiness “to make ready a people prepared for the Lord… building Christlike character one story at a time”.