"Prophecies of Pale Skin" by D.S. Phillips

A man that I highly respect named Ed Gibson recommended this book to me. Sometime today, Bro. Ed and his family will be at a funeral for their 7-year-old grandson, Stephen, who lost his battle with a cancerous brain tumor this week. Please pray for the Gibson family as their family still struggles with their loss.

Ed Gibson was a missionary in Japan for years, and now he is a promoter of all things "Missions" to churches in America. He always preaches with great passion and conviction - and he usually challenges your preconceived ideas of what God is doing in the work of Missions. With the way the world is rapidly changing, our churches cannot be content to "do missions" the way we've always done it. With voices like Bro. Ed's speaking to the next generation of missionaries and missions-minded churches, I believe we have a chance to turn things around and see a renewed focus in spreading the Gospel around the world. This book illustrates the possibilities of what can happen when we take up the cause of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God.

This book is incredible. The true story it tells is almost unbelievable. I can easily say - and I don't throw statements like this around lightly - that this is one of the best books you will ever read in your lifetime. Now, there were plenty of typos and grammatical problems. It wasn't the most skillfully written book. Some sentences were long and confusing, with dangling participles and such.
But the powerful story will easily make even the most OCD grammar-and-spelling advocates overlook those little issues.

The story centers around two young Christians who fall in love, get married, and then surrender their lives to take the Gospel to the most unreached people group that they can find. Their journey takes them to the most remote parts of Indonesia where they make contact with the Dao people. This tribe of people have a reputation for being fierce and murderous. What will it take for this young couple to learn the language and culture of the people so that they can preach the message of Christ to them? What will the people's response to the Gospel be?

I cannot even tell you much more, because I don't want to give away any of the miraculous things that God did to pave the way for them. Bro. Phillips and his family are missionaries in every sense of the word. I was greatly convicted by this story. If this young family could forsake all modern comforts and their own family to live in the jungle and preach the Gospel, how much more should I be willing to tell my neighbors?

I don't usually promote sales or direct my readers to other websites, but the Kindle edition of this book is only $10 on Amazon. Skip a fast-food meal and buy this book right now.

"Dreams and Visions" by Tom Doyle

I had read a little bit about this subject before starting this book. The subtitle of this book is a question: "Is Jesus Awakening the Muslim World?" And I would have to say, after reading the stories in these pages, that God is surely doing something in the Middle East to bring revival.

Tom Doyle's book is, first of all, written from the heart of a missionary. He has been in these hard-to-reach places, he has talked with most of the people whose stories appear in his book, he has a burden for the Muslim world - in short, he writes this book with love, not just with the bland fact-giving tone of many books with biographical content. And there are many stories to be told, apparently.

Each of the people whose stories are told in the book have reported seeing Jesus in either a dream or vision. They all seem to know who He is immediately upon seeing Him. Sometimes two different people have the same dream, or a Muslim will have a dream where Jesus shows them a building they must find. When they wake up, they find the building and meet the people who live there (Christians, of course, who are able to lead the person to the Lord).

It is impossible to read stories of these Christians in the Middle East without being simultaneously repulsed by the persecution and torture they endure and encouraged by the strength of their faith. In the excellent Appendices in the back of the book, Doyle answers the question easily: "How do you know the dreams and visions are of God?"  He makes two strong statements: Point #1 - No one goes to sleep a Muslim and wakes up a believer in Christ. Without fail, the dreams only point the dreamer to a person who shares the Word of God with them. For some, it only takes a dream or two - others have had many dreams over the span of many months. Some of the dreamers written about in the book have not yet received Christ at the time of the book's printing (and Doyle asks us to pray that they do). It appears that Jesus is not violating the Scripture that says "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God."

Big point #2 - Look at the fruit of the dreams and visions. These dreams produce seekers of Christ, who become disciples of Christ who are willing to die for their faith (a very likely reality for most of them). Not only that, but when they accept Christ they are so deeply changed by Jesus that they cannot help but share the Gospel with others.

The chapters of the book are divided into sections by country: Egypt, Pakistan, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and even Israel and America. I really appreciated how the author gave a brief historical background of the countries and the Muslim groups that have become dominant there. It helps create a clearer picture in my mind of the context of the stories.

Do I believe these dreams and visions are from God? I can honestly say that I hope so. And it certainly appears to be so. I HIGHLY recommend this book.

What is your opinion of this information? Do you believe God would use dreams and visions to reach a group of people that are nearly impossible to reach by conventional methods? PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT OR DROP ME AN EMAIL AND GIVE ME YOUR THOUGHTS!

Also, don't forget the book giveaway list! I have given out 7 or so, but there are plenty more!

I received this book free from the publishers in exchange for my honest review.

"Bill Wallace of China" by Jesse C. Fletcher

Who would God choose to send to the people of Wuchow in China during the Japanese/Chinese leading up to World War II? Would he choose a thundering preacher? Would he choose a mighty theologian who could dismantle the false teachings of communism prevailing in China in the early 1900's? No, none of these.
In wisdom that only belongs to God, Bill Wallace was chosen. He was a quiet, mild-mannered, but highly skilled medical doctor. Bill Wallace was sent to Stout Memorial Hospital, and quickly developed a rapport with the Chinese people that allowed him to minister as an instrument of grace in the hands of the Healer, Jesus Christ. He never married, and he died at the hands of the communists in 1951 - buried in an unmarked grave.
I do not feel it necessary to critique this book on its literary merits. It is not meant to win awards, or paint a glorious picture of a saint. The writing is simple and tells a simple story.
My heart was deeply stirred by reading the story of this selfless man of God from the Southeast United States. The bravery in the face of danger that Bro. Wallace exhibited is extraordinary - shouldn't we all be bold in our witness for Christ? Bold enough to stand up to the sword that threatens to take our life? Bold enough to put the well-being of others before ourselves? Bold enough to stay when others flee?
Taking the Gospel into China has been the desire and calling of many men and women through the centuries, and Bill Wallace - humble as he was - stands tall among them. He succeeded in the most important task in life: that of giving himself completely to the Lord. May we all do the same. "To me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain."
VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!