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posted by Donald on 04/4/12

Our family was thrilled with the instances of God at work during World Wars I and II recounted in the book War and Grace.

One of my favorite chapters was the account of Mitsuo Fuchida whose life was supernaturally spared time after time. Even after advancing to lead the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the Lord did a miraculous work on his heart. He became a born again believer and eventually toured the world to share Christ, along with–believe it or not, Jacob DeShazer–a pilot from among the Doolittle Raiders who swung the revenge attack for Pearl Harbor.

Paul Taylor, an associate of Fuchida during his time in Hamburg, 1961, described him in a letter to the author of the book, saying:

[Mitsuo Fuchida] was serenely without fear. Prisoners would pay careful attention when a man with Fuchida’s credentials stood to speak. He had a charming and friendly disposition . .. the grace of God had so obviously won his heart. . . .  I remember him above all for his passionate love for Christ. He was manifestly devoted to making Jesus Christ known as often as he could, and to whoever would listen.

However the Lord may have brought about our personal testimonies of salvation, may we be just as ready to share the power of the gospel today as the heroes of the past.

2 Comments » | posted in Book Reports, Historical Glimpses

posted by Daniel on 08/22/10

I did not want to write the book. When would I have the time? What would I write about? How would we get it published? We had never done anything of the sort before, and I honestly had a hard time catching the vision. I had always kind of dreamed about being an author some day, but not until I was 80 or 90 or so.

However, my brother Robert had a different opinion. And if you know Robert, he defended his opinion passionately, of course. “Daniel, you should write a book!” he said. “This is a fleeting opportunity you have to encourage future Bible Bee contestants and countless others to develop a love for Scripture.” And the more I thought about it, prayed about it, and discussed it with the rest of the family, the more I was convinced that he was right. It couldn’t do any harm just telling the story of how God taught me the value of His Word through the whole Bible Bee experience. So Robert won. I wrote a book. The vision Robert had back at the very beginning carried me all the way through to completion, until that startling day when I held in my hands for the first time a printed copy of the finished project.

Robert’s vision and the support and encouragement of countless others is truly what turned the book from a dream into a reality. My brother James is responsible for the masterful layout and design of the book, and the rest of the family (especially Donald and Esther) spent hours critiquing every word. Mrs. Rees rendered her professional editing services completely free of charge. Dr. Gothard offered words of rich wisdom and insight. I am also grateful to Barak Lundberg, Mr. Ondrovic, Tony Oliverio, Steve Mugglin, and perhaps most of all my parents, without whom the book never would have been completed. And, to tell you the truth, the only thing I had to write about was what my Heavenly Father did in my life through the Bible Bee. To Him be the ultimate glory!

The book is available on the IBLP Store. We hope to also have it here on our family site in the near future. Enjoy! I hope you have as much fun reading it as I had writing it.

13 Comments » | posted in Book Reports

posted by Robert on 05/3/09

I just couldn’t make myself put it down! The story was entertaining and fun, yet the underlying principles were profound and powerful. I starting reading it to a group of friends. They laughed. They listened. Then they asked me to read another chapter!

To be honest, I don’t have the time to read very much these days. But this book grabbed me. I haven’t finished it yet, but if the rest of the chapters are as good as these first ones, I believe The Noticer by Andy Andrews will be a bestseller. It is based on the true story of Andy’s life and the remarkable transformation that he experienced from being a homeless man sleeping under a bridge to one of the nations’ best known and best-loved communicators.

Take a few minutes and enjoy listening to the first chapter.

The Noticer MP3 (30 min)

Read the first chapter

2 Comments » | posted in Book Reports

posted by James on 01/21/09

“Titus was listening with all his ears, but he said nothing, for he hoped that the man would speak further…. He could have slipped away in the dark easily enough, and was half-minded to do so. Then he reflected that he might learn something more of his mysterious birth and parentage, if he stayed; besides, he had a strong curiosity to see the much-talked-of Barabbas; and underneath all, was an unconfessed desire to share in the exciting events which were soon to follow.”

Thus precedes the poignant climax of Titus: A Comrade of the Cross, by Florence Kingsley, 1894. Set in the historical setting of Christ’s public ministry on earth, this volume follows a fictional character, Titus, the son of a Greek-raised Jew, in his search for truth beyond the paganism of the Greeks and the hypocrisy of the Jews. The storyline is amazingly accurate to the Bible and portions of the book are direct quotes thereof. In some respects, it is a dramatized commentary! The delicate balance between mercy and justice is brilliantly portrayed in it’s heartbreaking apex of which I must say no more, as doing so would defeat the purpose of having salted the oats. If you have read and enjoyed Ben Hur or The Robe, you will certainly enjoy Titus, though it is written much more simply yet no less eloquently.

6 Comments » | posted in Book Reports

posted by Daniel on 10/14/08

Who likes books on theology? Long discourses on religious beliefs always seemed boring and needless to me. However, in Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis takes the ordinary Christian doctrines we are all familiar with and expounds on them in a fascinating and exciting new way. He offers rational explanations for why things are as they are, and proposes Christianity is the only valid answer to life’s questions. The books forces those who are undecided about Christianity to face the facts and either accept Christ or reject Him. But it is also excellent for those who already believe, because it helps them to understand more fully the basic principles of their faith and share them persuasively with others.

Mere Christianity challenged me to take my personal convictions seriously. What do I believe? Why? It also opened my eyes to the effectiveness of using analogies and illustrations to get points across and make them more interesting to others. I especially appreciate how C. S. Lewis used his literary expertise to explain magnificent truths so clearly.

“Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in.”

Author: C. S. Lewis
Publisher: Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc.
Date: 1952
Genre: Theology

7 Comments » | posted in Book Reports