"Stories of My Life" (Katherine Paterson)

TITLE: Stories of My Life
AUTHOR: Katherine Paterson
PUBLISHER: Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2022, (352 pages).
 

We all love stories. Since young, many of us would recall listening to how our parents and grandparents told us all kinds of stories. From fairy tales to modern legends, biblical narratives to personal testimonies, stories captivate us in ways that no prose nor non-fiction could. Stories help us appreciate and understand tradition. They also teach us lessons about life, just like the world-famous Aesop's Fables. It takes a conscientious storyteller to tell a good story. It takes a gifted storyteller to tell a great story. Author Katherine Paterson tells her own story to give us many glimpses into her fascinating life as a writer, a missionary kid, teacher, preacher's wife, devoted mother, and a Christian. She shares about the ups and downs of her life. Events like her topsy-turvy days when living with her missionary parents to China to having children of her own following a miscarriage, Paterson shares her stories with vivid description and brutal honesty. She introduces the book from a readers' perspective via three "Frequently Asked Questions." 

1. How did you become a writer?
2. Where do you get your ideas?
3. How does it feel to be famous?

"An Asian Harvest" (Paul Hattaway)

TITLE: An Asian Harvest: An Autobiography
AUTHOR: Paul Hattaway
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Monarch Books, 2017, (320 pages).

Many of us have heard about the sensational book, the Heavenly Man. It powerfully describes the amazing miracles and testimonies of Brother Yun, a Chinese believer who suffered much persecution and hardship, and was able to testify God's work in his life. In spite of the horrific opposition to his preaching of the gospel, he persevered. The world have come to know his story, but the truth is, there are many other stories remain hidden, untold, and forgotten. We need more brave souls to uncover these stories to show the world that many believers have been unjustly and mercilessly persecuted by the local powers of the land. We need people to uncover these testimonies. One such person is Paul Hattaway, a native New Zealander who helped carry Bibles into restricted countries in the past and is now leading Asia Harvest, an outreach ministry to Asia. After telling the stories of Brother Yun (Heavenly Man) and experiencing the powerful testimonies of faith as he ventured into various countries, it is time to tell his own story as well. This book is an his autobiography.

"Between Heaven and the Real World" (Steven Curtis Chapman)

TITLE: Between Heaven and the Real World: My Story
AUTHOR: Steven Curtis Chapman
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Revell, 2017, (448 pages).

He is a musician who had won five grammy awards, 58 Dove awards, and multiple awards in the music industry. Some of them include hits like Cinderella, My Redeemer is Faithful and True, Glorious Unfolding, One True God, For the Sake of the Call, and many more. He writes songs of hope in the midst of pain; comfort in the midst of sorrow; and inspiration in an emotionally deficit world. Married to Mary Beth, author of a very moving testimony of faith in the midst of tragedy, he has experienced like many of us, the highs and lows of life. Like the gripping roller-coaster rides he experienced with his brother at a young age, this soon became a realistic portrayal of his own life.

He has many highlights like how he fell in love with his wife who stole his heart; how he gained success as a musician, having sold many bestselling albums and singles. He gives readers an insight into his own upbringing and spiritual revival when at a young age. His involvement in Church opens up opportunities for him to grow his musical skills and performance talents. Music quickly became his forte even though he did try his hand at baseball. He soon found his voice in songwriting, something that has been affirmed through his awards and accolades. Apart from his family story, a large part of the book is devoted to detailing his musical background and events. This is necessary because all (if not most) of his songs are related to what happens in his life. He seeks to encourage listeners in his first album "First Hand." His second album, "Real Life Conversations" flow out of his spiritual life. His song, "I Will Be Here" about tight-knitted love in marriage was tested quite quickly in his own marriage. Several albums were soon released with each having singles hitting the charts. One of the amusing parts was the time in which he tried to celebrate his anniversary by hiring a limo service. Little did he realize that the cheapest one also happened to be a pornmobile! He talks about his spiritual commitment to preserve his virginity until marriage. Both Mary Beth and Steven were committed to Scriptures and to the biblical faith. The story of five American missionaries who were martyred in Ecuador inspired in part, "For the Sake of the Call" and "My Redeemer is Faithful and True."

"Seven Women and the Secret of Their Greatness" (Eric Metaxas)

TITLE: Seven Women: And the Secret of Their Greatness
AUTHOR: Eric Metaxas
PUBLISHER: Nashville, TN: Thomas-Nelson, 2015, (256 pages).

Biographies are often very inspirational. By reading the story of individual lives, how they succeed, how they pick themselves up after failures, their background, their sources of influence, and so on, we read about people who are more down to earth than the public perception suggests. If one is inspirational in itself, what about seven? What about the seven women whose lives have become a testament of faith and courage? Having written two bestselling biographies, of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and William Wilberforce, and another book of shorter biographies of seven other men, the author applies his gift of storytelling to a similar book of shorter biographies of seven women. One of the biggest challenges is not about finding which women to write about but the criteria of selection. As one who had written an earlier edition of seven men, it is tempting to write a similar one, only that it is about women. Noting this tendency, Metaxas opts for a story that defines them as women rather than some comparison against the males. Joan of Arc (1412-1431) was chosen for her youth, innocence, and purity. Rosa Parks (1913–2005) was chosen for her exemplary courage in the face of immense opposition. Susanna Wesley (1669–1742) was seen as a strong mother figure while Saint Maria of Paris (1891–1945) went beyond biological motherhood toward being a spiritual parent. Hannah More (1745–1833) exemplified a valued friend and Corrie Ten Boom (1892–1983) and Mother Teresa (1910–1997) manifested a warm human spirit that we can all learn from regardless of our gender.   While the stories between the seven women and seven men are not interchangeable, the principles of learning can be gleaned from all of them. The following are some of the criteria:

"Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus" (Nabeel Qureshi)

TITLE: Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity
AUTHOR: Nabeel Qureshi
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2014, (304 pages).

Christians are not the only people who evangelize. Muslims do too. In many cases, Muslims are better trained in casting doubts on the Christian faith in order to influence more to believe in Islam. Sometimes, I have found Muslims to be relatively more prepared in winning any debate between the merits of Christianity vs Islam. Reading this book reminds me once again that Muslims are quite formidable in their religious heritage, in their arguments against Christianity, and in their knowledge of the New Testament. Sharing about his own religious search, Dr Nabeel Qureshi gives readers a glimpse about the inner workings of the upbringing of a Muslim child, the way Muslims are trained in their honor and authority observance, and the differences between the Eastern and Western perspective of things Islam, religion, and culture. After describing his pious upbringing and a background of devoutly seeking Allah, he reveals how he had a change of heart after being stumped on several occasions by his best friend David, who had not only defended key tenets of the Christian faith, but also exposed the fallacies of the anti-Christian arguments used by many Muslims. As his eyes become opened to the weaknesses of the "swoon theory" and the problems underlying the substitution explanation. More importantly, as he becomes open to the reality of the gospel, he soon takes on a new perspective: Finding Jesus. Qureshi turns from obstinate opponent to passionate proponent for the gospel of Christ. He notices that the arguments he had adopted, the apologetics used against Christianity were all "polemical," that is, they all started with a conclusion. He then attempted to use Western methodology with Eastern passion, and slowly discovers that Christianity is more water-tight than he had previously argued against. One by one, his walls of resistance crumbled.  He learned to see both sides of the picture. It was the Resurrection debate between the Muslim Shabir Ally against Michael Licona and Gary Habermas that tilted the balance. While Ally won the rhetoric and stage presence, Qureshi acknowledged that from the argument standpoint, Mike and Gary were far more convincing. With incredible detail of his journey from Islam to Christianity, Qureshi finds his initial resistance melts away, his doubts grow into faith, and his U-turn from skeptical disbelief to fervent faith.

"Church Behind the Wire"

TITLE: Church Behind the Wire: A Story of Faith in the Killing Fields
AUTHOR: Barnabas Mam
PUBLISHER: Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2012, (352 pages).

This book takes a penetrating look at the horrific Killing Fields in Cambodia during the tragic 70s, and how Christians like Barnabas Man maintains hope in a world of hopelessness. It is a journey of faith in what may be called the "Holocaust" of the Far East. The author has personally gone through the suffering first hand. His conversion to Christianity only makes matters worse. He gets persecuted time and again by the Communist regime of Pol Pot and the Vietnamese invaders. Not only that, he gets to see how others are persecuted.

He describes how young children gets enlisted and indoctrinated with the ideals of Communism. Under the guise of the greater good for the greater society, these young children learn to elevate the Communist ideals and leaders so much, even at the expense of forsaking one's sense of identity. As the collective society expands, the individual identity contracts. The ideology easily leads to the wanton taking of human life without much thought or regard. Even the author's name has been cut short to a one syllable name by the Khmer Rouge. Mam shares about how the regime uses fear to control the people. They use power and authority to silence the people into unquestioning submission. The strategy to build a new country begins by tearing down the old. Genocide is one such flawed strategy.

Staying Alive Through Faith and Hope

Mam spends four years in prison, and is said to be one of only 200 surviving Christians in the land. Under such dire conditions, where then is hope? With suffering as a given, how can Mam survive it all?

His survival tip? Faith.

Deciding that he can no longer serve two masters, Mam opts for Jesus instead of remaining loyal to the Communist regime. His life is an example of learning to live wisely as serpents, and innocent as doves. Hope is in Christ, Mam reflects. Through the singing of hymns he has learned in the past, he is able to focus on the beauty of heaven instead of the ugliness on the earth he sees. By meditating on the Scriptures in his heart, he learns to trust and worship God, despite the ideologies and flawed thinking amid the persecutors. Through frequent thoughts of heaven, his hope is broadened when he sees the greater reality of the Kingdom, in contrast with the hopeless surroundings he face. Through hope, he sees the permanence of heaven instead of the temporal in Cambodia. Through prayer, he maintains an upbeat disposition by praying for true liberation. Even in moments of hunger, he is able to think of the true Giver of all blessings. Even without the direct fellowship of the estimated 200 followers of Christ then, Mam is able to remain hopeful, not wanting to go back to either the fatalistic Buddhist religion or the emptiness of the Communist ideology.  His obsession with the person of Christ, actually helps him through many hard times, "profiting" from the gospel through trusting.

Conversion

Mam also makes several tough decisions. Mam reflects on how he used to spy for the Communists. As he seeks out the enemy by spying on Americans, he learns instead that it is God who is seeking him out. Mam also shares about his conversion experience. Recalling the evangelistic campaign of Stanley mooneyham, Mam relates how impressed he was about the way the evangelist makes the case for a Creator God, in contrast to the dominant teachings on Darwism in his society. The contrast is also dramatic. Instead of the Buddhist-Communist emphases of hard work to the detriment of self, Christianity is simply accepting Jesus into one's life, freely and lovingly. Buddhism and Communism seem enforced. Christianity is freely given and freely received. Mam relates that one reason why Buddhism is deconstructed in Cambodia is because it is not personal enough. Worse, over four years, Pol Pot's rename country of Kampuchea totally deconstructed the country from inside. The entire culture and society were destroyed. All three "kings" prove helpless in uniting the country. Firstly, the Communists flip flopped between being pro-Vietnam to anti-Vietnam. Secondly, Prince Sihanouk's neutral stance failed to instill any stability. Thirdly, the radical strategies of Pol Pot instead of constructing, actually destroys the whole country. All of these downfalls, only lead Mam to hope more in Jesus, the true Hope of all.

The story of faith during the Killing Fields years is both tragic and heartwarming. Tragic when we see how cruel people can become toward human life. Heartwarming because of the faith of Mam in spite of the evil around him, and how he tries to help others in times of suffering. At the same time, silence is not just golden. It is survival. Mam also survived because of the skills he had. From construction to agriculture, from translation to literary skills, he is able to be useful for his masters. Psalm 23:5 becomes so real to Mam as he lives in the presence of his enemies. By 1978, matters worsen as Cambodia goes to war against Vietnam. This is when the Killing Fields is at its peak. From 10000 believers in 1975, only 200 survived by 1979.

Application for the Modern West

This book reminds us in the comfortable west, that for every complaint or unhappiness we have with life, it is nothing compared to the genocide years. For every freedom of religion and belief we have take for granted, we ought to be ashamed when we fail to cherish them, in the light of other parts of the world where basic rights are simply denied. It speaks of simple faith and trust on the part of Mam. It shows us that faith without suffering is not tested faith at all. Does this mean that we need to go through suffering in order to prove our faith. Not necessary. Yet, this is something that I fear many of us in the West are unwilling to go through, and unable to overcome. Finally, Mam shows us the importance of seeing hope through having a vision of heaven. That end in mind helps cement our hopes in spite of the hopelessness we see around us.

Three things strike me. Firstly, do not take our freedom to believe for granted. Secondly, we need to learn to identify with fellow sufferers in Christ. This means that through books like these, we learn to understand the struggles fellow believers go through. Thirdly, we need to be prepared to be tested in our faith, in both good and bad times. For those of us living in comfort and take our freedom of faith for granted, re-think about our own sense of hope. Let this book remind us again, that even today, there are suffering brothers and sisters out there who are being persecuted for Christ. They are largely unknown and unheard of. We need to let books like this remind us to pray and to fight for justice wherever we can.

Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book is provided to me free by Moody Publishers and NetGalley without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

"Winning Balance" (Shawn Johnson)

TITLE: Winning Balance: What I've Learned So Far about Love, Faith, and Living Your Dreams
AUTHOR: Shawn Johnson
PUBLISHER: Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2012, (258 pages).

There are three big reasons to read this book. Firstly, it gives readers a fascinating insight into the world of gymnastics, the intensity of training, and the disciplined lifestyle needed of every gymnast. From the hard and tough support of world-class coaches, to the soft touch of family and friends, one sees how much the sport takes out of anyone desiring to be a gymnast. There are behind the scenes leading up to the Olympic medal performances. There are details about how tense each gymnast becomes before each crucial event. There are also many insights into the highs and lows of gymnastics training and performances.

Secondly, the book gives readers a warm look into the personal life of "America's sweetheart" of 2008. Johnson writes openly about her younger years as a quiet and reserved little girl, and how her foray into gymnastics develops her as a person. She shares intimate details of her love life, and brief romances with Taylor, and her friendship with good buddies. More importantly, it shows us that behind every medal winning performance, and all the showmanship, there is an ordinary person, just trying to be the best version of herself.

Thirdly, the book is educational. There are many snippets of wisdom gleaned over the years. I am impressed by the level of maturity Johnson has written at. Each chapter begins with a thoughtful quotation, and ends with a "Lessons I've Learned." Interspersed throughout the book are some personal poetry and reflections written by the author first hand. By sharing her life's stories and the lessons learned, readers will find the book very heartwarming and enlightening as well. I believe many readers will learn to appreciate more of what it means to live ordinary lives that are authentic, instead of classy Hollywood styles that appear more cosmetic than realistic. I appreciate the way Johnson compares her life as a gymnast versus her life as a dancer in Dancing with the Stars. Her love for the former spurs her comeback. Unfortunately, a skiing accident forces her to change her original plans. Learning to deal with it is a mark of maturity. Johnson's ability to accept change is a role model for many.

The book is a delightful read and I savour every page. It is also an appropriate read right now, especially when the London 2012 games are going on right this very moment. I learn to appreciate the sweat and hard work put into the practice sessions of each gymnast. Surely, I learned to see that behind every jump, behind every fall, behind each performance, there has been years of solid practice and sacrifice that most of us do not see. There is more work than meets the eye. Put into perspective, we all need to learn about a "winning balance" for our own lives. Life is more than just winning. Life is a combination of acceptance, excellence, and perfection. Knowing which is which at different phases of our lives is wisdom and discernment.


Rating: 5 stars of 5.


conrade

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This book is provided to me free by Tyndale House Publishers and Tyndale Momentum without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

"All is Grace" (Brennan Manning)

TITLE: All Is Grace: A Ragamuffin Memoir
AUTHOR: Brennan Manning
PUBLISHER: Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2011.

This book is the most intimate, painful, honest, and personal autobiography to come from the influential spiritual leader and communicator. Intimate because of the tender details with regards to his childhood, his vocational discernment, and married lives. Painful because of the  traumatic childhood, the difficult bouts of alcoholism, divorce, and the ins and outs of the Church ministry. Honest in terms of the highlights of his achievements and the low moments of his career. He calls himself a "ragamuffin," which he aptly describes in a prayer, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner." He is like a crooked stick which God uses to draw straight lines. He has been a priest and an ex-priest, a married and then divorced, a highly sought after speaker and a suddenly shunned indivisual. At various parts of the book, he shares openly with readers about his constant discerning process.

In between the autobiography, the work is sandwiched by multiple endorsements from Max Lucado, Michael Card, Larry Crabb, and many others, and encouraging letters of affirmation and gratitude from personal friends. Manning has also generously provided personal photographs to share with readers his life, as well as people from the "Notorious Sinners" recovery group.  I like the way he ends his book with a poem, with a title similar to the book's title.

Now there’s no more crowds and no more lights, still all is grace.
Now my eyes are wrapped in endless night, still all is grace.
Now I pace the dark and sleep the day yet I still can hear my Father say— “all is grace.”
It was easy as a younger man To squander in the far off land
Where sin was sin, like black is black.
But older brother sin is white, this doubt that creeps me up at night
— “does Jesus love me still?”
Now I take my meds and hear the game, still all is grace.
Now old friends drop in and bless my name, still all is grace.
Now a prodigal I’ll always be yet still my Father runs to me.
All is grace.

This book is Manning's version of the Parable of the Prodigal Son, with him as the main protagonist.

My Thoughts

A book like this is not easy to write, given the deeply personal contents. Not many people are courageous enough to be open about their down times. Indeed, it takes a person with a certain level of inner security to be open with both the highs and the lows of one's life. The details offered to readers ensure that the sharing is specific, that the words are incarnated with real openness about his weaknesses and strengths. Reading through Manning's struggles with alcoholism teaches us that no one is immune from addictions. It reminds me again that often, the peaks of success are immediately threatened by the valleys of disappointment and distress. What I particularly appreciate is how Manning shares with readers his discernment of God's calling for his life. There are many points of learning. He remembers and reflects actively about how he has been affirmed about his gift of writing, of communicating, of teaching, and of spiritual guidance. Through his failures, he learns about the power of grace. Through his successes, he gains insights about the temptations that lurk behind each high. Above all, he learns about the true power of friendship, and of learning to grow and to recover within the confines of a loving and open community of faith.

If you read this book, be prepared for your heart to be moved.

conrade

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This book is provided to me free by David C. Cook Publishers and NetGalley without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.