Never Say Die by Douglas Hsu

Never Say Die is the story of David Yone Mo, once "Burma's most reckless gangster," who, when supernaturally cured of his drug addictions "on his hospital deathbed," becomes Myanmar's most fearless preacher and evangelist.

The story is an amazing one as David stumbles into one ministry after another--helping men beat their drug addictions, leading them into the kingdom of God, opening his home to orphans and eventually building an orphanage, travelling around the country promoting Jesus and abstinence from drugs, working with lepers, opening a Bible college and even developing a musical band that reached number one status on the secular charts.

"...ex-alcoholics and ex-drug addicts made the boldest, most fearless and most sacrificial preachers.  ...they understood at a deep level how wicked and sinful they were."  They were the ones most willing to trek through hostile and dangerous jungle to reach isolated people for Jesus.  They often stayed in the villages to work as pastors, even if they were untrained.

David's rule was that those reaching out to others had to demonstrate their love by accepting what was offered to them, no questions asked.  They were fed some very strange things, even by Asian standards, and endeared themselves to the people.  David himself was tested on this stance when he was served his first meal by a leper.  She handled the food with her hands.  Was it safe?  Would he get leprosy if he ate it?

It's a challenging story of a man driven to reach out to those people no other Christians wanted to help, sold out to Jesus without compromise.  What if we all had the passion he had?

Imprisoned in Iran: Love's Victory over Fear by Dan Baumann

Dan Baumann is a YWAM (Youth with a Mission) missionary in Turkmenistan, born and raised in America but holding a Swiss passport.  When he has an opportunity to visit Iran with the hope of finding additional Turkmen to witness to, he runs into obstacles that eventually land him in Iran's most infamous prison--a place from which few leave.

He has a choice to make when he is arrested and questioned.  Will he be honest about his reasons for visiting Iran?  He knows that doing so could seal his death.  But because of his honesty, unexpected things happen.

Duane Litfin, president of Wheaton College writes, "Dan Baumann's harrowing experiences in Iran were the stuff of nightmares.  Yet his is a story of faith and courage, and of God's protection.  This detailed account has the power to encourage many in the midst of their own trouble to abandon themselves, as Dan did, to the providential care of the Lord."

I hope I could be as courageous as the author if I ever faced the sort of thing he did.

Secret Believers by Brother Andrew

I've been devouring books lately and have made my way through a number of those I bought at Missionfest earlier this month.  The most recent book I've finished is Secret Believers: What Happens when Muslims Believe in Christ by Brother Andrew and Al Janssen.

It's tricky talking about Christian believers in Muslim countries because the Muslim extremists are very good at tracking down who they think the stories are about and responding in cruelty--even when they have guessed wrong. Brother Andrew's solution to this problem is to tell true stories and actual events, but creating fictional characters in a country, city and towns that remain unnamed.  He's done an excellent job.  I could hardly put the book down.

What are some of the problems Christian believers have in the Muslim world?  There are three distinct groups of Christians to consider: indigenous people who have been Christians since the apostles first took the Gospel to their countries 2000 years ago, ex-patriots living in the Muslim countries and believers who converted from Islam.  For all groups, the situation is dangerous, first for the Muslim-born believers, then for the indigenous Christians and finally for the ex-pats.

Even if the laws of the land state equality for all religions and the country may have signed the Geneva Treaty about human rights, sharia law usually takes precedent.  Often the police ignore blatant abuse and murder of Christians or they're complicit and aid the process.  The situation is so bad that churches have been known to refuse entrance to Muslim seekers or newly-converted Christians.  It's too dangerous for both the church and the Muslim.

But then, what is the mission of the Church in these nations?  Is it merely to maintain the status quo?  Does the danger keep them from fulfilling the Great Commission?  And if so, what are the implications?

We follow several characters in the book:

Ahmed was part of the Islamic Brotherhood when he was asked to write a book to show the error of Christianity.  His reading of the Bible changed his thoughts and he becomes a Christian.

Abuna is a priest who turns Muslim seekers away but then is challenged to reconsider how best to serve his congregation and God.

Butros studied in England.  He is looked at with suspicion by the Christian pastors he returns home to serve and by the Muslims.

Layla is a Christian teen who is kidnapped and forced to become Muslim.

Kareem is a highly-placed government official who has discovered Jesus and committed to him on his own.  Any contact with known Christians places him in grave danger but he also has influence and power if he can use it carefully.

Hassan and Mustafa become believers because of Ahmed's determination to find those Muslims seeking Jesus.

In addition to demonstrating the real problems, issues and dangers Christians face, Secret Believers shows what speaks loudest to antagonistic Muslims.

At the end of the story, several chapters speak directly to the Christian believer.  What have we as a Church done to show Christ to Muslims?  When they look at the western nations that are supposedly Christian, do they see Christ?  What can we do, corporately and individually to change their perceptions and win more Muslims to Christ?  I've been challenged and know I must keep the book at hand so I can be reminded of what I have been convicted.

Joy and Protection

While I was praying this morning, a couple of things jumped out at me.

My prayer room, which I have been using for a number of years, has many symbols I use as reminders of what I want to pray and I've created a meaningful ritual as I move from object to object, touch it with my hand and give thanks to God or make a request of him.  Of these symbols, the crown of thorns and the water fountain were what stirred up some realizations.

With the crown of thorns I pray, "God, give me joy and gladness in the midst of suffering and pain."  That prayer is based on Jesus' admonition, "Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."  As I prayed this today, it hit me!  Perhaps one of the reasons I have responded the way I have to my son's death is because God has been answering my prayer.  Not that Mikael's death is persecution in any way but Paul and Peter talk about how we share in the sufferings of Christ.

With the water fountain I pray, "You are the Fountain of Life.  You are the Living Water.  Thank you for providing stepping stones of safety and protection during impossible times.  This references a picture God gave me over a year ago during a time of prayer--how during some very difficult and painful times of my life, God provided oases, places of refuge in time of trouble, havens of safety.  As I was praying this morning, I remembered what a friend had written me earlier in the day: "Your sleeping helps to protect you right now Deb."  Yes!  Another stepping stone in rough waters, an oasis in an arid land.  God is protecting me.

I might have missed these gifts from God if I hadn't been praying.  I wonder what sorts of things we do miss out on because we haven't prayed.

God, thank you for caring about our needs and listening to our prayers.  Thank you for answering mine.

The Soul of the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by Gene Veith

Unlike some of his other Narnian tales, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe seems very clear in its symbolism—Aslan is the Christ figure, the stone table the cross; the white witch is Satan, Edmond the betrayer and the one for whom Aslan dies and, like Christ, Aslan does not stay dead; his resurrection defeats the power of the evil ones.  But there are other, more subtle truths demonstrated in the story.

In regards to Edmund’s sin: “...sin is very ordinary.  It does not have to be dramatic, breaking out into some monstrous crime, to be deadly and soul-killing.... [Sin’s] home is in our thoughts and feelings and attitudes, in the deepest recesses of our heart.”

“Satan and the witch in reality are hideously monstrous in their true inner selves, but they appear attractive, persuasive, and good.”

In comparing Turkish Delight to addictions to drug, alcohol, illicit sex: “Their bondage may start with an exhilarating sense of freedom, of rebellion against the norm, of an exciting exercise of personal choice.  But these sins make those who indulge in them slaves.... Even when they want to stop, they cannot.”

“The point is that God’s holiness means that he is dangerous.  He is not safe.  But his holiness also means that he is good.”

“Edmund is learning that sinful pleasures soon cease to be pleasures.  All enjoyment ultimately comes from God and only pleasures pursued in his will can give long-term satisfaction.”

“In the presence of Aslan, all tell the truth about themselves and take responsibility for the things they have done—just as in the presence of God, there are no evasions.”

“Notice that Aslan, like God, does not necessarily take his people out of the world’s battles by some great act of power; rather, he equips them for battle and then sends them into the fray.”

“Aslan’s roar becomes a great wind that bends the trees, as if the Holy Spirit were let loose.”

Aslan breathes on the stone statues that were once creatures in conflict with the witch.  “The curse of the witch is undone.  This transformation from stone to flesh is a very biblical description of what happens when the Holy Spirit creates the new life of faith.”  (See Ezekiel 11:19-20)

“In the wardrobe, [the children] faced up to their personal responsibilities, encountered sin and grace, battled evil, and found a relationship with God. ...In the tourists’ eyes [the children had gone into the wardrobe to avoid the people touring the house], nothing has changed.  And yet, from the children’s point of view, they have undergone something miraculous.”

“Real-life spiritual experiences are like that.  No one can see another person’s inner life.  On the surface, little may be happening.”

This last truth is something that’s easy to forget.  God starts changing the inside of a person before anyone on the outside can see what’s happening.  To me, that means that when someone says God is working in them, I should not sceptically point out no change in behaviour.  I must be patient as God does his work.  It also means that just because God is doing a work in me, it doesn’t mean that others will see those changes immediately.  I must be patient with them.

In the second half of the book (and also at the very beginning), Veith looks at fantasy as a genre, weighs the value of it and gives suggestions on how to distinguish beneficial fantasy from that which is harmful.

“Bad fantasies exploit this tendency [to be attracted to what is evil and repelled by what is good] by ridiculing virtue and presenting evil behaviour as something to look up to.... Positive fantasies, on the other hand, help us cultivate desires that accord with virtue rather than sin.”

“...fantasy is actually a good genre with which to explore real-world truth.”  Examples of this can be seen in such fantasies as Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser, The Divine Comedy by Dante, Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan and Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkein.  “Fantasies tend to externalize inner states or to symbolize ideas in concrete form.” 

In evaluating books of the fantasy genre, we can ask questions such as, “Does it dramatize the conflict between good and evil, or does it glorify the strong terrorizing the weak?”

“Good fantasy...takes us out of ourselves, countering our darkness with at least a glimpse of the external light.”

In his discussion about fantasy, Veith looks at two popular series, the Harry Potter books by J. K. Rowling and His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman.  Pullman writes with a purpose.  “His cause, as he himself has made clear is to destroy Christianity and to liberate the world from any faith in the Christian God.”  “Pullman is on the side of Satan, presenting the story of Satan’s rebellion—and that of Adam and Eve—as a valiant struggle for liberation against oppression.”  This indeed is dangerous because it glorifies evil and treats God and righteousness as oppressive.

While the Harry Potter books seem to glorify witches, these witches are those from fairy tales, riding brooms and stirring up secret concoctions, not like the real wiccan witches of today.  And Harry isn’t learning how to be a witch but a wizard like Gandalf in Lord of the Rings.  Further, Rowling has bad witches as well.  The Muggles are a good example of “the materialists who cannot accept the reality of anything beyond what they can see and test and measure, and so reject the supernatural truths of faith.” 

The Harry Potter books, contends Veith, are not as subversive as Lewis’s.  Rowling exalts boarding school life whereas Lewis despises them.  Both appeal to children for in the one they see their own experiences with school and in the other, school is happily escaped.

While Veith is enthusiastic about the Narnia books and highly critical of His Dark Materials he sees both benefits and drawbacks to the Harry Potter books, leaving the final conclusion to the reader.

What I found particularly interesting as I read this book is that the fantasy genre was pioneered by Christians (who knew?) and that most fantasy deals with the battle between good and evil even when the story isn’t overtly Christian.  Perhaps I have not been as positive as I could be about non-Christian fantasy.  While it is important to avoid fantasies that denigrate God and Christian values, such as in Pullman’s, there is much good in most fantasies—values that urge the reader to do what is right and wholesome; values that we would like our children to emulate.

God please give each of us discernment in the books we choose for ourselves and for our children.  Help us to see into the meat of a book and not get sidetracked by surface appearances.  May all our reading be honouring to you.

Kiss Goodbye: The Story of God’s Presence in the Dark Night by Deb Watson

Deb had raised six daughters.  At the time of the story, her youngest was 14 and the eldest 25, married with one child, expecting another and just recently moved a thousand miles away.  Her third daughter, Cathy, almost 20, was struck by a truck as she was rollerblading on the shoulder of the highway and killed instantly.

I chose to read the book last week because I figured I was ready to hear another parent’s story of loss.  How did they respond?  How did they deal with their grief?  In truth, I wanted something to provoke my own grief.  I have done little crying over Mikael’s passing.  I would like to believe it’s because, like John and Eloise Bergen of the previous post, I have lived a life of intimacy with God so despair is not a factor.  Is that the case or am I still in shock and denial and the grief will hit me unexpectedly sometime in the future? 

Certainly my body has felt the stress of grief and has responded with exhaustion that keeps me sleeping more than I’m awake.  Yesterday I slept for ten hours, was up for four and went back to sleep for another ten.  But the tears and the emotion of grief I have felt only at short, infrequent intervals.

Reading Deb Watson’s story, I was able to mourn and weep.  She talks about the “neverness” of death and said it hit her most powerfully many years later.  Like the Bergens, she and her husband were able to forgive the man responsible and, at Cathy’s funeral, John called the man forward and embraced him, publicly declaring his forgiveness. 

Who have I to forgive in Mikael’s death?  Mikael? It was his hand and his decision that did the deed.  Myself?  I had been there, had checked on him and had failed to see the empty blister packs of his medication next to him.  I covered him over and chose to not disturb him because he needed sleep.  His doctor?  Mikael had gained 80 pounds in less than a year because of his medication and wanted a medication that wouldn’t have that side effect.  Was his death a result of the chemical turmoil inside as he came off one drug and began a new one? 

Mikael had been in unendurable pain for over a year.  He simply wanted the torture to end.  I had been on guard for Mikael, watchful against suicide, even that night.  I did all I could.  The doctor had responded to Mikael’s despair about his increased size and his intention was to give Mikael a better quality of life, not worse.  He did what he could.

The last moment Deb Watson had with Cathy before the accident was as she was about to walk out the door.  “As I brushed past her, she reached out and stopped me.  She spun me around until we were face to face.  Wrapping her slender arms around me, she drew me into a huge hug that left no space between us and in a tender voice, she whispered into my ear, ‘I love you so much.’  Then loosening her grip, she stepped back ever so slightly before pressing her lips firmly against mine and gave me a momentous Kiss Goodbye.”

My last moment with Mikael was covering him with his favourite blanket so he wouldn’t be cold while he slept, being careful to not wake him because he needed his sleep.  It was an act of love that would never be returned.

I cry as I write this.  There is a whole lot more loving that I would like to give him.  I miss him.  When he saw that I was sad, he would come and give me great big hugs.  He watched out for me and he never hesitated to correct me if he though it warranted.  It will be three months tomorrow morning that we found him, cold and lifeless in the same pose he had when I had covered him over.  Three months and I do not look forward to going through his things and deciding what to do with them.  His books and journals we’ll keep.  Erik will get his furniture and household items when he moves out.  But what about all his photo developing chemicals and tools?  His snowshoes, skis, kayak, bicycles and skates?  His paper-making supplies?  What about his oboe, bread maker and teas?  The boxes and boxes of things stored in his grandmother’s garage?  It will be hard.

I cried through the first two-thirds of Kiss Goodbye, as the story of loss was told and the continuance of life for Cathy’s family unfolded.  There was her birthday, just days after the accident, the funeral, Christmas and all the other firsts.  The anniversary of her passing.  The neverness of her absence.  Never again would she laugh, hug, play tag with the residents at the nursing home where she worked.  Never again would she share a meal with her family.  Never again would she bound down the stairs with excitement.  Never again will Mikael play his oboe.  Never again will he kayak down the river.  Never again will he share with relish his adventures and accomplishments of the day.  Never again.  Never.

Deb Watson’s words about suffering resonate within me.  She quotes Brennan Manning: “One of life’s greatest paradoxes is that it’s in the crucible of pain and suffering that we become tender.”  Not all suffering results in tenderness. “...mourning, understanding, patience, love and the willingness to remain vulnerable...lead to wisdom and tenderness.” [quote from #49]

And Jehu Burton who says, “Suffering is God’s most effective tool for conforming us to the image of Jesus Christ.  God puts His workers through the refining fire; the greater the mission, the hotter the fire.  Nothing changes a person more quickly or more completely than suffering.”

She herself writes, “In the crucible, much was stripped away.  Death brought brokenness to my life, unlike any other circumstance.  Pain poured out from me; I felt destroyed by adversity.  My life turned upside down.  Self was emptied, and the remaining, shattered pieces of my life were laid bare.”

In reference to Psalm 33:8 she prayed, “So Lord, this death, it was in Your plan—part of Your purpose.  I trust Your judgment, but today I hate Your plan.  Bear with me in my sorrow—be gentle with me.  I know you questioned Job about his whereabouts when you set the world in place.  I know you see the beginning from the end and I trust You—it is just that the pain and the loss is so great.”

“Out of sheer desperation, I began to walk in constant prayer and as I did, God revealed Himself to me.  His Word became alive and our relationship changed.  Praying continually was no longer a chore; it was a privilege.  Now, I pray continually, not out of obligation, but out of a desire to know my Father more and to participate in the fulfillment of His will on earth.  He is my life coach and I need to be in constant contact with Him.”

Lord God, I need and want to be in constant contact with you.  Please help me always remember this.

Forgiveness in the Face of Terror by John and Eloise Bergen

Missionfest happens every year in Winnipeg and all else in my life gets cancelled for that first weekend in February.  The speakers whose story and message struck me the most this year were John and Eloise Bergen. 

The Bergens are an elderly couple who sold all their possessions so they could move to and live out their last years as missionaries in Kenya.  They purchased a farm and started a garden to provide food for the orphans in town.  They had been there only four months when they were attacked. 

John had heated and poured bath water for Eloise and, while she soaked, went outside to check on things.  It was a dark night but the only oddity, the only cause for concern was that the night guard wasn’t answering his calls.  Then he saw it, inches from his face and moving closer—a large black hand that grabbed his throat and held, leaving him struggling for air.  While he was thus held, other hands beat him with clubs, hacked his body with machetes and dragged his lifeless body under a hedge where they left him for dead.

Then they moved inside.  Eloise hadn’t heard a thing and was surprised to look up from her bath and see men standing there, looking at her.

“Would you please hand me my clothes?” she asked.

“No.”

What followed were 45 minutes of rape and brutality. 

When the men had finished with her and taken what possessions they wanted, they left, heading to the nearest bar where they began to brag about how they had just killed a white man.  Two local reporters overheard the men, left the bar and went to the police.  The attackers were in jail before the Bergens reached a hospital!

After the attackers left the house, Eloise went outside, calling for John.  She heard a faint response and, when she found him, realized she needed to get him into their vehicle and get help.  But when she tried to lift him, he was too heavy.  When she tried again, she lifted him with ease and got him into the car without any difficulty.  She attributes the new-found ease to angels who helped her.

“Drive straight to the mission compound,” John told her.  “Don’t stop for any reason.  If the gates are closed, drive through them.  He was concerned the attackers might lurking.

John’s legs and arms were all broken.  A machete has the power to cut down a tree and to cut off a leg yet he counted 15 slashes on his still-intact legs.  The bone in one arm had been severed but God’s goodness had stopped the machete just before it came to the ligaments and the doctors were able to put him back together.  He had been half scalped and one machete strike had cut through the skull but his brain was undamaged.

Eloise’s jaw had been broken, both lips of her mouth had been nearly cut off and, in addition to other cuts and wounds, she was bruised from her waist to her knees.

Their attack made national news back home in Canada.

Their story, however, is one of forgiveness and of intimacy with God.  Five days later, ten Dutch girls were also attacked in Kenya.  A Dutch reporter phoned John and asked him to come and show his country the way to forgiveness for the whole of Holland had become embittered and angry towards the girls’ attackers.  “When did you first forgive your attackers,” the reporter asked John.

As John thought about it, he realized he’d done the forgiving sixteen years before the attack had ever happened when he had worked through the pain of his woundedness and found forgiveness for those in the past.  In truth, his and Eloise’s responses to the attackers during the attack and afterwards were shaped by the way they had been living their lives in the many years preceding the attack.

John writes, “Because we had stored up the Word of God in our hearts for many years, our spirits were strong to overcome the crisis of the chilling events of that horrible night.”

They wrote their book to “show you how to live so that a crisis never takes you by surprise.”  How does one live like that?  Is it possible?  John’s and Eloise’s testimony demonstrates that it is.

John’s immediate response upon his attack was to pray, “Jesus, help me!”  He says that “Had I cursed my enemies instead of speaking “Jesus” into the crisis, I would have tied God’s hands...and I would likely have been killed.”

Eloise’s response was the same: “I whispered the name, “Jesus”, under my breath, and immediately His warm presence surrounded me.”

As she was driving them to the mission, she remembered how God had been teaching her about joy the previous three years.  She had asked God about the joy the Bible talks about continually.  “...but how do I do that?  And what does that look like when everything is falling apart around me?”

Good question!

What God had been showing her was that the miracle of her mouth is “the sound of laughter!” and so, as she “was bumping down this country road, listening to the sounds of pain and agony coming from John in the seat beside me, I knew I had to laugh.”  She could laugh at the devil because his purpose had been defeated.  “I also knew I wanted to laugh to release the joy of the Lord through me, because it was His joy that was my strength that night.” Physically, she wasn’t able to because of her injuries. “So as I was driving along, all I could do was go, ‘Ha Ha!—Ha Ha Ha!’ with a straight face and no smile.”

John was unconscious on the drive to the mission, the drive to the hospital and for three days afterwards “but throughout the trip [to the hospital] John’s breath and conversation were pure Scripture.  He spoke of forgiveness out of Matthew Chapter 5 as if the words of Christ were his present comfort in this unbelievable crisis.”

The man who drove him to the hospital says, “John’s spirit took over when his soul and body were out of commission.  This was possible because, for many years, he had been downloading intimacy with his heavenly Father into his sprit.  This made him strong enough to be able to sail right through that horrendous crisis, and come out of it full of joy.”

Like Eloise, John was also able to laugh once he returned to consciousness.  “...the joy of God’s presence so overwhelmed me that I started to laugh.  There was no room in my heart for thoughts of revenge.”

One day in the hospital, a large group of people came to visit Eloise.  One of them, a pastor, was talking about forgiveness.  “‘Yes, that’s what I need to do,’ [she thought to herself] ‘My ears need to hear the sound of my own voice saying those words of forgiveness out loud.’”  And so, one by one, she pictured each of her abusers and spoke words of forgiveness.  When she was done, she realized she also needed forgive the men for what they had done to her husband.  Like John, she too had previously dealt with unforgiveness towards those who hurt her so that forgiveness had become “a much needed way of life” for her.

John writes, “I believe that something breaks in the spiritual realm when people forgive and start blessing those who have hurt them.”

John and Eloise needed to return to Kenya for the trial.  In the night, Eloise felt a great heaviness pressing down on her and asked John to pray.  “As he was praying, I felt these words rise up so strongly in me that I said them out loud, ‘You surround me with songs and shouts of deliverance!’  I knew that Jesus was rejoicing over me and that ‘rejoice’ means ‘to jump up and spin around.’”  She pictured Jesus dancing around her and realized that she could get up in her spirit and dance with him.

The next day in the courtroom, at a moment of fear, she realised, “I don’t need to start crying now because I am dancing with Jesus far above all the evil in this courtroom.”

Since his recovery, John has travelled many places, telling his story and in each place he has asked people to pray for his attackers so that when the time comes, they will be willing to accept Jesus into their lives.

Three weeks ago he visited five of the nine in jail.  He told them he had forgiven them.  One of them spoke out, “We have been praying that God would forgive us.  Now we know that God answers prayer,” and each of them committed his life to Jesus. 

As evidenced by the list of books I bought this past weekend, I love stories of missionaries and of Christians who are willing to put their life on the line because of Jesus.  Can I live like they do?  Can I live the way John and Eloise Bergen lived before their attack so that, when the unthinkable happens, I can respond with grace and forgiveness?  I want to.  Lord help me to do so.

Fifth Tuesday of Epiphany--Beauty

The editors of the Mosaic Holy Bible chose “beauty” as the theme for this week’s liturgical readings from Isaiah, Psalm, 1 Corinthians and Matthew.  Where is the beauty in each passage?  What is beauty?

Isaiah 9:1-7

Light and glory vs. darkness and despair

A government of peace, fairness and justice vs. slavery and oppression

Psalm 19

Beauty in the skies—the stars and sun

Beauty in God—perfection, trustworthiness, truth, clearness

Beauty in man—cleansed of and free from sin

1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Beauty of man—many different parts make the whole

Ears, eyes, hands, feet, liver, heart, genitals, bowels

Beauty of the Church—many different parts make the whole

Apostles, prophets, teachers, etc.

Jew, Gentile, slave, free, Catholic, United, Mennonite, Vineyard, Orthodox

Matthew 4:12-23

Beauty in Jesus—prophecy fulfilled

Love is the beauty of the soul.

                                    --Augustine of Hippo

God, I want to walk in beauty.

I Love Books about Missions

Ever since I've had access to money as a kid, I have loved books about missionaries.  Yesterday at Missionfest I bought a ton of them and am looking forward to reading them over the coming year.

Miracle in the Forgotten Land: From the Killing Fields to New Life in Christ by Setan and Randa Lee with Terry Hill

Clay in the Potter's Hand by Dorothy Sun
--a third generation Christian in China when the Communists took over, she paid the price of staying loyal to Jesus and to her family.  Mrs. Sun and her husband were guests in our home many years ago and I found them inspiring.

The Man in the Fiery Furnace: The Compelling True Story of Freddie Sun
--While many in China were trying to flee from the Communists, Mr. Sun travelled back to China from the USA and was eventually imprisoned because of his faith.

The Little Ones by M. D. Meyer
--A novel about two foster parents and two little native girls "who have been damaged and wounded by abuse.  The author was foster sister to "hundreds of First Nations children."

Colin's Choice by M. D. Meyer
--Taking place in Canada's North, "Colin's Choice is a must to read as it gives insight and hope from God to the abused victim."  It won the Canadian Christian Writing Award of Merit.

Deep Waters by M. D. Meyer
--"Set in the fictional Ojibway community of Rabbit Lake, Deep Waters will transport you into Canada's far north for a compelling story of enduring love and sustaining faith."

Day by Day with the Persecuted Church: 365 Daily Readings compiled by Jan Pit.
--This book is going in my washroom because each story is short enough to read in one sitting.

Prayer Works by Brother Andrew (also known as "God's Smuggler")
--"Brother Andrew shows that prayer can--and does--change the world.  But above all, it can change you."

God's Smuggler to China by Brother David
--"This book will encourage you to ask the biggest things of God and to expect the biggest answers you've ever had through faith and prayer."

Unlock Your Hidden Prayer Power by Brother Andrew
--"Now you can release the power that makes Satan tremble!"

Never Say Die: The Story of David Yone Mo and the Myanmar Young Crusaders by Douglas Hsu
--The story of "the transformation of Burma's most reckless gangster into one of the country's most outstanding preachers and social workers.

Voices in the Wilderness: 100 Snippets of Courage and Faith from Around the World edited by Doublas C. Hsu
--The stories are of "God's servants who are taking the gospel to the unreached in the uttermost ends of the earth.  Because they live and serve in remote places far from the ye of the media, their voices often go unheard."

She Has Done a Beautiful Thing for Me: Portraits of Christian Women in Asia by Anne C. Kwantes
--Winner of the Gintong Aklat Award in 2006 from the Book Development Association of the Philippines, it tells the stories of Christian Asian Women "throughout the centuries who...have done beautiful things for their Saviour."

Secret Believers: What Happens When Muslims Believe in Christ by Brother Andrew and Al Janssen
--"the riveting true story of the church in Islamic countries struggling to come to grips with hostile governments, terrorist acts, and an influx of Muslims coming to Christ."

Forgotten Factors of Sexual Sin: An aid to Deeper Repentance by Roy Hession

Spiritual Revolution: the Story of OM by Ian Randall
--"Beginning with Goerge Verwer's conversion as a teenager in New York City, the story traces God's faithfulness from the first outreach in Mexico City to OM [Operation Mobilisation) becoming one of the world's largest mission agencies."

The Church is Bigger Than You Think: The Unfinished Work of World Evangelisation by Patrick Johnstone
--A companion to Operation World, it looks at the "historical development of the Christian Mission before launching into a practical discussion of the structures and strategies needed."

Forgiveness in the Face of Terror by John and Eloise Bergen
--At Missionfest this year, this couple told their story of being brutalised and left for dead four months after arriving in Kenya, where they expected to live out their remaining days.  An amazing story.

Woman to Woman: Sharing Jesus with a Muslim Friend by Joy Loewen
--Loewen has spent thirty years reaching out to Muslim women.  "Sharing powerful stories from her own experience, she shows you how to develop authentic connections with these often-overlooked women."

Why Israel? Understanding Israel, the Church, and the Nations in the Last Days by Willem J. J. Glashouwer
--The book "gives a clear picture of the Middle East, as well as why and how to pray for Israel."

Mini-Skirts, Mothers and Muslims: Modelling Spiritual Values in Muslim Culture by Christine Mallouhi
--The cover grabbed my attention--rows and rows of women covered head to toe in black and one woman in the midst of them in a short-sleeved, short-hemmed dress.  The woman at the table where I bought it said it has a lot of humour in it.

Through Her Eyes: Perspectives on Life from Christian Women Serving in the Muslim World by Marti Smith
--"...an honest and insightful look at the challenges of being a [Western] woman in [Muslim] missions, providing much-needed encouragement from those who have stepped out in faith and found that god is indeed enough to meet all their needs."

I Dared to Call Him Father: The Miraculous Story of a Muslim Woman's Encounter with God by Bilquis Sheikh
--"Her entire life turned upside down as a series of strange dreams launched her on a quest that would forever consume her heart, mind and soul."

Imprisoned in Iran: Love's Victory over Fear by Dan Baumann
--"An ordinary American...was wrongly accused of espionage and thrown into the most infamous high-security prison in Iran.  In that unlikely place, under the threat of execution and in the midst of despair, Dan witnessed the powerful triumph of God's love over fear."

John Sung: A Biography by Leslie T. Lyall
--Born in China, dying before the Communist take-over, Dr. Sung and his ministry converted tens of thousands, brought revival to churches and challenged thousands of Christians in their commitment to Christ.

Jonathan in the Middle Kingdom edited by M. E. Tewksbury
--This grabbed my attention because my nephew Jonathan just returned after living seven years in China.  God gave the Jonathan of this book a dream about setting prisoners free that taught him about God's wisdom, God's humility and the importance of doing God's will "cheerfully and with great anticipation."

China: The Reluctant Exodus by Phyllis Thompson
--"The story of the withdrawal of the China Inland Mission [founded by Hudson Taylor] from China."

China's Christian Millions by Tony Lambert
--"This book is an amazing eye-opener.  There is no better introduction to the extraordinary vitality and dynamic growth of the church in China."

Radical Discipleship by Roger Steer
--"...a collection of real life instances from [Hudson] Taylor's remarkable life, with each one teaching, by example, the true meaning of radical discipleship."

Night of a Million Miracles: The Inside Story of Project Pearl by Paul Estabrooks
--"Using a tugboat and a specially-designed barge, twenty men clandestinely deliver one million Chinese Bibles--232 tons--in one night to thousands of Chinese Christians waiting on a beach in southern China.  But the untold story is the million miracles that occurred in getting to that night of delivery."

Faith that Endures: The Essential Guide to the Persecuted Church by Ronald Boyd-MacMillan
--"Through true stories from the author's many years of work supporting the persecuted church, you will see how God is building His kingdom all around the world.  and as you become more connected to the experiences of the persecuted, you will discover new spiritual truths that will transform your own faith and witness."

Point me to the Skies: The Amazing Story of Joan Wales by Ronald Clements
--She had spent years trying to get to China, certain that's where God wanted her, but now that she had reached her destination and her work was progressing well, she was being told to leave.  Sixty years later, "her remarkable story shows us that there are some lessons we can only learn with hindsight."

Infidel by Ted Dekker
--It's the second in "The Lost Books" series and I don't have the first but I love Ted Dekker and the price was a bargain.

Skin by Ted Dekker
--"...compelling, thought-provoking fiction that is wildly out-of-the-box, speculative, boundary-breaking...regales readers with a tale of horror, suspense, and mind-bending reality."

Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality by Donald Miller
--"Don Miller has achieved what every Christian writer toils and types for: spiritual relevancy.  He has completely revealed himself in his latest effort.  Laced with off-guard humor, biting insights, and to-the-point summaries, Blue Like Jazz is a thought-provoking journey toward a God who is not only real but reachable."

Tiny Dancer: The Incredible True Story of a Young Burn Victim's Journey from Afghanistan by Anthony Flacco.
--The girl "fell into a kerosene fire while heating water for a bath....her father...exhaustively sought help to save his child.  When an American Green Beret soldier by chance sees Zubaida...on the street...he decides he must get involved."