Highway Won Third Anniversary Update

“Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name goes all the glory for your unfailing love and faithfulness” (Psalm 115:1, NLT).

Hello and happy almost June from beautiful Cambria, CA! As unbelievable as it is to us, we have almost reached the third anniversary of Highway Won Christian Store. The time has flown so quickly. Much of what has happened since we opened seems like a blur. As Charles Dickens once well penned, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” and that truly sums up our experiences since we moved here and began this ministry/store. Through it all God continues to show Himself faithful. He indeed deserves all the glory and praise due His name for it! In this update I wanted to share with you some of the things that have happened over this time about the impact that this store has had in its community and far beyond. I’ll also share what we will be doing to celebrate our entry into our fourth year here.

Since Highway Won opened officially June 14, 2007, we have had customers from at least 30 different countries and 42 states, including many from all over California. We have had many returning customers from various areas as well. We have had almost 13,000 sales and many people who were impacted simply by coming into Highway Won. We have had two official book signings, several special events and sales, giveaways of items, and other fun activities. We have also participated in many community events that drew people into the store or at least made its name known to them. I know of at least one person who was saved as a result of materials purchased in the store, and others who have expressed their own personal growth and strengthening in Christ through them. We have provided study materials, curriculum, communion supplies, and other things to several of the churches in Cambria. We frequently, if not daily, get great compliments from people coming into Highway Won that it is a breath of fresh air, a light in the darkness, a place they can come and find spiritual renewal and strength. We also frequently get some odd reactions from those coming in ranging from scowls to literally running out of the store (and I am not exaggerating on that point), some mockery perhaps, but we rejoice that for at least a brief moment they were exposed to the gospel in the store’s music and materials, and had a reminder of their need of a Savior. We are so thankful for how God has used this little store to His glory!

Anniversary Celebration

We will be officially celebrating our third anniversary Friday and Saturday, June 11-12, as well as Monday June 14, with the following specials:

• Free drawing to win a book or other prize—everyone wins something!
• Take 10% off your total purchase (excluding clearance, greeting cards, postcards, and similar novelty items), or 20% off total purchases of $45.00 or more!

Also, just a reminder: Don’t forget about Father’s Day coming up on Sunday June 20. We have several cards, books, and gift items for dear old dad! We hope we see you here for our anniversary celebration. You can also follow our adventures on Facebook (look under “Thomas Klock”). God bless you and thanks so much for your support and prayers for Highway Won Christian Store over these first of what we pray will be many more years to come!

P.S. We will be closed on Friday June 4th in celebration of our daughter’s graduation from Coast Union High School with family and friends.

May 2010 Highway Won Update

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind but now I see.

It was a warm May morning when I first understood what it meant to become a Christian, but it has taken a lifetime since that 1973 morning to more fully understand the depth of all that Christ had done for me. In fact He continues to do great and wonderful things in my life despite the wretch that I am, and He shows me amazing grace time after time. A lot has transpired since that initial conversion, much of which I would have never thought, dreamed, or imagined, including the opening of Highway Won Christian Store almost three years ago now. God has done much through this simple life, but the further I grow in Him, the further away the goal seems to be of truly knowing, serving, and living for Him as much as I would like. The more I study, the more time I spend with Him in prayer, the more I do all the basic things of the Christian life, the more I see how dependent on Him I am and the simplicity yet extreme depth of what this life entails. Like John Newton’s song relates, all else pales in comparison with His amazing grace toward me. As I reflect back on all that God has done for me over this past 37 years of truly being alive, “thankful” seems too shallow a word, but I am. The song summed it up well: His grace is simply amazing! The trials I have faced and still face even now, even though they are difficult from a human point of view, are worth it all in view of all Jesus has done for me. As the apostle Paul well said, writing from a dark, dank prison cell:

But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ…Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:7-8, 12-14, NKJV).

Paul wasn’t done in by his circumstances but realized his life still had much to contribute, yet also much “rubbish” had to be added to the garbage can so he could press on out of God’s grace, and that too is my goal in this new spiritual year of life. It is His amazing grace and faithfulness that helps me press on and look ahead to those things He has for me yet. I pray that you will join me, a wretch saved by His amazing grace alone, in pressing on and gaining new ground for Him anew! –TK

So What’s New at Highway Won?

It’s hard to believe that it was three years ago that we were setting up Highway Won Christian Store, and we are looking forward to our official third anniversary in June 2010. Look forward to June to be a special month here at Highway Won. Currently we continue to have a clearance sale on some out-of-print t-shirts at great prices. We have our patriotic shirts available now as well for just $5.99 (2X and 3X are a bit more)! Mothers Day and Graduation cards and items are currently available; don’t forget mom and those grads in your life! We continue to get in some new release books and music as well little by little. Please also be aware that construction is set to begin on Main Street in front of the store starting May 3, but you should still be able to get into and through town, so please don’t be discouraged by the equipment shredding up and replacing the street. On a personal note, our happiest news since our last newsletter was the birth of our first granddaughter, Melissa! We rejoice in her little life and ask for your prayers for her continued healthy growth and development. God bless you and thanks for your prayers and support of our store and effort to reach the people and tourists here in beautiful Cambria, CA!

Remember, you can follow our adventures on the internet on Facebook (look under “Thomas Klock”) and my blog as well (thomasklock.blogspot.com). We hope to see you at Highway Won sometime soon!

April 2010 Highway Won Update

“Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, ‘Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.'" (Luke 24:5-7, NKJV)


That awesome truth is as powerful today as it was that first Easter morning: He is risen! Jesus Christ not only died for our sin, but He rose from the dead to prove to all people of all times that He is indeed the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. He had to be delivered into the hands of sinful men because we are all sinful people. Romans 6:23 reminds us, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Our “wages,” that which we deserve, is eternal separation from God because of our sin, but the gift of God, something we could never earn no matter how we tried, is eternal life in Him! The resurrection of Christ means that He has paid total price and won the victory over death once and for all.

Jesus bore the penalty of our sin—what a thought! It was nailed to the cross with Him and it was buried with Him in the grave, and now Jesus has risen again to life to bring us true eternal life and freedom and left our sin where it deserved. Why then do we so often dig up our buried sin and try to put those grave clothes back on in our guilt and condemnation? We fail to understand that godly sorrow produces repentance and pressing on toward victory, while worldly sorrow keeps us in condemnation, slipping back into the grave so to speak! Embrace the victory Christ that has won for you and press on! Our prayer for you this Easter season is that you will discover the freedom that Christ has won for you and that you will experience renewed resurrection power in your life!—TK


So What’s New?

We are in the middle of the spring break season and thankfully several people have come into the store this week and, Lord willing, next week will too. This brings us to the culmination of our Lent-to-Easter sale. However, I discovered with the help of my daughter that the settings on my Facebook page (look under “Thomas Klock” to find it, not “Highway Won”) were somehow set to block everyone from seeing what I have posted on it, possibly since they changed their format, so we have decided to extend the sale an extra week in case this is the first time you’ve even heard of it and want to take advantage of it! These are our current specials:


All books and music CDs are 10% off; Bibles 10-20% off (ending April 11)

Recently several t-shirts we were carrying went “out of print,” so we are selling these in a special section of the store at a major discount (while supplies last). We also now have the 2010 patriotic t-shirts great for Memorial Day, 4th of July, etc. or just proclaiming the message that God is the One you trust in, only $5.99 (a bit more for 2x-3x sizes)

We received several Monarch replacement products, so come see our special display of the discontinued ones at a great price (magnets, bookmarks, pens, gift bags, etc.)

Believe it or not, Mother’s Day and even some graduations are just around the corner! Look soon for greeting cards and other related items for these soon.


Well, that’s about it for now. Please come by and see us, and we look forward to serving you. Happy Easter and a late happy Passover!

March 2010 Highway Won Update

Happy March!

Spring will be upon us soon! We’ve jumped past January, flown through February rapidly, and almost made it to March. For those of us allergy prone, plenty of pine pollen is being produced all around us when the sun comes out between the rainstorms. But the beauty of what I call the “real California,” California as it should be, shows itself during this time with greenest greens on the hills and, when the sun is out, deepest blues in the skies and the ocean. Even the times of dreary, rainy grays aren’t as tough to endure. Signs of spring’s return abound despite the weather. With it, new hope mixes with the gloom of reality and tells us that we shouldn’t be dragged down by disappointment and depressing circumstances, but rather look to our Maker who is at work behind life’s storms. It is only by His hand of grace that we can withstand the difficult times and trust that there is a good end in store for us.

As my wife and I were doing our annual read-through of the Bible, a passage stood out to us that has become one of those needed anchors in these storm-tossed days: “The people you live among will see how awesome is the work that I, the Lord, will do for you” (Exodus 34:10b). We look to Him to perform that awesome work because it is His work alone that will get us through and be able to proclaim how good He is, and how His mighty hand has brought us safely through the wilderness to the land of promise yet ahead of us. Are you in the midst of a storm right now like we are? Remember, like I tend to forget as did Jesus’ worried disciples, in the midst of a storm He is right there in your boat of life, helping you to make it through the other side. He is in your wilderness as the cloud by day and fire by night just like He was for Israel, so whatever your circumstance, trust that He will do an awesome work in your midst so that you and others around you will see the results and glorify Him. –TK

So What’s New?

We are in the midst of our Lent-to-Easter sale here at Highway Won! All of our books and CDs are on sale for 10% off, and our Bibles are 10-20% off. This time of year should be one of contemplation on all that this season means, so that’s why we are offering this special price on our spiritual resources to help you get the most out of this time of the year. We continue to have other items marked at sale prices, including several t-shirts we are closing out to make room for new shirts for the spring and summer seasons ahead. We are also setting out Easter items this month, and I already have set up a special display of books and materials regarding the spring holidays. We will have Easter cards available for sale on March 1st as well.

Don’t forget that we can order things for you that are not in stock in the store, which happens from time to time since we have only so much storage and display space. We do have a website of sorts that does work, even though unfortunately it isn’t the world’s best: www.highwaywonchristianstore.com. You can order items through the website by typing in what you are looking for, or give us a call or stop by and we’ll be happy to help you. You can also follow the adventures of Highway Won under my personal Facebook page; just look for “Thomas Klock” for information about what God is doing in the store and in our family’s life as well.

May God bless you and enjoy the month ahead, and we hope to see you soon at Highway Won Christian Store!

Special Sale Event at Highway Won

Hello everyone and we here at Highway Won hope that you had a nice Valentine’s and President’s Day weekend! We usually don’t send out a mid-month email but I had forgotten to mention that we are gong to have a special Lent-to-Easter sale here at Highway Won. This doesn’t mean we are loaning something to Easter (bad joke, sorry I couldn’t resist), but rather the Lenten season is that 40 day period (not counting Sundays) from Ash Wednesday until Easter, the day we celebrate the resurrection of Christ from the dead, a period in which many take an extra effort to reflect on Christ and their relationship with Him. To help you in do this more effectively, we are going to put all of our books and music on sale for 10% off, and Bibles under $29.99 and under will be 10% off, those $30.00 and up will be 20% off! Don’t miss these special savings, plus our Easter cards, books, materials, and gifts over this next 40 days give or take a few!

February 2010 Highway Won Update

Happy February one and all from Highway Won Christian Store! January has been quite a challenging month for our community and our store, facing severe weather, power outages, and many in our town suffered property damage to their homes and vehicles; needless to say it has cut down on the tourism to the area so January has been slower than normal for our store, which is already slow typically. We are thankful for the CARBC Conference attendees that were a bright spot both in the midst of the storms and in our sales for the month which have been quite sluggish. Their encouragements and those of our other faithful customers have been a blessing and help us through such times. It is indeed at times like these we cling to passages like 1 Thessalonians 5:24, “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it,” and Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” God remains faithful and good and is at work regardless of the weather, the circumstances, and whatever discouragement that the enemy tries to throw our way as we walk with the Lord. I hope that this encourages some of you who are facing life’s storms right now. Remember that in the midst of your storm Jesus says to you as He did to His fearful disciples many years ago, “But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid’” (Matthew 14:27). –TK

So What’s New?

The Christmas sales season is officially over and we are going to box up the remaining Christmas items for the year. We now look to the month of February which brings Valentine’s Day and President’s Day, and at least one Monday holiday if not two for the lucky people like our daughter. Make your plans now to spend a long weekend in Cambria and stop by and see us. We have several gifts, jewelry, and other items appropriate for Valentine’s Day for that special someone; we must warn you though that our supplier didn’t send us very many Valentine cards this year so don’t procrastinate or you’ll have to make your own (or buy a secular card from someone else, which is OK too). In view of President’s Day, we’d encourage you to pick up a special pamphlet that Rose Publishers put together called “Faith of America’s Founders.” It will open your eyes and challenge the re-written history that post-modernists try to force upon us as to how this nation was truly founded upon godly, Biblical principles and beliefs, and best of all it only costs $3.99! We also have many copies of bargain classic books available as well as some other items in our bargain book bin. Perhaps you haven’t started a read-through the Bible program yet for 2010. It isn’t too late to start. We still have several one year Bibles left over as well as many devotional books, some brand new as well for 2010. I enjoy going through a devotional to supplement what God is showing me as I read through the Scriptures. Make getting into, learning and living God’s Word a priority in this year, and it will without a doubt change your life.

Thank you again for your support, prayers, and concerns for us, and we pray that you will have a blessed February as you grow in your love for Him who first loved you (1 John 4:19)!

January 2010 Highway Won Update

I have talked to many people about the end of this year and the beginning of the next and everyone agrees that it seems that 2009 has passed very quickly. In fact so has this entire decade! It seems that just the other day everyone was concerned about Y2K and all that entailed, and here it is 10 years later already. It didn’t seem that long ago either that I thought of this coming year way back in 1992 after the birth of my daughter, realizing that she would be graduating from high school in that “distant year,” and here it is, ready or not! One thing that has been reinforced in my life in 2009 and all the difficulties we have faced this year is that the unknown, the future, though a scary thing, is in the hands of a loving, good, just, and righteous God, and that makes all the difference in approaching this new year. As one of the magnets in our store says, “Don’t worry about tomorrow; God is already there!” External circumstances, the economy, and other similar things would make us all run and cower under our beds if we didn’t have assurance in God of His comfort and presence with us through everything that we will face in 2010. At this time of year I look back for hope from a favorite passage, Isaiah 43:18-19: “Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” Let’s not dwell on our failures and trials that 2009 brought, but rather look ahead to 2010 with confidence in an awesome God who can and will make all things new, even if it takes a miracle. We appreciate your prayers for us as we look ahead with confidence to what He will do in and through Highway Won this next year! –TK

So What’s New?

There are a lot of specials running in the store right now we’d like to encourage you to take advantage of. We have more Christmas items, books, music and boxed cards left over than we wanted there to be, so all of them are on clearance (boxed cards are 25% off and all other Christmas items are 40% off). We also have a lot of 2010 calendars left as well, and those are on sale for 25% off. All of our devotional books are 10% off. We also are reaching the end of our Bible sale which has been running since the beginning of November; we will extend it a bit longer but soon the prices will be returning to normal. They are currently between 10-20% off. Please take advantage of these specials!

One reminder to our locals and visitors: The graciously delayed construction project along Main Street in Cambria’s West Village including in front of our store will most likely begin in January. They promise that everyone will still be able to get through and access the stores, so please don’t stay away just because of the construction. We look forward to serving you all the more effectively in 2010, and from all of us here at Highway Won, Happy New Year!!

“May He also reign from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth!” Psalm 72:8 (NASB)