The type of books I’ve always liked to read are missionary biographies; favorites over the years are the whole series for teenagers by Geoff and Janet Benge, A Chance to Die by Elisabeth Elliot, Shadow of the Almighty by Elisabeth Elliot, Through the Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot, Jungle Pilot by Russell T. Hitt, Rescue the Captors by Russell Stendall, God’s Smuggler by Brother Andrew, The Hiding Place by Corrie tenBoom, Tramp for the Lord by Corrie tenBoom, and Give Me This Mountain by Helen Roseveare.

Lately I’ve also been getting into some apologetics and theological books. I’ve read a lot of them through our homeschool program, and a few we’ve read together at home. Books by Dr. D. James Kennedy, Lee Strobel, Josh McDowell, Ray Comfort, Gary Habermas and Michael Licona are great.

So not too long ago we got The Reason for God by Timothy Keller, and I got about halfway through it. Ehe, at some point I just got to another of those points in life where I just got exhausted, and didn’t get back to reading it. I liked the book because it was addressed to believers and unbelievers alike, not just a how-to for Christian students. Keller’s philosophical and logical approach was something I also appreciated; that kind of reasoning I favor as opposed to material evidence, just because that is more subject to interpretation. However, the book fell short in the scientific realm, partially because science can’t always be approached the same way life issues and history are. In that chapter, Keller exposes the godless view and makes his case for believing in God, but thinks that God could have created the world through a guided natural selection. This was a bummer; it seemed weak to me to make a case for the inspiration of Scripture and then suggest that the historical records in Scripture don’t mean what they say. Anyway, for some reason I didn’t get back to reading it…

Maybe it’s because I helped my brothers clean out their rooms, and found under the mounds of old socks, cardboard outfits, music CDs, toy guns, and unsung works of art, books that I didn’t realize we had! So my brother graciously loaned them out to me. One of them I finished , the other three I started. One is a short biography on D. L. Moody, the other is an 1800s novel by R. M. Ballantyne (booooring), and an older biography on D. James Kennedy. Have you noticed with old books that they talk an awful lot about finances? I noticed this in Booker T. Washington’s Up From Slavery. It was a great book; his own story and the story of Tuskeegee Institute were captivating. But then for several chapters he talked about financial support for the Institute. Buuuuuh… does anybody read those chapters? So I just let my brother re-tell the best stories from the Kennedy biography.

Anywho, I’ve got a few more books on my reading list now, some are the above, and more recently I got Ray Comfort’s latest book, The Defender’s Guide for Life’s Toughest Questions. This book answers arguments and accusations from atheists creatively, simply, according to topic: humanity, the Bible, science, philosophy, and religion. Right now I’m in chapter 3; so far, as can be expected, it is awesome– both thorough and easy to read. Hopefully I’ll finish soon and write up a review.

Also, I recently won a copy of R. C. Sproul’s Defending Your Faith from Christiana at In Defense of the Christian Faith. Being in the middle of a bunch of other books at this point, I haven’t started it, but I took a sneak peak into it and it looks cool! I intend to start that book right after I finish the other book with “Defense” in the title.

I also got that great big book from Living Waters, The School of Biblical Evangelism: 101 Lessons on How to share your faith simply, effectively, biblically… the way Jesus did. I’m only on Lesson 19 right now, but let me tell you, this thing is a TREASURE CHEST. I hope to share my thoughts on it in another post sometime soon.

In addition… ehe… two other Kindle books were on sale, “Has Christianity Failed You?” by Ravi Zacharias and “The Rage Against God” by Peter Hitchens (he’s the Christian brother of atheist spokesman Christopher Hitchens), so Mom got them and downloaded them to the iPod. I’m on page 81 of 210 in the Ravi Zacharias book. Part of the reason I’m so slow with that one is a competition issue with the boys… who’da thunk we’d even have an iPod, let alone brothers who get to it more often, lol. Anywho, Zacharias is great with logic, so the book is good so far. I haven’t even started the other book!

So what have y’all been reading?

We went at the time when here in New York, we were still waiting for the weather to warm up, the leaves on the trees to fully develop, and the flowers to bloom. In Virginia, the trees were fully developed, flowers bloomed, and even the haying done! The weather was beautifully balmy, a good 70-80 degrees every day without the drenching humidity. For the most part it was sunny, and there were almost no flies or mosquitoes! People’s houses and properties were kept up nicely, but weeds in public grass areas were the ones flourishing; it’s about the opposite up here! And the people were so cordial! For some reason it never occurred to me that the people would have Southern accents, but they did! Genuine, bone fide Southern accents! It was so cool! The people were very pleasant, not like the cheesy girls we saw on TBN as kids; just their hospitable friendliness made me start to cry! Yah, it’s a girl thing: respect that. They can talk forever, though; that’s the thing: I never saw anybody in a real hurry, except for waiters! There would be a maintenance guy next door, who would stop to chat with Dad and the boys for a whole hour! They had a good sense of humor, they were courteous… up until they got into their cars! Lol, I’ve heard before that Southern drivers are not the best, and I guess they’re not the worst, either.

So I know I’ve been seriously neglecting this blog; it’s not that I’ve not had plenty of ideas or deep thoughts, but lacked the attention span to do it, or thought of it while I was busy and forgot and grew tired later. But nobody’s been knocking on the virtual door hollering, “Alice, are you there? Did the rapture take you? Did you get arrested?” Nope. I’m a law-abiding citizen! Except for that time I talked in the library… ehem. But, the real reason I haven’t been around is sheer lack of motivation or enthusiasm. I have been processing and studying some deep topics, but I don’t know if I will be having the gumption to hunker down and write and properly organize them.

So… is Alice quitting? No! Alice does not quit! I’ve been considering just taking video of me talking. It won’t be boring stuff, like this post; it will be the deep stuff, but with me saying it I don’t think it will be so somber. Seriously, if I said the same stuff I speculate that the effect would be different, more engaging and possible more entertaining. Of course, I will have to have at least some kind of prepared outline for two reasons 1) so that you’re not waiting 20 seconds for me to try to organize my thoughts or think of “the word” 2) so that I don’t forget what I was talking about! What do you think? If I “talked” a post, and threw in some hand motions and facial expressions, would you listen to them? I am entitled to your opinion! Let me know in the comment list!

Also I wanted to share a handful of videos, because sharing makes you feel good inside, right? Actually, I really enjoyed them; and I found them at a time when I happened to have been studying and thinking about these very topics! If you’re leaving a comment, let me know what you think of these, too!

In this first one is a clip of a message from Paul Washer on Christians who struggle to be “good enough” for God. You’ll want to check it out!

This next one is from NYC Pastor/author Timothy Keller. I recently found one of his books in a bookstore and looked into it, called The Reason for God. And it looks really good! It’s an apoligetical book that seems to really get in to the philosophical end of things. It’s not just a resource for believers, but addressed to both believers and doubters, which I think is neat. Here he talks about The New Atheists.

This one is also from Tim Keller, who emphasizes differentiating between religion and the gospel, a topic very important to Yours Truly.

So please! Let me know you’re still there! That you haven’t abandoned this lonely tranquil pond of musings, randomness, observations, and lame excuses for humor! ……….. He-llo?

Saint begins the book by telling of his trip back to Ecuador in 1994, to bury his Aunt Rachel Saint, who became one of the two first missionaries to the Waodani two years after her brother Nate’s death. Throughout the book, the author occasionally recounts previous events, to help the reader understand the full significance of everything told. Following Rachel Saint’s death, the Waodani asked Saint to return to their land, to teach them how to deal with the outside world and not be exploited by greedy outsiders. Thus, Saint found himself in an unlikely situation; he, the son of a man killed by primitive Indians, was now the only one qualified to represent them to the outside world, for he understood both peoples. His family came to live with the Woadani in 1995, helping them learn necessary skills to survive as an independent people, without having to rely on others to supply them with such things as medicine and tools. During his time in the jungle as an adult, Saint learned things from the Waodani about the events surrounding his father’s death that he had always yearned to know. The highlight of these events, in my opinion, is when Saint learned of what he believes were angels singing above the trees as his father and companions were dying. Tragedy certainly did not subside after Saint’s childhood; in 2000, his beloved only daughter Stephanie died of a cerebral hemorrhage. Saint shows what life is like for him and the Waodani in a realistic way, with sorrow and laughter interspersed throughout the whole. There is, for instance, unforgettable hilarity in some Waodani’s trips to the United States. While reading the book, I was once again overcome by a combination of emotions: wonder, amazement, bereavement, and joy. In the end, I was able to conclude with Saint that what took place in 1956 on the banks of the shallow Curaraye River was no accident.

The death of five missionaries was deeply traumatic to their families, but they were willing to do whatever it took to reach the people who had never been told the wonderful news of salvation in Jesus Christ. Thus, the Waodani were finally able to come to this knowledge, and many have become God-followers. But they are not the only ones touched; to this day, the past and continuing stories are reaching the lost and encouraging the saved.

End of the Spear is a first-person account of one who has seen the most traumatic experiences of his life worked out for good. It was certainly the most heart-wrenching book I have ever read, yet the overwhelming purpose made it definitely worthwhile. I find great honor in saying that I, too, have a small part in this marvelous story. I am very glad that I read this book after reading many others on the subject, for it helped me to fully understand the story that led me to Christ not many years ago. This story that is continuing through the children and grandchildren of the martyrs is another testimony to the fact that a life surrendered to God is never wasted; the Word of the Lord shall accomplish the purpose for which it was sent.

Brother Yun, born to a farming family in 1958, was born again with his whole family when Jesus healed his father of a deadly illness. When Yun cried out to the Lord for a Bible, the Lord provided one for him and told him to preach from it. When he was 16 years old, he recited the book of Matthew to a crowd and saw a whole village turn to Jesus. As he grew up, Yun continued to preach the gospel despite the fact that it was an illegal practice. He became a wanted man because of his refusal to cooperate with the government-run Three-Self Patriotic Church. The secret police of the Communist government tried to hunt him down constantly, and Yun relates many instances when the Lord delivered him from their hands, and others when he was delivered into their hands. Arrested by the Chinese police on three different occasions, Yun became very associated with persecution and suffering, both physically and spiritually. Though he was brutally beaten and mocked by the guards and fellow prisoners, Yun says the hardest thing for him was to see the horrid poverty his family endured during his imprisonment. Nonetheless, God used Yun’s times in jail to bring many desperate souls to Him. Yun even pretended to be a masseur, though he was really laying his hands on sick people to pray for them! In his first and third imprisonments, God supernaturally helped Yun to escape. After his second escape, Yun fled China and moved on to Germany, then later to Myanmar, where he was imprisoned for the last time. Since his release, Yun has visited many Western countries and observed the state of the Church in every one. Though he sees that there is more freedom for Christians in the West, he also sees that there is, for the most part, a great lack of knowledge of and obedience to the Word of God. He exhorts free Christians to obey the Great Commission, live godly lives, and pray that Christians worldwide will be able to stand steadfast no matter what difficulties they face.

The Heavenly Man is filled with stories that relate the goodness of God, in trouble and in tranquility. Brother Yun tells from his own experience what is happening to our fellow Christians in the vast land of China, and urges us in free lands to pray and, most of all, to get the Word of God into the hands of hungry souls. He desires to awake the West to see that this precious call to advance the kingdom of God is under attack globally, in places like China by hardship and viscous persecution, and in places like the United States by complacency and perversion of the gospel. Brother Yun hopes to someday return to his country and fellowship with his brethren again, but for now, he is making known the reality that they live in.

This book has certainly helped me to better see the heart of the underground Church in China through the eyes of one who has seen it grow almost from the beginning. One fact in the book that I found noteworthy is that in the 1920s, a movement was started to bring the gospel from China back to Jerusalem over the footprint of the ancient Silk Road, preaching the kingdom of God “in all territories along the way.” Brother Yun and other house-church members have a great passion for this “Back to Jerusalem” movement. I was encouraged by Brother Yun’s emphasis on the work of the Holy Spirit in China; people are healed and convicted, demons are cast out, and wisdom and revelations are given to believers. The Heavenly Man has shown me that God is doing marvelous works to draw people to Him despite Communism’s efforts to squelch the gospel. The Lord knows no barriers; He is mighty to save!

I understand that Brother Yun has been accused by some, even some within the Christian community. For more information, read this open letter about the book by Paul Hattaway. God bless Brother Yun and the faithful in China.

For more Inspiring Stories, visit In Defense of the Christian Faith.

Nathaniel Saint was born in 1923 to Lawrence and Katherine Saint, the seventh of eight children. His parents were Bible-believing Christians who worked to keep their family “unspotted from the world.” Nate was an innovative lad with a keenness in mechanical and financial things. When struck by osteomyelitis at age fourteen, Nate promised the Lord that if He allowed him to live, He would turn over his whole life to him. Nate lived, and when he was nineteen he joined the Air Corps, greatly desiring to become a pilot. The Lord soon spoke to Nate through a series of occurrences that convinced him that the Lord wanted him to be a missionary. He threw all his energy into preparing for this task, eventually joining the Christian Airmen’s Missionary Fellowship (later known as Mission Aviation Fellowship). In 1948, he and his newlywed wife, Marjorie, arrived in Ecuador, to begin what would be nearly eight years of serving missionaries isolated in the middle of the jungle.

Nate and Marj set up their base at Shell Mera, an abandoned oil company station right on the edge of the jungle. Nate’s job as a missionary pilot was to transport people and supplies in and out of their jungle stations. Every missionary Nate served could testify that air travel was far more efficient than ground travel, especially over the rugged jungle terrain. Nate was always trying to work out ways to make mission aviation safer and more efficient. He even invented an alternate fuel system, a “bucket-drop” system, and created a humidity-controlled room. Three beloved children were born to the Saints: Kathy, Steve, and Phil. Nate became close friends with many missionaries, all who greatly admired him for his intelligence, humor, and dedication to God. Once, when Nate’s older sister Rachel paid them a visit, she expressed her desire to someday work with an unreached tribe. Nate flew her near Auca territory and said, “There’s your tribe, Sis.”

Nate had long before heard of the feared “Aucas,” a completely alienated tribe renowned for their deadly spearing raids against outsiders for unknown reasons. Protestant missionaries longed to bring the gospel to these people, but until Nate’s time, a window had not been opened. After Nate had located some Auca villages from the air, he and a few others planned to make friendly contact. They first exchanged gifts with the Indians with the “bucket-drop” system, and when it seemed good will was expressed, they took the next step. Nate and four others, Jim, Ed, Roger, and Pete, set up camp on a beach of the Curaray River. Here they were peacefully approached by three Aucas, though unable to communicate with them. Three days later, on January 8, 1956, they were speared and hacked to death by the Aucas, despite the fact that they were well able to defend themselves. Nevertheless, the story does not end here, for Nate’s flame was carried on. Through a miraculous story of redemption, Rachel Saint, and Jim’s wife, Elisabeth Elliot, were invited to live with the Aucas and teach them God’s word.

Nate’s death was not the end of his witness, for it helped the “Aucas” understand what Jesus did for them on the Cross. Jesus did not resist death, but gave Himself up as a spotless Lamb to be a ransom for sin. Nate’s son, Steve, tells in the epilogue how he continues to carry on his father’s vision by working among the Waodani (the real name of the “Aucas”), and now sees the fruit of his father’s sacrifice in the God-followers of the tribe.

As I read this book, I felt as if I personally knew the man, Nate Saint, and was stirred by his whole-hearted devotion and Christian character. Thus I was captivated by every page, seeking to know the fullness not only of how and why he died, but also how and why he lived. Through this, I saw a picture of Jesus, giving everything he had for the glory of God, whom he called upon as Father. Every once in a while, we read or hear of a man with a nature just like ours, but who completely entrusted their being to the One who gave them life through His death, and hope through His resurrection. But how often do we see such a person whose imitation of Christ continued until their blood spoke to people whose language they did not know? Calvary was illustrated to the Waodani on the Curaray River, and they were willing to repent and believe in this God of love. For me, that is the whole essence of Jungle Pilot, and it has made a mark on my life. I will remember what a precious flow was poured out for me, what holy and blameless Lamb of God was despised to bring me peace with my Maker.

I highly recommend this book to anyone, even if you’re not a missions nut. This will satisfy lovers of adventure, biography, airplanes, Christian life, Christian witness, travel, humor, or even fiction. Reason being? It is a fascinating story, so fascinating that only God could have written this story. It is so cool to think that the same God is writing our story!

Helen Roseveare, born in England in 1925, grew up in an Anglo-Catholic home, but in college realized that no ritual or intellectual understanding could get her right before God. The text of Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God,” spoke to her heart, and she finally grasped the wonder of the forgiveness and reconciliation in Christ. Roseveare applied at the World Evangelization for Christ as a medical missionary. In 1953, she was sent to the Belgian Congo, where she came to realize that missionaries, Christians, clash and make mistakes. In her book, she acknowledges that her own personal ambition often got in the way of what God wanted her to do, and that often she let the present circumstances discourage her, instead of looking at the valleys as paths to mountains. She was utterly amazed that at a point when her spirit was so burdened with her own failings, the Holy Spirit used her to bring conviction to an existing congregation of Africans, who with much weeping accepted God’s redeeming grace. Roseveare went on to establish hospitals and support churches in the Congo before its independence in 1960, learning invaluable lessons about partnership with God and man. During the horrific Simba rebellion of the 1960s when most foreigners fled the country, she stayed, soon to be one of those held hostage for five months, before the Belgians rescued them. Roseveare says that her years in Africa taught her that Christ wanted the preeminence in every area of her life, so that He could use her to show who He is to other people, all over the world. Indeed, the Lord asks this of all of us.

The book Give Me This Mountain by missionary doctor Helen Roseveare is an account of a simple missionary, who wrestled with all the difficulties and dangers a missionary faces, including her own will and ambition. She learned that to succeed in conquering territory for Christ, He must be the motivation and dictator of how that is accomplished. She learned that to obtain a mountain, she had to trust in the Lord’s promise to guide her through the valleys. Roseveare says that her years in Africa taught her that Christ wanted the preeminence in every area of her life, so that He could use her to show who He is to other people, all over the world.

Through this book, I have learned to see very clearly that missionaries are normal Christians, just like you and me, growing in the Lord and learning how to live in His ways. It has also defined once again that the only life worth living is one that is given totally to Jesus Christ, who asks us to carry our cross daily. The Lord does not ask us to do great things for Him, but simply to be obedient tools for Him to do a great work in the nations. Truly this surrender, this bondage, is freedom indeed!

Well, now, I have kept my promise.

It’s so cool; through gifts of money, you can help spread the gospel and help God’s people WORLDWIDE!

MAF helps missionaries show the JESUS film project.

Hey, I know this guy!

That’s Kimo! Don’t remember? He’s one of the Huaorani who speared Jim Elliot and his partners, but is now an elder in the church that exists in his tribe! In fact, He’s one of the guys that baptized Steve and Kathy Saint, Nate Saint’s children!

Also in my mail today came “Give Me This Mountain” by Dr. Helen Roseveare, a British missionary to the Congo in the 1950′s and 60′s. I have wanted this book for a while, and my Mom recently found out and got it for me! Isn’t that so SWELL?! I am sure you will be hearing more from me about this book soon! Hey, don’t laugh… I’ll keep my promise and tell you about The Widow’s Might, too… sometime. Ehem.

Whew! And that’s not all that happened today! I discovered another Hillsong song! It’s I’m Not Ashamed from their Saviour King CD. WOW! I have listened to it 4 times today! This is the rare stuff that I like to turn up ALL the way! That CD is definitely on my wishlist! Maybe even the DVD… big bucks tho. The only reason I wouldn’t post it here for you to listen to is because it plays automatically, and even though it’s a good song, “autoplay” can get quite annoying… So please click the link and tell me if you can’t stop playing it! I’ve got that cool guitar stuck in my head!
I especially love these lyrics: “I live in the risen Son!”

So I am a happy turkey. Where did that phrase come from? Dunno. I’ll look it up later. Hope your day went well!

The preocupations of seventeen-year-old girls–their looks, their clothes, their social life–do not change very much from generation to generation. But in every generation there seem to be a few who make other choices. Amy was one of the few.

The decisive moment which determined the direction of her life came on a dull Sunday morning in Belfast as the family was returning from church. They saw what they had never seen before in Presbyterian Belfast–an old woman lugging a heavy bundle. Amy and her brothers turned around, took the bundle, and helped her along by the arms. “This meant facing all the respectable people who were, like ourselves, on their way home. It was a horrid moment. We were only two boys and a girl, and not at all exalted Christians. We hated doing it. Crimson all over (at least we felt crimson, soul and body of us) we plodded on, a wet wind blowing us about, and blowing, too, the rags of the poor old woman, till she seemed like a bundle of feathers and we unhappily mixed up in them.”

In the middle of the street was a beautiful Victorian fountain. As Amy and her brothers trudged passed it with the old woman and her bundle, Amy distinctly heard a strong voice coming from the waters of that fountain. It said, “Gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble–every man’s work shall be made manifest; for the day shall declare it, because it shall be declared by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work, of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide…” (1 Corinthians 3:12-14)

Amy turned to see who had spoken. There was nothing but the fountain, the muddy street, the people with their politely surprised faces. The children plodded on with the bundle of feathers, but something had happened to the girl which changed forever life’s values. That afternoon she shut herself in her room. It was time to settle some immensely important things, and things of that sort Amy Carmichael settled alone with God.”

Young Amy Carmichael began to organize meetings with the poor city children in the labor force. She worked at the YWCA, held classes for poor girls, and helped anyone she could. But she still felt it not enough. The Lord showed Amy that He was able to keep her from falling. (Jude 1:24) Would she trust Him with her life? Would she do what was right and leave the results in His hands, not fearing the people? More important, would she trust that He alone made her holy?

The Lord would eventually lead Amy to India, where she would stay for the rest of her life, rescuing His precious gems. But I won’t give it all away; I’ll let you find out for yourself!

Not every one of us can go to foreign lands and preach the gospel to the pagans. But every one of us has been given his part in laying “the foundation.” Will it last?

Certainly some of us have been blessed with the tool of blogs! This meme especially, hosted by Miss Symanski, is a great tool.