With the American frontier opening up to free settlers in the mid 1800’s, came a smorgasbord of evil men in a lawless land. To reach the masses in the wilderness, religious groups sent their representatives, but none quite like Ryan Jarred. Having been raised by a caring Methodist Minister when left an orphan, Ryan could never forget that no one had tried to stop the murder of his entire family. This would in time destine him to venture into a land that would test the core of his beliefs unlike any other minister, Circuit Rider or preacher in pioneer America. Ryan carried a pair of holstered precision made Beau-Fort Adams, five shot Revolvers given to him by the caring minister who raised him as a child for ten years. Jarred was skilled to expert level in the use of these weapons. Paramount to Ryan’s absolute belief was that for evil to grow and prosper all it takes is good people to stand back and do nothing. He did not...

As America began to expand westward, a group of itinerant preachers rode across the plains and mountains to spread the Christian faith. They endured heat and cold, rain and drought, despair and loneliness to fulfill their calling They traveled from town to farm to stage-stop to anywhere people had settled, preaching the Gospel. These saddlebag-preachers spoke to anyone who would listen. They were rugged individuals who allowed neither rough terrain nor menacing weather to sway them from their appointed areas of service. These unsung heroes of the West helped bring true civilization to the American frontier. There would be little or no reward beyond the spiritual. This book is a fictionalized story of three such country preachers on the frontier of Texas and the problems they faced bringing the message of Christ to wilderness areas. Bill Wood was born and raised in a small town in Texas. Since 1975, he has pastored ten country churches in either Texas, Louisiana, or California or taught in a small Christian school... or both at the same time. When not preaching or studying or writing, Bro. Bill enjoys visiting antique stores, festivals, and historical places. He's been known to pick and grin some in church and is partial to anything having to do with the Old West (movies, artwork, decor, clothes, rodeos). Dr. Wood has been described by friends as "an old-fashioned, Southern gentleman with just a touch of John Wayne." In May of 2012, he became the pastor at Central Baptist Church in Stamford, Texas. A graduate of Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and Baptist Christian University in Shreveport, Louisiana, this is Bill's second book to be published through Xulon Press... the first being a fictional account of the birth of Jesus entitled "And Nothing's Been the Same Since."

Bikers are spiritual people. They may or may not go to church and few will align themselves with any particular religion or denomination. They are nonetheless, deeply spiritual. It comes naturally after riding through some of the most beautiful countryside in the world! Creation cries out to our five senses, daring us to deny the existence of a higher power. Many still do not recognize that there is a personable God who wants to know us intimately. Jesus Christ spoke to the common man and is relevant to the road warriors of today. In the New Testament, Jesus uses simple stories and parables to communicate His message. The Saddlebag Gospels capture these stories, partnering them with tales from the highway, to illustrate the Gospel or Good News. So, tuck this book into your saddlebags and enjoy a story or two as you have a cup of coffee. Gain a clearer understanding of a God who truly loves you and then ponder the truth of the words you have read as you head out onto the highway.

When American Methodist preachers first arrived in Upper Canada in the 1790s, they brought with them more than an alluring religious faith. They also brought saddlebags stuffed with books published by the New York Methodist Book Concern – North America’s first denominational publisher – to sell along their preaching circuits. Pulpit, Press, and Politics traces the expansion of this remarkable transnational market from its earliest days to the mid-nineteenth century, a period of intense religious struggle in Upper Canada marked by fiery revivals, political betrayals, and bitter church schisms. The Methodist Book Concern occupied a central place in all this conflict as it powerfully shaped and subverted the religious and political identities of Canadian Methodists, particularly in the wake of the American Revolution. The Concern bankrolled the bulk of Canadian Methodist preaching and missionary activities, enabled and constrained evangelistic efforts among the colony’s Native groups, and clouded Methodist dealings with the British Wesleyans and other religious competitors north of the border. Even more importantly, as Methodists went on to assume a preeminent place in Upper Canada’s religious, cultural, and educational life, their ongoing reliance on the Methodist Book Concern played a crucial role in opening the way for the lasting acceptance and widespread use of American books and periodicals across the region.

In Thomas Crobsy and the Tsimshian: Small Shoes for Feet Too Large, Clarence Bolt demonstrates that the Indians were conscious participants in the acculturation and conversion process -- as long as this met their goals -- and not merely passive receivers of the blessings as typically reported by the missionaries. In order to understand the complexities of Indian-European contact, Bolt argues, one must look at the reasons for the Indians' behaviour as well as those of the Europeans. He points out that the Indians actively influenced the manner in which their relationships with the white population developed, often resulting in a complex interaction in which the values of both groups rubbed off on each other.