Book Review: Escape From Camp 14 (5 stars)

Escape From Camp 14 * * * * * by Blaine Harden 

The Ultimate Devaluing of Human Life 

If you are like me who was not aware of the full extent of the brutal regime of North Korea, you are in for the shock of your life! This book is a narrative about Shin who was born and raised in one of the worst concentration camps in the world, the concentration camp in North Korea known as camp 14. The prisoners in this camp are beaten and tortured routinely.  He saw a camp guard beat his classmate to death for stealing five kernels of corn because she was hungry.  Shin is the first person (and I pray not the last) to escape from North Korea's camp 14.

According to South Korean's intelligence agency and human rights groups, there are six concentration camps in North Korea. The biggest is the same size as Los Angeles. Electric barbed wired fence and armed guard encircle most of these camps. Two of these camps, 15&18 have reduction zones where those fortunate in the camp are indoctrinated in the teachings of their leaders Kim Jung Il and Kim Il Sung. If they are good learners and can convince the guards of their loyalty, they are released but monitored for the rest of their lives. The remaining camps are called "complete control districts" where prisoners classified as "iredeemables" are kept and never released. They are worked to death.

Shin's camp 14 is a complete control district. Shin was born a slave and raised behind the barbed wired fence of camp 14 all because his blood was tainted by perceived crimes of his father's brothers. Thus, he lived below the law.   For him, nothing was possible. "......... His mother beat him (when he ate her lunch ration out of hunger) and he viewed her as a competitor for food. His father was allowed by guards to sleep with his mother just five nights a year, ignored him. His brother was a stranger........Love and mercy and family were words without meaning. God did not disappear or die. Shin never heard of him......"

This book showed in gory details, the ultimate devaluing of human life. Western thought has been largely shaped by a Judeo-Christian values that emphasizes the dignity of human life based on the Biblical teaching that man is made in the image of God. Cultures that do not embrace this teaching are left with nothing by the survival of the fittest mentality, which when taken to its logically conclusion will end in situations like this.

Blaine Harden did an excellent job in writing this book. The book is an easy read in terms of the writing style, but a very difficult read in terms of the content. You will come to understand the total depravity of man, once you read this book. The events of this book show us that man is not basically good as some would have us believe, but we are born with a sin nature which can only be redeemed and transformed by Christ Jesus.

Reading level: ages 18 and up

Book Review: First We Have Coffee (5 stars of 5)

First We Have Coffee: And Then We Talk * * * * *    by Margaret T. Jensen 

The Face of Christian Love and Hospitality!

What a great book! If you are looking for biblically based book on how to show Christ's love to your family, friends and even strangers, look no further.

The author's mom is truly a model of what a Christian wife, mother and woman should be. In these days when Christians have been become like the world, cherishing their "privacy" and failing to reach out even to their next door neighbors with the love and hospitality of Christ, this book is a breadth of fresh air.

 Showing Christian love and hospitality is not about how much you have in your bank account or how big your house is, it is about how much room you have in your heart. This book was a real page turner, I could not put it down. I got it about 3pm and was done before bedtime at 10pm, in between making dinner and other chores.


 If you are seeking the Lord on how to reach out to those around you, even your family, this is the book. While this book will bless any one who reads it, I think it will inspire wives and moms the most.

Reading level: ages 12 and up

Book Review: Seasons (4 stars of 5)

Seasons: A Real Story of an Amish Girl  * * * * by Elizabeth Byler Younts

 

True Contentment!

A very moving story about the author's grandmother. The author takes us through the different seasons of her grandmother's life, through the pains, joys and trials she had to endure growing up in a poor Amish family and how her faith brought her though it all.

 As you read this book, you will laugh and cry. The book was an easy read and a page turner. While the book was sad and heart wrenching, the trials she went through taught her how to be selfless and thankful.

 In spite of their poverty, she never complained nor whined about what she never had. She found things to be thankful for.  On page 13 (in my kindle version) she writes:

  "....I loved my parents, sisters and brothers.
 We were all generally healthy.
I loved school and my teacher Mrs Massey.
 We had a house.
We had peaches to eat and give away."

As you read the book, you will feel the sweet personality of the young Amish girl coming through the pages. This book really challenged me to search my heart and reexamine the things I hold to too tightly. I really loved this book.
Reading level: ages 10 and up

Book Reviews

I recently started a book club with a couple of friends and as such decided to start blogging again. This time, I plan to review books that I have read personally as well as some from our book club selection.

Holiness

As a Chrisitan, one thing I know about God through the Scriptures is that He is a Holy God. God is Holy. He is so holy that sin cannot come near him. It was His holiness that made Him turn His face away from His Son when Jesus bore the sins of the world on the cross.

The apostle Peter tells us in 1Pet.1:15-16 "...but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy"

We know that God takes holiness seriously because Heb. 12:14 says "Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:" The writer of Hebrews tell us that without holiness, no one shall see God.

But what does it mean to be holy? Can anyone really be holy? In the coming days or maybe weeks, we will be exploring this topic on holiness. This is one area where the Lord has been dealing with me about for some time now - the pursuit of holiness. It is my prayer that at the end of this topic, we would not only understand what holiness means, but be fired up to live holy as God has called us to.

God Bless you

Elizabeth

Called To Ministry?

Called to ministry? Here are a few tips:

By the grace of God, I have been saved and walking with Him now for 18 years, I have learned a few things along the way:

1. Ministry is not a job or career, it is a calling from the Lord Almighty. It is an adventure. (Matt.8:18-22)

2.When the Lord calls a person to do His work, He will always prepare and equip him for the job.

3. The Christian walk is a life of Spiritual warfare, Ministry is no different. When the Lord calls us into ministry, He is calling us to work on His behalf to build up His people in the Word and rescue His elect out of the jaws of satan. Thus a person who is called into ministry is called into spiritual warfare. Because the devil wants to keep Christians ignorant of the Word so they will always be defeated and wants to take as many as he can get to hell with him. That is why as we look through scripture, God takes His time to prepare and equip those he has called.

4. Serving Christ is costly and will definitely cost us and Ministry is no different (Luke 14:27-29).

5. Just because the Lord has called us does not mean the journey will not be difficult (2 Corinthians 11:22-26, John 16:33) but He will sustain us. (1 Corinthians 10:13, Hebrews 13:5)

6. When we chose to follow Christ, we did not come to the master for what was on the master's table, but for the Master Himself. Ministry is no different. It may or may not bring financial rewards that is why ministry is not a career, but a calling. People can and do get blessed financially through their ministry, but financial reward should NEVER be the reason nor the goal for ministry. Neither Jesus nor any of the apostles got rich preaching the gospel. See what Paul said to Timothy ( a young minister) 1 Timothy 6:6-12.

By the grace of God, we have been blessed to have walked closely with some ministries and I tell you, allowing the desire for money and material wealth to be the end result of their work is always the beginning of ministers compromising the gospel. The love of money and material wealth is at the root of the erroneous teaching in some of the faith movement today.

However, I will tell you that there is no greater honor, no greater joy than to serve the Lord and to be called into His service.

May the Lord will give you wisdom in all things and show you what you should be doing and how to do it. But always remember Proverbs 3:5-6. Remember that when the Lord instructed the apostles to be witnesses to Him, he told them to start from their home town (Jerusalem) before witnessing anywhere else. Acts. 1:8. My prayer for myself and for you also, is that as we do what the Lord has called us to do, we will not loose focus, but will start from our very homes, then to the uttermost parts of the world, to the praise and glory of His Holy name. Amen.

Remember IThess. 5:24 "He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it."

God Bless you,


Elizabeth

Reason For Homeschool

Why did you choose to homeschool your kids? Think hard about the reason because this will affect everything you do as a homeschooler.

What is most important to you? The answer to this question will play a part in what you choose to teach and how you teach it.

As parents, one of the things we teach our children is how to recognize truth from error, being is homeschooler is no different. As a homeschooling parent, where do you get your truth from? The answer to this question will also influence what and how you teach.

As a Christian, what shapes your mind? What do you believe about the Bible? Does what you believe about the Bible come from what your Pastor or any other Christian leader has told or have to taken the time to go into the Word and study it for yourself?

When you or any of your kids are preparing for test, a test that will determine whether you get a certificate, diploma or a degree of some sorts will you be satisfied with 15 mins of study a day? How much study do you think it will be necessary to undertake so as to come out in flying colors? As a Christian, are you putting that much time into the study of your Bible?

Take time to ponder these questions. I will be elaborating more on them in the coming weeks.

God bless

Elizabeth