While in Scotland last month, my wife Leeta and I had the pleasure of visiting the headquarters of my primary publisher, Christian Focus Publications. Since 2008 I’ve had the privilege of publishing six books with CFP, and we’re presently collaborating on a seventh volume, a comprehensive biography on David Livingstone. Through those years I’ve interacted with a number of the CFP staff via email about a variety of matters. But this was my first opportunity to visit CFP’s lovely premises and meet several of its cordial staff members in-person. To follow are several highlights of our visit to CFP.
Christian Focus Publications is located on a scenic country estate on the western edge of the Moray Firth, an inlet of Scotland’s North Sea. CFP is a couple miles up the shoreline from the seaside village of Hilton and approximately a one-hour drive northeast of Inverness.
The CFP offices are housed in a portion of Geanies House, a handsome, substantial manor built in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Another part of the house is used as a private residence.
The manor is surrounded by several acres of beautiful, well-tended lawns and gardens. Walking paths wind through those and the surrounding woods, which stretch to the nearby cliffs overlooking the Moray Firth.
On the shoreline at the base of those 200-foot cliffs is the bothy, a small stone cottage. Leeta and I enjoyed spending part of a day exploring the seashore as the tide was going out. An additional treat was sharing a picnic lunch at the bothy with Willie and Kate Mackenzie (of CFP), along with their lively young boys.
Leeta and I stayed in the CFP’s Caretakers Cottage for several nights. Half of that cottage is a charming three-bedroom guest house which can be rented out by tourists in the summer months. The other half of the duplex is the private residence of one of the estate’s friendly groundskeepers.
Meeting the cordial staff at Christian Focus Publications was truly one of the highlights of our visit there. Several years ago I had met William and Willie Mackenzie (uncle and nephew to each other), who serve, respectively, as CFP’s General Director and Publications Director. In addition to renewing my acquaintance with them, it was a delight to meet their staff members, who were all very friendly and helpful. They provided us with some great advice and assistance concerning some choice sights to visit while in their area.
Christian Focus Publications has a room in its office building where copies of all the nearly 1,500 titles it has published through the years are displayed and available for purchase. People are welcome to stop by and browse through the books in this home-office bookstore. Each year CFP publishes scores of highly worthwhile books on a wide variety of topics for adults, youth and children. You can learn much more about Christian Focus Publications and its titles by visiting its website.
The good folks at the CFP home office enjoy having people stop by to say “Hi” and to check out their great selection of books. If you ever have the opportunity to do so, it will be well worth your while.
Copyright 2019 by Vance E. Christie
