Christian Book Notes

Dear Friend,

We wanted you to know that Parts 4 and 5 of the interview with Elizabeth Catherwood, oldest daughter of Martyn Lloyd-Jones, are now available on Vimeo at the links at the bottom of this eMail.

Please know that we are aware of the difficulties some folks have had in understanding the audio. The recording was done at the Catherwood’s church during an evening service, rather than in a studio, and so it can be tricky to follow in parts (particularly with the accents and the voice speed of the interviewee), but we thought it would be a shame not to put the interview segments out there, particularly as today’s segments cover the Westminster Chapel years (nearly all the Oneplace sermons come from this 30 year period) and Dr. Lloyd-Jones’s “retirement” years (!), when he spent a great deal of time on the formation of ministries that still exist today such as The International Fellowship of Evangelical Students.

Thank you, as always, for your interest in this ministry, and we hope that you will find these interview segments interesting.

Westminster Chapel Years:  http://www.vimeo.com/26906519

Retirement: http://www.vimeo.com/27170901

Dear Friend,

We wanted to let you know that the Martyn Lloyd-Jones Trust in the UK recently recorded a video interview with Elizabeth Catherwood (eldest daughter of Martyn Lloyd-Jones) about the life and times of her father, in order to mark the 30th anniversary of his passing on in into glory. The inteviewer is Julian Hardyman, the minister of Eden Baptist Chapel in Cambridge, England.

Due to the length of the interview, it has been broken into 5 separate segments, each of which will be posted on a weekly basis in July. This first part deals with Dr. Lloyd-Jones’s early life in Wales. We do hope that you find these interview segments to be interesting.

To those who have been able to donate to our ministry, we thank you so much. For those who have not had an opportunity, but would like to help us continue funding this ministry, a link to our donations page is at the bottom left of this eMail (Your GeoTrust secured contribution will be processed by Network for Good). As a reminder, the MLJ Trust is 501 (c) (3) charitable consisting of four Board members who volunteer their time, and no staff. You can learn more about us at www.mljtrust.org.

As always, we only want to be sending these eMails to friends of the ministry who want to receive them, and so if you would prefer not to receive them, simply click on the “unsubscribe” link below and you will be removed from this eMail list.

Thank you again for your interest in the Ministry of Martyn Lloyd-Jones!

Every blessing,

Jonathan
www.mljtrust.org
Donate Today

Post Office Box 113 | Middleburg, VA 20118 US

Christian Book Notes: Please share your testimony of how you came to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Harry Kraus:  I am blessed to have been raised by believing parents. I was convicted of my own sin and need for a Savior at a young age while attending a crusade led by Nicky Cruz, a converted NYC gang member.

CBN:  Could you share a little bit about yourself.

HK:  I married Kris Jantzi after my first year of medical school at Medical College of Virginia. We have three sons. Our two oldest, Joel and Evan, graduated from high school in Kenya and are attending American Universities. My youngest, Sam is in high school and will be returning to finish high school in Kenya as well. I started my first novel while working as a chief resident in general surgery at the University of Kentucky. Since then, I’ve had 12 novels and three works of non-fiction published. My signature in fiction is the ever-present stripe of medical realism. I’ve served as a missionary surgeon in Kenya for four years and am planning to return in the summer for another term with Africa Inland Mission.

CBN:  Could you share how your missionary work in Kenya has impacted both your profession as a surgeon and your life as a child of God?

HK:  I gave up my successful practice in the US to be a missionary in 2003. Although it has meant some financial sacrifice, the rewards are huge. This really changed everything for my family and has influenced my sons in terms of their choice of schools and professions. Getting my sons out of the US to broaden their understanding of the world has been great.  The church in the US tends to be very myopic, only seeing our own needs and not thinking of the desperate world beyond our borders. Living in Africa has helped me think like a global Christian and become a more compassionate physician and Christian.

CBN: Readers here at Christian Book Notes may be more familiar with your non-fiction works like Breathing Grace and The Cure, but, as you shared above, you have written quite a few works of fiction. Could you share a bit more about those works?

HK:  My fiction is contemporary and usually involves an “insider” look at some aspect of medicine (either through the eyes of a doctor, a physician’s spouse, or a patient). My novels are a bit hard to fit neatly in one genre and have elements of suspense, romance, and mystery. I love to get my characters in difficult places with the odds stacked against them…and have them finally recognize their need of grace! For fiction lovers, I’d recommend starting with my novel, Could I Have This Dance?

CBN:  Your first two works of non-fiction were medically based while your third, Domesticated Jesus, is not so much and is definitely more hard-hitting and personal. What led you to write Domesticated Jesus (on your vacation nonetheless!)?

HK:  Domesticated Jesus really grew out of my own personal growth and conviction that my walk didn’t live up to what I claimed to believe. Seriously, think about this: if Jesus really created the universe, we should be overwhelmed with the awesomeness of being in relationship with him, yet most of the time, Christians slink around acting as if the God they serve is weak and small. How can so many worries and small circumstances continue to occupy us when Jesus has promised his presence with us?

CBN:  It seems to me that Domesticated Jesus was written for a primarily American audience. Is this a safe assessment and if so, what were you hoping to accomplish with the writing of this book?

HK:  I write predominantly for the US church, but in honesty, the domestication of Christ isn’t a US phenomena. I’ve lived abroad in Africa and the Christians there are facing the same tendency to imagine a small, controllable Savior who is comfortable sitting quietly while Christians stay in the driver’s seat.

CBN:  You were very open and honest about your own domestication of our Lord and Savior. First, thank you for being so honest–it is refreshing. Second, were there any hesitations to being so honest?

HK:  Opening up is scary, but necessary if we are going to grow. The world doesn’t need any more pious Christians. What the world needs is transparency, the ability for leaders to say, “I’m struggling with this.”

CBN:  Thank you for your time, Dr. Kraus. How can we be praying for you, your family, and your ministry?

HK:  We are moving back to Kenya for another three-year term in the summer 2011. Transitions are difficult. Could you pray for an easy transition and that we will rely on the powerful Savior instead of our own ability?

In case you have not noticed this week, most of the reviews featured each day have been from books published by Granted Ministries Press. This is for a couple of reasons. First, Granted Ministries has teamed up as a sponsor here at Christian Book Notes. What this means for you the reader is that you will be alerted to awesome deals and ministry updates from Granted Ministries. Second, Granted Ministries has just released a special hardback edition of Martyn Lloyd-Jones’ classic work, Spiritual Depression (review will be published tomorrow).

In addition to the reviews of three resources available from Granted Ministries, Chad Thompson, the director of the ministry, stopped by for an interview. Read below and be sure to check out Granted Ministries for book recommendations and ministry resources like sermons, articles, and videos pertinent to the life of the church today.

Christian Book Notes (CBN): Could you share your testimony of how you came to know Christ as Lord and Savior?

Chad Thompson (CT): Though raised in a church-going family, and by good parents, I never knew the Lord and suffered for this need. I was generally a very poor excuse for a brother, a very disobedient and angry son, and a continual liar until the Lord began a very powerful work in my life during my mid-teenage years. God began to make me feel the weight of truth as I read the Bible. What was formerly a rare and merely curious interest in the Bible became something of an obsession. I don’t know that I was converted at this time, but I was certainly regularly amazed at the grandeur of God’s word. I was convinced the Bible was His book and that I must conform my life to it. I also knew that I loved the Bible and was thrilled by its contents.

I did not really have assurance for another two years, and probably could not have answered any probing questions about my faith in Christ on a personal level. I think gaining assurance may have been a bit of a process for me because I grew up in a church where the gospel was rarely faithfully preached. Certainly it was preached, and there were many Christians around, but generally it was not clearly taught from the Scriptures, and its main themes were typically only superficially handled (of course I did not know that then).

This left many with a superficial understanding of the nature of salvation, faith, and the Christian life. But enough gospel was around that when I was converted I anticipated greater fellowship with many I knew in the church, and not controversy, and for that I am thankful. The sins I mentioned before which held such sway in my life began to really change, though gradually. Lying was the area of the most dramatic change. But as a sibling, I did not really learn to be a faithful brother until it was almost too late (about a two-year process). My relationship with my parents was greatly helped by my conversion, and I have no doubt the Lord diverted disaster there when he saved me from my self and my devices.

CBN: Could you share more about your self (ministry, family, etc.)?

CT: Sure. I married my high school sweetheart after a five-year relationship and a two-year engagement (a length of engagement I would not generally advise). This summer will be our ten-year anniversary. We have two children, Jonas (3), and Salena (1); the Lord willing we will have another in the first part of December. I work full time with UPS as a delivery driver, though I am almost always able to take a day off per week, sometimes more. They have been very flexible for me, and really pretty ideal for a bi-vocational pastor of a small church. My primary ministry outside the home is in our church, Christ Fellowship of Hannibal.

CBN: You are involved in Granted Ministries as the director–could you explain your role in this ministry as well as what the goal of the ministry is?

CT: Yes, I am the director at Granted Ministries. That means I generally set the direction for the ministry and make the final decisions. But even that description sounds a bit too formal and authoritarian for what actually goes on. The work really is a cooperative effort by several brothers in our church, together with a few helpers in other places who help us to stay abreast of good material.

The most important thing at Granted Ministries is to serve the Lord by genuinely helping His church. We want to be a true help to every saint who comes into contact with our ministry. We aren’t out to make a profit, and are aggressive in our efforts to price materials as a service to the saints. We don’t always have the best prices, but since we are not concerned with paying salaries, and since we only sell the books we strongly believe in, we seem to be able to price books in a way that stretches the dollars of the saints. This matters because God has not blessed American Christians with wealth so that we can swim neck deep in expensive resources while missionaries laboring in the third world go without vital support, or while our neighbors sit in darkness. We see our prices as accomplishing two things: (1) providing a way to help the church in the West to be more focused on the essentials of Christian life and effort, and (2) making Granted Ministries a channel of truth, rather than a profiteer in its distribution.

CBN:  What is the goal of Granted Ministries?

The goal of our ministry is to be a service to the church by making the very best material available in one place. We just recently shifted to this focus in our ministry (see below). We aren’t trying to be a Monergism.com or a Sermon Index. Those resource websites are great, and they have a big and important role to play. But while visiting those sites, even with their helpful organization, we just sort of felt like we were lost at sea. It seemed to us that the average saint would be better served by being pointed to only the most helpful four or five items on a particular subject, together with helpful information about those materials, rather than wading through 600 articles and sermons on justification, or sorting through every new book that comes off the presses.

Therefore, this ministry is very much a work in progress. We just recently changed over our website to a new design and functionality. This was a major overhaul for a bunch of amateurs to pull off, but it works pretty well. There are still a few features yet to come but we are basically there. At this point we are really trying to catch up on our reviews with all of the new resources we have added to the website. Once these initial few months get past us all, each resource on the website will have a review and explanation as to why we are recommending it. If you were to go to the website now you would see some categories that are nearly empty–they won’t stay that way long. We have lots of resources we want to add, and it may take some time to get them all up online.

One other aspect of our ministry has been to highlight certain men and resources which we have found extremely helpful, but which are relatively unknown. When we first began, this is all we did. But as we have grown, and as the ministries of those men have widened in influence and recognition, we have sensed a pull in another direction (hence the new website effort). The other two aspects of our ministry are CD and music distribution, as well as book publishing. I suppose every publisher is proud of the books they publish, but I really cannot say enough about how solid these books are, and how much of a service they have been to the saints.

CBN: That publishing arm at Granted Ministries has published titles by Charles Leiter and Paul Washer as well as some introductory biographies and compilation of works of George Muller and Frances Ridley Havergal. Are there any more books planned in the near future?

CT: Charles Leiter’s Justification and Regeneration should still be read in a hundred years, it is just that good. Paul Washer’s books really got us started in the publishing business. In fact, HeartCry paid for the initial printing of his book, The One True God. At this point, strategic needs at HeartCry have moved the handling of his books back to that organization. We continue to have a working relationship with HeartCry and want to further their efforts however we can.

The two little booklets on Muller and Havergal are part of a series called “Valuable Selections.” Both of those booklets were largely put together by other people, and then handed over to us to publish. Both of these books are pure gold. Did I mention I was proud of the books we have published?

There are other books we have done as well, and they are all very good. Pilgrim of the Heavenly Way is a nearly apostolic missionary biography, very encouraging. Also, Pamela Bugden, connected with Banner of Truth, wrote a book on Frances Ridley Havergal titled, Ever, only, ALL for Thee that is first rate. But since you’re asking about future books, let me hurry on.

For almost two years now we have been working with Conrad Mbewe of Zambia, putting a book together on the church. The Lord willing we should have the book out this summer, Foundations for the Flock: Truths About the Church for all the Saints. Fred Malone was kind enough to write the foreword for the book, and all I can say about Mbewe’s book is “wow, what a helpful volume.” Dr. Malone said it ought to serve as a textbook for pastors and seminary students. I think he is right.

Another book for this year is a combined volume by D.M. M’Intyre. Christian Focus has published a book titled, The Hidden Life of Prayer and it is phenomenal, a real classic. But he also wrote a book, of equal value, titled The Prayer Life of Our Lord, and we intend to publish those books as one volume. Also, I just received the manuscript for a new book by Charles Leiter in which he tries to faithfully, practically, and helpfully deal with some very controversial and misunderstood doctrines, just as he did in his earlier book on justification and regeneration. We are eager for this book to come out as Charles has a real ability to untie the passages that are so often knotted-up by debating theologians.

CBN: You just recently published a hard back edition of Martyn Lloyd-Jones’ Spiritual Depression. This is a classic work and a must read for all believers, what makes this hard back edition any different from say the paper back edition?

CT: Well, this is a book that is one of the most marked-up in my library. Like you said, it is an absolute classic. But the book was not available as a hardback anywhere in the world. So once we secured the rights for the book, we sought to bring out a very special edition. This edition has two extra features. The first is a biographical foreword by Geoffrey Thomas of Wales, who knew Lloyd-Jones personally. His warm introduction is a real benefit for the book, and will help anyone unfamiliar with MLJ to know more about the man who so ably wrote about spiritual depression. But the second extra feature is the one which really ought to get people excited. Courtesy of the MLJ Recordings Trust (which handles all of his audio recordings), we are including an MP3 disc of the 24 sermons that eventually led to the book. This is a real value as Lloyd-Jones is often regarded as the greatest preacher of the twentieth century. And even better, the book is available for less than $25. But if you live in the U.S. you have to buy it on our website, or the MLJ-USA website, due to contractual limitations.

CBN: How can we support Granted Ministries?

CT: Granted Ministries operates on a shoe-string budget. We have never had extra money for projects, and have progressed rather slowly out of the gate. If anyone truly believes in this sort of ministry, donations would be a tremendous help. There is a link in our footer for that. Also, we do accept donations for funding our what-you-can-afford policy, which is a real ministry to the unfortunate believers here in the U.S. Another way to support our work is to make suggestions for resources. We are always looking for better and more quality resources to make available. More than anything, however, we need your prayers. Pray that we would grow in prayer, holiness, the knowledge of God, and love. If we continue to grow in those areas then God will be honored in what we do.

CBN: More specifically, how can we pray for Granted Ministries?

CT: The greatest need for prayer concerning our ministry is that everyone involved in it would continue to grow in Christ-likeness and holiness, and that our hearts would continue to grow in our affections for Jesus. Second to that, we need your prayers that every man involved in the ministry would faithfully put his family ahead of any needs in this ministry, and that he would carefully tend to the needs in his family as a priest in the home. The Lord wills us to keep from that sort of regret in His service. Last, that the Lord would continue to lead us plainly so long as we can be of service to Him, and that if the time comes for us to shut it down, that we will have the heart to let it go. These sorts of ministries can really become idols if we are not careful.

Author Amanda Washington (Rescuing Liberty and Chronicles of the Broken) stopped by recently for a chat.  I have personally enjoyed her fiction and getting to know her through facebook.

Christian Book Notes (CBN): Share your testimony of how you came to know Jesus as Lord and Savior. I’ve attended church for as long as I can remember. One of my mom’s friends used to take my sisters and I. We would go and pray for our mom, and then few years later she was in church praying for us. Funny how it works out that way sometimes.

Amanda Washington: My parents’ divorce was final shortly after I was born. “Daddy” was a hole in my chest that couldn’t be filled by occasional phone calls and birthday presents. My mother remarried, but my relationship with my stepfather was far from friendly. Like many teens, I lived in my room and would have done anything to escape.

Through it all I loved Jesus, though. God was always a presence in the back of my mind, and no matter how hard I tried to get away from that still, small voice, it was always there. I was a good girl. Not a saint by any means, but a good girl. I was active in the church, invited all my friends to youth group and generally wanted to save the world. Then one day I met a guy who knew all the right things to say and do. He was broken and messed up, like so many of my other “causes.” I thought I could save him. He thought he could drown me. It turns out that I wasn’t nearly as strong of a swimmer as I thought I was.

As a tomboy, I’d always been independent, strong, intelligent and I thought my faith was unshakable. In reality, I was naïve, prideful and deluded. I allowed myself to be put in a situation that I couldn’t control. I failed. And then, I shattered. Threats were made and I was afraid to tell my mom or any other adults. I began drinking and getting high to ease the pain, but nothing worked. I should have been smarter. Or stronger. Or better. But I wasn’t.

I got pregnant with my oldest son when I was 16, and he probably saved my life. No matter how far I’d fallen, I knew his life was precious and I had to protect it. I quit drinking and doing drugs. My little boy was born and I married his father. We had another child. But we were young and stupid, and I was still very broken. We divorced, and I went from relationship to relationship, trying to find something I couldn’t quite identify. The minute relationships started to get serious, I ran away, knowing I couldn’t afford to be shattered again.

Then I met Meltarrus Augustus Washington – the man who was too stubborn for me to ditch when things got serious. We started dating and did something neither of us had done in a very long time … we went to church. It was one of the churches I’d stayed in as a teen when we were traveling through Portland. The pastor (who looked like he could be my husband’s brother) called Mel out the first time we were there. He told Mel that Mel was there to help him. Mel told the pastor he was crazy. But even so, we went back. Again and again and again. And God started mending me.

A couple years later life happened, we stopped going to church, developed our “excuse-making” skills, and fell off the God-grid. Or so I thought. Then came a series of crazy nightmares my sister-in-law encouraged me to write down. Before I knew it, I was editing my first book – Rescuing Liberty – with tears running down my face as my character Connor – an independent special forces guy who could handle anything – found himself out of options. As he finally came to the realization that there was nothing he could do and cried out to God for help, I realized I was doing the same thing. With that revelation, it was like the wound inside me cauterized. I hadn’t even been aware that I was bleeding. But I was … bleeding to death and God knew it.

The next thing I knew I was writing a letter to my dad, asking for forgiveness for expecting him to be someone he wasn’t. I told him I loved him and I forgave him and begged him to do the same. He called me. “Your letter was an answer to my prayers,” he said. It turns out that my father had accepted Jesus into his life and had been praying for me. Then he said something I’ll never forget … “I love you and I’m proud of you.”

I never knew I needed to hear those words until he said them. Like Neosporin on my soul, they sped up the healing and kept out infections. So now … now I’m trying to give back to a God who’s rebuilt the bridges that I blow torched because He knew exactly what I needed and only He could provide it.

CBN:  Tell us a little more about yourself.

Amanda Washington:  I’m married to the most amazing man in the world – Meltarrus Washington. We have 5 boys and the only other female in the house is our dog Shyah who thinks she’s a human child.

CBN:  I have really enjoyed your writing style, could you explain your inspiration for this style? I mean, who had great influence on you as an author.

Amanda Washington:  I read quite a bit. I never planned on being a writer, but I’ve always loved to read—mystery, sci-fi, fantasy, true life, young adult, comedy, chick lit, everything except romance or horror. I can’t say that I have any authors who have really influenced me, though. I like many authors for many different reasons. My taste is very eclectic.

CBN:  You have described your writing as not being “too preachy.” Could you elaborate on what you mean by “preachy?”

Amanda Washington:  I have a lot of friends who are not Christians because of the Christians they’ve met—people who forget that we’re all just fallible humans, each every bit as important as the next. Sometimes we forget that it’s not about us or how wonderful we are since we’re saved. It’s about love and grace. Jesus went to the broken and damaged and loved them where they were without condemning or judging them. He fought like crazy with the holier-than-thou Pharisees and he came for the sick and dying. I think the world is tired of having Christians preach at them. I think it’s high time we showed them love by our actions instead of condemning them with our words. So I try to show God’s amazing love through the lives of my characters instead of preaching to people who have no reason at all to listen to me.

CBN:  Why is that important to you as you develop your characters and story-line?

Amanda Washington:  I think I answered this above. Basically as a writer you learn to show and not tell as much as possible. I try to implement that same practice in less than perfect characters and their difficult situations. I’m praying that when people see how God helps these characters they’ll understand that no one is beyond His reach.

CBN:  If you could tell a young man or woman one thing, what would it be? How does that play out in your novels?

Amanda Washington:  I would tell them that no matter what they’ve done or where they’ve been, Jesus died for them. He doesn’t expect them to be perfect or an honor student or a star athlete. He died for them because they are every bit as important as everyone else on this planet – not a smidgeon more, not a smidgeon less. The teens in my novels are learning that, and for some of them, it’s a very hard reality to grasp. People tend to let human perception determine how we believe God sees us, and the teens in my books are struggling with the concept of grace and love in the same way that so many other teens and adults do.

CBN:  How can we be praying for you?

Amanda Washington:  I’d appreciate your prayers that the books of this series find their way into the hands of those teens who need them the most. Please also pray that they find comfort—and not condemnation—in the stories and it leads them to the only one who can bind their wounds and heal their hearts.

Dr. Michael Haykin, fast becoming one of my favorite authors, took time out of his schedule to answer some questions for an interview.  I have reviewed a few of his books here and have been blessed by the reading of all of them.  He is also a co-editor, along with Joel Beeke, of the series, Profiles in Reformed Spirituality. I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did.

CBN:  Could you please share your testimony of how you came to know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? See attachment of my testimony.

*Editor’s Note* What he offered was an 11-page testimony.  I asked him if he had ever published and he said that he had not…until now.  You can find it directly by clicking on the Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist History link.  Trust me, it is worth the read. Here is a snippet of his testimony:

I, who had once been a Marxist, and so committed to bringing fear and violence into the lives of innocent people, was myself brought by God face to face with fear—the fear of my own death—and so shown the inadequacy of the Marxist view of life: it has no answer to the problem of death. But Christianity does: God has raised Jesus from the dead, and so provided a way of deliverance for those, including myself, “who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage.” (Hebrews 2:14-15)

CBN: Could you share a little more information about your ministry?

Dr. Michael Haykin (MH): I am employed full time as professor of Church History and Biblical Spirituality at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, where I teach courses at the MDiv level in church history survey and specialized courses in the Ancient Church and Andrew Fuller. At the PhD level I do seminars on the Church Fathers as well as Patristic Greek and Patristic Latin. I am an inveterate writer, so writing is a major part of my life. I do academic writing (articles on the Fathers, just finished one on Irenaeus for example; then have one to do on Jonathan Edwards’ impact on the Baptists in the 18th and 19h centuries), popular writing (for a variety of journals including The Gospel Witness and The Banner of Truth), and then also I am writing books. I lecture at SBTS, but also at Toronto Baptist Seminary, at a French Baptist seminary in Montreal, and also for Irish Baptist College in Ireland.

CBN: You have written much on the Patristics as well as the Reformed Spirituality of the Puritans. What led you to study and write on these giants of the faith. (I will add some books and “spruce” this question up in the final edit.)

MH: God has called me to one of his “remembrancers,” as the Puritans quaintly put it. In other words, I have been called to be an historian. And as I studied the past I have come to see that the major ways God works in history is through people: not ideas and institutions, but people. I detail this more in my recently released title from Crossway Books, Rediscovering the Church Fathers.

CBN: Of all the books you have written, which one has had the most impact on your walk with Christ? Why?

MH: One heart and One Soul. It showed me that beyond any shadow of a doubt that when God does a great work in history he does it through friends. I had done a PhD on 4th century pneumatology, but looking back I see One heart and one soul as my doctoral initiation into the world of 18th century English Baptist life and culture.

CBN: You and Dr. Donald S. Whitney oversee the new doctoral programs in Biblical Spirituality. Could you explain the significance of this program especially in the context of spirituality in the world today?

MH: This is a vital program within Christianity for spirituality is one of the key buzz words in the world today and the church. But much of what passes for spirituality in the church is not rooted and grounded in a spirituality of the Word. Hence, we are seeing the development of all kinds of aberrant pieties. Thus the need for a solid course of study in biblical spirituality.

CBN: What can we expect in the future from your pen?

MH: I am currently working on a couple of books on Andrew Fuller. Also, I am looking to write a biography of Patrick and possibly one on Irenaeus.  Finally, I am overseeing a team of editors working on the critical edition of the works of Andrew Fuller.

CBN: How can we pray for you and your ministry?

MH: That I would be true to my Lord Jesus. That I would be the best husband and father I can be. That I would fulfill my calling as one of the Lord’s remembrancers.

I recently reviewed The Walk by Randy Motz and Georgia Harris. I was pleasantly surprised with the book and even admitted to my personal concern regarding there use of Native American quotes and such. I quickly learned that this was not a concern. Randy has said, “The references to Native American wisdom in “The Walk” do not promote the mystical components of Native American culture but are included solely to demonstrate connection with Creation, and the Creator, that are an inherent part of Native American life.” After reading this interview, you can purchase the book from Amazon, direct from the publisher, or direct from the authors (this is ideal for churches and non-profit groups).  To do this simply email them at qualtech.resource@verizon.net.

CBN) Please share your testimony of how you came to know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

GEORGIA:

I enjoyed attending several Baptist churches when I was very young in Wheaton, IL and Burnsville, MN. I went to Sunday school and Vacation Bible School. We stopped going to church as I got older, but while in High School in Minnesota, a couple of friends invited me to attend church with them; one was an Assembly of God church and the other a Christian and Missionary Alliance (CMA) church. When I was 18 years old and a senior in High School, attending the CMA church with my friend, I made the decision to accept Jesus as my Savior. I was baptized at that church on Easter Sunday in 1977. I began reading my Bible and made some changes in my life.

Then I went to college, got married (the first time), moved to California and back to Minnesota, got divorced and remarried, moved to Maryland and got divorced again. I really wandered on my own path for quite a number of years, until 1992 when I once again got married – to Randy Motz.

In 1993, during the first year of our marriage, we began going to church again. This time to a Community church that was affiliated with the Evangelical Free church. We worked through a lot of turmoil in the early years, struggling to work on blending our family of four children, and to eliminate a lot of baggage since both of us had now been married twice before. It was during this time that we both made a commitment that divorce was not an option. I also realized that accepting Jesus as my Savior was only part of His plan for my life. I realized that my life is not really my own and that I needed to give up ownership and accept Jesus as Lord over my life.

RANDY:

I grew up in New Jersey and from the time I was born, attended a Church of the Brethren with my family, well my mom and sister anyway. My dad came to know Christ and accept Him many years later. I rarely missed a Sunday and every summer would ride my bike five miles to attend VBS with my friends. I was baptized when I was eight or ten years old. But, as happens with many teenagers, I drifted away from the church when high school and college activities, social events and the “opposite sex” seemed more important. Moreover, Christ did not seem very relevant.

It was not until 1985, during an extremely emotional period where I was on the verge of a tumultuous divorce and would become a single dad with three children to take care of, that I began to suffer serious dizzy spells. During this time, with the insistence of several Christian friends, I returned to the church and joined a small group that was instrumental in helping me get through this time of crisis. However, the dizzy spells persisted and became so bad that I eventually ended up in the hospital. Despite a battery of tests, including a spinal tap, the doctors were at a loss as to what the problem was. A week later, I was sent home without a diagnosis and without any medication. Four days later the hospital notified me that I was suffering from Viral Encephalitis of the brain, which I was told, has an 80% mortality rate. At that moment, God became very real to me again. Realizing I had been spared death so I could care for my children, I rededicated my life and was baptized again.

As I was growing up, I developed quite an independent streak and was very self-reliant in most areas of my life. I suppose this independent streak was what caused me to move God to a secondary role in my life, yet again. I did continue to attend church, but it was more out of habit then dedication to my faith.

Then came 1995; I had already divorced, and was remarried to my current (and last) wife, Georgia, and had overcome a four-year battle with depression. I quit a very stressful job, Georgia was on furlough from her job with the federal government and we were struggling both emotionally and financially to blend our families.

It was then that we decided that it was time to quit trying to do everything on our own. We had been attending a wonderful start-up church near our home and decided to become fully involved in the life of this church. Wanting to show God that I was thankful for all He had done to get Georgia and I through such a rough period, I re-dedicated my life to Him for the final time.

It has been a spiritual journey with many detours, most of my own doing. I finally realized that God had extended me a tremendous amount of grace over the years, considering how many times I kept trying to take back my life so I could pursue my own plans. I owed it to Him now to do whatever he asked me to do.

CBN) I have gathered that you are both eclectic in all that you do and have done.  Could you share with us all the talents God has given you?

GEORGIA:

We now attend a non-denominational community church. Over our years together in church, we have been a part of several marriage small groups and have regularly led the groups. I know that if it were not for God’s involvement in our marriage, we would probably have failed this time around as well.

I have held several leadership roles over the years and enjoy contributing my gifts and skills to growing the church. I also have a passion for helping people get involved in ministry. I felt that I wasted a lot of time in my life not serving and want to help others identify their Spiritual Gifts, passion, abilities, personality, and experiences – in how God has shaped them for service so that they can serve in a way that makes the greatest impact for the Kingdom.

I have a Masters Degree in Technical Management and am a physical scientist with the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, Maryland. In my position in the Division of Weights and Measures, I am responsible for overseeing the metrology laboratories located in the United States and I train the metrologists in these state laboratories, as well as those in private industry and in the Department of Defense. My job of assuring the measurement standardization of mass, length, volume and temperature have taken me to every state in the United States, as well as Puerto Rico, South Africa, Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom.

RANDY:

I guess you could say I am a bit of a renaissance man. I have been an ASTM-certified heli-arc welder, a solar sunspace designer, carpenter, and the general manager, and part owner, of one of the largest weighing equipment distributors in the U.S. For eight years, I was a producer and marketing representative for Gospel and Contemporary Christian Artists at a large Washington, D.C. recording studio, from which I have several production credits.

In 1995, I started my own home-based company, The Qualtech Resource Group, Inc., which “provides quality creative media and technical expertise to EDUCATE, ENTERTAIN AND INSPIRE.” From this company grew Windtalker Music, a music production company, which allowed me to release, “Windtalker – Native SoundScapes,” a CD of my own Native American flute music. In my spare time, I give Native American flute performances, do live sound production work for Christian concerts, corporate, and civic events, as well as acting as Supervisor of Activities for the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club.

As for ministry work, over the years I have served as a men’s ministry director, head of a church sound team, worship team bassist and vocalist, a worship leader and over the last year and a half, have led a marriage-focused small group with my wife.

We have four grown children, who are scattered all around the U.S. and pursuing their own unique careers. Our pride and joy is our one-year old granddaughter, Addison, who lives in Denver.

CBN) You have written a book discussing your time hiking the Appalachian Trail. With so many people hiking the full length of the trail, what was so different about your experience?

GEORGIA:

There have really only been a little over 11,000 people who have hiked the full length of the Appalachian Trail. Quite a few hikers have published their accounts of hiking the trail. Some are historical books. Some are humorous. Some reflect a chronology of daily life on the trail. There are a number of these books that allude to the spiritual aspects of a hike on the A.T., but very few (maybe only 1 or 2 others), solely focus on a Christian walk of faith.

A number of hikers set out to raise funds for various projects and organizations – such as Habitat for Humanity or Cancer societies. We talked about making a difference with our hike and never really felt “right” about how we could best make a difference. However, while on the trail, we began talking about how the trail was like a walk of faith and actually began the outline for talks or a book while reflecting on this. We both enjoy public speaking and sharing our experiences with others. Therefore, our initial effort after finishing the trail was to share our experience of hiking, joys of hiking together, care and feeding of long-distance hikers, and the spiritual aspects through our talks. Our talks evolved from there to the latest book.

RANDY:

What also made our experience different, aside from the spiritual aspects, was that we did it as married couple. A very small percentage of people who complete a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail do it as a married couple. The unique obstacles and rewards of taking on such a challenge together have helped us with the perspectives we bring to our marriage groups at church. We use our experiences on the trail to illustrate situations in real life in a totally different and relevant way. In fact, our first book, “Solemates – Lessons on Life, Love & Marriage from the Appalachian Trail,” tells of our adventure from the perspective of a married couple.

CBN) What most impacted your life (spiritually and emotionally) while on the trail?

GEORGIA

What most impacted my life while on the trail was the interactions with other people. We expected solitude. As introverts, we hoped for solitude. Yet, the interactions with my parents, who were providing trail support for us – completely changed how we have interacted since and have enriched our lives and relationships immeasurably. The interactions with people along the trail gave me hope in the kindness of people – many of whom shared their kindness as an expression of their faith.

RANDY

I would have to agree with Georgia. It is said that, “People are the Trail.” Now having experienced such rewarding relationships with the many people we trudged from Georgia to Maine with each day, I am now more open to developing relationships in my “off trail” life.

The other major impact was the “simplicity” of the life we were leading. Everything we needed to survive we carried on our backs. When we arrived home after completing our adventure, we immediately began to clean house and got rid of “stuff” that was of no real use or value and was just taking up space and collecting dust. We are still working on this to this day.

There was also the freedom from cell phones, PDA’s, televisions, computers, newspapers and magazines. Not being barraged with chatter from all of these made our days very stress free, which allowed us to take in what was really important; the presence of God in His creation all around us.

CBN) What piece of advice would you give to someone seeking a “spiritual awakening” in the wilderness?

GEORGIA

Hearing what God would say to us requires us to be still. Advice? Be still. Be open to listening and feeling. Be patient – change won’t happen overnight or in a few days or weeks. The extended quiet without distractions helps to quiet the mind.

RANDY

As you walk along, attempt to really SEE what you are looking at. Second, leave all the stress of life behind you when you hike into the wilderness. With your mind and heart free, you are not only able to SEE what you are looking at, but you can FEEL it as well. When you truly SEE and FEEL what is around you, you cannot help but sense God’s presence and hear His gentle whisper in your ear.

We met hundreds of hikers on A.T. in 2006, and though most did not necessarily come to the trail to “find God,” I do believe that most experienced something spiritual, whether that is what they came to the trail for or not. It is almost impossible to stand on the top of a mountain, look down at the clouds below you with the morning sun reflecting off them, and not be overwhelmed with the majesty of it all. When you finally make it to Maine and stand at the summit of Mt. Katahdin, it is difficult to not feel insignificant and begin to believe that there might just be something bigger than yourself.

CBN) Looking back on your time on the trail, what would you do over again? Do you have any regrets?

GEORGIA

Yes – I would do it again. Regrets? If we hike it again, I expect that we will be more vocal about sharing our faith.

RANDY

We are considering doing the A.T. again in 2016, to celebrate our 10th anniversary of completing it the first time.
My only regret is that we did not do it earlier, when we were both a bit younger. However, there is an upside to doing it at our ages; we can inspire other “boomers” to pursue their dreams just as we did.

CBN) Why should someone read “The Walk – Reflections on Life & Faith from the Appalachian Trail?”

GEORGIA

I have read several journals by thru-hikers over the years and many of them hint at the spiritual aspects of their hike. Many are thankful for God blessing them in many ways to accomplish their hikes. However, I think we have captured the essence of the spiritual aspects in one place, in one way, that will help clarify, solidify, and communicate the spiritual aspects of the experience.

For others who found the trail to be a life changing experience, or for those looking for a life changing experience, there is a message here that once they read it, they will say “yes, that’s it exactly,” even if they didn’t become aware of it at the time of their hike or know what they were looking for.

RANDY

Following the teachings of Christ can often be a daunting task, and for many, attempting to understand how those teachings apply to our 21st century lives can be unclear or confusing. Our goal with this book is to make those teachings less confusing by putting them in a context that is relevant and easy to understand.

Even if one is not an avid hiker, everyone has experienced the sheer freedom of being outdoors. In addition, virtually everyone can relate to having been somewhere in their life where they experienced the awe and majesty of nature.

What we have done, is taken our six-month adventure in the wilderness and used it as a palette from which to paint pictures of what a “walk of faith” means in our everyday lives. The devotionals and prayers at the end of each chapter, focus on the heart of each chapter, giving the reader an opportunity to reflect on his/her Christian walk in a totally new and refreshing way.

Moreover, our trail stories are sort of modern-day parables; stories that anyone can relate to. They can be used to reach out to the un-churched, or spiritually curious, in a non-threatening and entertaining way. “The Walk” can also be used as the foundational text for a study in Christian living.

Starr Meade stopped by this week to discuss the many children’s books she has written.  You can read reviews on a few of them here.  Enjoy this interview.

Christian Book Notes (CBN):  Please share your testimony of how you came to know Jesus as Lord and Savior

Starr Meade (SM):  I grew up in a Southern Baptist church and I don’t remember a time when I didn’t know that being right with God required faith in Jesus Christ and what he accomplished through the cross. I asked to be baptized when I was around 9 years old. When I was just entering my teens, my parents divorced and I went through a time of bitterness and of questioning the truth of Christianity. God, in his providence, moved my father and me into the neighborhood of a Christian family who took me in. I spent most of my time with them, doing whatever they were doing: eating, working, having fun with their teenage kids—and going to their church. At their church, I met other loving Christians who also reached out to me. That meant everything to me, because I lived alone with a father whom I almost never saw, and I was very lonely. I learned to appreciate something of the infinite love of God for me through the love of these ordinary Christians in my teen years.

(CBN):  Please share some more about yourself and your ministry. (This is more an informational, get to know you question. I usually change the question depending on the answer given.)

(SM):  Most of my adult life, I’ve been involved in teaching children or teens and in writing as ministries. I began teaching Sunday School when I was 16. Once my own three children were in school, I served as Director of Children’s Ministries in our church for 10 years. Part of what I did there was to write curriculum for our children’s programs and devotionals for our families to use at home. (Several of my books are those devotionals rewritten.) When I stepped away from that position, I began teaching Bible and beginning Latin at the Christian school the church had. I taught in the school for eight years, and then began teaching home school students at my house. I teach history and literature classes for junior high and high school students, and one Latin class for younger children. I still teach Sunday School with my husband—probably will all my life! Working from home gives me more time to work on my writing.

(CBN):  I was first introduced to your writing ministry through your book Keeping Holiday. In my review, I said that it was Pilgrim’s Progress meets Chronicles of Narnia. What was your inspiration for that particular book?

(SM):  Those are very kind words!! Keeping Holiday was one of those Advent devotionals for my church, rewritten. The inspiration came from my love of the Old Testament prophets and my love of Christmas as the celebration of what those prophets promised. The coming of Christ into the world makes such a tremendous difference that the biblical writers use all kinds of strong metaphors to describe it: light instead of darkness, life instead of death, fruitfulness instead of barrenness, joy instead of sorrow. I had researched many of the symbols used at Christmastime and learned how they pictured those very concepts—and out of that came an Advent devotional which turned into a children’s book.

(CBN):  You wrote a Family Bible Story Book entitled Mighty Acts of God. What prompted you to add to the growing list of quality children’s and family Bible story books?

(SM):  I was asked to do it by the book packager and publisher. I wondered myself at the time: Do we need another Bible story book? As we discussed the idea, though, I could see the value of a book that (1) demonstrated the overall story of the Bible instead of telling stories as isolated incidents, (2) focused on the character and actions of God in each story, rather than on the human characters, and (3) explained doctrinal concepts that are apparent in each story.

(CBN):  After publishing Mighty Acts of God, you started on a series entitled God’s Mighty Acts… What is the purpose of that series? Does it build on the stories found in Mights Acts of God?

(SM):  The same book packager suggested follow-up books that would follow the same pattern of material for families to read together, a key verse for each reading, and questions for further discussion. God’s Mighty Acts in Creation focuses on how creation reveals to us something of the wonder of who God is. It uses Bible stories, metaphors for God drawn from creation that we find in the Bible, and interesting facts about creation itself—all to highlight the wonder of God’s character. God’s Mighty Acts in Salvation takes children (and their families) through highlights of Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians, which stresses so strongly justification through faith alone.

(CBN):  What has been the most influential books (assuming the Bible) in your life? Why?

(SM):  I love literature!! I love stories, so I love all kinds of fiction, especially classics and children’s fantasy. George MacDonald and, of course, Tolkien and Lewis are special favorites as far as fantasy from a Christian perspective. As far as influencing my Christian life: I’ve read so much in my lifetime and my memory is so sketchy! I’ve always thought that we receive and receive and receive from so many gifted teachers and writers, all of them repeating the same important truths from various angles. Little by little, all that receiving adds up to those truths becoming truly part of us—but to whom do we give the credit, with so many contributors? The Puritans are tremendously helpful, as far as being able to diagnose the sin in my heart and guide me in dealing with it. But I’d have to say the most influential book for me is probably Knowing God by J.I. Packer. I read it early in my Christian life, along with A. W. Pink’s The Attributes of God, and have longed ever since to stay focused on the character of God himself, more than on anything he gives or on anything I do.

(CBN):  Of the books that you have written, which was your favorite?

(SM):  First favorite: Keeping Holiday. It was highly enjoyable to me to let my imagination go for the purpose of inventing characters and situations that would express my deep, deep gratitude to “the Founder” for finding me. Second favorite: Grandpa’s Box, because I marvel at God’s sovereign ability to overcome all opposition and carry out his eternal purpose to have a people who will be his own people. Grandpa’s Box follows that theme through the stories of the Bible, and it was a joy to focus on it while writing the book.

(CBN):  How can we pray for you and your ministry?

(SM):  When you write about Christian truth, you realize as you write what a long way you have to go in faithfully living out what you’re writing about! My biggest prayer request would be for God’s work in my heart to cause me not just to know his truth, not just to love his truth, not just to write about his truth, but to daily live my life in the light of his truth.

Grant Horner stopped by for a quick interview. He has written Meaning at the Movies.

Christian Book Notes (CBN):  Could you share your testimony of how you came to know Christ as Lord and Savior.

Grant Horner (GH):  I was converted at the age of 18 1/2. I had been heavily into drugs for about 4 years, and was functional but still a real mess, ready to crash at any moment. I used marijuana, amphetamines (speed), Quaaludes, mescaline, and took lots of LSD. I also sold from time to time. I was very heavily into LSD and addicted to speed. A very bad combination. I really should be dead, to tell the truth. A Bible was put into my hand and I began to read. I had never read scripture before, never really heard a solid sermon, never really heard the gospel before, even. I read just 5 or 6 chapters in the gospels, said to myself – ‘oh, no – this is true, and I’m in trouble!’ and I was converted right then and there, and also miraculously released from the drugs.

(CBN):  Please share more about your self (ministry, family, books, etc.–this question always takes a different form depending on how it is answered.)

(GH):  Joanne and I were married in 1983 and we have three kids: Seth (25 and married to Carmen from Canada), Josiah (23 and engaged to Linda from Uganda), and Rachel (17). We live just north of LA in Santa Clarita, where I am a Professor at The Master’s College. I have a new book out from Crossway Meaning at the Movies which is a theological study of film and culture – it has been a bestseller and getting good reviews, which is really exciting for me! I have served as an elder in an Evangelical Free Church that we have been attending for about ten years, and I teach there regularly, as well as travelling all over the US speaking.

(CBN):  Readers here at Christian Book Notes know the name Grant Horner more because of your Ten Lists Bible Reading plan. Can you explain how you came about this particular plan? How long have you been reading your bible according to this plan?

(GH):  As a brand new Christian the Bible was entirely new to me and very intimidating. I could not get a handle on it as quickly as I wanted to for the first few months. I was bewildered. I found a number of programs, but none of them seemed to work for me. There was simple one in a tract that caught my eye that had you reading a lot of books at once, and so I adapted it and built in all the other components as it now stands. I shared it with a few people over the years, but never thought about publicizing it. The original “plan” is still written in blue ink in my same Bible, from 1983!

I have been doing it off and on since then.

(CBN):  Can you give testimony to what reading your Bible with this plan has done for your walk with and knowledge of Christ?

(GH):  Sure – it completely transformed me as a human being. I went from a confused, rebellious, selfish drug addict to what God is making me to be every day: new in Him. Many of my friends from my old life ended up dead, or in rehab, or just plain ruined. But here I am – through no goodness of my own, that’s for sure.

(CBN):  Your recent book, Meaning at the Movies, is an excellent treatise on how and why to be discerning when watching a movie. How much of your college class on film influenced the writing of this book?

(GH):  Well, I’ve been teaching film for about 14 years, but I’d say that most of the ideas came about largely independent of that. The main thesis of the book, what I call the “origins of culture from the suppression of truth” comes from reading scripture and a few of my favorite theologians, especially Augustine and Calvin. But interaction with students is always a great place to work through ideas. I tend not to lecture but use Socratic-style discussions, with lots of questions being bounced around.

(CBN):   What is your favorite movie of all time and (assuming it is not explicitly Christian) can you share what qualities you like about the movie as a Christian discerning its content?

(GH):  I actually don’t really have one! I like a great many movies (and dislike many more, of course!) I like stories about humans experiencing human life and struggles as they really do. But that doesn’t mean I only like true-life stories; I also love science fiction and fantasy. I think “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy is one of the greatest movies ever made. “Citizen Kane” is massively important in film history, and still plays well, and is also visually gorgeous. Zefferelli’s “Jesus of Nazareth” is by far the best film version of the life of Christ, in my view.

(CBN):  How can we be praying for you and your ministry?

(GH):  That I would be faithful to be a good steward in using what God has given me to use for His glory!

(CBN):  Thank you for your time.  God bless.