Christian Book Notes

Benge, Janet & Geoff.  Christian Heroes: Then & Now – Mary Slessor: Forward into Calabar.  Seattle: YWAM Publishing, 1999.  208 pp.  $8.99.  Purchase at Amazon for much less.

Introduction

I have reviewed a number of the Christian Heroes series by YWAM Publishing.  You can read those here.

Mary Slessor is known for her trust in the Lord as she worked for thirty-nine years amongst the tribes of Africa’s Calabar region.  In this introduction to this great missionary of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, your child will be introduced to what obedience to the calling of Christ can mean.

Summary

Divided into seventeen chapters, the young reader will be introduced to the Scottish woman with blue eyes and red hair submitted to the missionary call to serve in Africa.  The fiery personality of Mary is seen (and rightly so) as a major help in her work for the Lord though it did sometimes get her in trouble.  Her work with the children and the constant fear of lions and tigers become as much a part of the story as her work for the gospel.  Her fight for human life–which was in direct opposition to the customs of the peoples she served–rounds out the story of Mary Slessor.  Ultimately, the reader will see that her life was spent for the cause of the gospel.

Review

I greatly appreciated the candor with which Mary Slessor was presented.  She struck me as a “fire-brand” who was so committed to the Lord that she through caution into the wind so to speak.  It is that fire that seems to have been lost in many churches today and it is that fire that ought to be rekindled.  While Mary Slessor – Forward into Calabar is a children’s biography, many adults would do well to become acquainted with her life.

As with all YWAM books in the Christian Heroes series, this one also comes with a poetic work for younger children as well as a unit study designed to teach all about the region where Mary Slessor served.  The artistry of the younger children’s work will engage the imagination of your child and even help you as an adult to better describe the surroundings.  The unit study can be used for many different purposes and will also prove invaluable (if you use it) in the education of your child for the glory of the Lord.

Recommendation

If you use Tapestry of Grace (we do) you will be using this particular book.  You will not be disappointed and may, as I did, learn something new about a great saint form the past.  For those who wonder how women have served the Lord in the church through the centuries, Mary Slessor will be of great interest.  I recommend this resource to all if only as an introduction to missions work. 

Meloche, Renee Taft.  Illustrated by Bryan Pollard.  Heroes for Young Readers: Lottie Moon – A Generous Offering.  Seattle: YWAM Publishing, 2004.  32 pp.  $6.99.  Purchase at Amazon for less.

Introduction

Lottie Moon is perhaps most known today for the offering taken in her name during the Christmas season in the Southern Baptist Convention.  Since I am reviewing the Christian Heroes series for YWAM Publishing, I am taking a different approach to the individual reviews.  In this case, I am focusing primarily on the Heroes for Young Readers book for the Lottie Moon collection and will briefly mention the other two resources below.

Summary

At only 32 pages, Renee Taft Meloche, offers a poetic glimpse of the life and work of Lottie Moon.  The child will understand that Lottie grew up in a wealthy family in the mid-1800′s and moved to China to teach the Chinese about Jesus Christ.  They will discover some of the hardships and how she responded to evil with grace and mercy and love.  In the end, they will discover that her care for the starving is what ultimately led to her death.

Review

I usually struggle to read poetry but found Meloche’s work to be enjoyable.  She nails the mountain top overview of the life of Lottie Moon succinctly and with a flare for the dramatic.  The illustrations by Pollard are enjoyable and colorful though it was sometimes a bit difficult to discern if the picture was of Lottie or someone else.  There was also one page that the text was a bit too dark compared to the artistry but that was quickly overcome.

Additional Materials

There is also a Curriculum Guide and a Christian Heroes: Then & Now for older children written by Janet and Geoff Benge.  In the biography for the older children, you will find more dialogue and a bit more information behind the poetic work of Meloche.

The curriculum guide offers an entire unit study based on the life of Lottie Moon.  Obviously, there will be much work on the land of China in this study.  If finished, the student will have accomplished creative writing, drama, movie critiquing, essay writing, and will have shown (Lord willing!) the ability to comprehend what was read and establish certain history and geography concepts.

There is enough in the guide to engage everyone–even  for those families who have multiple children at various ages and skill levels, though I am sure that each child will not accomplish everything in this curriculum guide .

Recommendation

Given that Lottie Moon’s name is attached to one of the largest missionary collection pushes during the year (and to perhaps the largest missionary sending organization), this series on Lottie Moon is a great resource to have on your shelf.  Your younger children will appreciate the colorful pictures while your older children will appreciate the storytelling of the book for the older children.  Parents, especially those who are home schooling, will find great value in the curriculum guide even if they only use it for one or two assignments.  Even more, children’s ministers (especially those in the SBC) will find much value in introducing their children to Lottie Moon through the reading of Lottie Moon – A Generous Offering.

Benge, Janet and Geoff. Christian Heroes: Then and Now – William Carey: Obliged to Go. Seattle: YWAM Publishing, 1998. 216 pp. $8.99. Purchase at Amazon for less.

Introduction

William Carey (1761-1834) is known to many as the father of the modern missionary movement. The Benge’s biography for YWAM’s Christian Heroes series offers a highlighted (and lowlighted) introduction to the young reader.

Summary

We find young William Carey wrestling with his dishonesty while trying to prove his worth as a young man working as an apprentice. Even at this young age, we see the hand of God in his life as he begins to wrestle with the need for the gospel to go into all the world. Quickly, Carey grows into a young man and has is infamous confrontation with John Ryland, Sr. It is in this instance, where Ryland tells Carey to sit down because if God wanted the heathen saved, He’d do something about Himself.

William quickly heeds the call to go to India himself only to find many stumbling blocks in his path. Through the course of his life as a missionary, Carey loses three wives and a number of children due to ill-health. It took 7+ years to witness the first convert. They were able to get the gospels and New Testament translated into Bengali only to witness the printing press burn to the ground. Undaunted, Carey pressed forward even when everyone thought he should pull back. In the end, because of William’s determination, the Baptist Missionary Society was born.

Review

The story of William Carey is fascinating in and of itself. I appreciated how the Benge’s showed how the political elements going on in Britain impacted the missionary work taking place in India. This is an important lesson to be learned by young Christian workers today. Also, toward the end of the work, it was fascinating how they wrote of the interaction between the younger missionaries who eventually set up the Baptist Missionary Society and the “old-grizzled” (my choice of words) missionary veterans. The lesson to be learned here is one that is even more needed today than ever.

I wished they would have offered an explanatory paragraph in chapter five where Carey had his run-in with Ryland. Both men were Reformed in their eschatological doctrine; however, Ryland was the classical “hyper-Calvinist” while Carey was simply a “Calvinist.” This is an important distinction as there is still much confusion over the terminology. What an opportunity to work towards dispelling that confusion. It must be noted, though, that the goal of the book is not necessarily doctrinal and to only be an introduction for the young reader.

Regardless, this introduction to missions work ought to be read by all Christians—the young can start here while the older believer can utilize the recommended resource list in the back.

Recommendation

Once again, the Benge’s offer a wonderful addition to the work on a Christian Hero with this piece on William Carey. If your child has expressed any interest in missions work, beginning with William Carey is a must.

Seeing what he endured for the sake of the Gospel will have one of two effects: either the child will be excited and want to learn how to serve Christ more, or they will be shown a different work for Him who died for us. Either way, your child will be better for reading William Carey: Obliged to Go.

Benge, Janet and Geoff. Christian Heroes: Then and Now—D.L. Moody: Bringing Souls to Christ. Seattle: YWAM Publishing, 2011. 192 pp. $8.99. Purchase at Amazon.

Introduction

Continuing the fine tradition of biographies on Christian men and women from our past, the Benge’s offered us an introduction to D.L. Moody. Janet and Geoff Benge have more than 20 years’ experience as writers. It also helps that their marriage together enables them to work closely. They originally come from New Zealand though now they make their home in Orlando, FL.

Summary

The author’s hook the young reader from the opening chapter as they offer a reflection from Dwight Lyman (D.L.) Moody as he is about to step into a pulpit and preach the gospel to 18,000 people in England. Not bad for a kid growing up in Northfield, MA who was rejected for membership to a church in Boston. The second chapter, however, gets right into it. D.L.’s dad dies unexpectedly thus launching the entire Moody family into a tailspin as they fight to keep their house and health. They moved to Boston where D.L. was saved through the ministry of his Sunday School teacher.

Next, he moved to Chicago where he not only got involved with a successful Sunday School ministry, but also became heavily involved in the local Y.M.C.A. When the Civil War began, D.L. wanted to join and become a chaplain. Instead, he set up a prayer tent at Camp Douglas which began a spiritual harvest of biblical proportions.

As his ministry in Chicago grew, so, too, his ambitions to be a “soul-winner.” The last half of this biography looks at the traveling and the preaching performed by D.L. Moody. He was able to meet Charles Haddon Spurgeon, George Muller, and many other saints while trotting the globe.

Review

I am aware that there are some who disagree with Moody’s methods and the way he went about preaching. There are others that believe what Moody did for Christianity and the Gospel has been unmatched since by anyone except maybe Billy Graham. Agree or disagree with D.L. Moody, this review is based upon the work of the author’s Janet and Geoff Benge. I found the book to be an interesting read and a joy to see what the Lord did in the life of one young man who had “just enough faith.”

I appreciated the conversational tone the biography took. It was not so much a dry; here are a bunch of facts about the man, biography. Rather, Moody’s life leapt from the pages as the conversations based upon the factual events helps the reader to get into the life of one D.L. Moody.

Recommendation

While there are surely more in depth biographies on D.L. Moody, the Benge’s offer a very nice and succinct introduction for those younger adults wanting to learn more about the true heroes and not just those who hit a baseball or star in movies. Just make sure that you as a parent are familiar with the life of D.L. Moody as your children will certainly want to discuss this man of God.

D.L. Moody is a common enough name within Christian circles. He is, in many ways, the predecessor to Billy Graham insofar as evangelistic campaigns.

Benge, Janet and Geoff.  Adoniram Judson – Bound for Burma.  Seattle: YWAM Publishing, 2000.  240 pp.  $8.99.  Purchase at Amazon for less.

Introduction

The story of Adoniram Judson is one that quickly and easily catches the attention of young and old alike.  This particular edition is part of a series of books published by YWAM publishing and is written for older children.

Summary

As I have shared before in another review on a biography of Adoniram Judson, there is much to be learned about what the Lord has done.  We learn that Judson wanted nothing to do with Christianity during his college days, but when his best friend died (unknowingly to Adoniram at the time), everything changed in his mind.  He then wanted to share the same gospel message he had come to believe in with all his heart to those who had never heard the gospel.  We understand how he was the father of Baptist Missionaries.

More Resources

There are two other books published by YWAM that are part of a “unity study” on Adoniram Judson.  The first is entitled “Adoniram Judson: A Grand Purpose.”  This little hardback book is designed for young readers.  It is fully illustrated and written as poetry making the book memorable and sing-songy.  My children, one who read it and the others who listened, enjoyed this little book.  It afforded yet another opportunity to share the gospel with them.

A third resource is the Unit Study Curriculum Guide.  This curriculum offers lessons on social studies and Bible memorization as well as the obvious chapter discussion questions.  The unit study can be used for children of all ages though the parent or teacher will need to discern what the child’s capability is.  Included in the back of the book is a recommended resources list that is beyond helpful.  There is a gold mine of materials–many of which I personally did not exist.

Review

To see my children get excited about missions work is awesome as a Christian father.  To see my children take a specific interest in Adoniram Judson can be directly attributed to these resources.  For the younger children, I appreciated the poetic style of writing.  For the older children, I enjoyed the appropriate depth in which their edition took them.  As a parent, I enjoyed the curriculum guide as it was very easy to follow along and offered excellent pointers in teaching the children about the life of Adoniram Judson through various disciplines.

Recommendation

While many parents look for these books for their respective home school curriculum’s, I would recommend them to youth pastors and children’s ministers as well.  Parents who just want to teach their children about Adoniram Judson, this is an excellent place to begin.