Boo - Guess Who? Just Me!

Kids love dressing up for Halloween. 

I think it's reassuring for them to know that on Halloween they can assume any persona, but under the costumes and masks it's still just them.

Our own children certainly enjoyed the costume aspect of Halloween, and these days we enjoy hearing our grandsons tell us what they want "to be for Halloween".   

This year my older grandson decided on a Great White Shark.  And his little brother, who loves anything having to do with Thomas the Tank Engine and loves to be just like his brother, at first said he'd be a "Gordon Shark".  

Eventually that changed to "just Gordon", and today his talented Mama crafted an amazing Gordon costume for him.  Sadly he ended up getting a fever, but even though he couldn't wear his costume or join in the trick-or-treating, believe me: he will wear that Gordon costume a lot.  Probably everyday for awhile!

Today I have two books that are obviously fun Halloween stories -  but I think most kids would asked for them to be read over and over, no matter what day it happens to be!

Space Case (originally published in 1980) never gets old!  After landing on the corner of Maple and Elm on Halloween night, a Thing from Outer Space - sent to observe Earthlings - joins a group of kids as they go trick-or-treating. The fun continues when the Thing ends up going to school with a boy and acts as his space project for class. A silly Halloween story that kids ages K-3 will enjoy.  Our kids wanted to hear it again and again. 

Pre-schoolers will be happy that The Little Blue Truck and his friends are making a costumed appearance in Little Blue Truck's Halloween...Beep! Beep! It’s Halloween! Little Blue Truck is picking up his animal friends for a costume party. Just lift the flaps in this large, sturdy board book to find out who’s dressed up in each costume! Will Blue wear a costume too?  Of course he will - but don't worry, it's still just good ol' Blue!

Do you and your children have a favorite Halloween read?

Thanks for the Memories, Dad...

It's finally here! My Dad's last book Memories of His Mercy, published five years posthumously, just arrived on my doorstep...

Memories of His Mercy, by Fr. Peter Gillquist, is available from Ancient Faith Publishing.

It's a true labor of love, and feels like a gift from him (and Ancient Faith Publishing) to our family.  But although it's a treasure for us, my father's motivation in writing it was "to share with other people the faithfulness of God in a way that I hope will motivate them to trust in Him more than they do now". 

Dad thought about doing this book for a long time.  Finally, early in 2012, he dictated most of the chapters in a recording session at his home with John Maddex, CEO of Ancient Faith Ministries.  

But in June of that same year, Dad was told by his doctors that (after thirteen years) his metastatic melanoma cancer had returned, was already in stage 4, and was untreatable.

My father had hoped finish work on the manuscript before his death, but his health declined too rapidly. After Dad's passing, John talked with my brother Greg about the recordings and Dad's wishes, saying we could proceed if and when we were ready. 

John sent us the audio files of Dad's dictation. How comforting our father's voice sounded to my mom, siblings, and me as we were able to listen to the recordings on our home computers!

Last Father's Day - it had been four years since Dad's death - we finally felt ready to begin the process of honoring Dad's wishes in getting his book published.  I called my mom and she said my brother, Fr. Peter Jon, just that morning, had mentioned the book too. 

We knew the project would bring emotions and require much attention: delving into the manuscript, organizing the chapters, and finding someone to help in compiling and doing the work of editing the material.  

God brought us the perfect person for the job: Ginny Nieuwsma, a sincere, tender-hearted woman and gifted editor who knew and loved my Dad.  We felt very confident in trusting her with his manuscript. 

Memories of His Mercy is really a framework to Dad's prior best-selling book, Becoming Orthodox - it's pretty much "the rest of the story": a remembrance of God's mercy throughout my father's life. 

Ginny seamlessly pieced together and edited the chapters, and we contributed clarification and family photos - starting with my father's earliest childhood memories, to meeting my mom, to their work in Campus Crusade for Christ, their first fixer-upper, and then Dad's years at Thomas Nelson (and meeting Johnny Cash), the Orthodox Study Bible, and Dad's fight with cancer.  

The chapters are book-ended by a gracious Foreward, written by one of my Dad's dearest friends, my father-in-law V. Rev Jon Braun, and an Epilogue, written by my mother, Marilyn. She reflects on their last move -  to Bloomington, IN - and recounts the weeks leading up to my father's repose.  

At the very end of the book you'll find several tributes (the first from Fr. Gordon Walker, of blessed memory), and an interview with my Dad, reprinted from AGAIN Magazine.

I hope you'll enjoy this labor of love from my Dad and all the people from Ancient Faith Publishing (with special thanks to John, Ginny, Katherine, Carla, Matt, and Melinda), who worked tirelessly to make this book available to you.

ORDER