God's Smuggler

Brother Andrew with John & Elizabeth Sherrill

1967, (updated) 2001

I was a kid when I first heard about Brother Andrew and the work that God had called him to.

In fact, I read his story as a comic book when I should have been listening in church.

My life was certainly not changed by a cartoon Brother Andrew!  

Fast forward a few years...

Now, having just read the "real" book, I see things differently.

God’s Smuggler.

It's a "must-read" on every reader's list.

While Brother Andrew’s salvation story is fascinating in itself, what is even more incredible, is how God has used him since.

God called Andrew to be a smuggler.

A Bible Smuggler.

Brother Andrew has smuggled Bibles, and other Christian literature, into Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Yugoslavia, East Germany, and Bulgaria.

Communist countries behind The Iron Curtain.

And when the Iron Curtain collapsed, Andrew’s organization, Open Doors, moved into China, Vietnam, Africa, Cuba, and the tightly controlled land of Islam.

To quote from the Open Doors Canada website,

In 2008, Open Doors delivered almost 3.9 million Bibles, children's Bibles, Study Bibles and other scriptural books and literature to persecuted Christians worldwide, and trained 114,400 pastors and church leaders...

Isn't God good?

What touched me personally about God’s Smuggler, however, is how involved God was and is in this work. 

God didn’t just call Brother Andrew to smuggle Bibles then let him go at this impossible task alone.

Brother Andrew sought God.

Impossibly.
Constantly.

And,

God worked.

God acted.

God answered.

Why does this touch me so deeply?
Because I have often felt overwhelmed by the task God has called me to.

But, just like Brother Andrew, God doesn’t just call me to something then let me go at it alone. 
He gives me the tools I need for completion.

When God calls, and I prayerfully follow,

God works.

God acts.

God answers.

Even to the seemingly impossible.

What faith-building, encouragement for me. 

Especially in this season of motherhood and church leadership.

1 Peter 4:11, "...If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ."

Reading on...

NERDS

by Michael Buckley

2009

As a parent, I want to know what my kids are being fed.

And I’m not referring to food.

Rather, what are their sources of influence?

As a result, my hubby and I keep a close watch on content.

What’s in the TV shows and movies they watch?

What’s in the computer games they play?

What’s in the books and magazines they read?

As attentive parents, we want to be sure that all their choices are age appropriate. What might work for Son #1, who’s 10, might not work for Son #2, who’s 6.

And we hold the right to veto.

(Veto decisions are not always popular, but age is always a worthy scapegoat.)

As Christian parents, however, we take this screening process, and our right to veto, a step further:

We also watch for “Light Content”.

Light Content?

Basically,

Does the movie, computer game, book, etc. honour God’s Word, and thus influence my children for light?

Or, does it shun His Word, and thus influence my children for darkness?

Jesus says in John 8:12,

“I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

And in Matthew 12:30,

“He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.”

As you can imagine, our desire for Light Content doesn’t always make us very popular on the homefront.

However, God has given us the gift of raising our kids and we want to do it in a way that glorifies Him. 

Even if our popularity goes down in the polls.

All of that to say this:

When Son #1 discovered a new series of books that he couldn’t put down, couldn’t stop talking about, and used successfully to reduce Son #2 to tears, I figured I’d better read at least one.

NERDS.

National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society.

A series of books about unlikely pre-teen super spies sent out to save the world from an even more unlikely bunch of evil genius super villains.

And my son loves them. 

Sigh.

So, I read book #1.

There’s truly not much about this book that a ten year old boy wouldn’t like.

School lockers leading to spy headquarters.

Braces spewing out of mouths as the ultimate weaponry.

Nerds saving the world from complete and utter destruction.

A feast for boyhood imagination.

I am quite certain I will only be reading the first of the series, but my son has devoured all the others:

Book #2: M is for Mama’s Boy

Book #3: The Cheerleaders of Doom

Book #4: The Villain Virus

Imagine his delight when I told him Hollywood is making a NERDS movie. Let’s just hope it’s high in Light Content.

Reading on...

The Shakespeare Stealer

by Gary Blackwood
1998

Drawn by the name "Shakespeare" in the title, I grabbed this book off the shelf at our local library.

I knew I'd read it.
I hoped he'd read it.

I have.
He hasn't.

What can I do to get Boy 1 to read a book with Shakespeare filling its pages?


The Shakespeare Stealer is basically about an orphan charged with the job of stealing a copy of William Shakespeare's play, Hamlet. He joins a troupe of actors at the Globe Theatre and tries to carry out his task...

Sound familiar?

The Shakespeare Stealer was a great book. I thought the characters were interesting and well-developed. I thought the writing smooth and the research (to my non-expert eye) seamless.

The only downside, in my opinion, is that it has all been done before.

The Shakespeare Stealer has different characters with different names and different circumstances, but I feel like every time I pick up a middle grade novel involving Shakespeare, there is always a script to be stolen or a plot to be foiled or a boy who is really a girl...

Is there any other story to be told?


Even so, it was a good book and I did enjoy my time in its pages.
I just wish my boy had read it. Sigh.

On that note, what he is reading will be the topic of my next post.



Reading on...

Adventures with Knives: Surviving 1,000 Hours of Culinary School

by Bob Foulkes

2011

The only TV show my hubby and I regularly watch is MasterChef.

Haven't heard of it? 

In short, it’s a bunch of amateur cooks facing off for the grand prize of money, a cookbook contract and, of course, a trophy.

The fact that I watch that kind of TV should give reason enough as to why I would pick up and read a book called, Adventures with Knives, 

And loved it!

Basically, Adventures with Knives is the account of author, Bob Foulkes, experience in culinary school. 

And his reason for going to culinary school?

In his early sixties at the time, Mr. Foulkes decided to rebel against the cultural norm of retirement, ie sitting on the couch and doing nothing all day, and go to culinary school in a “restless, self-absorbed search for meaning in [his] life.”

Adventures with Knives was a terrific read. I thoroughly enjoyed it and totally recommend it.

Bob Foulkes has a relaxed and easy writing style full of understated humour and quirky stories, all with a bunch of really useful cooking tips thrown in.

For instance,
I learned how to keep green beans green, how to intentionally under cook scallops and that all vegetable stocks start with sweating onions.

What does it mean to “sweat onions”?

For all aspiring chefs, and all watchers of MasterChef, this book is a keeper.

Reading on...

Caleb's Crossing

by Geraldine Brooks

2011

This book has been on my “must-read” list for months.

I came across an advertisement for Caleb’s Crossing when it first came on the market and from the outset I found the storyline fascinating. Finally, I happened upon the book at the library and grabbed it before anyone else had the same idea!

 

Caleb’s Crossing tells the story of Caleb Cheeshahteaumauk, the first Native American graduate of Harvard College in 1665. Based on threadbare historical fact, Geraldine Brooks weaves an amazing tale told through the eyes of Bethia, a young English Puritan settler.

Bethia first meets Caleb on the shores of untamed Martha’s Vineyard and, after years of clandestine friendship, follows him to the structured constraints of academic life at Harvard College.

English Harvard College, I might add.

Through Caleb and Bethia, Caleb’s Crossing brings to life the contrasts and struggles of the day.

English vs Indian.

Freedom vs Responsibility.

Life vs death.

It makes me wonder what good the English really brought to the Native American people.

And, as a Christian, it makes me wonder what good the rule-laden English Missionaries brought to the Native American people....

That age old question....

And, now that I've said it, I will also say that Geraldine Brooks is an outstanding storyteller. I can’t wait to read more of her books!

Reading on...

When There's Not Much Else To Do...

When your friend is sick,

Very sick,

What do you do?

You pray,

You serve,

You encourage.

And, you offer some books.

At least that is what I did.

Not saying it is the right thing, but my friend accepted.

I remember the thought process even today...

Nothing too heavy.

Nothing too light.

Nothing that fixes.

Nothing that speaks of,

Death.

Instead,

A story that smiles.

A story that celebrates.

A story that feels good.

What?

 

Rekindled

by Tamera Alexander

2006

A story of forgiveness, new beginnings and sweet love. 

See a few more comments here.

Suite Francaise

by Irène Némirovsky

2006

Beautifully written.

So much more than just a book.

Between Sundays

by Karen Kingsbury

2007

Safe.

That's all I know, it's been so long since I've read it myself.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

2008

Timeless.

See my previous comments here.

How did my friend like these choices?

I’ll never know.

Reading on...  

Redeemed and Restored: The Stories of Twelve Ordinary Women Transformed by God’s Extraordinary Power

2006

This book is actually a compilation of testimonies...  

Twelve women.

Twelve stories.

Twelve ordinary, mixed up lives saved solely by God’s grace.

Twelve pastors’ wives reaching thousands for Him.

God is good.

Reading on...

Faith Is Not a Feeling

by Ney Bailey

1978

A product of my book buying habit, I can’t even guess how long Faith Is Not a Feeling has been on my bookshelf. 

And what a book.

I wish I had read it years ago.

Author, Ney Bailey, has been on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ (now called Power to Change) for more than 46 years and I’m sure she has many stories to share about what God has done in the lives of others.

However, the real story is hers.  

A Christian since she was fifteen, a testing point in Ney’s faith came on the evening of July 31, 1976.

On that day, Ney was attending a retreat with thirty-four other Campus Crusade women at a ranch in the Big Thompson Canyon, Colorado. 

Suddenly, there was a call for immediate evacuation of the ranch.

The Big Thompson River was flooding.

The women scrambled and confusion ensued.

Any clear instructions lost in the chaos.

Four cars went one way, two in another.

The outcome?

Seven out of nine women in the two died.

All women, including Ney, in the four survived.

Ney writes that, in the midst of the flood and the days that followed, she had to make a decision.

Would she believe what her circumstances dictated or would she believe what God said in His Word.

The choice wasn’t easy.

Circumstances spelled fear, panic, weakness. The unknown.

The desire to understand. 

All completely natural responses.

God’s Word says trust Him. He is in control.

He works all things together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

Nothing in our lives happens except for what God allows.

All completely unnatural responses.

Ney chose the unnatural.

To believe God.
To trust Him.

To live by faith...

Do I live by faith?

Living by faith, or taking God at His Word, means that no matter what circumstances surround me I trust what God has said in His Word to be true.

1Peter 1:25

            But the word of the Lord endures forever.

Everything in this world will change.

Everything in my life will change.

But God’s Word will stay the same.  

To quote Ney,

God’s Word is

·        Truer than anything I feel

·        Truer than anything I experience

·        Truer than any circumstance I will ever face

·        Truer than anything in the world

The way I see it, 
I can choose to believe my feelings, thoughts or circumstances, letting them control my life, and consequently live in a state of unrest; or I can choose to take God at His word, letting Him have complete control over my life, and sleep in the shadow of His wings.

Trust that God will take care of the details.

As God is the only constant in life, personally, the choice is easy.
I’d much rather believe Him than be swayed by the ups and downs of my circumstances and emotions.

How about you?

Of course, this decision depends on will.

Choosing with my will to take God at His Word.
Could a four letter word ever be so hard?

The will to trust God.
Exactly what Satan doesn’t want.

Satan uses our circumstances and emotions to make things seem like truth when they're really not.  

1 Peter 5:8 talks of Satan prowling around like a roaring lion looking for the areas where I am especially vulnerable.

So, what should be my response?

Take up the shield of faith against Satan’s fiery darts.

And remember, Satan is a defeated foe.

Jesus already beat him on the cross.

“If we act upon God’s Word, if we take Him at His Word, we will be wise, and our lives will be solidly set on the rock of His words. If we don’t take Him at His Word – if we rely on our circumstances and feelings rather than what the Bible tells us, we will be foolish, building our lives upon the sand.”

Reading on...

Dinosaurs

Have you ever wondered where dinosaurs fit into the scheme of things?

Have you ever wondered if there really were fire-breathing dragons?

Have you ever wondered what to tell your kids when they ask you these very questions?

Before you quickly run off with the standard science class answers, perhaps you should consider the alternative...

God

Two great books that speak to the "God-alternative" are:

Dragons or Dinosaurs? 

by Darek Isaacs

The Great Dinosaur Mystery  

by Ken Ham

Both are informative books that address when God created dinosaurs and how dragons really aren't the mythical creatures we tend to think they are.

I had my highlighter going the whole way.

If you are looking for more child-friendly books on the same topic, try these:

Dinosaurs of Eden

by Ken Ham

The Great Dinosaur Mystery and the Bible

by Paul S. Taylor

The Wonders of God`s World: Dinosaur Activity Book

by Earl & Bonita Snellenberger

Reading on...      

Soul Surfer

by Bethany Hamilton

2004

Ages ago, I heard about a young surfer who’d lost her arm in a shark attack.

I’d also heard this girl was back surfing again.

With one arm.

Then I heard this young, one-armed surfer girl was a Christian.  

And, I thought, that’s interesting.

Then I forgot about her.

This summer, however, I was reminded about Bethany Hamilton when my mother asked if I’d seen her movie.

No.

I checked the DVD out of the library.

Now, I’ve seen the movie, Soul Surfer, three times.

And I’ve read the book, also called Soul Surfer, on which the movie is based.

Soul Surfer was written about a year after the shark attack, when Bethany Hamilton was about 14 years old.

The book itself is not very long and it’s an easy read. That said, it is well-written and certainly encouraging. 

And, I should add, convicting.

I think what touches me the most about Bethany Hamilton’s story is how she trusted in God’s promise in Jeremiah 29:11,

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

And His promise in Romans 8:28,

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”

Wow.

So the question I must ask myself is this:

Would I have the same trust if I went through a heart-wrenching trial of my own?

Reading on...

City of Orphans

by Avi

2011

As I’ve mentioned (see here), I love reading middle grade novels.

Without fail their vivid descriptions, fast moving storylines and fully developed characters grab hold of my attention and give it a ride.

City of Orphans is a middle grade novel. 

Honestly, I only pulled the book off the shelf because the author, Avi, is a star in my eyes. 

He's still shining.

City of Orphans takes place in New York City during the late nineteenth century and tells the story of Maks Geless, his family, a homeless girl named Willa, and a trouble-making street gang called the Plug Uglies.

Maks is a “newsie”. 

He sells newspapers from the street corner.

And if he doesn't make enough money, his family doesn't survive. 

That's where the Plug Uglies come in, and an unfortunate incident where his sister is accused of stealing a gold watch from a patron at the Waldorf Hotel.

This book was an interesting read, capturing the life and hard times of New York City in 1893. And it certainly held my interest with the tension and unbelievable generosity woven into the family ties of Maks’ home life.

It's amazing how even a middle grade novel can make one think.

Maks’ family made me question the level of my generosity.

Am I willing to give when I have enough?

Am I willing to give when I only have a little?

Am I willing to put the needs of another before my own?

Reading on...

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

by John Boyne

2006

What an amazing and heartbreaking book.

This 216 page “fable” is about a nine year old boy in Nazi Germany, named Bruno.

Originally from Berlin, Bruno moves to just outside a concentration camp where his father serves as Commandant.
That is, he’s in charge.

Here, at his new home, Bruno lives his life on the outside looking in.

Bruno gazes out his bedroom window, across the fence, across the forest and into the countryside beyond.

He wonders why there are so many people over there.

Is there a village?

He wonders why the children have so many playmates.

Can he join them?

He wonders why everyone wears the same striped “pajamas”.

Don’t they have other clothes?

Bruno eventually makes friends with a boy named Shmuel, a resident of the camp.

Through the fence.

Every afternoon the boys meet and every afternoon Bruno complains about his dull life, his small home, his annoying older sister.
Shmuel just listens.

Bruno sometimes brings a snack for his new friend, but gets hungry along the way and eats it.
Shmuel just nods. 

Despite months and months of looking out the window and months and months of meeting with Shmuel, Bruno remains completely unaware about life on the other side of the fence.

Until the end.

 

For all its heartbreak, I truly loved this book.

Written in the first person, the author's voice is perfectly nine year old. How Bruno speaks, how Bruno thinks, how Bruno sees, how Bruno understands his surroundings.

Great writing.

For the sake of discussion,

I have often wondered why local German people didn't stand up to the concentration camps, the extermination camps, the endless transports.

When I asked this question the answer I was given was, “Nobody knew.”

Personally, I think the answer is more involved. Naivete, as demonstrated by Bruno, was only part of it.

But, people have been debating this answer for over 60 years so I won't pretend to answer it in the lines of this blog.

On another note, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas was made into a movie in 2009. Staying true to the book, the movie was just as amazing and just as heartbreaking.

I would recommend both.

Reading on...   

Kisses from Katie

by Katie Davis

2011

My attention gravitates to books whose main character has the same name as one of my children. I’ve actually started collecting them with the intent of passing them along at the appropriate time.

That drew me to Kisses from Katie.

Simply put, the author, Katie Davis, is a young, twenty-something girl whose heart attached itself to Uganda and its people after a short high school mission trip. This led Katie to give up her American life and move to Uganda, where she currently serves as a nurse, teacher, cook, and caregiver, among other things. If I can actually sum up her life with those few words.

And, did I mention, she adopted thirteen Ugandan children? 


And I think four are loud at the dinner table.

Katie is an amazing example of a young woman taking up her cross daily and following Jesus completely. One hundred percent.

Kisses from Katie was a compelling read start to finish. I don’t even know where to begin. The stories and experiences Katie shares in her book are so different than what I experience in my everyday life....

So, what impacted me?

Comfort is bad for my soul. Why? With all my creature comforts in place, I am not mindful of my need for a Saviour.

People who believe in God are supposed to share with the poor.

God uses inadequate people and sometimes He stretches them beyond what they ever thought possible, but He always provides the means.

“Do not forget in the darkness what you have been promised in the light” (pg 204).

How can a child, or anyone, accept the Saviour’s love if they don’t know what love is?

In the last twenty-four hours, more than sixteen thousand children died of hunger-related causes.

Hot water in my home is a gift, not a right. (Recently, I was ever so grumpy to go forty-eight hours without it.)

I do not want to forget what I’ve learned through Katie Davis, so I have added her blog to my own homepage, check it out.

Reading on...  

Defender of Faith

The Mike Fisher Story

by Kim Washburn

2011

Always on the lookout for good, wholesome “boy books”, I came across this Mike Fisher biography at our local Christian bookstore. Being that Son #1 is a big hockey guy, I snatched it up.

 

And, out of interest, I read it first.  

I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the writing and by the quality of the guy. (A reader never knows these days.)

Cracking open the book, all I knew about Mike Fisher was that he currently plays with the National Hockey League (NHL), he’s supposedly a Christian, and that he recently married singer-songwriter, Carrie Underwood.

After reading Defender of Faith, I now know Mike Fisher plays for the Nashville Predators, he is a man who lives out his Christian faith on a daily basis, and he writes the reference Romans 12:12 on his stick before every game.

Defender of Faith is really only a short, 115 page middle-grade account of Mike Fisher’s life, but it is full of purpose. Throughout the book, Mike Fisher is quoted as saying things like,

“I wanted to experience this God that we all hear about. That’s where it became real for me. I knew I had to have a relationship with God to fulfill that inner peace of knowing I’m living my purpose, doing what God created me to do (pg 37)”.

“My parents always stressed faith as a central part of my life, and I grew to understand the importance of having a balance in life and finding a purpose through our Creator. I believe we are all gifted in certain areas and it’s our responsibility to use these gifts that God has given us for his glory (pg 17)”.

“...I try to use all of my abilities for God’s glory. That is my focus (pg 80).”

Things we are trying to instil in all our children, but especially our hockey-loving Son #1.

What better way to reinforce such important truths, than to hear (or read) them out of the mouth of a hero.

Great book.

Reading on...