"Because We Believe in a God who Loves Us Personally"

Some of the comments we've received over the years

Imported from our old website

 

02/10/08    Great Book!    My kids LOVED this book!  A really fun book to read out load, but most parents will finish it long before finishing it with the family.

02/20/08    Kids loved it!    Both my daughters loved this book.  The cliff hanger chapter ends can be dangerous at bedtime, since they want to keep reading.

03/24/08    Thank you for working on getting this site going    I was delighted to get your email updating us on the availability of your books.  Even though my son is now 16, it wasn't that many months ago he asked, Can you check to see if they ever got that new book finished in the Jotham's Journey series?  I see at least 3 new books on your site he'll enjoy and when you get the Easter one done, I'm sure he'll enjoy it as well, no matter what his age.  He loves historical fiction and when he went to see the Dead Sea Scrolls we were amazed at how little most of his youth group knew about them, but from your books and from other things he'd read, he had a better understanding of how things were years ago.  THANK YOU for providing families with quality reading for their adventure lovers.

03/24/08    The New Easter book!    Hi,
I emailed you about 2 years ago about the possibility of an Easter book similiar to the Christmas trilogy books because my children and I enjoyed them so much. You emailed me back (which especially thrilled me!) and said you had one in the works as soon as you could find a publisher. I am so excited to see we can enjoy it next Easter! This past Christmas, I started my grandchildren with the Jotham book. They came over every afternoon after school for a snack and a chapter. We really had fun and started a new tradition in our preparing for Christmas. My daughter, that I had read them all to years ago, helps me read to the >>>new generation>>>! I am so glad they will again be available, as I recommend them to people all the time. Now they won't have to go to Amazon and buy them used (did you know some of them were listed there for over a hundred dollars?)
Thanks for letting me know of your new website and all that is now available. God's blessings on your venture of providing such rich Christian literature for families!
Deena L

03/24/08    I am so pleased to hear that    I am so pleased to hear that the Advent Trilogy will be reprinted and sold again!  I have shared my books with so many friends and have lost track of them so I am thrilled to be able to purchase them again.  What a wonderful Christmas gift they will make for my neices and nephews!  I can't wait to share your stories with them!  I am very excited to purchase the new Easter story!  Our family has delighted over your wonderfully crafted books and look forward to reading them again and again and again!
God bless you!
Mary
 
03/25/08    Tabitha’s Travels    Thank you so much for bringing these books back.  I have three children and had decided to give each of my children one of these books when they had their children.  A friend let me read Tabitha's Travels to my kids and I had expected to purchase it the following year.  There weren't any copies available that Christmas.  My children were very disappointed.  I'm so excited as I have the other two copies and can now complete our grouping in 2009.  Thanks again.  

03/25/08    Hip Hip Hooray!    I'm so excited to see the Jotham books back in print! I have all three in the trilogy but was sad that I was not able to lead others to them! And I as especially happy to hear about the book for Lent! Yea!!

03/28/08    Jotham's Journey    December 2007  We borrowed my sister's copy of Jotham's Journey to read to our daughters during Advent.  We have never had a whole family nightly reading experience like this before and it was wonderful!  The girls were so eager for this special time each night.  Thank you for your excellent writing.  We are thrilled to see these books coming back into print so we may purchase our own copies and even more to give away!  SPR, Grand Rapids Michigan

05/19/08    Thanx!    Great to hear you're back!! We have been praying for you and for the ministry that these books present. We have read the trilogy, and gifted several of them as well. This is one of the few places where children and teens can experience the reality of Biblical times. THANK-YOU!!  

Carole H, grateful reader.

06/03/08    Thank you so much for    Thank you so much for bringing these books back into print.  My family enjoyed reading Jotham's Journey last Advent, and it was our favorite activity of the season.  It was a fabulous way to ready our hearts for Jesus, and to do it as a family with young children was priceless.  

We can't wait to get our hands on Bartholomew's Passage and Tabitha's Travels!

Tami L

07/03/08    Mystery in the Temple Courts    Yip yip yip yahoo!!!!!!!!!!  Finally you have found a publisher to reprint your books and we are so excited to know this will finally come to print.  The Advent Series is an annual event in our home where we have to read all three because my kids love them so much (it does not even have to be Advent season for them to pull them down off the shelf to read them).  We cannot wait to read this continuing journey.  Thank you for bringing these characters to life.  

Many blessings in your new venture,

The S Family in Niger, West Africa

07/15/08    Jotham’s Journey    This book was introduced to us at our church when they offered the congregation a choice of books to read as a famliy for advent.  I picked Jotham's Journey and my kids and I sat and read it together and fell in love with it.  We read it a couple of years in a row.  My kids were probably 8 and 10 then.  They asked if we could sit and read it again when they were 17 and 19 years old -- and we did and enjoyed it just as much.  I was sharing the story with a new friend in my life and had decided I was going to buy the book for her for Christmas because I knew it was something that her and her kids would love.  I searched and searched and could not find a copy that I could afford so I ended up loaning her my book so they could read it this past Christmas.  As I expected, they fell in love with it and could barely wait from evening to evening to see what would happen next.  It changed their Christmas and they were so grateful that I shared it with them.  We are SO happy to hear that it is going back in to print and that we will be able to buy them now for our friends.  I am anxiously awaiting and excited to read the trilogy.

07/30/08    So glad to see the books back in print!    I was gifted Jotham's Journey several years ago (well, for our four kids), and then found Bartholomew and Tabitha the next two years.  We are the busiest at Christmas, since my husband and I produce a Christmas Theater each year, but we always seem to find time to read these!!  They are even great to repeat year after year.  I have looked for them the last few years to share with others and have been so disappointed to see them out of print, but knew they HAD to come back sometime!  Thank you for the ministry opportunities these books have brought, not only for my own family, but when we have shared them with others.  Please keep writing!

--another NNC alumnus

08/25/08    Cannot wait for this book to    Cannot wait for this book to be re-released!!  I plan on buying one for our family and a few for early Christmas gifts.  I've heard so many positive stories about the joy this book brings...just so excited!!

09/05/08    Mystery in the Temple Courts    Please let me know as soon as this becomes available.  I have children 17, 16, 14, and 6.  The Jotham's Journey series has not only become tradition but wonderful family memories.  We have recommended these books to everyone we know.  Thank you so much for them.
Blessings,
Gina F

09/23/08    Wow!     Wow! That's really cool that he wrote a book! We definitely
need to buy it.

10/11/08    I have been looking all over    I have been looking all over for used copies of these books -- we have Jotham's Journey but not the other two -- and realized how hard they are to get and how expensive!! So glad they'll be available again -- although I wish it was in time for Advent this year. I hope my kids won't have outgrown the series by next year.

10/13/08    What a blessing!    I have prayed for the the re-publication of the Jotham series.  And I have prayed for the author and his family.  I have prayed that he would write a similar book to help families celebrate Easter.  Every year, I am disheartened to find that the Jotham series is out of print.  And this year, there it is!  We have told countless families about this wonderful tradition our family happened upon.  This year we are buying at least 10 copies to give to families that we know will enjoy finding a new way to rediscover their faith amongst the trappings and chaos of Christmas.  Our children look forward to Advent even more than they look forward to Christmas morning.  I am so thankful that the books are being re-published.  

10/17/08    I am so glad to see this    I am so glad to see this book will be available again! We have looked high and low for it. We have the other two and have been alternating between them for the past several Christmas seasons! Can't wait to get this one for our collection!

10/29/08    Looking forward to this    We missed buying this when it was out the first time. We greatly enjoyed Tabitha and Jotham and had to borrow this from a friend to read it.

Considering that the going rate for this book now seems to start at $60, I think that it's quite possible.

Love to hear if there are any plans for the story of the Magi as well. It seemed like that was hinted at a little bit in Bartholomew's tale.

I'm glad to hear that you're getting these published again and hope that Jotham sells well enough to allow all of the books to be published.

-Peter S

10/29/08    Tabitha’s Travels    We own the other two books of this series and were very disappointed to find out that they were out of print when we went to buy Tabitha's Travels.  Can't wait until next year when we can complete our set without breaking the bank!  Our kids have loved the other two books and will be thrilled to hear that this one will soon be available.  

11/09/08    Reading order    We have read Jotham's Journey for a few years and loved it each year. I recently won Tabitha's Travels on ebay.  Can you read the series out of order?  I know Bartholemew's Passage should be read next.  

Thanks!

11/10/08    Anyone willing to trade or loan for the season?    Hi,

We have read Jotham's Journey to our kids and loved it, but we don't have either of the other two. Would anyone be willing to trade or loan us Bartholomew's Passage or Tabitha's Travels for this Christmas season? If so, my email is lbickley@prestigeservicesinc.com. I couldn't believe the prices with them out of print until next year.

Lance B

Upstate NY

11/10/08    I’m so glad that these are    I'm so glad that these are finally being re-published!!!  We got Jotham's Journey a couple of years back and then the next year went to search for the 2nd book and realized that they were no longer in print!  Have searched ever since but just couldn't bring myself to pay the exorbitant prices - especially knowing none of it was going to the author!  Thank you for bringing these back - can't wait until next fall - I will be buying BOTH of them to ensure that we don't have the same problem!!  


11/10/08    So excited to see that this    So excited to see that this will be available next year!  Have been searching for a few years now - thank you for bringing these wonderful books back.  Can't wait to get the 2nd and 3rd books as soon as I know they are available!!  

12/03/08    Bartholomew’s Passage    I have this book and would be willing to swap with you for Tabitha's Travels. I don't know if you can read them out of order or not.  I do remember that some of the character's from Jotham's Journery show up in Bartholomew's Passage.

12/05/08    excited for the release...I will definitely spread the word    thank you for re-printing!

12/11/08    WOW!!  Thanks for reprinting    WOW!!  Thanks for reprinting this wonderful book.  Have wanted it for four years now.  Will be looking for it here at the end of summer.

12/11/08    Mystery of the Temple Court    I am new to the Jotham's Journey series and can't wait for the next 2 to be republished!  I am also very excited about The Mystery of the Temple Court.

Please let me know when it is available. I am thankful for the gift of storytelling that God has given to Arnold Ytreeide.  His stories draw families together and teach powerful truths.

12/11/08    Praise the Lord!  I    Praise the Lord!  I purchased two of the three books before they stop printing.  Now people are listing them for over one hundred dollars!!  

Thank you so much for reprinting.

12/11/08    Am going to be anxiously    Am going to be anxiously awaiting the reprint!!  We have two of the three and are shocked at how much people are asking for their used copy!

Thank you!

12/11/08    I would love to have this    I would love to have this book! I love Tbitha's Travels and Jotham's Journey!

12/15/08    A book to enthrall a 5 year old    Someone recommended this book to me about 5 years ago, so I bought it. They gave me one rule: don't read ahead. I've kept it all this time, waiting until a year when my son would be old enough to follow the story. He is five and a half now. He is completely enthralled with the story every night. We are loving it. I'm just thrilled that there are 2 more and that they will be ready for next year's Christmas season. We are enjoying the opportunities to learn more about things from Jesus's days. This author is an amazing storyteller!

12/16/08    Thanks so much for    Thanks so much for reprinting your books.  We love them all, and are looking forward to the MYSTERY OF THE TEMPLE COURT.

12/19/08    This is so exciting!  I    This is so exciting!  I can't wait to get a copy to share the Easter season with my children in such a great way!  I'll be keeping an eye out for when it is released!

12/19/08    I am so excited    Mr. Ytreeide, My four boys age 5-10 years and husband, have looked forward to one of the three books in the Jothom Trilogy every year.  I have shared them with friends whom also have felt blessed by them.  I am so thankful to you for them.  It excites me to know that you have written a book for lent.  I spent several weeks two years ago trying to find a way to write you and Thank you for writing the books.  I also wanted to ask you to think about writing a book for lent.  I am glad God placed it on your heart.  I cannot wait to buy it so that I can share it with my children and add to the special time of Lent into Easter.  So from our hearts, THANKS!!  Please continue to bless families with your books.  Sincerely, Kris in Missouri

12/28/08    so glad!    We are so glad that this book will be printing again!  Our children love the books so much.  I can't begin to explain how fun and exciting it was to read these books every night.  The kids are hoping for sequels to Jotham's Journey!!

12/29/08    What a Blessing!    I am so thankful to have these books again! I loaned our family copy of Jotham's journey to a friend a few years back and never saw it again. When I went to re-order boy, was I in for a sticker shock! I sadly resigned myself to the fact that we were going to have to do without.

Then, lo and behold we have a reprinting and I am so grateful! Not to mention, there are two other books I never knew of and now I can share the excitement of the advent journeys with my youngest child.

Thank you..I will be eager to order the others when they are available.

Godspeace! Lorretta S

01/18/09    Mystery of the Temple Court    Hi:

I am SOOOOOOOOO happy to have been looking around and found this new site.  I have read Jotham's Journey and Bartholmew's Passage to my own kids three/four years ago. (now ages 13 & 10) This year I read Jotham's Journey to my 2nd grade class.  I teach in a Christian school, and the kids LOVED it.  I told them I had the second book and was considering reading it--even though Christmas is over.  I also told them I was very sad I couldn't find the third book for under $60.00. And--that I wished I could find an EASTER book just as good.

I am glad God spoke to/through you and you realized how much people enjoyed this series.   I'll be on the look out for the re-release of Tabitha's Travels and of course this new Easter book!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Sincerely,

Kelly

Tri City Christian Academy

01/25/09    Our son, Jotham    We have secret sisters at our church, and this year mine has gone out of her way.  For Christmas, I received the book, Jotham's Journey.  I could not believe it because our son's name is Jotham, and it is rarely seen.  Many people thought it was a special order personalized book because they couldn't believe there was actually a book with the name Jotham in the title!  I found your website and have greatly enjoyed reading about the book and the author!  I am not sure how my secret sister found out about it, but I will ask her as soon as I find out who she is!

Lisa

Kansas

02/01/09    Mystery in the Temple Court    Is Mystery of the Temple Court going to be ready for Lent this year, 2009?  I certainly hope so.   JL

02/16/09    Release Date?    Has any undated information been given about a release date for this book?  I can't seem to find a phone number or any information other than Fall 2008.  
Thanks

02/20/09    Mystery of the Temple Court    I am soo excited to have this new book available.  My family and I have read Jotham's Journey, Bartholomew's Passage, and Tabitha's Travels over and over -- they are now fond Christmas memories for my older children and new memories for my younger.  I recommend them for new adult believers as well -- they bring the Bible to life.  Thank you so much for these incredible, well-written stories.

03/21/09    I'm reading Jotham’ Journey    I'm reading Jotham's Journey to the 5th and 6th graders at school and they are loving it.  They have asked how much research went into the historical parts of the story (actual information about cities, etc.) and they especially wonder if Decha was a historical character. When I finish Jotham's Journey, I will read Bartholomew's Passage, and I know they will enjoy it just as much.

03/23/09    Thank you for your prompt    Thank you for your prompt answer to my question about the research that went into Jotham's Journey and for your philosophy.  The books are so captivating and at the same time encourage one to honor and obey God, exactly what I wanted to read to the students. I can't wait to share your reply with them!

God bless you!

Audrey

03/26/09    I pray the same for you and    I pray the same for you and all of the readers as we start this day. I pray that we feel the presence of a Holy God who loves us and cares for us, our children and our nation.


I pray that we seek His guidance in everything we do.  


I pray for those seeking a job that today is the day they find much needed work, and it is in the very place God has prepared for them.

I pray for parents whose children are ill, missing, lost, in rebellion, that they can know God is watching over those children.  I pray for His peace and mercy in these situations.

Thank you for your prayers.   

04/14/09    Waiting patiently for the reprinting    We are waiting for the reprinting of your books. We enjoyed Jotham's Journey so much, but were unable to afford the cost of the out of print prices for the other books.  I will keep checking back for updates. Thanks.

04/23/09    An idea for a new book/series...    Our family absolutely LOVED Jotham's Journey, which we read for the first time this past Christmas.  It was SO much fun to watch our 5yo son's and 7yo daughter's faces as we twisted and turned right along with Jotham!  We can't wait to get our hands on Bartholomew's Passage and Tabitha's Travels - thank you so much for re-releasing them!

So we were thinking...  any plans for a Resurrection series?  Our kids think that it would be great if it included new characters, like maybe Jotham and Tabitha's children???  Yes, they were hoping that Jotham and Tabitha would get married and that would be perfect timing for them to have children who could be the main character(s)in a series devoted to the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.

Just a thought...  we can't get enough of your great storytelling!  ;-)

05/28/09    We can’t wait for these    We can't wait for these books to be reprinted!  Our family of 8 enjoys the story and the Advent Celebration...even our 17 year old!  Please let them be available before Christmas!  I purchased Jotham's Journey for my sisters' families, and would love to give them the whole set.  My set has mysteriously disappeared...it probably has a new home with someone who WON'T lend it out!

06/04/09    Heaven sent?    I felt this book was written especially for me!  My father had Norwegian immigrant parents who farmed in rural North Dakota and he later entered the Navy in WWII and fought in the same general area as the author.  It gave me tremendous insight into that period of my father's life, which has blessed me since he passed 5 years ago and never spoke much about the war.  I am so thankful this story was brought to fruition before the memories escaped the author.  Thank you!

06/05/09    I’m ready!    I lent my copy out and sadly, it did not come back to me!  We love these stories.  I plan to get a copy for my children so they can read it to theirs one day.  I'm ready to order!

07/02/09    Great Book      A friend let me borrow the book Jotham's Journey and my children loved it, so much I had to get each of them their own copy. Now they are ready to hear the stories of Tabitha and Bartholomew's journey's. It seem's every website on-line that has the books including some christian book stores are charging over $75.00 for these books because there out of printed - copies and have not made them available to the public yet. It seems everyone is out to make a quick buck. I guess I will have to borrow a copy until they become available. My kids are really looking forward to hearing the other (2) stories. I am hoping to get a copy of each book so that they can have them for themselves and their future families. I am just trying to create lasting memories and allow them experience the true meaning of Christmas.

08/04/09    North Dakota South Pacific    It is really a great story which compell us to recall past memories of our four fathers in this new era. By recalling that heroic life we feel more braveness and firmness in our attitude as there is good combination with my study mcts certifications .I am really enjoying adventure of those heroic days with my study.

10/12/09    Excellent Story    We managed to pick up Jotham and Tabitha a couple of years ago (and missed Bartholomew @ the time).  Tabitha's story is an excellent blending of all sorts of emotions and a great story. I think this one may be my daughter's favorite of the three stories. We've told a lot of people about these stories and it's great seeing them re-released so our friends can now actually get a copy of them.  Thank you for your work in putting these together.

10/13/09    Jotham’s Journey Trilogy     Our family has deeply enjoyed reading this series for Advent for the past 7 years. We began this tradition during our first Advent season in our new home. We usually gather around our big kitchen table(we are blessed to have 5 children,ages 24 to 12)and we make some hot chocolate or butterscotch steamers and listen by candlelight as my husband reads the story. Your books have made such a beautiful impression on our family. Thank you for sharing these stories, we have had many precious Christmas seasons together because they have helped us focus on our Lord. May the Lord bless you and keep you, and may He make His face shine upon you and give you peace. We are so thankful He does exist!

11/05/09    Yesssss!!!    I have been waiting for several years for Tabitha's Travel's to come back again!  I purchased Jotham's Journey, and then Batholemew's Passage, quite a few years ago, and when I went to get Tabitha the next year, it was no longer available.  Needless to say, my other two books are quite worn out by now, so I am really looking forward to seeing Tabby arrive!

11/18/09    Bartholome’s Passage    We first began reading Jotham's Journey many years ago when our favorite homeschool supplier Timberdoodle included the book as a free gift for our order.  We added Tabitha's Travels and Bartholomew's Passage as they came out, reading a different book each year for advent.  Our older children never tired of them (nor did we:-), and we always had younger children who hadn't heard or couldn't remember that year's book so each year felt timeless, comfortable, yet somehow new.  Last year's advent reading began on Sunday, November 30, 2008 and we chose Bartholomew's Passage.  It was going to be a different sort of advent for us as the oldest 2 boys (of 12 children) had just gotten their own apartment the week before, and my husband's aging parent's had come to live with us that fall.  I remember reading Sunday night and Monday night.  There was always much discussion about the circumstances the main character was going thru.  We had reassured the children both evenings that altho we were unlikely to face Bartholomew's exact circumstances, there was much for us to learn in what he was going thru.  On Tuesday evening, December 2, the children had just come in from spending the day at with their brothers at the new apartment.  We planned to decorate the already assembled tree and read our Advent story right after my husband and I took his parents out to run a couple of errands and grab a bite to eat.  Three of our oldest four had a Bible study at the apartment with friends that evening, but the other older son came with us to eat as did one of the younger children.  This left 7 children at home with our 16-year-old daughter, munching on dessert and planning our decorating.  We were gone about 45 minutes.  Almost home on the return trip, our neighbor called to say our house was on fire just as I pulled over for some fire trucks racing past me.  The neighbors had rescued the children and were standing across the street watching the firefighters when we pulled up; people up and down the street were bringing coats and blankets and socks and warm drinks for us for hours while we stood out there.  Praise the Lord that all of our children were safe, even the ones who drove at 110 miles an hour to get to us when they heard the house was on fire!  But our real adventure had just begun, and it continues to this day.  For several months last winter, relatives attempted to help house all 14 of us.  Friends, neighbors, and total strangers donated clothes and toys and meals and even building supplies!  Once the damaged walls and roof sections were replaced, all by volunteer labor, we chose to return to our home where the rebuilding continues slowly almost a year later.  We are amazed at how God prepared our children's hearts for what was to come! Bartholomew's Passage was such a blessing to us as it caused us to have discussions with them that we might have missed otherwise.  The children have already begun asking if we can read Bartholomew's Passage again this year, and we have assured them we will!  We thought you might like to know how much your books have blessed our family.  Thank you.  Blessings,  Richard & Pat

11/28/09    I’m VERY excited about this    I'm VERY excited about this Easter book!!!  I'll buy several copies to give as gifts.  We are on our third time through the Jotham series and the kids look forward to them EVERY year!!!

11/29/09    Release date update?    I'm dying to get a copy of Tabitha's travels!  And your new book for Easter.  Please let me know when I can anticipate being able to order them!

12/05/09    Any new books in the series?    I have all three books, but I was really hoping that there would be more coming in the future. Any possibility of that happening? We read the books out loud as a family. My children have enjoyed following Jotham, Bartholomew and Tabitha's adventures (we are currently reading Jotham again for the third time). Even though my boys are teens now, they still look forward to advent so we can read the stories of characters who have become family friends over the years.

Thanks for many, many evenings of family time filled with adventure, faith, discussion, and new knowledge (we catch something new in the books each time we read them). Just tonight, we realized that the >>>library>>> in the Jotham book referred to the Dead Sea scrolls.

We enjoy the writing style and would love to see more Christmas adventure stories.

12/09/09    Looking forward to this new    Looking forward to this new family Easter resource.  We just started our 2nd round of Jotham and look spending all of December on a reading adventure together.

12/11/09    14 years    WE have been reading Jotham's Journey and it's sequels for Christmas for at least 13 years and I think 14.  We started when my oldest was around age 5 and he is now 19.  All of the children have enjoyed the stories during advent season.  Last year I went to Israel with my husband and visited many of the places mentioned in the books and we videoed ourselves talking about and acting out parts of the books while actually there, so that we could incorporate the videos and pictures into our reading of the books for years to come.  Such fun!  I am so excited to see that an Easter book is coming out... I can't wait to share it with our children.  

12/22/09    Giving the books    Thanks so much for that great idea!  My three children love the books and I know will want to continue the tradition when they have families of their own. I'm going to buy the set for each of them and keep forr the first christmas they have their own family!

12/25/09    What great news!    I'm so excited to see there is a new book coming -- this one for Easter and yet still involving Jotham. I am sorry that Mr. Ytreeide has been afflicted with lupus (that explains the long silence) and overjoyed that he has managed to write more books. May God bless you for many years to come! Stephanie (Conover, NC)

12/31/09    Jothams Jorney and Bartholomew’ Passage    Last year I fell into Jothams Jorney as I was searching for something new to use for advent.  What a blessing!  I was thrilled after Christmas when I found Bartholomews Passage to use this Advent.  This has been a rich addition to our Advent celebration.  The kids actually ask if we can do our Advent lesson.  What a wonderful way to concentrate the season on the birth of Christ instead of all the other stuff our culture incourages.  I am looking forward, anxously and expectantly for Tabbitha's adventure to become a part of next year's celebration.  I will watch closely for it's appearance.  Thank you for your creative insight.

01/13/10    We are thankful for these books    In 2005, our family was enduring a very long and difficult season with the health of our son.  A family in our church gave us the trio of Advent books.  They are amazing!  Our son, who is almost 11 now could nearly not wait for each new day of the story to be told.  He was so excited about our Advent tradition! The story of Christ nearly lept off the page for all of us.  We were so sad to learn that they were out of print.  We were thrilled to find out recently that they are back in print.  I am not buying a copy for all of our children to some day share with their own children.  

Bless you for your inspired writing!  It has changed our Christmas season!  

03/30/10    can’t wait!    We are so looking forward to the release of >>>Mystery.>>>  Each year when a new volume in the trilogy is re-released, I coordinate orders for 30+ families, and counting.  All of are anticipating being able to use >>>Mystery>>> in our 2011 Lenten devotions.


Thanks for creating Jotham and his friends - God has used them to enrich the spiritual walks of many.

04/09/10    Dear Mr. Ytreeide,

Our    Dear Mr. Ytreeide,

Our family has loved and sold hundreds and hundreds of your Advent Trilogy when we owned Lifetime Books and Gifts.

We anxiously await MYSTERY OF THE TEMPLE COURT. Though we book lovers much prefer to have it in print format, would you please consider releasing it in e-book format? After so many years, it would be wonderful to have it available...in some format!

Sincerely,

Tina F

When you sell a man a book you don't sell him just twelve ounces of paper and ink and glue?

you sell him a whole new life.      ~ Christopher Morley


12/07/10    We still read them!    We found Jotham's Journey when our children were both young. We had been searching for something to read besides the little books and Bible readings we had done for a number of years. Something that would be more like an adventure.  We were homeschooling then, and my wife had a plethora of resources. When she read about Jotham's Journey, we jumped at ordering the book. The kids as well as my wife and I were captivated by the daily readings and devotional thoughts. When we saw that there was a sequel, we ordered Bartholomew's Passage and devoured that one the next year. We ordered two more sets of books, one for each child, and this Advent season, gave one set to our daughter and son in law. To my surprise, I opened Jotham's Journey and found that I had signed the inside cover in Christmas of 1999!

Now that we are home alone, we read Jotham's Journey every day, look forward to Bartholomew's Passage in 2011!

12/07/10    Awesome series, Mr. Ytreeide!    Hello! I'm fourteen years old and I LOVE the Jotham series! Thank you for writing such wonderful stories! Can't wait to read the Lent story next Lent!

Yours Truly,

Trini

12/18/10    Thank you!    Mr Ytreeide,

My little family and I began our first Advent season on Jotham's journey just this year.  I have three children - 2 boys and a little girl: Caleb (5), Emet (3), and Anna Ruth (1). I stumbled across the book accidentally on CBD and thought I'd give it a try.  I'll likely be purchasing the entire set several times over as gifts now!  

It has been an absolute joy to see my boys (husband included)anticipate the advent reading each night and watch their faces as they sit wide eyed, imaginations going wild during the reading of the story.  Then they talk about it all the next day.  

I'm so thankful the Lord put this on your heart as a ministry to families.  What a blessing it has been to us.  In fact, we have loved it so much, I don't want our family reading time to be an Advent only event.....and plan to search out some books we could read as a family each night.  I do, however, love the built in scripture and Bible lesson in the Advent stories.  If you have any recommendations, I'd love to hear them!

God bless, and happy writing!

Ann Ordway

12/27/10    Started a new tradition!    Hi - just wanted to say thanks for the great Advent adventure story of Jotham.  My children (boy 9, girl 5) loved it!  They spotted Tabitha's Travels at Hackman's (our favorite Bible bookstore) and can hardly wait until next Advent.

Saw your reply “...an Easter story following Jotham's son 30 years later will be out in 2011.”  My children will be thrilled!  

Thanks & blessings to you!  

01/06/11    I just googled your books,    I just googled your books, Mr. Ytreeide, to find a place to ask you to write more books about Jotham, Bartholomew, and Tabitha. I see that you and others must have had the same idea! We've been rotating the advent stories for about 8 years now and have loved them (especially Nathan) each year.

Have you thought about writing about Nathan? It sounds like he has had quite the adventures with some of his friends.

I know the Lord will bless you for all the time you have spent showing what the true focus of Christmas is! Thank you for writing this new book about Amon. I'm sure my family and I will enjoy it as much as the three advent stories.

Carrie

02/03/11    Amon’ Adventure    My brother bought Tabitha's Travels,Jotham's Journey,Bartholomew's Passage and Amon's Adventure. All of the books were wonderful.(I really enjoyed the ten-year-olds. They were my age. I am ten.) I think that Amon could be a Zealot fighting against the Romans. Mr.Ytreeide is a wonderful bookwriter and storyteller.I am a big fan of his books.He knows exactly how

to tell a story and get you absorbed.I didn't stop until I read the end of the books.I read them over and over each night.Thank God for Arnold Ytreeide he is my number one author.

03/08/11    I cannot contain my excitement!    I could hardly keep my voice level down at our bible book store the other night when I saw that the first of the new Easter series was on the shelf! I was giddy with excitement for this long awaited book. My oldest was only 6 when I first read Jotham's Journey to him and his younger siblings. He is now going to be 16 in the summer and he was as excited as the rest of them were. I have been talking about this new book for a while and just waiting for a publisher to take you on so it could become a reality in our hands. I have been praying for so many years for this project to be realized and am praising the Lord with you, rejoicing over it's completion! The gestation period, for this book, seemed to go on forever, but it's birth is beautiful! I am not disappointed in anyway. We read the first chapter last week, not knowing anything about Lent. Okay, we read the about Lent pages first, then looked up on the computer as to when Ash Wednesday was....not for another week?!!! My kids couldn't wait for me to start the reading (secretly between us I would have started it alone had I made them wait) so we read a chapter that night. It was wonderful and a great surprise for all. Seeing some of our beloved characters from Christmas show up for Easter! Anyway, Arnold, thank you for your persistence and for not giving up on Amon. We are truly blessed and anxious for the rest of the series to come out.



03/13/11    Amon’s Adventure    Our family (4 kids, ages 4-12) just started reading “Amon's Adventure” and we love it!  (We've already read “Jotham's Journey” and “Bartholomew's Passage”)Recently, my husband and I had the privilege of visiting Israel and so we are enjoying these books even more since we can describe in depth various details about the land of Israel that are part of the setting of the story. Please keep writing these stories; they bring the time of Jesus alive to our children.  Thank you!

Sincerely,

Cara G

04/02/11    Amon    Our family is currently reading Amon. Each night we gather together to hear the story, get closer to each other, and come closer to God. Thank you for this wonderful story and tool to help us focus on the Messiah, Jesus, the reason for Easter. I have used all the special features on the website and look forward to more added as we progress through the book. Our family has read the Christmas series for years now. This is certainly a gift from God.

04/29/11    Thanks so much!!!    Please, Please keep writing!  We so enjoyed this book for Lent as well as your three books for Advent, which we have been reading every season since 2004.  These books are treasures in our family.  Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.

Kris

05/01/11    More seasonal books?    Our family read Jotham's Journey this past Advent season and just read Amon's Adventure for Lent.   my 5 boys look forward to your other two Advent books and want more Easter books.  My middle son would asks if you could write something like them that can be read throughput the year.  

12/05/11    Jotham’s Journey series    We have been rotating through the Jotham's Journey series for at least 10 years, it's a highlight of our Christmas celebration every year. I am wondering if there has ever been any thought given to having the stories translated into Spanish? We are a multi-cultural family, missionaries in Ecuador and I would so love to be able to share this series with families who are learning to love God with all their hearts. Christmas in the latin culture tends to have a different focus, how wonderful it would be to be able to share the joy of Christmas with them through your books. We are so excited to see the new story for Easter and are planning to pick that up the next time we're in the states. Thank you, Mr. Ytreeide, for using your gifts and talents to be a blessing to so many. We thank the Lord for you!  -- Tracy Coupe

12/13/11    Kings Ransom?    We've read “Jotham, Amon, and Tabitha” & are now reading “Bartholomew.”  We absolutely love them!  My 7 yr old son is wondering how to play King's Ransom - is this based on a real game you could share instructions for please?

You're a gifted author.  Thank you so much for writing these books.  They are engaging and challenging for any age to read.  I'm so thankful for the Biblical truths and character building lessons.

12/22/11    Enjoying Immensely!    Please keep writing!!!!  I purchased the three Advent books when I was do a big order with CBD in the fall and so glad I tossed them in my cart.  My older three children (9/7/4) are really enjoying Tabitha's adventure.  We are cramming the entire Advent story into a week because I didn't realize how to 'do it right.'  Somehow, I don't think we'll be able to wait until next year to read the other tales.  I hope the word will continue to spread about these great books.  I just 'liked' you guys on Facebook.  Hopefully, that will help a little... :)

12/26/11    More? More please!!    For the last three years, our Advent season has been marked by our family's reading of Jotham, Bartholomew, and Tabitha. These stories have brought so much joy to our family, and memories that will last forever. In fact, we have joined with another family as well, each reading these books in our homes. On Sunday evenings, when we join together for weekly Bible study, we share the Sunday edition of the story, while enjoying hot chocolate. Then, on Christmas morning, our families share breakfast together and the conclusion of the tale. These are cherished memories that our families will always hold. It is quite a scene, as combined, our families have 14 children, ranging in ages from 4-14. They all listen, with rapt attentiveness, to your wonderful stories.


Thank you so much for your books. They have been a gift. Since we just finished Tabitha this year, we will start over again with Jotham next year. That is, unless you create another installment! My husband said, as he closed the book yesterday, “Alright, time to write to Mr. Ytreeide and tell him that he has about 3 months to crank out another volume, in order to have it published for next Advent!” The children agreed!

And so, I am here with our humble suggestion from our children that you next write about Ishtar. Perhaps Ishtar's Expedition? Or Ishtar's Quest? It would be so fun to hear this story from the perspective of those mysterious Eastern Magi.

And, even if this is the last of the Advent series, we will choose to be satisfied. Your stories have delighted us, enriched our Advent celebrations, and helped us draw nearer to our Lord. Thank you, and may God bless you and yours richly!

Shawna

Mt. Shasta, CA

12/26/11    GREAT storie awesome characters    LOVE this book, Arnold Ytreeide is a FANTASTIC writer!

01/05/12    Easter books    Will there be a new book out for Easter 2012?  We loved Amon's Adventure last year and would like to hear more in this series!!  Thank you


02/27/12    Write More!    please Write More!

04/09/12    Jotham, Bartholomew, Tabitha, and Amon!    I and my kids have treasured Advent for the past three years with Jotham, Bartholomew, and Tabitha.  This Easter season was made just as special with Amon.  We were all so moved by the stories!  We all hope you have more of these stories in you!  However, just know that you have touched the lives of three children, and will continue to do so year after year.  Your name is a household word for us.  May God bless you!


Kristin

04/13/12    Tabitha’ Momma    My daughter is Tabitha. That is, she was the dark haired little girl with the big brown eyes who posed for the beautiful illustrations in this wonderful book. She is all grown up, attends college and is creating her own adventures as a young Christian adult. We are blessed to have been a small part of a story that brings glory and honor to our Lord and Savior. By the way, my little tabitha's real name is Ishah.

04/19/12    Tamar’ Tale    I loved Amon's Adventure, and especially loved the character of Tamar. She has her own story which is fascinating. Will you be writing a book about her experiences with Jesus soon?

Thanks,

08/21/12     more Mike Danford books?    Are there more Mike Danford books available?  We are almost finished with the first one and want to read the rest!  We love the Jotham series, it totally makes our Christmas.  You are extremely blessed with the gift of storytelling!  Keep going! :)

11/19/12    After greatly enjoying    After greatly enjoying Jotham's Journey and Bartholomew's Passage, we were really excited to start Tabitha's Travels. Unfortunately the usual 21st Century feminist slant was a major thrust of this book throughout so we won't be using it. What would be wrong with actually helping girls be happy to be girls instead of wishing they were boys? I think a godly young lady could still enjoy and grow in her 1st Century BC role, and have a few adventures without the constant onslaught of feminism from two millenia later. We'll look forward to Amon's Adventure during Lent this coming year but will find something else for Advent.

11/23/12    Jotham’ Journey triolgy    We have been reading these 3 books, rotating them every year for our advent studies at night.  It is a tradition and one that my children beg us to read every year-they are in their late teens now with little ones to join in.  Christmas would not be Christmas without these books.  I have also lent them to non-Christian friends as a witness to the true meaning of Christmas.

We love love love them and we want another book written for advent.  Are you currently writing one?

God bless,

Ondrus family

11/29/12    A decade later    Thank you so much for sharing your talent.  My family started reading Jotham's Journey when my son was 9 and my daughter was 4.  They are now 19 and 14.  Every year we reread either Jotham's Journey, Bartholomew's Passage or Tabitha's Travels during advent.  My daughter's name is Tabitha so she was thrilled many years ago when we found that next book in the series would star Tabitha!  The discussions we have after the devotionals are much different now than they were 10 years ago, but I still cherish this season because of this special family time we get to enjoy!

12/19/12    The kids as well as my wife    The kids as well as my wife and I were captivated by the daily readings and devotional thoughts. When we saw that there was a sequel, we ordered Bartholomew's Passage and devoured that one the next year. We ordered two more sets of books, one for each child, and this Advent season, gave one set to our daughter and son in law.

01/01/13    Another Easter book, PLEASE!    We have LOVED all your books!  Please consider writing another Easter book!  It really enhanced our preparation for Easter last year. I keep checking back to see if there might be any news of a second one coming out. Thank you for all your writings!  God has used them mightily in our family!  May God Bless you!

01/19/13    My kids and I really enjoyed    My kids and I really enjoyed reading Jotham's Journey for advent this year.  In fact, we liked the book so much that I bought Bartholomew's Passage, Tabitha's Travels, Amon's Adventure, and Submarine Spy.  We are in the middle of Submarine Spy and would love to continue with the series!  You are a very gifted writer!  My kids ask to go to bed early each night so that we will have more time to read. :)  Thank you for the wonderful stories that you have to share!  They've been a blessing to us!

03/05/13    Need more Mike Danford books    My son is dying to read the other books.  What can we do to help the publisher decide to move forward?  The suspense is killing him!!  

03/26/13    Any plans for another Easter/Lent Devotional?    We just finished Amon's Adventures for our 2nd year ...we are also fans of the Advent Trilogy...any plans for another Easter book?  We love your books!  Thanks for helping to create such great memories for us as we read together! God has used your writing to bless many!

04/16/13    Our family had been enjoying    Our family had been enjoying the Jotham series for many years and were thrilled to find an Easter story now!!  We are now heading up a bookstore and are wondering if there is a way to purchase these books at a discount to sell in our store?

Thank you Mr. Ytreeide for putting your Bible knowlege and fabulous imagination to such good use!!!

Kelly

02/15/12    Danford    When will the next book in the Danford series be available.  My family loves all your books and can't wait to read more.  God has blessed you with an amazing ability and we are praying that you continue to use it!  Thank you for all you have done!

10/23/08    Mystery of the Temple Court    I would love to purchase my friends a copy of this book for Christmas.  We have one complete set of the Jothams Journey books that we keep passing back and forth through the years.  (I am also eagerly anticipating those being back into print).  Please let me know if/when this book is available to purchase.  Thanks!

03/19/09    Trilogy and Temple Court    I would love to be notified when the Mystery of the Temple Court is released or if a pre-order if offered.  Also, if Tabitha's Travels is re-released, I would appreciate being notified.  Thanks!

10/19/08    Bartholomew’ Passage & Tabitha’ Travels    I am thrilled to hear that the 2nd and 3rd books in the trilogy will be available next summer. We have read Jotham the last three Advent seasons and can't wait to add the next two to our library! I only wish they were available this year! Thanks so much for making these books available again!

04/03/11    Missing Pages    We were left hanging and can't wait to see what happens!  Pages 49-64 are missing in our Amons Adventure! I sent an email last week but haven't heard anything so thought I'd post here and see what I need to do next.  Thank you. We love your stories and don't want to miss this one!

Jamie

03/02/09    We are just beside ourselves with excitement!    I wish I could impart to you a small idea of how your books have blessed our family - I can truly say they have become a part of the fabric of our faith journey. We often joke about the dung gate of Anghetti and having Decha breath, but we took much more then humor from our daily readings, I assure you! When we finally were able to get a hold of Tabatha's Travels this past December, we had to hide it so the children wouldn't read ahead.  We loved Jotham's Journey and Batholomew's Passage so much, that we just HAD to have Tabitha - so we bid our max on e-bay and won.  When we finished reading Tabitha, we started speculating about an Easter adventure ... we had Jotham and Tabitha all married and grown with children of their own, meeting Jesus on the hillside in Galilee and following Him to Jerusalem for the Passover.  Needless to say, your book will be far better than our speculations!  We are so glad you have it written and in the que for publishing!  Thank you for using your gift to touch our hearts!

02/24/09    Release of New Books    Will the books due for release (such as Mystery of the Temple Court) be announced via email to logged-in customers when available?

10/09/08    Mystery of the Temple Court    Greetings, Every once in a while I Google Jotham's Journey. WOW! Today I found the new site! We are so glad that the Christmas books will be reprinted and VERY excited about the new Easter book.


Thank you for all your hard work!


Bless you! Bless you! Bless you!

08/31/09    Missed this earlier    But if it's in the same vein as the previous books, we're going to add this to our list of books to buy.  We're still waiting for Bartholomew right now as we missed that the first time around.  However, when this comes out, we'll get this as well. I really look forward to it.

04/23/11    Awesome Book for Lent    I can not thank you enough for continuing this series into a Lent season book.  We have loved your Advent books for years, but have really been lacking for study/story books for Lent (other than the best book of all, The Bible).  It is so great to read such accurate Biblical accounts woven into your story.  Thank you!!!!

11/29/09    can hardly wait for the release of the 4th book    Year after year each of my children gather around to listen to mom read from one of the stories in advent trilogy. They know the stories of Jotham, Bartholomew and Tabitha by heart and yet they get excited again as if they are meeting up with old friends.

We are anxiously awaiting more adventures of Jotham in “Mystery of the Temple Court”.

Whenever I can get my hands on a copy of the advent books, I snatch it up and given them as gifts.

Thank you for being apart of our Christmas. And for blessing us with your books.

11/23/10    My Lupus    I just finished reading the small book My Lupus.  Im crying... no... Bawling right now. I was diagnosed with lupus four years ago as well, and have questioned myself so many times with the quirky, strange symptoms I have on a daily and even hourly basis. I work a full time intense career, as well as raising five children, so managing this disease sometimes feels like all I do.  I have recently (within the past month) discovered Gatorade helps me when I have “an episode”.  Mine are similar to Arnold's, but unique to me.  I do not pass out, but they last hours and hours.  This book was Gods confirmation that I am not crazy, or imagining my strange symtpoms.  

Thank you Thank you Thank you from the bottom of my heart for writing this book, and sharing your experiences.  What a blessing it has been to me!  

Victoria H.