"Jesus Freaks" book review.... by Virginia

We have owned a copy of "Jesus Freaks: Martyrs- Stories for those who stood for Jesus: the ultimate Jesus Freaks" by Voice of the Martyrs and DC Talk for quite some time. While Sara and I have read the book together and separately, the major use of this book has been by our children. Nathaniel has read most of the stories, but Virginia is usually found in possession of the book. Virginia is going to be 9 years old in May, but starting reading the stories of martyrs for Christ well over a year ago. She loves to read the stories over and over again, and seems to have a good understanding of what the cost of following Jesus Christ is really about.

Here is Virginia's unedited review of the book "Jesus Freaks":

I love the book Jesus Freaks. My favorite story is "Her Last Prayer". It is about a 17 year old girl in China. In an under ground church one time in the middle of the meeting about 10 cops broke in. 1 of the cops went to the pastor and asked for his bible. Amazingly the pastor gave him the bible his prized possession. the cop threw the bible at his feet. and said spit on this book of lies or else you will be shot. The rest of the cops blocked the door. Then the cop called up a man. The man spit only a little but it was enough. Then a woman came up and spit and she was allowed to go. Then a young girl came up and took her dress and wiped off the spit and prayed for them. The cop shot the girl.

I think this review from Virginia says about all that needs to be said. I know many may not like the musical style of DC Talk, while others will be taken on a trip down memory lane watching this video, but we had to include it. The song "Jesus Freak" speaks of the life of John the Baptist who was rejected by men, but was called by God to live a sanctified life, preparing the way of the Lord Jesus Christ, and who would lose his life for speaking boldly of sin, righteousness, and judgement. 

Buy the book from our links in the right column or the direct link below. Your shopping from Amazon, Christianbook.com, and Vision Forum all support our family ministry. Thank you for your support.

Jesus Freaks: Martyrs By dc Talk & the Voice of the Martyrs / Bethany House With life-changing impact, dc Talk's first book, Jesus Freaks, has captured the attention of Christians of all ages with its stories of Christian martyrs who took a stand for Christ against the culture of their day. Re-released as Jesus Freaks: Martyrs, you'll be challenged to examine your own faith and dedication with compelling real-life stories of believers who refused to deny Jesus--even in the face of death.

Cherish today

Many of you may already know the story of Denise Sproul. The wife of author and pastor R.C. Sproul Jr. passed away last night after a battle with cancer. Leaving behind her husband, eight children, and many lives that were changed through her ministry, many across the country are weeping today as they get the news. One of which is Doug Phillip's family, who ministered together often. Doug writes about Denise's impact on his family and especially his wife. Doug writes a cautionary tale of how we ought to cherish each moment with those we love. Read the whole story on Doug's Blog. Below is a short excerpt:

Tonight, stop and take a really good look at your spouse. Next, look at each of your children. Look really, really long and hard. Take a moment and thank God for every whisper of a moment that God has given you with them. Thank God for the little kisses offered, the stories told, the tickles dispensed, the games played, the readings shared, the silent moments cherished, the victories experienced, the losses endured, the kind words presented , the songs sung, the glances exchanged.

Though we never had the chance to meet this precious woman of God personally, we feel like we have had a chance to see her life through the ministry of herself and R.C, as well as the wisdom shared in R.C.'s writing. A book we recently read and highly recommend is "When you rise up" We will be posting a review of this book soon on Sara's blog and our Cowperthwaite Family Resources site.  See our Resources page for a purchase link. 

Through the pain of loss, still we can see a brighter side to this story, in that a child of God has been ushered home, into the presence of her Savior. For this, we shed tears of joy, knowing that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. What a precious promise! We will be praying for the family, especially for R.C. and the children as they prepare for life without Denise, knowing  that the Lord will work mightily for His glory in all things. 

When You Rise Up: A Covenantal Approach to Homeschooling By P & R Publishing Who should teach your children? What should they be taught? What is the goal of education? Drawing on Charlotte Mason's and classical methods and encouraging parents as God's chosen teachers, Sproul offers a biblical approach to learning that defines instruction as discipleship; and its purpose as seeing your children bear fruit, grow in grace, and become more like Christ. 152 pages, softcover from P & R.

Yes, it hurts

I recall earlier this year when Usama Bin Laden died, people were all excited, shouting and parading around in the streets. While I understand the joy from knowing a certain terrorist will never again contribute to the death of another human being, I still mourn the loss of a soul from God's love and mercy. This man most likely went to Hell when he died, and rightfully so. Even in the glory of God's righteousness and judgment, I agree with the prophet, "God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked."

Today, I heard of the death of Christopher Hitchens.  People wonder how I can say with honesty that the news of anyone's death outside of Christ truly hearts my heart. Maybe I am getting soft, or maybe this reflects the heart of God. I will let folks decide for themselves. Hitchens's life was noted for his disdain for the God who made him, and I enjoyed the blog post by Doug Phillips of Vision Forum.  I urge you to head to Doug's blog and check out what he has to say in reflection of the life and death of an icon. An excerpt is copied below.

Like all outspoken Atheists, Hitchens was a man obsessed with God. Over the course of his life he wrote numerous articles, books, engaged in debates and conducted many interviews — a goal of which was to warn people to see religion as a dangerous blight on humanity, and to free themselves from the “mythology” of Christianity. Hitchens spent most of his life talking about God, ridiculing God and making his income by selling hatred for God through his unique, acerbic wit and acrimonious repartee. All the way to the end, a primary subject of his discussion in interviews was God. He spent his life thinking about a Creator he told others did not exist.