For those of you who were able to be with us last Sunday evening to hear Andrew Sims share with us about his and his wife Anne’s work among the Ketengban and Lik peoples of Papua, Indonesia, I hope you were both encouraged and challenged. Andrew and Anne spent the weekend with Dedra and me, and we certainly were. It is so easy for me to fall into my own little “bubble” and assume that the world is experienced by everyone the same way I experience it. I know better, of course, when I stop to think about it, but how many of us actually stop to think about that on any regular basis? God is at work everywhere in our world, and it is good to be reminded about that and to participate in it prayerfully and financially.
Since we are in the midst of our Missions Emphasis, I thought I would pass along to you some of my favorite missions books and movies. I think no other genre of literature outside the Bible has influenced me as much as missions biography. The Scriptures, of course, also contain some wonderful missions biographies in them as well (e.g. the book of Jonah, the travels of Peter and Paul in Acts, the exodus from Egypt in Exodus and Joshua).
Movies:
- Robber of the Cruel Streets: The Prayerful Life of George Muller (Dramatic Documentary) The life of George Muller and his mission work to the orphans of Great Britain in the 19th century.
- Bad Legs: Elinor - Story concerning the life of Elinor Young, missionary to Papua, Indonesia.
- Amma - The Story of Amy Carmichael and the Dohnavur Fellowship.
- Chariots of Fire – The story of Eric Liddle (a classic).
- Amazing Grace – The story of William Wilberforce’s campaign to abolish the English slave trade.
- The End of the Spear – Story of five missionaries’ lives and deaths in the jungles of Ecuador.
- The Inn of the Sixth Happiness – the story of Gladys Aylward and her mission work in China (another classic with Ingrid Bergman in the lead role).
- The Mission – Robert DiNero and Jeremy Irons in a wonderful movie depicting the struggles and hardships that went along with early Christian missions (Warning: there is some violence in this movie, and it tells the story from a Jesuit Catholic point of view).
- The Magic Never Ends: The Life and Faith of C.S. Lewis – I consider Lewis not only an author and Christian apologist, but in many ways a missionary to the intellectual elite of his day and ours.
Books:
- David Livingstone: Africa’s Trailblazer by Janet & Geoff Benge – The life and mission work of Livingstone. For a more in-depth look at his life, read Livingstone by Tim Jeal.
- To the Golden Shore by Courtney Anderson – The life and ministry of Adoniram Judson in India and Burma.
- Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret by Dr. Howard Taylor – The life and ministry of Hudson Taylor, missionary to China in the 19th century.
- Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot – The story of Jim Elliot’s life and death as a missionary in Ecuador.
- A Chance to Die by Elisabeth Elliot – The story of Amy Carmichael’s life and ministry in south India.
- The Life and Diary of David Brainerd by Jonathan Edwards – The story of young David Brainerd’s mission work among the Native Americans of Massachusetts in the 18th century.
- John G. Paton: Missionary to the New Hebrides by James Paton – Life of Scottish missionary pioneer John Paton and his work among the cannibals of the Polynesian Islands in the 19th century. (My favorite missionary biography).
- For the Love of India by Jim Cromarty – The life and ministry of Henry Martyn in India and Persia.
- Faithful Witness by Timothy George – The life and ministry of William Carey, one of the greatest Bible translators of all time and his missions work in India.
- Evidence Not Seen by Darlene Deibler Rose – Rose’s own autobiography of her work during World War II among the tribal peoples of Indonesia.
I highly encourage you to make it a habit to read good missionary biographies (or catch good movies based on missions if you are not a reader). You cannot help but to be challenged and blessed in learning more about those who have sacrificed so much for the sake of the gospel. Please also be in prayer about how you will be involved in missions at LifePoint through this Sunday’s Faith Promise.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Jym