Ten P's in a Pod: The Million-Mile Journal of a Home School Family

My dad read this book to the family when I was a kid. Still love this story of one family's adventures while ministering in music and Scripture to others!

This is a fabulous book; one of the best non-Bible books I have ever read. It was written by Arnold Pent III, the 3rd of 8 children of Arnold Pent II and his wife Persis, when he was 21-years-old from entries in his journal from when he was 17-to-19-years-old. The 10 members of the Pent family traveled around the country singing and preaching for churches, television and radio programs, and anyone who would listen. Their goal was to win people to Christ and encourage Christians to read and memorize the Bible daily. Ten P's in a Pod is filled with (not necessarily chronological) stories over a few years of their travels. They were not from anywhere and went wherever God led them. They homeschooled and ate natural foods well before such things gained popularity in the early 1980s. Mostly, they lived their life completely trusting that God would supply their needs. This book has numerous examples of God doing just that. This book will also challenge you to have individual and family devotions, and to read your Bible daily, in a greater way than you ever have before. It is well written, reads quickly, is funny, and is inspiring. I highly, highly recommend this book. This book was first self-published in 1965. This version is an excellently published edition from Vision Forum.

Ten P's in a Pod is the story of a family of traveling evangelists. On one hand, I was very inspired by the family's commitment to prayer and Bible reading, and my children enjoyed the book as a read-aloud. On the other hand, I was disturbed by the "Christian brinksmanship" that was pervasive throughout the book. Mr. Pent deliberately and repeatedly put his family in situations--such as driving through a North Dakota blizzard with bald tires--where the family's basic well-being was dependent on God's active intervention.

We were given this wonderful book in 1980 and as a result our small children in a matter of weeks could quote chapters and entire books of the Bible without memorization. In the following years, our four kids would travel, sing and recite series of verses that my wife and I compiled on various Bible subjects. We told the Pent Story where ever we went. We even were blessed by several personal visits by David Pent to our home and got to eventually meet 5 of the 8 Pent children. Our children are grown now, but the scripture they learned is still with them effecting how they live their adult lives for the Saviour that died for them. If you want to step out of the mundane and into the extraordinary life of serving God... this book is the key to leaving a legacy that no one will ever forget.

Being a family that wants to honor God and obey His Word ourselves, it was neat to hear the adventures of the Arnold Pent family. They traveled all across North America, often wondering where they would sleep or where their next meal would come from or how they would pay for gas. But they trusted God and He always provided. As a father, this book gave me a vision for teaching my family the Bible--hearing how much importance Mr. Pent placed on READING the Bible. Before breakfast, and after every meal--regardless of where they were or who they were staying with. DON'T GET ME WRONG--This is not a boring, stiff, how-to kind of book that makes you feel guilty. It's just a FUN story about a family who was very different from your typical family. Almost every page made our whole family laugh.

This is an awesome book about a family seriously devoted to the heart of GOD! Today so much lip service is given about loving GOD and HIS WORD especially in our worship services all over the land. BUT then after 20 minutes or so of singing about loving GOD and HIS WORD, we then are consumed with other loves, the gods of technology, etc. that have worked their way into the thrones of so many areas of our lives. This book describes a family of ten who simply read GOD's WORD, the BIBLE, and they lived it, sang it, and truly breathe it. Don't read this book if you don't want to be convicted by the HOLY SPIRIT and challenged to change your life into a more simple pattern of pleasing the heart of GOD! So readers beware. WARNING: This book can cause serious health implications and spiritual awakenings unlike you've ever dreamed. GOD's WORD will not return void! Read it (The Holy Bible) and believe it, then miraculous things will occur weekly in your life. We know, because we are a family of eight that live by faith. This book though written in the mid-sixties, has eternal value for all walks of life. We have been seriously challenged by this book to increase our almost daily devotion time and Bible reading. Grace and Peace, The Lord Family - www.LordFamilyMinistry.com