Today I thought I would do another book review, this time on The Martyr of the Catacombs. This book can be considered one of my very favorites, and I have read it many, many times.

This book gives you a glimpse of the bitter persecution the early Christians endured under the Roman Empire. A look at the life lived by them in the Catacombs, dark and damp, yet still trusting in their Lord, and ready to lay down their lives at any moment, when they were captured.

A young solider, Marcellus, is commissioned to go out, find and arrest Christians living in the catacombs. But instead he searches for them, seeking to know more about their faith. Four days he spent in the Catacombs with the Christians, and was converted to Christianity. When he returned he told his general of his conversion. Marcellus knew this was, under the Roman Empire, an act of treason, punishable only by death. The general said he was degraded from his office, and was to be put under arrest as a Christian. But, through a friend he escapes. He is eventually captured and put to death by fire.

Then we come to 13 year old Pollio, who lives in the Catacombs. He is eventually captured and taken to an 'examination' where the authorities tried to persuade him to give up his faith, and embrace the doctrine of the Romans. But he remained steadfast and unmoved, and not even the threat of death by fire could make him deny his Lord. When the authorities found him unmoved by their arguments, they doomed him to death in the arena.

When the persecution of the Christians begin in America, may we be found as faithful and steadfast as Marcellus and Pollio!
Pollio's words were, "My faith is pure and holy. I can die, but I cannot be false to my Saviour."

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;
And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 3:1 & 12-15

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A Life of Faith: Millie Keith Series books 1-8

This series I received from my grandparents on my birthday, and I must say I've enjoyed reading them. The books tell in detail of Millie's life from Lansdale, Ohio to Pleasant Plains, Indiana to Bolivia. She also travels to the South to her uncle's plantation where slavery was in place at that time.

Yes, these books were very, very interesting. But there was one major drawback. All through the books the NIV was used in place of the KJV, which twisted the verses used all through the books.

I do wish that I had the original Mildred Keith books, written by Martha Finley. These books, it says in the forward, were re-written but carefully adapted for 'modern' readers, the plot enhanced, new features added, and the Christian message strengthened… or so it says. I know in the original Elsie Dinsmore books written by Martha Finley, it used the KJV instead of the NIV… I am at loss to understand why a perfectly good book has to be re-written for 'modern' readers…. I guess adding NIV verses in place of KJV were considered one of their 'new features' for 'modern readers'!

Other than that drawback, I really enjoyed reading them. I especially liked the one where she went south to Mr. Dinsmore's plantation and helped a young slave girl escape. That was an exciting book! The lady of the house secretly reads her letters before sending them, and all she writes in her diary, with the excuse that she believes she has the right to find any information about her visitors that she can… What a strange 'right'.

Well, I said I was going to do a book review sometime soon, so here it is.

I found this book on the shelf in the barn, and thought it might be worth it to read. It's called The Homeschooling Handbook and includes information on:

• Making the decision
• Getting Started
• Discovering your child's learning style
• Finding resources and materials
• Creating an effective study program
• and much, much more!

by Mary Griffith. I'm on page 22, "State Homeschooling Laws" and it's rather interesting. It says, "States generally require students to attend public school unless they fall into one of the several exempt categories." Even though we're Freeform Learners (unschoolers) I still thought the book would be interesting, and it is so far!

Now that we're unschooled, we don't have to worry about all the questions asked us by our grandparents. Which includes, but is not limited to: "What are you learning in Social Studies? What's the capital of Indiana? What's [insert math problem here]? Lacy, you need to make sure you learn proper English." While I'm thinking, is there anything wrong with my English?? Don't you understand me when I talk? LOL.

Every time they came down it was like "How are you doing in school? What grades have you been getting?" At least they don't have to bother to ask that anymore.

Well, I can give a full review on the book after I've read it entirely!!!!

A bit of information about the book, of course.

Title: The Hiding Place
Author: Corrie ten Boom
Pages: 241
Chapters: 15

(From the back of the book)
Both women had been sent to the camp for helping Jews. Christ's spirit and words were their guide; it was His persecuted people they tried to save — at the risk of their own lives; it was His strength that sustained them through times of profound horror.
Here is a book aglow with the glory of God and the courage of a quiet Christian spinster whose life was transformed by it. A story of Christ's message and the courageous woman who listened and lived to pass it along — with joy and triumph!

I've enjoyed this book so much, I've read it over and over again, that the pages are beginning to come loose!
The blurb is a basic description. Betsie and Corrie are sent to prison for hiding and assisting Jews then transferred to a German concentration camp called Vught, then to Germany's concentration camp called Ravensbruck.

There only seems to be one problem, and that is that it doesn't use the KJV. It doesn't say what version it uses, but I looked up some of the verses and it's not KJV. However, in spite of that, it's still a good book.

A few details about the book;

Title: Beautiful Girlhood
Subtitle: A Timeless Guide for Christian Adolescence
Author: Mabel Hale
Pages: 223
Chapters: 33
All Scripture Quotations taken from the King James Bible.

This book is very interesting, challenging, encouraging, with good advice for young women. It talks about truthfulness, obedience, a sunny disposition, home life, purpose, sincerity, the tongue, and much, much more!

Some, if not most, of the chapters have stories in it to explain it further. This is a book I would recommend for any young girl, and I've read it over and over again too. It was very hard to put it down the first time I read through it.

This is definitely a good book to have, and I really enjoyed it.. And I'm sure I'll enjoy it many more times.

While some aspects of Beautiful Girlhood may seem quaint and dated to modern readers, there is still much to be gained from its pages. The author, in her original forward, said,

This little book is born of a desire to help and encourage our girls who are struggling with the problems that come up in teens. Youth has its problems, its heartaches, and disappointments. It is not always a smooth path to the perfection of womanhood.
If what I have written should help some girl to a nobler life and truer ideals, then I shall feel that it has accomplished the task I have set for it to do.

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