Ok, I confess that I am afraid of things I don’t understand.  I have prejudices and biases based ignorance.  The little bit I know about the Middle East, (Iran, Syria, Jordan, etc.) leave me feeling less than confidant.  I am can’t imagine a scenario where I would want to sit down for tea and crumpets’.  But sitting down with various leader, princes and taxi drivers through the Middle East during the summer of 2008 is exactly what Ted Dekker and Carl Medearis did.  Carl Medearis is Ted Dekker’s Middle East expert and co-author.

I found the questions engaging and the experience drew me from page to page as I read.  Here are a few questions that were asked of leaders of Hezbollah and Hamas, sheikhs, ayatollahs alike:

• What make you laugh?
• Can you share a joke?
• What makes you cry?
• What do you think of Americans?
• What do you think of Jesus’ sayings?
• Is it possible to love your enemies?

If you have even a passing interest in the Middle East this is a must read.

You can purchase this book at RandomHouse.com: Here>>>

What is the “must read” book for 2010 and why?  I’ll choose one from the notes below to send a free copy of “Tea with Hezbollah”.  Entry must include email.

(This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.)

Elizabeth and I spent a week in at Selah Inn at the Ranch in Texas through  Pastors Retreat Network.  While we were there we spent the bulk of our days reading, praying and taking long walks.  It really was a great extended Sabbath Rest. 

While we were there I read one book that I want to recomend you add to the must read list for 2010, “Primal” by Mark Batterson.

Mark strips away the religious attitudes and posturing that many Christians so easily slip into, and calls Christians to live a life that more accurately portrays the Great Commission and the Great Commandment.  He has an artful way of bringing the most important issues of faith to the surface and it caused me to deeply desire to press into the Lord.

When I was in Kiev, Ukraine I visited St. Sophia Cathedral and the ancient catacombs.  Mark shared in “Primal” about his visit to the Church of San Clemente in Rome.  He set the premise of the book on top of the visceral experience of traversing down into the ancient space created by our spiritual ancestors.  He writes,

I’ll never forget my descent down that flight of stairs.  The air became damp, and we could hear underground springs.  We carefully navigated each step as we lost some of our light.  And our voices echoed off the low ceiling and narrow walkway.  Almost like the wardrobe in the Chronicles of Narnia, that flight of stairs was like a portal to a different time, a different place.  It was as if those stairs took us back two thousand years in time.  With each step, a layer of history was stripped away until all that was left was Christianity in all it primal glory.

As we navigated those claustrophobic catacombs, I was overcome by the fact that I was standing in the place where my spiritual ancestors risked everything, even their lives, to worship God.  And I felt a profound mixture of gratitude and conviction.

Perhaps it was because of my time in the catacombs of Ukraine or maybe it was just a profound desire to see my faith uncluttered, real and passionate that the words of this book impacted me.  As I read they jumped off the page and called me to live my life from this primal place of conviction.  Thanks Mark. Read the rest of this entry »

Some of you know that my brother in-law died two weeks ago.  The funeral was last Thursday in Gresham Or, Randy Alcorn’s stomping grounds.  I have just picked up his new book and wanted to share it with you because every one of us will experience suffering. There is no way around it, a ton of people that are in our circles of influence are experiencing it now. I really don’t know anyone who doesn’t believe evil is real in our world.  We don’t always know how to talk about it.   Sometimes we don’t even know how to process it.

Randy Alcorn goes after the often hard but timeless questions:  How do we navigate the really difficult times?  I think that most people ask a lot of questions about God when they experience suffering or hardship.  Why would an all-good and all-powerful God create a world full of evil and suffering? And then, how can there be a God if suffering and evil exist?

On the publishers site it says, “These are ancient questions, but also modern ones as well. Atheists such as Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and even former believers like Bart Ehrman answer the question simply: The existence of suffering and evil proves there is no God.  Alcorn offers a different approach and challenges the logic of disbelief, and brings a fresh, realistic, and thoroughly biblical insight to the issues these important questions raise.  From his conversations with men and women whose lives have been torn apart by suffering, and yet whose faith in God burns brighter than ever. He reveals the big picture of who God is and what God is doing in the world–now and forever.”

I know that the author hoped this book would be more than just great stories but a book that set us (as Christian readers) up to better talk about issues of faith.  As I read this book, I am finding myself better equipped to share my faith with great clarity as I read this book.

It also says on the publisher site, “As he did in his best-selling book, Heaven, Randy Alcorn delves deep into a profound subject, and through compelling stories, provocative questions and answers, and keen biblical understanding, he brings assurance and hope to all.”  I would sure agree with that.

You can buy the book from Random House>>>

Request a complimentary copy of Tortured for Christ for your friends.

It was the book that shocked the nation. After surviving 14 years in communist prisons, Pastor Richard Wurmbrand came to America to proclaim the trials and testimonies of our persecuted brothers and sisters.

In Tortured for Christ, Wurmbrand tells of his imprisonment for his work with the underground church and introduces the work of The Voice of the Martyrs. Forty years later, The Voice of the Martyrs remains true to its calling to be a voice for persecuted Christians, to serve with them in their time of need and to assist them in their efforts to proclaim the gospel.

We would like to extend this special opportunity for you to request a complimentary copy of Tortured for Christ for yourself and your Christian friends. Help spread the message of today’s persecuted church. Simply follow the link below.

I would like to request a complimentary copy of 
Tortured for Christ for my friend(s).