On January 8, 1956, Nate Saint and some other missionaries flew to an area near an Auca village and landed at strip of sand that they had named Palm Beach. This was Nate’s final flight for he and four other missionaries on the plane that day were martyred when tribesmen attacked with spears a few days later.
Although this was Nate’s last flight – it wasn’t the end of his work. What he and the other martyred missionaries had done for the Kingdom of God convicted many to listen to God’s call to mission. And the work of evangelism continued to the Aucas too. Many in that village came to accept Christ including several of the men who had thrown their spears on that terrible day.

I was introduced to the missionary Nate Saint at an early age through a series of comic books based on books about Christian Leaders. I read the story of Jim Elliot and his fellow missionaries in the abbreviated version of “Through the Gates of Splendor” by Elisabeth Elliot, wife of Jim Elliot. From that moment on, I was eager to find out as much about the men who gave their lives in the jungles of Ecuador. “Nate Saint: Operation Auca” is written for ages 7-9, just the age I was when I was introduced to the gripping story of the 5 missionaries and their families. It is well written, in a conversational manner that will keep the young readers interested from the start. Nancy Drummond uses an engaging conversational writing style to tell the story of Nate Saint. From the very beginning, she weaves the presence of God throughout Nate’s life, even down to his interest in planes as a young child. The reader sees how God used all of Nate’s experiences to shape him and prepare him for service and work in the jungle. Young readers, will delight in the retelling of Nate’s flying an airplane at the age of 13. Throughout the book, Drummond weaves the story of God’s sovereignty in Nate’s life, and his willingness to  sacrifice for others.  This book will encourage young readers to think BIG, as they see how God used Nate, an ordinary boy who loved airplanes to change the lives of the Aucas by showing them the love of Christ. 

I highly recommend this book as well as others in the Torchbearer Series from Christian Focus Publications

We’ve taken some more markdowns. Lots of books are better than 75% off come on by Tomorrow is the last day! Thank you Wilmington for 14 great years

After 14 years of serving the Wilmington and surrounding communities, we are closing.  The final markdowns have been taken.  Our last day of business will be February 28, 2013.  I’d like to take this time to thank our loyal customers for their patronage over the years.  It has been a joy and blessing to serve you.  Thanks to our faithful staff as well.  Here are some very special words from Billie Miller one of our employees about our store:

We have fixtures for sale too.  Come in and see what we have.

We want to thank all of our customers for 14 wonderful years

The Salt Shaker Staff

All books and Bibles are 25% off.

All music is 50% off.

All  gifts and church supplies are 50% off.

  It has been a wonderful  14 years sharing the love of Christ with our customers and providing their needs for Christian growth.  We will miss greeting our customers each day and helping them find their favorite author’s newest book or introducing them to a new author or musician.

Please join us in praying for our staff as they journey forward in search of new employment.  Thank you for allowing us to serve you all these years.

Serving our community has been a wonderful blessing and brought great joy and fulfillment.

Claire Efird and Katharine Sullivan

The Salt Shaker Bookstore and Cafe

Join us at The Salt Shake Bookstore December 18 at 4 PM for the release party

Mike Ashcraft and Rachel Olsen will be signing the book they co-wrote My One Word (Zondervan, 2012)

The concept of My One Word is simple. Lose the long list of resolutions—all your sweeping promises to change—and do something about one thing this year instead of nothing about everything. Choose just one word that represents what you most hope God will do in you, and focus on it for an entire year. This single act will force clarity and concentrate your efforts. As you focus on your word over an extended period of time, you position yourself for God to form your character at a deep, sustainable level. Growth and change will result.

Mike Ashcraft   was born in Geneva, Alabama—in Wiregrass County. After two months, relocated to Georgia and spent his growing up years around Atlanta. Mike had a wonderful

childhood; full of vivid memories, among them was meeting his future wife in the second grade. He married his childhood sweetheart in 1992 after graduating from college. They have two beautiful children. He is cofounder and lead pastor of Port City Community Church in Wilmington, N.C. Mike studied at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Blogging at  myoneword , Ashcraft leads thousands who have embraced a new way to pursue personal, spiritual growth: focusing on one word for an entire year.

Rachel Olsen is an instructor at the University of North Carolina in Wilmington. She also works with Proverbs 31 Ministries as a writer and speaker, and for many years served as editor-in-chief of Encouragement for Today, the ministry’s online devotional. Olsen is the author of It’s No Secret: Revealing Divine Truths Every Woman Should Know.  Olsen earned her undergraduate degree in journalism and master’s degree in communication from Regent University. Born in  Virginia, and a southerner at heart, Rachel has a sometimes wry sense of humor. she has a strong love of God and learning, and a penchant for fun. She lives with her husband and two children in Wilmington,  North Carolina.

Please join us to celebrate this new book from Rachel and Mike

  Tuesday, December 18, 2012

4 pm until 7 pm

  The Salt Shaker Bookstore and Cafe

705 South Kerr Ave

Wilmington, NC

Questions: Call 910-350-1753

David Green, the founder and CEO of Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc.When my family and I started our company 40 years ago, we were working out ofa garage on a $600 bank loan, assembling miniature picture frames. Our firstretail store wasn’t much bigger than most people’s living rooms, but we had faith that we would succeed if we lived and worked according to God’s word.From there,Hobby Lobby has become one of the nation’s largest arts and craftsretailers, with more than 500 locations in 41 states. Our children grew up into fine business leaders, and today we run Hobby Lobby together, as a family.

We’re Christians, and we run our business on Christian principles. I’ve always said that the first two goals of our business are (1) to run our business in harmony with God’s laws, and (2) to focus on people more than money. And that’s what we’ve tried to do. We close early so our employees can see their families at night. We keep our stores closed on Sundays, one of the week’s biggest shopping days, so that our workers and their families can enjoy a day of rest. We believe that it is by God’s grace that Hobby Lobby has endured, and he has blessed us and our employees.

We’ve not only added jobs in a weak economy, we’ve raised wages for the past four years in a row. Our full-time employees start at 80% above minimum wage. But now, our government threatens to change all of that.

A new government health care mandate says that our family business MUST provide what I believe are abortion-causing drugs as part of our health insurance. Being Christians, we don’t pay for drugs that might cause abortions, which means that we don’t cover emergency contraception, the morning-after pill or the week-after pill. We believe doing so might end a life after the moment of conception, something that is contrary to our most important beliefs. It goes against the Biblical principles on which we have run this company since day one.

If we refuse to comply, we could face $1.3 million PER DAY in government fines. Our government threatens to fine job creators in a bad economy. Our government threatens to fine a company that’s raised wages four years running. Our government threatens to fine a family for running its business according to its beliefs. It’s not right. I know people will say we ought to follow the rules; that it’s the same for everybody. But that’s not true. The government has exempted thousands of companies from this mandate, for reasons of convenience or cost. But it won’t exempt them for reasons of religious belief.

So, Hobby Lobby  and my family are forced to make a choice. With great reluctance, we filed a lawsuit today, represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, asking a federal court to stop this mandate before it hurts our business. We don’t like to go running into court, but we no longer have a choice. We believe people are more important than the bottom line and that honoring God is more important than turning a profit.

My family has lived the American dream. We want to continue growing our company and providing great jobs for thousands of employees, but the government is going to make that much more difficult. The government is forcing us to choose between following our faith and following the law. I say that’s a choice no American ? and no American business ? should have to make.

The government cannot force you to follow laws that go against your
fundamental religious belief. They have exempted thousands of companies
but will not except Christian organizations including the Catholic church.

Since you will not see this covered in any of the liberal media, pass this on
to all your contacts.

Sincerely,

David Green,

CEO and Founder of Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc.

Marybeth Whalen

  signing
The Guest Book
a novel set in 

 Sunset Beach
Friday, July 13, 2012

           11 AM until 1 PM

When Macy Dillon was five years old her father encouraged her to draw a picture in the guestbook of a North Carolina beach house. The next year, Macy returned to discover a drawing by an unidentified little boy on the facing page. Over the next eleven years the children continue to exchange drawings … until tragedy ends visits to the beach house altogether. During her final trip to Sunset, Macy asks her anonymous friend to draw her one last picture and tells him where to hide the guest book in hopes that one day she will return to find it—and him. Twenty-five years after that first picture, Macy is back at Sunset Beach—this time toting a broken family and a hurting heart. One night, alone by the ocean, Macy asks God to help her find the boy she never forgot, the one whose beautiful pictures touched something deep inside of her. Will she ever find him? And if she does, will the guestbook unite them or merely be the relic of a lost childhood?

Marybeth Whalen is a member of the Proverbs 31 Ministries writing team and a regular contributor to their daily devotions, which reach over 350,000 people each day. Her first novel, The Mailbox, was released in June 2010. Her next novel, She Makes It Look Easy, was released in June 2011. Additionally, she serves as director of She Reads, Proverbs 31 Ministries’ fiction division. Marybeth is the wife of Curt and mom of six children. The family lives outside Charlotte, North Carolina.