Chasing the Dragon

I was very sceptical when I first picked up this book (it was one that was at my in-laws' Perth house) and I thought it would be sure to end up in my recycling bin.

I ate my words!  Wow, what a book!

Chasing the Dragon (an expression which means smoking heroin) is the story of Jackie Pullinger, but really it is God's story of how He transformed the lives of people far from Him, using Jackie in the process. Jackie, a British missionary, arrived in Hong Kong in 1966 and ministered among drug addicts, gang members, and prostitutes in the Walled City. It what seemed like an overwhelmingly hopeless place, God used Jackie to spread the gospel. Many believed and lives were transformed.

I think the way Jackie arrived in Hong Kong was a bit unwise - she arrived by herself. With the recent death of John Allen Chau - killed on North Sentinel Island by an unreached people group - it shows the danger of lone missions. Jesus sent His disciples out in pairs to show we NEED each other. We aren't meant to go alone. Jackie said God led her there, and while there's no doubt He used her tremendously, and later she teamed up with other Christians, it doesn't mean she did the right thing by going alone; it means God brings good out of foolish decisions.

Being from a conservative, evangelical background since becoming a Christian, I'd often been influenced to think critically about speaking in tongues. It generally gets dismissed a lot, or explained away among Christians I rub shoulders with. I still don't agree with hardline Pentecostals, who insist a Christian MUST speak in tongues, otherwise they don't have the Holy Spirit. That is a dangerous false teaching. Rather, I was challenged by how God works in the world, among people who have never heard of Jesus, have no Bibles and are illiterate. In some ways, it mirrors The Heavenly Man and shows nothing is impossible for God. In our suspicious, Western mindset, we too often forget our God is an awesome God of miracles.

The Random Number Generator Thingy Has Spoken

The winner is Wendy from On the Edge of Ordinary.

Congratulations Wendy!

Please leave a comment with your postal address and your choice of book (the comment won't be published).

Giveaway Deadline Extension

I've decided to extend my giveaway deadline by 24 hours as I'd like a couple more entries.

Come on, people! ;)

Don't Forget to Enter My Giveaway

Details here.

Open to anyone in the world.

You don't have to be a blogger to enter.

Deadline Monday 1st August, 5pm, West Australian time.

Sedshed 10 Year Celebratory Book Giveaway

To celebrate 10 years of blogging, I'm offering one lucky reader a Christian book of their choice out of the past 12 books I've last reviewed on this blog.  All you have to do is answer one simple question:

Which Christian book is next on your to-read list?

It doesn't have to do be one on this list.  It can be anything.

Here are the books on offer (with links to my reviews).

A Gospel Pageant: A Reader's Guide to the Book of Revelation

Jim Elliot

The Case for Easter

Walk On

The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert

Religion is for Fools

The Cross and the Switchblade

Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret

Trusting God

Why the Resurrection?

The Heavenly Man

Boundaries

Even if you don't consider yourself a reader, think about which book you might like to win for a friend - there are some encouraging books and biographies to help Christians grow in their faith, and some great evangelistic books if you have a friend with questions about Jesus and Christianity.

To enter, just leave a comment letting me know which Christian book is next on your to-read list.  No comments will be published.  I will compile a list of responses anonymously in a blog post when I reveal the winner.

If you know me in real life, you're welcome to email me at my personal email address.

You have until Monday 1st August, 5pm (West Australian time).
I will choose the winner via a random number generator thingy.

GO! :)

The Heavenly Man

The last of the Christian biographies I'll be reviewing for a while.

WOW!  What a book!  This is one of those books that will be impossible to forget, and one I highly recommend all Christians should read.

The Heavenly Man is the story of the Chinese evangelist and pastor, Brother Yun.  A poor boy from rural China, Yun came to know Jesus at age sixteen, and God used him mightily to preach the gospel in China, and establish many house churches.  Despite years of horrific opposition, torture, and imprisonment, the Holy Spirit enabled Yun to stand firm in his faith and bring glory to God in his suffering.  Many heard the gospel through him and were saved.

 These are some of the things that struck me about this book:

• The descriptions of the torture Yun went through in prison are not for the faint-hearted (he was given shock treatment with electric batons inside his mouth).  I read that feeling deeply sick and fearful that I would not be able to endure in that situation.  I worried that I would deny Christ after going through only a small percentage of what Yun went through.  But Yun emphasises that it is the Holy Spirit that enabled him to endure and praise God through his suffering, not through his own strength.

• At times I felt the Scriptures he quoted were taken a little out of their biblical context in order to fit his experiences.

• It says on the blurb that this book is like a modern-day version of the book of Acts, and that is so true.  Some of the miracles God does among the Chinese Christians are truly remarkable.  In the church circles I'm a part of there seems to be an expectation that God will always work in logical ways (i.e. heal people using doctors, only speak while we're reading the Bible).  But the Chinese church have very few Bibles; people became Christians and have lived as Christians for years without ever owning a Bible.  The poor in rural areas don't have access to medicine.  Therefore, God shows His power among them in mighty ways, healing the sick, and speaking to Yun, his wife and others through dreams.  As Yun says about the Western church:
  Many Christians have also asked me why miracles and signs and wonders are so prevalent in China, but not so evident in the West.
  In the West you have so much.  You have insurance for everything.  In a way, you don't need God.  When my father was dying of stomach cancer, we sold everything we had to try to cure him.  When everything was gone we had no hope but God.  We turned to Him in desperation and saw Him mercifully answer our prayers and heal my father.  We reasoned that if God could do that then He could do anything, so our faith grew and we've seen many miracles. (page 299).  The chapter, Reflecting on Four Years in the West is a powerful rebuke to the Western church.
• I've noticed that Asian Christians are often more straightforward, open, and urgent in their faith that we here in Australia.  We tend to muck around a lot before telling people the gospel (or we're afraid to tell them in case we lose their friendship).  In China, there is no delay.  Persecution has created an urgency and spiritual hunger.  Because of this, Yun asks people not to pray that persecution will stop, as this is often God's intended way for the gospel to spread.
• Yet, despite all he has been through in China, Yun acknowledges that some of the most painful opposition he has received has not been from prison guards and Communist party officials, but nasty words from fellow Christians.  As it says in the book, In China, Christians are persecuted with beatings and imprisonment.  In the West, Christians are persecuted by the words of other Christians. (pages 308-9)  Shame, Western church, shame.
• Despite the millions in China still needing the gospel, Yun is focused on world mission.  Often I hear Aussie Christians using the excuse that there are many unreached Aussies as an excuse to stay in comfortable Australia.  Yun challenges us to consider going to areas where people have not even heard the name of Jesus.
• I was pleased to read that Yun places his marriage and family as high priorities.  He criticises the way many house church leaders in China are so focused on ministry that they neglect their wives and children.  Yun believes God rebuked him of this when he tried to do too much in ministry and ended up in prison, separated from his wife and children for years.  We have a role to play, but we are mere men and women, and we need to let God be God.

This is from the blurb:
Prepare to be deeply encouraged as well as rudely awakened.  An absolute must for the sleeping churches of the West.

Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret

The latest biography I read was that of Hudson Taylor - a man I'd never heard of until I was given this book as a gift.

For those, like me, who don't know, Hudson Taylor (1832-1905) was the founder of the China Inland Mission, a mission dedicated to evangelising China's inland, rural millions. This mission is now known as OMF International and has workers throughout south-east Asia.

So, what is Hudson Taylor's spiritual secret?  It is how he learned to be content in all circumstances.  And how did he learn this?  It happened when he had returned to England for a while and spent a few days in Brighton, wrestling with the great need of more missionaries for China:

In great spiritual agony, I wandered out onto the sands alone.  And there the Lord conquered my unbelief, and I surrendered myself to God for this service.  I told Him that all the responsibility as to the issues and consequences must rest with Him; that as His servant it was mine to obey and to follow Him, His to direct, care for and guide me and those who might labour with me.  Need I say that at once peace flowed into my burdened heart? (page 82)

Hudson Taylor is a fantastic example and encouragement of what it means to be content in all circumstances, to obey God and leave the consequences to Him.  The man suffered so much in his life - twice widowed, lost several  of his children to illness, had ill health himself, faced numerous hurdles to his ministry, including riots, slow growth of the ministry....but he never gave up.  He kept praying and persevering in holding out the gospel of grace to the Chinese people, even dressing as a Chinese man in order to become all things to all people, despite some criticism from other missionaries.

The downside of this book is that it's quite boring.  It's an inspiring story, but I found it such a hard slog to read because of the way it is written (it was first written in 1932, but later revised).

Still, I was left feeling both encouraged and rebuked.

The Cross and the Switchblade

This is one of those books that stays with you after you've finished it.  Up there with Keith Green's biography, it will make comfortable, middle-class Christians go 'ouch'.

As inspiring as it is confronting, The Cross and the Switchblade is the story of an ordinary man - David Wilkerson, a small-town US pastor - who is enabled to do extraordinary things in God's power.  One night in 1958, Wilkerson hears about the murder trial of seven teenage boys from New York on the TV; they had been charged with stabbing another boy to death because they felt like it.  Wilkerson couldn't shake the feeling that God was leading him to New York to help the boys.  While he never got to do that, it was the start of an incredible outreach to gangs in 1960s New York, which eventually led to the development of Teen Challenge.  This residential rehabilitation ministry offers hope to those suffering from drug and alcohol addiction.

While the book is an amazing testimony to the power of God, there were some parts of the story which didn't sit well with me.  Wilkerson 'tests' God's will a lot by laying fleeces, a practice which I also found irksome in Jim Elliot's biography.  Also, I disagree with the Pentecostal obsession with speaking in tongues.  While trying to get some of the teenagers in his care off drugs, Wilkerson believes they would not be free from addiction or have the Holy Spirit until they spoke in tongues.  There is a heavy emphasis on the Spirit setting young people free from loneliness, addiction, anger etc. and while I certainly believe that God heals and restores people's lives, an emphasis on sin being everyone's greatest problem seems to be lacking.

Overall, I think this is a book that must be read.  It's so easy to become a comfortable Christian, but God can use anyone.  We are all clay in His hands.  Let's pray that He uses us as He wishes, no matter how scary that may be, to change people's lives.  No-one is in the too-hard basket, no-one is beyond His grace.

The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert

At last...a book I'd read reviews of on various other blogs and which had been recommended to me numerous times...was finally in my hands and being read.

The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert is Rosaria Champagne Butterfield's testimony of how she went from an esteemed professor in 'Queer Theory' at a university and in a long-term lesbian relationship, to becoming a follower of Jesus.  In the world's eyes, the church's eyes, and even her own eyes, Rosaria seemed like the very last person who would ever become a Christian.  But God had different plans for her and when she encountered the Almighty, she describes her life as a 'train wreck at the hand of the supernatural'.  Her faith in Christ changed everything - she was writing a book she could no longer write (on the hatred of the Religious Right in America towards homosexuals), she left her position at the university, ended her relationship with her lesbian partner.  She eventually married Kent Butterfield, and is now a pastor's wife and mother to four foster children, three of whom still live at home.

Here are some things I learnt from reading Rosaria's story:

1.  Often it takes a long time for someone to come to faith in Christ
I guess I kind of already knew this (coming from a non-Christian family who appear to show no interest in Jesus certainly helps you develop patience and perseverance in prayer and faithful witness), but a lot of Christians seem to assume that they can do an evangelistic course with a non-Christian and that at the end of six weeks (or whenever) they'll be ready to accept Christ.  The couple who played a big part in Rosaria coming to faith were an elderly pastor and his wife she was interviewing for her book.  It took a few years of them patiently opening their home, sharing meals and answering her many questions.  If you have a friend who you think may never come to Christ, don't give up.  God is mighty to save.

2.  Everyone is really an 'unlikely convert'
Rosaria may label herself an 'unlikely convert' but, in reality, we all are - gay or straight, leftist or rightist, hardened criminal or upstanding citizen, Christian or secular or some other religious upbringing - all of us have rejected God, no-one seeks Him, we have all turned away.  I had people say to me after I became a Christian, "Oh I knew you'd become a Christian because you're so nice."  No, my conversion was a miracle of God, as is everyone's.

3.  Not every non-Christian is 'seeking'
I hear a lot of testimonies where the person shares how they felt lost and that they felt something was lacking in their life.  But not everyone is like this.  Rosaria openly admits she was very happy with her life and had no need for God.  He was the one who found her when she wasn't looking.


4.  Don't wait for your friend to change before you invite them to church
Pastor Ken, who Rosaria was meeting with, invited her to visit his church and, after some reservation, she eventually came.  He didn't wait for her to stop being a lesbian before he invited her.  He invited her to come and hear God's Word.  God is the one who can change people, not us imposing a 'moral standard on the unconverted'.

5.  Do we really believe God can change people, and do we really see ourselves as sinners?
I get really disgusted when I hear Christians using derogatory terms towards gay people and refusing to associate with them.  Are we being like Jesus when we behave this way?  Jesus welcomed sinners and ate with them.  Too often, Christians place homosexuals in the 'too hard basket', but no-one is too hard for God or beyond His love and grace.  Rosaria shares the horrified reaction from a lady from her church when she confessed her past to her:
Someone I valued as a friend, a founding church member with influence, asked me what I would do if a homosexual entered our worship service.  I quickly shared with her my testimony, apologising that I hadn't done so earlier.  I gave her a chapter of the book that you are holding in your hand and I asked her to read it and to let me know what she thought of all of this.  A week later, she came to talk.
She took a deep breath.
All the colour drained from her face.
She looked like she had just witnessed a crime scene.
Manifesting disgust and horror, she told me that she wished that I hadn't shared this with her.  She quickly added, "Oh, I'm fine with this information, but X (another weighty founding church member) could never handle it.  Do you have to tell people about this?"  This.  Rosaria's unmentionable past.  Rahab the Harlot.  Mary Magdalene.  We love these women between the pages of our Bible, but we don't want to sit at the Lord's Table with them - people like me - drinking from a common cup.  That's the real ringer: the common cup - that is, our common origin in depravity.  We are only righteous in Christ and in Him alone.  But that's a hard pill to swallow, especially if you give yourself kudos for good choices (page 138).

I loved her honesty and while I don't agree with everything she says (she comes from a denomination which believe Christians should only sing the Psalms, not other Christian songs), this book should be high on the must read list for every Christian.

Walk On

This was the next on my list of Christian biographies to read this year....

U2 have always been controversial among Christians.  Some see them as inspiring, revolutionary and an encouragement to live out the message of Jesus, particularly among the world's poor.  Others see them as frauds and immoral.

Walk On tells of U2's spiritual and musical journey through the decades, from their hometown of Dublin to becoming one of the world's biggest rock bands.  It explores the thought processes and experiences which inspired some of the greatest songs out there today.  At times it is a bit tedious going through almost every song and album over the past few decades, but interesting to know how these well-known lyrics came about.

As an aspiring artist, I've always been encouraged by U2's example of spreading the gospel through music.  I share their desire to break free of the Christian arts subculture.  It seems that when people find out you're an artist who's a Christian, they want you to create FOR Christians.  No, I want to create for those outside the church.  There is more than enough stuff out there for Christians already.

Are U2 Christians?  That's not for me to judge, only God knows people's hearts.  But, from this book, I'd say 'yes', all but one of the band's members follow Jesus.  I don't agree with all of their convictions (smoking, swearing etc.) or their decision to shun the traditional church at times (although I kind of get where they're coming from as well), but this book encouraged me to think long and hard about how I live out my faith practically and how I deal with the tension of wanting to be a Christian, yet break into mainstream arts.

Jim Elliot

My plan for this year was to read more Christian biographies - stories of both well-known and 'ordinary' Christians.

I started with the story of Jim Elliot back in January.  Jim was a missionary to Ecuador in the 1950s.  He and four other men were speared to death on the banks of Curaray River in 1956, trying to reach the hostile Auca Indians.

To be honest, Jim Elliot's personality quite annoyed me. While I admired his seriousness about serving the Lord, he reminded me of some guys I met when I first became a Christian that scared me silly.  There is a bit about where he and some mates gatecrashed their friend's honeymoon suite and then decided to hold a Bible study there.  Instead of spending their first night alone, the newlyweds had to deal with a group of Christian friends in their room doing Bible study.  Later, Jim realised he was in the wrong and apologised.   Ummm, yeah, you reckon?

The whole issue of how God guides is prevalent in the book.  Personally, I think Jim was overspiritualising things, wanting God to give him signs all the time about where and when he should serve overseas.  I'm not saying we shouldn't pray about these things, but come on, make a decision!  Also, I was quite disgusted about how strings his future wife Elisabeth along for years, saying that he wants to remain single to serve the Lord, yet he keeps stirring up love in her heart.

His story is both inspiring and confronting.  I had to ask myself: Am I willing to do that?  Willing to go and reach a hostile group of people, risking my own life, so that they may hear about Christ?  Would I be willing to live without my modern creature comforts?  While the mission to reach the Aucas seemed to be a failure, years later many Aucas became Christians.  This book was a timely reminder that the gospel of Jesus Christ is unstoppable.

Now That You Are Back

I thought now was an appropriate time to review this great little book I read last year.

The author, Richard Beeston, and his band came to Cornerstone camp a few years back and a bonus CD even comes with the book.  In just 75 pages Richard tells the heartbreaking story of his wife Alison's struggle with depression.  They go from a happily married young couple who own their own home to having to sell nearly everything to pay for Alison's treatment.  The toll it takes on both of them is tremendous.  The book ends with hope for Alison's future.

This is a really good book to read for Christians as it helps to shed some light on the burden depression sufferers and their carers carry.  It looks at depression from a Christian perspective, and gives helpful tips on how to support those who are in the grips of the 'black dog'.

Despite how awful I've been feeling lately, I could not comprehend what it must be like to suffer as Alison has.  One bit of the book really struck me as it covers the responses Richard received from friends and family when he let them know Alison had depression.  He said the responses could be grouped into two categories:

I don't get it, but I'd like to find out more.
I don't get it, and I don't want to talk about it.

Richard explained that some of his and Alison's closest friends and relatives gave the second response which was both baffling and hurtful:

It would have been easier for me if these people had just come out and said, 'I think this whole depression business is a load of rubbish'.  At least then I could have responded.  In reality, these people just didn't talk to me, or if they did, they never mentioned Alison and acted as if nothing was happening in my life at all.

I remember vividly going to see someone one night, and spending the entire time in inane chit chat.  At the end of the night I said, "Did you know Alison is in hospital at the moment?"  To which they replied, "Yeah, but I didn't think you'd want to talk about it."

Of course I wanted to talk about it.  I needed friends to help me carry the burden.  They didn't have to understand completely, but they could have at least asked how I was going or if Alison was feeling any better.  Instead, their throwaway line of, "Yeah, but I didn't think you'd want to talk about it," came across as more like, "Yeah, but I don't really care."

I think this response may stem from the unfortunate problems that occurs in all areas of society, and is just as prevalent in the workplace, within families and amongst church-going Christians.  That is, the construction and perpetuation of facades or masks.  Week after week, we present different faces to different people, mostly pretending that our lives are all ok, when often they are not. (page 36)

Richard went on to say that he and Alison did also receive a lot of support and care, but this section of the book is a powerful challenge to churches in particular.  Silence is often interpreted as a lack of care.  It is better to at least try to reach out to the hurting, especially if they have gone to the effort to be honest about their struggles.

A must read!

Ben Cousins

Recently I read Ben Cousins: My Life Story.  I wasn't sure what to expect, but I sure couldn't put it down.

It is much, much better than the documentary.  It goes into a lot more detail for a start.

If you're a footy fan, it would be hard to approach this book without any sort of bias.  Most people have already formed an opinion on Cousins and if they already think he's a loser, the book probably won't change their minds.  As an Eagles' supporter, I came to it expecting to be quite saddened by what it revealed.  I couldn't help but reflect on all the years his performances brought me such joy, and it is kind of heartbreaking to read the details of what became of him.  Like many photos, I found it hard to look at the photos he includes in the book.  It is hard to believe the cheeky-looking 18-year-old who won the Rising Star award in 1996 went on to live a double life.

It is a fascinating look into how the mind of one addict works.  He is certainly an interesting character.  Organised, driven, and dedicated, he explains how he managed to live two lives for so long.  He would train harder than anyone during the week, put 110% into his matches so he wouldn't let his teammates down, then reward himself with a 'bender' which he timed specifically to avoid the drug testing.   After he'd come down, he'd start the cycle all over again. (Be warned: he goes into very specific detail about his drug-taking.)

I had kind of expected the book to be a sweeping overview of events, rather than a detailed account of this thoughts and feelings.  There I was very, very wrong.  I was surprised about how honest he is about himself, his flaws, his insecurities, and his feelings.  I would have been too embarrassed to put that sort of stuff in a book.

Some people I know who have read the book have criticised him for not revealing who his dealers are, or for painting certain shady figures (i.e. John Kizon) in too positive a light.  To be honest, I can't blame him for not putting that information out there.  His life certainly wouldn't be worth living if he did, although I can understand why people would want him to.  Cousins says he has always taken people as he finds them and doesn't worry about their reputation.   He has a 'I know they're supposed to be dodgy, but they've always been kind to me' attitude.  In fact, he even credits Kizon with trying to get him off crystal meth when he became addicted to it in 2006/07 (what led to him no longer being able to 'control' his addiction).

This is not a book I could come away from thinking I either like or I don't like Ben Cousins.  He does many, many stupid things in the book.  I couldn't help thinking that if I was his girlfriend, I would have left him a long time ago.  But then I thought about how I'd react if Duncan had a drug problem, and I'm really not sure.

But there are a couple of things about him that made me respect him as a person.  Firstly, he never blames anyone else for his addiction.  In a time when people refuse to take responsibility for their actions, he never casts the blame onto his family and upbringing, his football clubs...anyone.  He especially praises his dad who, as his confidante and best mate, has stuck with him, yet always made him face consequences for his actions while growing up.  Even though he was diagnosed with ADHD while in rehab in the US, he never uses it as an excuse for his drug-taking.  He labels himself as a 'self-confessed ratbag'.

Secondly, he showed great respect for the faith of his Christian teammate, Mark Seaby.  It was a tradition at the Eagles for new guys to the club to get up in front of their teammates and say a bit about themselves.  The team would then ask personal questions such as, What's your best sexual experience? and When was the first time you had sex?  When Mark Seaby admitted to being a virgin and Troy Wilson made a wisecrack about it, Cousins describes how Michael Gardiner (another ratbag at the club) went in to bat for Seaby:
But Troy Wilson made a smart-arse comment, something really ordinary.  And then Mickey Gardiner did one of the things that I loved him for.  In his time in Perth, Gardy would manage to upset everyone in the city about three times each.  But he would not tolerate teasing.  He grabbed Wilson by the scruff of his neck and said, "Pull your head in or I'll give you a slap."
I remember leaving the meeting full of new respect for both Gardy and Seaby.  And I was ashamed that I wasn't the one who stood up and grabbed Wilson like that.  I went up to Seaby and said, "For what it's worth, I have a lot of admiration for what you did, because I know myself that if I was in that situation I wouldn't have the balls, or the courage, or the dash, to stand up and say I haven't had sex.  Mate, I admire that.  You have a rare quality that virtually none of us do, and I hope you're proud of it."
A football club is a tough place to be different.  They've improved a bit since then, but the mentality is still there.  It never sat well with me that a bloke couldn't feel safe standing up and saying who he was.....And what Seaby said made me think back to how I'd been in such a hurry to do things only because I'd felt inadequate.  When I saw his sturdiness of character, I regretted my own rush as an adolescent... (pages 135-36)

I liked the way the book was written.  Authorship is credited to Cousins and Malcolm Knox.  It is written very much as if he were speaking to you, telling his story.  The 'voice' is very Aussie male.  There is a fair bit of swearing (be warned) in the book but that's because it's written much the way many young Aussie blokes speak.  It felt like we were sitting down somewhere and he was having a yarn to me about his life.

I came away from reading this book feeling even more sceptical about the media.  I also felt sad because I was reading the book in hindsight.  It was published in 2010 and gives you some hope that he was on the right track.  Earlier this year he was arrested for drug possession, and now has a young son to consider.  Knowing this made me realise his battles are far from over, and it cast a different light on the book.

I couldn't say I 'enjoyed' the book because it is a sad story, but it's definitely worth a read if you're an Eagles or Richmond fan.  Even if you don't like Cousins, it's still an interesting story.

Forgiving Hitler

I don't know what goes through one's mind when they see a title like this.  Can anyone forgive Hitler?

Carrying on with the topic of forgiveness, I thought I would review this book as well.  I first read it eight or nine years ago during a women's book club which used to exist at my old church in Perth.  It's one of those stories that really sticks with you because it is someone's personal story.  Written by Kel Richards, this is the story of Kathy Diosy, a Jewish woman who lived in Budapest, Hungary prior to and during World War 2.  After her life was destroyed by the Nazis and her father died in a concentration camp, she makes her way to Australia with her mother.  After her teenage daughter was invited to church by a friend, Kathy is confronted with the gospel.  She later puts her faith in Jesus Christ and makes peace with her past after her anger had long burned against the Nazis.

It is a pretty riveting and powerful story.  It's not a complete biography - it mainly focuses on her experiences during the war and life in Australia.  Although the parts during the war are pretty gripping reading, I personally would have liked to have had more focus placed on her conversion and life as a Christian.

One of the ladies in the book club remarked that she wasn't sure whether Kathy really had forgiven Hitler.  I think that's something between Kathy and God, and not something anyone else can comment on.  After reading Unpacking Forgiveness, I'm not sure whether Forgiving Hitler is the right title for this book (but I don't have any other suggestions either).  I don't know if any person can offer Hitler forgiveness since he is dead (and was likely unrepentant).  I know what Kathy means...she has come to terms with the gross injustices done to her and others, and has left it in God's hands.  I'm just not sure about the title.

One of the best things about this book is that it is someone's personal experience of evil which should shake us all up a bit about the reality of living in this world.  Many of us have been untouched by such injustice and could never understand what Kathy has gone through.  It is a stark reminder that issues such as injustice and forgiveness are not a walk in the park, and should not be just glossed over or swept under the carpet.  This book names and identifies evil for what it is.

But the greatest thing about this book is that it points us all back to our need for a Saviour.  No matter who we are or what we've done (or how 'good' we think we are), all of us have fallen short of God's standard.  We have sinned against God and against each other.  We all deserve judgement.  We all need God's forgiveness.

The back of the book says, It's a journey to discover who needs to forgive whom.

This book is available from the Matthias Media Australian store here.

There is also a US store here.

Charles Spurgeon: The Great Orator

I'm slowly getting around to reading books I've had in my bookcase for years.  I've had Charles Spurgeon: The Great Orator by J.C. Carlile since my 21st birthday (shame, shame).

Charles Spurgeon is one of those Christian figures in history I'd been curious about for a while.  I'd heard he was famous for his preaching but nothing much else.

While the book was hard going at times, I finished it feeling inspired and encouraged by Spurgeon's life and the impact he had for God's kingdom.  Part of the Heroes of the Faith series, the biography kind of lags in the opening chapters, but gets more interesting and readable as Spurgeon's life and ministry progresses.  I think this is due to the way it's written more than the content.  It doesn't have the fresh, bouncy language of many other books I like.

One thing the book did was make me acknowledge the importance of the gift of preaching to God's church.  Today the value of preaching is becoming diminished.  People are quick to point out that they don't find someone standing up and speaking to a group to be the most effective way to learn from God's Word.  I agree that we all have different learning styles, but often in our busyness, we have lost the ability to just be still and listen.  Yet in Spurgeon's day churches were slowly emptying as well.  His preaching combined with the work of the Spirit impacted many, many lives for eternity.

The Word of God is powerful!

Overall, I found the man more inspiring than the book.  I'm sure there are better biographies out there, but unfortunately I don't know of any to recommend.  I'm now looking forward to reading some of his sermons one day.

No Compromise: The Life Story of Keith Green

My friend and fellow blogger, Amanda, was the one who first introduced me to Keith Green who is one of her favourite Christian singer/songwriters. Before that, I’d never heard of him, but I found myself struck by the honesty and frankness of his lyrics. When she offered to lend his biography to Duncan and I, I started reading it almost immediately.

Written by David Hazard and Keith's widow, Melody Green, Keith’s story spans his childhood; growing up non-Christian; meeting his future wife, Melody; his attempts to break into the music industry; his spiritual search; his conversion; and resulting ministry through music. The book culminates with his tragic death in a plane accident at the age of 28, and how his life and music continues to touch people years later. He is a man who learns many lessons along the way and is far from perfect, and sometimes rebukes more than he preaches grace, but he is someone that God used mightily.

The book is essentially one man’s amazing journey in coming to know and follow the Lord and share that with everyone he came into contact with. I found Keith a gifted and forthright evangelist who is as confronting as he is inspiring. He’s the kind of person you find yourself drawn to, yet also wanting to run away screaming from because he made me realise how far I fall short. He challenged me not to put God in a box, but to believe that nothing is impossible for the Lord. Hailed as a prophet by some and a troublemaker by others, Keith was uncompromising in calling the church to be what God wants it to be.

I also found myself empathising with Keith in that, as a wannabe Christian artist, I too feel the pressure to write for Christians when there is a world outside desperately needing the gospel.  I too often wonder how much Christians should charge (if at all) for their creative works. One only needs to visit Koorong to realise there is more than enough resources for Christians – it’s people who don’t know Christ who I want to write for. But, like Keith, I am coming to realise there is a place for Christian to Christian encouragement and rebuke in the arts, as well as for evangelism.

Read this book! I am planning to buy my own copy eventually so when I feel like I’m drifting towards the seductive lights of the world, I will re-read it, and be inspired once again by Keith’s passion for the one true God.

Thinism

Last year, while we were in Tassie, I read Dawn French: The Biography by Alison Bowyer. It was my prize for being the top student in Year 12 Drama Studies at my high school back in 2000 so, yes, it took me a while to get around to reading it. I have to admit, when I first received it I had no idea who she was. I know....shame, shame.

It was such a great read, I had trouble putting it down even though we were on our honeymoon. She has had quite a turbulent life but there was one bit in the book that stood out at me because, to be honest, it made me quite angry.

Now Dawn is well known for being a rather large woman and the book says that during her school days she used to laugh off her discomfort about her size by cracking jokes at her own expense. This is understandable; I think a lot of us use humour as a defence mechanism at time, including myself. But in Chapter 9: Size Matters, I think she well and truly crosses the line.

Dawn is well known for making outpsoken remarks defending overweight women and even encouraging women to pile on the pounds. A lot of it stems from the fact that could not wear the same fashion as her friends when she was a teenager due to her size so she lashes out at thin women. It's fair enough to criticise Hollywood with it's stick thin stars who live on crash diets, but not all women are thin or of a healthy weight because they neglect to eat or abuse their bodies with diet pills. I keep hearing the 'I can't help being big boned' excuse to justify being overweight and for some women this is true. One of my mum's best friends has always been on the big side yet she eats healthily and does a fair bit of exercise. Others put on weight because of medication they need. But Dawn openly admits to leading anything but a healthy lifestyle and I get sick of hearing people who complain about their weight while taking their next bite of KFC. Our weight is not always beyond our control.

Dawn actually says during the chapter that fat women are better than thin. This is where I think she goes too far. Fat people get bullied, sure, and it sucks but thinism is just as prevalent as fatism. I don't believe in having a go at overweight people, it's their life and their eating habits are up to them but what does get my goat is when they pick on me and it's deemed to be acceptable because thin is the majority. Newsflash: thin is NOT the majority in the Western world where obesity is a growing problem. I believe in leading a healthy lifestyle and that there are different healthy weight ranges for each person.

I have been bullied by overweight people and I'm tired of it. In this ridiculous age of political correctness, they can call me 'Bony', 'Skinny Mini' or 'Anorexic' but if I call them 'Fatty' or 'Fatso', it's a big no no. Why is it ok to confront someone because you are worried they're losing too much weight but it's NOT ok to confront someone who is GAINING too much weight? Aren't both a health problem? In primary school, I had overweight girls use their size to intimidate me by twisting my arms up behind my back until it hurt. I've been shopping with people who have done nothing but complain the whole time that I shop at 'skinny teenybopper' shops. Richard Burton's widow, Sally, finally lashes out at Dawn in this chapter for declaring that men like bigger women better than thinner women. I have had someone say that to me as well and it really hurt, especially since if I'd responded with, "No, they like thinner women better," I would have received a tongue-lashing.

On page 157, it says Defending women for being overweight is one thing, being rude about thin women, quite another.

I completely agree!