Ten P's in a Pod

Ten P's in a Pod : A Million-Mile Journal of the Arnold Pent Family, by Arnold Pent III
(Vision Forum, 2007), hb., 208 pp.
Ages 8+

Though this book has been reprinted by Vision Forum it was originally self-published by the Pent family in 1965. It is a first-hand account of the Pent family (mom, dad, and eight children) as they travelled over North America singing, quoting scripture and presenting the gospel. The book was compiled from the journals of the third son of the family, Arnold Pent III, written when he was age seventeen to nineteen. Thus, it has a homey, 1950’s feel.

It is comical to hear about various situations such a family could find themselves in as they travelled often not knowing where they would stay or where their money would come from. Thus, this is a challenging narrative of faith and strong example of the leadership of a godly father. It is clear that the family was shaped by a vision coming from the father as he impressed a variety of habits on his children including regular exercise. The primary theme of the book and of the ministry of the family, though, was devotion to the Scriptures. Each family member was required to spend a specific amount of time reading the Bible each day before breakfast (), and then the family studied the Bible together for 30 minutes three times a day, after each meal. The family devotions are described as often consisting of each family member quoting a chapter of the Bible! In fact, they read the Scriptures so much that by early ages each of them could quote full chapters. One son was able to quote any verse in the New Testament. And, they did not focus on memorization. They just read the Scripture so much that it began to stick in their minds.

This was an encouraging and challenging read causing us to say we wanted to be more diligent in our own reading individually and corporately. Occasionally, the young author comes across sounding a bit proud when criticizing. However, it seems just to be understandable exuberance of a young man with a clear vision of life.

Read this with your family and be challenged to focus on the word of God.