“Facing Terror”

“Facing Terror” by Carrie McDonnall. Thomas Nelson. Nashville, TN.  235 pages.

Review by Steve Hyde

 

“Facing Terror” was the best book I read in 2011.  It is a must-read biography which will warm your heart.  I like to read biographies, but this one I had a special connection too.  It is the story of Carrie McDonnall.  Carrie and her husband David as well as missionaries Karen Watson, Larry and Jean Elliott were gunned down in Mosul, Iraq in March of 2004.  Out of the five, Carrie is the only one who survived the brutal attack by Arab terrorists.  “Facing Terror” is the story of what happened and what led her and her husband as a young couple to go to Iraq to help the people.

It is a special story to me because the five missionaries were Southern Baptist missionaries like my father who was killed almost exactly one year earlier in the Philippines.  I think this book should be required reading for any Southern Baptist.  As I read the story of Carrie and David in the book I thought about my roots in the Southern Baptist denomination.  As I read, I consider Carrie, her husband and those who died with him heroes in the real sense of the word. They are true martyrs who died for Jesus.  They died showing love to Muslims.  They paid the ultimate sacrifice.  In their ministry, they were representatives of the Southern Baptists at large.  Yet, as I thought about other “heroes” in the Southern Baptist church, my mind drew a blank.  They only real Southern Baptist hero I could come up with was Lottie Moon, who died loving people in China.  Our annual mission offerings as a denomination are named after her.

There are other “great” leaders who are Southern Baptist, but they are not what I would call heroes.  Southern Baptists cannot be traced back hundreds of years to great reformers directly. The Southern Baptists started on the wrong side of slavery over a hundred and fifty years ago.  No heroes there.  Most of our “famous” leaders are famous for their speaking ability and insistence on theological points (apologetics) which define “us” as more right than “you”.  I am sorry, but that is not a hero to me.  Carrie McDonnall is a real hero, along with her husband and those who died serving Jesus.  Beth Moore (another famous Southern Baptist) wrote the foreword to the book and personally knew Carrie. Southern Baptists have a huge global publishing arm, but this book was published by Thomas Nelson.  That seems odd and a bit sad to me.

This book is the best written book I have read this year as well.  From chapter one it captivates you as it describes the final attack that changed Carrie’s life forever.  She recounts in detail what it was like to be hit at least 22 times by bullets and shrapnel.   The rest of the book covers what brought her from a single young journeyman (a kind of apprentice missionary) to marrying David and moving to Iraq.  It shows their love for the Arabs and their culture.  Every chapter of the book is captivating from beginning to end.

I could feel her pain in the loss of her husband.  I really know what it feels like to have a loved one killed by terrorists.  From the book you can feel for her and the lost that she faced.  Not only was she the only one to survive the attack, but her body is horribly scared and disfigured by the damage from 22 rounds from AK-47’s and an Uzi.  She will live the rest of her life always remembering that moment.

This is a great book to read that I would recommend to anyone.  It is the best written biography I have read in a long time and a story that will impact your heart.  Carrie McDonnall is a true Christian hero who is continuing to live her life as a testimony to her martyr husband David and to Jesus Christ, who is the reason she has endured this pain.

Appropriately, she has started a ministry called “Carry On” (a word play from her name), but it speaks volumes that she is pursuing how to carry on even though her life is forever changed.  Through her website she can be invited to speak at churches or events.

“Above the Line”

“Above the Line: Reshaping Relationships and Community in the 21^st Century Church” by Peter McHugh. C3 Whitehorse/ Stairway Church.  Melbourne, Australia.  2010. 205 pages.

Review by Steve Hyde

“Above the Line” is a book that was given to me by the author who is a personal friend.  Knowing much of the personal history of this church makes this book so valuable to me.  C3 Whitehorse, which recently became Stairway Church would be classified by many as a “successful mega-church”.  A church of more than a thousand active members in Australia is impressive, but the heart of Peter was not satisfied with numbers.  In fact, in his first book “Voyage of Mercy”, he talks about the culture of performance-driven leadership which needed to be changed.

This is a practical book which I read as a follow-up to Danny Silk’s “Culture of Honor”. Peter McHugh has been leading his church in a period of transition from a church which was your typical highly performance based “great Sunday service” mega-church, to a culture impacting movement of congregational ministers.  This book is the practicalities of what they have done in the midst of this transition and how they lead this culture change.  I appreciate how he also has other ministers/leaders in the church write how the transition has affected them personally and spiritually.  It is a very honest look at the inner-workings of their church.

Towards the end of the book, McHugh speaks of what he is looking for as an outcome of their church journey.  He states:

“When honour is practiced properly in church life it should make a difference and be experienced in that:

• People are allowed to be who they are;
• People are not threatened by another;
• People are trying to understand one another;
• People are putting the interests of others first while not neglecting appropriate confrontation;
• People are not being controlled;
• People are not trying to control others;
• People sacrifice to give strength to others;
• People sacrifice time, energy and resources for the benefit of others;
• People facilitate trust;
• People allow mutual influence;
• People manage themselves to protect relationship; and
• People don’t need to agree with one another to practice love, friendship and good communication.”

If you are like me, and you have had a bad experience in church because of controlling and insecure leaders, then the previous list looks refreshing.  What if leaders actually pursued a culture of grace (honour)?  What if leaders didn’t try to lead by control and manipulation?  Wow, could it be a Biblical expression of the true Church?  Yes! There is hope!

What does “above the line” mean?  It is seeking to be people of relationship and love.  A reflection of a Biblical church.  Below the line is referring to the things that commonly Christians get bogged down in like: programs, doctrine, church growth, and structure.   After all it was Jesus who said:

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)

This is Jesus’ above the line teaching.  Christians are to be known for love.

Here is where we have a problem.  Because we have focused on programs, structures, buildings, qualifications, and doctrine to be known for “love” is one of the last things the world thinks about when they thinking about Christians.  They often think of narrow-minded, prideful, arrogant, divisive (if they know anything about Protestants) and abusive. . . but one of the last things they may think of is LOVE.  Peter McHugh has accepted the challenge to change the culture of his church.  He wants to help people to be living “Above the Line”.

This is a great book which I would highly recommend.  Here’s the catch though: If you want this book, you are going to have to work for it.  “Big Publishers” only publish “Big Names” and Peter doesn’t want to be known for his name, so a big corporate publisher would never even glance at his manuscript.  If you want to order the book you can do so at Stairway’s online shop <click here>.  Many of the best books can’t be found in regular commercial bookshops.  This is one of those!

“Culture of Honor”

“Culture of Honor” by Danny Silk. Destiny Image Publishers, inc., Shippensburg, PA,  215 pages.

Review by Steve Hyde

“Culture of Honor” is subtitled, “Sustaining a Supernatural Environment”, everything is great about this book, except the title!  It has a picture of a knight on the cover, it speaks of “honor”, but if you think this book is about respecting and honoring others, chivalry or protecting the dignity of the church you’d be wrong, just like me.  In fact, “culture of honor” is a kind of buzz word at Bethel Church in Redding, California.  Listening to their podcasts, they talk about it quite often.  However, reading the book, I think the best title would have been the subtitle, only that wouldn’t sell books.  So it is called “Culture of Honor”.  After reading the book twice (it is a good book), I still can’t see how they came up with the title.

Now, for the book:

Danny Silk is one of the main pastors at Bethel’s church.  From the very beginning the book tells stories and they way that church staff dealt with the stories as being different.  I grew up in churches which had very clear and sharp judgments for sin.   Some sins get a swift kick, other a permanent kick, others are considered “normal” or “small sins”, and they just get overlooked because everyone is doing them.  The response of the Bethel’s leaders to “sin” is interesting.  They seek to restore people to their relationship to Christ.  Not punish.  It sounds simple, but really this book is about “grace”.  It could have been called “culture of grace” and been much clearer.

The problem with “grace” is that it is a loaded word.  When I think of “grace”, I don’t think about forgiveness, hope, honor, or restoration.  I think about my own experience with “grace”.  Nearly every church I have attended that is named grace is well known for legalism, pride and intense individualism.  Try wearing blue jeans, much less shorts and a t-shirt, to a church named “grace” and see how quick you get condemning stares.  Mind you, this is my own experience with the word “grace” which colors how I view biblical grace.  Biblical grace is nothing like our man-made understandings of grace which is colored by our experience.

This issue of grace is one of the key focuses of the book.  The leaders of Bethel church believe they are stewards of Heaven by operating in grace and leading a congregation in true grace, rather than judgment.  While there are many themes in this book, this is the key one which stands out to me.  The end result of practicing grace is not a weak and sinful church, but one in which the Holy Spirit is free to operate in everyone’s lives.  Silk says, “When Heaven stops manifesting itself in the Church, Christians have to prove somehow that they are reasonable for following Jesus.  When the power of the Gospel [miracles, signs and wonders, transformed lives, grace] is replaced by arguments [doctrines, legalism], everyone should be concerned.” [emphasis added]

The overall summary of this book “Culture of Honor” can be summed up by Silk’s own words:

“When fivefold leaders [Ephesians 4:11-12] model this kind of honor amongst themselves, then ‘equipping the saints’ becomes a matter of extending honor by releasing every individual believer into his or her unique identity and destiny.  Each believer comes to understand his or her significance in relationship to the whole Body, and the conviction begins to take hold: ‘I carry something that no one else carries.  I must develop and release my gifts into the Church and the world and do my part in bringing Heaven to earth.’ Honor empowers people.”

I think a significant problem that many pastors have is how to “motivate” their people.  Nearly every pastor would believe that all Christians are called to service/ministry, but few are successful.  To be successful it requires true Biblical grace in releasing and empowering others.  This is the “culture of honor” that Silk is speaking of.

This is a really good book for leaders; all leaders. It helps us to see how we can adjust our mindset so that we can equip and release people instead of being their judge.  We don’t need any judges of people; Jesus will take care of that along with the Holy Spirit pricking their consciences.  We do need people who are willing to operate in forgiveness, building up of the body, empowering, releasing, hope and blessing.

Do I think a Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist or not “Bethel-ite” leader should read this book?  Absolutely. I don’t think anyone should read this book and then use it as a way to criticize their leaders.  But any leader can learn a lot from what God is doing and be a better leader, minister and equipper at the same time.

“Stories from the Front Lines”

“Stories from the Front Lines: Power Evangelism in Today’s World”, by Jane Rumph; Chosen Books, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1996. 272 pages.

Review by Steve Hyde

“Stories from the Front Lines” is an exceptional book as it highlights the move of God in miracles around the world.  It is an exciting book to read.  There are literally stories here from all over the world.   I think the point of the book was to highlight the great miracles that God is doing around the world to show that it is not just about “numbers” (i.e. how many people raised their hands to prayer the ‘sinners prayer’ or how many churches were planted).  While these are good things, it is nice to hear the testimonies of God at work.

This book is designed to inspire, and it does.  Some of the stories seem unbelievable, but hopefully they are all true.  It does seem quite well researched, though it is clear that Pasadena, California is the key connection.  While the stories are from all over the world, the “storytellers” seem to all have a Southern California connection and are all second or third hand reporters.

I do like how it is all weaved together.  I have previously read books of testimonies and they seem to be disconnected stories with no real overarching theme.  This book, however, is a bit different in that while it does have great stories, they are carefully arranged to highlight a point.  In chapter 10, which is titled “What Then Shall We Do?”, the point is highlighted:  God works in a variety of ways and in very powerful ways!  The author highlights stories of divine healing, prophetic messages and words of knowledge, dreams and visions, angelic visitations, miracles and spiritual warfare.  These stories are all given to excite the reader about what God is doing, but also to give hope for evangelism.  Evangelism with power!

The only weakness of the book I observed is that some of the stories may not be completely believable.  The author also highlights this weakness.  The reason I say that is because there are two stories from Cambodia which supposedly took place at the same time when I was in Cambodia.  One, a resurrection from the dead, is completely believable.  A second involving a fireball hitting a Buddhist temple and causing it to fly off its foundations more than 50 feet is stretched way thin.  I was here in Cambodia then and well-connected in the Christian community, I know the temple, I know the area and I know it is still a major center of witchcraft, demon worship and few Christians.  The story itself was given probably 4^th or 5^th hand, so I think it got stretched each time.  When the story was finally told by an overseas Cambodian pastor in Pasadena, it was “beyond belief” (literally).  I don’t think that this discredits the whole book however.  I think most of the stories did happen and probably similar to the way they are told, but obviously the writer has to write in a way which is appealing to the US and Western readership which is the target audience, therefore some details are probably lost or exaggerated.

Would I recommend this book?  Sure!  It will excite your faith and open your mind to what God is doing around the world.  Only a few stories are shared, but the same book could be written a million times and not fill up all the stories of power evangelism that is happening across the world.

Drive-in Barbershop

Travel Tuesdays: “Drive-in Barbershop”

Location: Phnom Penh, Cambodia

When I took my son to get a haircut at my usual barber shop in Phnom Penh I arrived and saw an unusual haircut going on.  A motorcycle had driven up into the barber shop and the driver was holding his baby to get a haircut.  In Phnom Penh you can see anything, including a drive-in barbershop!

“Don’t Check Your Brains At The Door”

“Don’t Check Your Brains at the Door” by Josh McDowell and Bob Hostetler.  Tommy Nelson. 1992, 2011. 159 pages.

Review by Steve Hyde

 

This is a “youth version” of Josh McDowell’s book of the same title published in 1992.   I didn’t read the version in 1992, so I am not sure how it compares to the current version.  My guess, the chapter titles were changed to be “cute” for kids. The reason why I chose this book to read is that I was looking for a book for my son.   The result of my review. . . I will not be giving this book to my son to read.

Why?

It is absolutely essential to me that my son knows what he believes.  The basic pattern of this book is to give an argument about what the world says about Jesus, then it gives verses for the reader to think about in contrast with the “myth”.  Ultimately, it follows the logical arguments of apologetics in which 1+1 = 2.  However, we don’t live in that world anymore.  1+1 in today’s world can equal 72 if you want.  I believe the approach of “apologetics” to debate about the truth of Jesus is not of much value today.  People are not swayed by arguments, nor are people’s beliefs defined by a set of logical arguments.  I think today, belief is largely formed by one’s life experiences, past education and self-study, and what those around us believe (peer acceptability).  This book only hits one aspect of developing a person’s belief (education), however, for an adolescent audience this book is going to be a tough sell.

Who would buy this book?

The audience of this book is not really youth.  Youth world probably never buy this book.  The cover design is dated.  The chapter headings are dated.  Consider “Chapter 2: The Luke Skywalker God”.   A 21^st century youth probably doesn’t know much about Luke Skywalker like I do (I’m 40!).  Much of the content is also dated.  In Chapter 5 it gives the example of 1970’s “Jesus Christ Superstar”.  Really?  That was 40 years ago!  Even older than that was chapter 28’s subtitle “The Elmer Gantry Myth”.  I had to look up the story, it was from a book in 1929 which mocked “evangelists” and those public Christians.  It asserted that these “evangelists” were really living a double life and did their “ministry” for private gain.   Chapter 42 starts off my quoting from Belinda Carlisle 1988 song “Heaven is a place on earth.” I wonder what a young person born around the millennium thinks about a 1988 singer.  My guess is nothing.

So, who is this book for?  I think the publisher was looking to hit 40 to 50 year old Sunday school teachers who would buy a bunch of them for their youth.  Unfortunately, I think the result would be some really bored young people having to work though this book for a few months.

I was disappointed with the effort put into this book to make it a viable book to teach youth about what they believe in the 21^st century.  It basically is a negative book.  It has 42 short chapters which attempt to use Bible verses to show why a certain idea (myth) is wrong.  However, this book never puts forward a “right” belief; only 42 wrong beliefs.  This is why I don’t like apologetics.  It teaches people to argue why others are wrong, but the ultimate outcome is further confusion.

 

    Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program for my honest evaluation and review.

 

“Spiritual Warfare Against the Lord’s Resistance Army”

I did not know any history of the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda, and just assumed it was another right-wing fundamental denomination gone bad. The Lord’s Resistance Army, in fact, has nothing to do with Jesus, nor Christianity. It is a tool of Satan to destroy lives. In John 10:10 Jesus states the plans of Satan in a nut shell, “The thief [satan] comes only to steal and kill and destroy”. (John 10:10a) Conversely, the plan of God is also given in the subsequent clause, “I [Jesus] have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10b)

It is the overarching story of all our lives and every people. Satan wants to destroy them, Jesus wants to bless then and give them an abundant life. For decades the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in Uganda was used by Satan to destroy lives, especially children, in the nation of Uganda. The story of the birth and decline of the LRA is a demonic one, and a war which required spiritual weapons as well as mechanical ones. What Jesus says is true:

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12)

The following gives the historical background and decline of the LRA in Uganda. Normally, we would only hear of victories over terrorists in terms of land conquered and lives lost, but the book “Overcoming the Powers of Hell” does an excellent job in explaining the spiritual side of the war against the LRA. John Miles, the author describes:

“Northern Uganda has been an area of unusually high demonic activity for many generations. The area has a history of witchcraft and sorcery that spawned almost every kind of evil that mankind has experienced. In folklore and documentation there are accounts of violence, rape, mutilation, burning, torture, robbery, slavery, abduction, child sacrifice, cannibalism and , as always, the all-pervading corruption that blights so much of Africa. Just a few weeks ago, while writing this book, a Ugandan friend of the author had his four year old boy abducted and ritualistically murdered- sacrificed to the spirits. This is not mythology, it is real! In return for surrendering their lives to Satan, the sorcerers and practitioners of witchcraft gain power to do supernatural things that impress and cause fear in others. For scriptural examples of this see Exodus 11 and 22.

“We know from the Bible that there are many kids of evil spirits, also known as demons. One of the types that the Bible particularly warns us about are those that empower false prophets and false teachers. Some biblical scholars refer to these as ‘religious spirits’. These were the spirits that empowered the heart of this movement in northern Uganda. Many other evil powers would be swept along in its train, but it was essentially a religious cult. Its name confused many who did not know its religious nature. It was called ‘The Lord’s Resistance Army’ or ‘The LRA’.

“The outpouring of evil that accompanied the LRA incursions into northern Uganda did not have its origin with their leaders Joseph Kony. We have to go back to a shadowy cult leader called Severino Lukoya. His movement was small, but religious in character. He claimed to be possessed by seventy-one spirits. The leaders and most powerful of this spirit group would loudly proclaim, “I am the Spirit of God the Father.”

“His powers were passed on to his daughter, a former prostitute, Alice Auma, born January 2^nd, 1956. She took the movement to a new level calling it ‘The Holy Spirit Movement.’

“In a witchcraft ceremony she invited a powerful religious spirit called Lakwena, which means messenger or apostle in the Acholi language, to possess her. She soon became known as Alice Lakwena. As a result of the ceremony she went mad and was unable to hear or speak. Her father took her to eleven witchdoctors for a cure, but all failed. They had their own proven powers, but none could touch the powerful demon that Alice had invited into her spirit. It is said that she was then guided by the spirit to the Murchison Falls National Park. It is said that here she disappeared for forty days beneath the waters of the River Nile, only to re-emerge as a ‘spirit medium’ and set up her base near Gulu.

“She began to gather a lot of devoted followers, up to 10,000 at the movement’s height. Her followers called her ‘Your Holiness’. She is said to have had the power to heal AIDS and give sight to the blind. With her rag-tag army she rebelled against the government. She convinced her fighters that if they smeared ‘Holy Oil’ over their bodies they would be immune to bullets. Also, the rocks they threw would become grenades in flight. They ran into battle, high on drugs, wearing witchcraft amulets and trinkets, clapping and singing. Her fighters were mown down by the modern weapons of the Uganda People’s Defense Force, thus providing the blood that she was required to deliver as her part of the covenant which she had made with Satan while in the national park. Her reward for the covenant was receiving supernatural power. She was finally stopped near the town of Jinja in central Uganda, barely an hour’s travel from the capital Kampala. People followed her because of her healing powers. However, all such healings are conditional. There is always a price to pay. The same sickness, or some other, comes back later, worse. Alternatively, the patient suffers mental breakdown or moral debauchery. In these covenants, of which there are many in the world, there is only one winner and it is never the patient! The aim of the whole system is always the same- premature death.

“Alice fled to a refugee camp in Kenya and died in January 2007 of unknown causes- her time was up. She now had her own price to pay for the evil life she had chosen to live.

“We would all wish it had ended there. Unfortunately, a new personality took on the satanic family mantle. Her young cousin Joseph Kony, a high school dropout, stepped up to cut his own deal with the devil. With each generation the spiritual inheritance becomes more powerful, until its course is run and ends with the third or fourth generation, or God steps in to put an end to it. The power he wielded and the resulting evil was beyond anything so far seen. As Joseph Kony strode to center stage, northern Uganda trembled and the world looked on in horror.

“He first communed with the spirits and then began to gather elements of the pervious movement around him. He called his group ‘The Lord’s Resistance Army’. The spirits presented him as a ‘christ’ figure who would save his people. Thus he completed an unholy trinity formed by himself, Severino Lukoya and Alice Auma- A false father, false spirit and an anti-christ. The constant theme of them all was a pseudo-religious cult.

“Mr. Musa (leader of a militia called “Arrow Boys”) and his Arrow Boys, working with the UPLA (Ugandan People’s Liberation Army) empowered by faith and prayer of the churches in Teso, had driven the LRA out of their homelands. The soldiers and officers of the Ugandan People’s Defense Force had shown great courage and commitment, only to be frustrated by the evil powers that controlled Kony and his thugs. Their training and equipment was far superior to the rebels and if they could only engage them in open battle, they could easily defeat the enemy. They searched the region for the LRA, following up reports of their activities and camp sites. However, when they arrived, the LRA was always gone. Evidence of their stay was tragically plentiful, but most of the time the rebels themselves had been warned by the spirits and they moved on.

“Former rebel commander Kenneth Banya told how spirit voices would speak to them and warn them of the number of the government forces and the direction from which they were coming. Kony’s prophetic powers greatly enhanced his mystique with his men. Eye witnesses tell how the rebel camps were set out in mystic patterns and symbols. Special rites, blood covenants, charms, chants, drugs, incantations, ritual cannibalism, snakes, ‘sacred’ water and drumming were all employed to bring down the spirits to possess Kony and his people. Kony himself reported to a council of seven spirits.

“He frequented special sites to which he needed to return every six months as he felt his power diminishing. Most important among these were Awere Hill and Kilak Hills. In these places he would commune with powerful spirits that resided there and his power would be renewed. As the spirit power diminished he would become friendlier and laugh and joke with his men. But when the spirits’ power was renewed in him he became unpredictable and dangerous. He killed at least twenty-eight of his own children and three of his wives as blood offerings. No one could oppose him. Anyone who dared to disagree with him was severely dealt with.

“There is a whole generation that has not known peace, growing to adulthood only knowing fear and disruption. In the camps they have no education or adequate healthcare. Poverty and emotional trauma is their experience for years. People sink into moral corruption, sexual depravity and crime. They have little faith in God and turn to the very witchcraft that put them there. They have lost their homes, businesses and livelihood. Many are handicapped with bullet or machete wounds or lost limbs. Many have succumbed to sheer hopelessness and depression, causing the suicide rate to soar.

“Even the churches and Christian leaders failed to speak out or act. If there was going to be a final victory over this darkness, something spiritual and more powerful than the evil forces that strode across the land needed to be employed.

“Providentially, God began to move among the churches in the southern parts of Uganda. They recognized that their country north of the Nile was under the control of evil. The Spirit of God began to rise up within the churches, bringing a strong conviction that something should and more importantly, could be done about the situation. Suddenly, they became acutely aware of the bloodshed and the lost history of idolatry; that the land of Acholi was crying out for deliverance. The Spirit of God spoke a prophetic word and told them to declare war on witchcraft and idolatry. The response of the churches was nights of prayer and fasting. They knew this was the only way to unlock the situation and bring the power of God to bear.

“After some prayer, it was decided that the military would transport groups of selected believers to each LRA altar site. Military helicopters and armed convoys were used where necessary. It was a very dangerous trip for each of the groups. The believers were to destroy each site and alter in the name of the Lord. To attempt this would was certain death- not from the LRA, but from the spirits. Most of the LRA themselves would not dare to enter these sites. It was only Kony and a few of his most powerful elite that dared to enter. This was now a historical and strategic alliance between the government, the military and the Church. Everyone realized that the Church was the key.

“The first place they visited was Awere Hill, the most important site for Kony. This was the place where he received his power and was the source of his precious and powerful ‘sacred water’. Only he dared to climb this rock and collect the water. For others to attempt this meant death, such was the evil power of this place. When the soldiers arrived, they were reluctant to go near. Three times they were ordered to climb the rock, but they refused. They would rather face military punishment than risk touching the rock. One officer led the way and began to climb. He died immediately.

“Thus it was in March 2003 that a group of godly men, in an awesome display of faith and courage, defied the powers of hell and began to climb Awere Hill. Operation Gideon was under way. The men of God climbed to the top unharmed. Then they all held hands and cried in a loud voice, “The Lord is God, the Lord is God.”

“In a bold challenge to Kony’s most powerful spirit, they made scoops from leaves and scooped out the water from the pool until it was drained. It simply ran down the sun baked rocks and evaporated. None of them died or suffered any ill effects- the power was broken. The soldiers who stood a safe distance from the rock observed with astonishment. They began praying and raising their hands in worship, submitting their lives to the living God.

“One of the other groups visiting another LRA worship site at Awach made a shocking discovery. As they destroyed the altar, they discovered beneath it the remains of a burned human body that had been sacrificed to the spirits of that place.

“Kony instantly felt his power draining away. Upon his capture, Kony’s top aide, Brig. Gen. Kenneth Banya, quoted the rebel leaders as saying, ‘The spirits have left me and it is all the fault of those Christians.’

“All of the LRA sacred sites were being systematically destroyed. The destruction of the sites was followed by prayer meetings all over the district. Kony called his commanders together and warned them that the spirits had left him and his power was gone. One eye witness recalled his words: ‘I have to inform you that today the spirits have left me and they will not come back.’

“As the autumn of 2004 approached, the Acholi district began to come back to life. Vehicles were again seen on the roads. People returned to their plots of land and built huts and houses. Businesses were resumed and churches reopened. New churches began to spring up. Many former rebels repented and gave their lives to Christ. Even some former witchdoctors and sorcerers repented and were born again.”

(All book excerpts from “Overcoming the Powers of Hell” by John Miles and Beatrice Omese. New Wine Ministries, Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom, 2009.)

It is estimated that Joseph Kony has abducted more than 104,000 children since 1986. Far more people have been murdered, raped and abused. More than two million people have been forced from their homes and villages because of Joseph Kony. He remains at large, and moves around the rural jungle areas of Northern Uganda, Northeast Congo and Southern Sudan.

Imparting Smiles Christmas: Kracheh

Merry Christmas from Kracheh!  After nearly ten years in caring for kids in Kracheh, we had a burst of excitement in December.  Electricity!  Now, we have to teach them the basics of electricity, like turning off the lights at night. . . some of the kids want to keep the lights on 24 hours per day! Anyway, it is fun times in Kracheh!

The children at the Christmas party in Kracheh

Like in Poipet, we give many special and practical things to the children; toothpaste, flip-flops, an “angry birds” t-shirt and even underwear.  But in addition to this, Mike and Tammy Walker from the Heights Church in Prescott, AZ saved up a bunch of presents like many do the “Christmas boxes” so that they could give the gifts to kids that they knew.  Each child got their own special bag full of neat toys like “hot wheels” for the boys, bows for the girl’s hair, playdoh, yummy American candy and other fun stuff!  It was an exciting time for the kids, who look forward to Christmas!

Happy for a "Hot Wheels"

Once again I have added a short video of the kids opening their presents. If you want to see and hear how happy the kids are to get such simple gifts, have a look:

Click here to see video of the children opening presents

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all!

Imparting Smiles Christmas: Poipet

Imparting Smiles Center in Poipet, Cambodia

December 25 is not an official holiday in Cambodia, so the Christians here celebrate for the entire month.  You could go to a Christmas service or party every day of the week if you wanted too.  While last year we held a Christmas party for all of our kids combined, this year we decided it would be easier for the leaders to travel across country for two Christmas celebrations rather than just one.

Each child got their own bag (rather than a box in wrapping paper) and it was loaded with things such as: new shoes, toothpaste, an ‘Angry Birds’ t-shirt, rulers, pencils, and eraser.  Some boys got a new hat, while some older girls got new aprons for cooking.  Christine and Noit worked and shopped for many hours to make sure each gift was unique to each child.

Thanks to the Maclellan family who visited us in November, many of the kids got brand new good quality shoes.  Because we have more than 150 kids, we can only afford flip flops for the kids.  So, to have a “real shoe” was a special treat!

Just in case you don’t think a child at Imparting Smiles can really be happy about tooth paste, a t-shirt and other personal items, have a look at the video below:

http://youtu.be/zNcddpRcX6o

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from Imparting Smiles Poipet!

“Overcoming the Powers of Hell”

“Overcoming the Powers of Hell” by John Miles and Beatrice Omese. New Wine Ministries, Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom, 2009.  160 pages.

Review by Steve Hyde

This book drew my attention for two reasons; first I thought it might be about deliverance since the title is “Overcoming the Powers of Hell”.  Secondly, the subtitle is “How a movement of prayer and faith defeated the evil forces of the ‘Lord’s Resistance Army’ in Uganda.”  Since I have been to Uganda and knew of the horrors of the ‘Lord’s Resistance Army’ (or LRA), I was curious to learn more.

The sub-title, however, was problematic for me. It refers to the LRA as being “defeated”.  However, just this month, the US announced it was sending more than a hundred Special Forces to help train the Ugandan military to hunt down Joseph Kony and destroy the LRA for good.  There is also a story about a Christian man called “Machine Gun Preacher” (Sam Childers) who has been offering protection to villages and trying to hunt down Kony as well.  So, Kony, though clearly on the decline, is not “defeated”.  This, however, did not make me want to not read the book, just read more carefully.

The book is really a ‘self-published’ one, and one in which the author, John Miles, clearly has a long-time friendship with Beatrice, of whom the story of the book centers.   It is a heartwarming story.  A story filled with horror when you hear of what the LRA has done to Uganda and especially to the children.  So many children have been killed, so many villages attacked.  No place was safe from the LRA.

This book covers many of the historical and factual elements of the rise of the LRA and the problems in Uganda, but also touches on the miracles that Jesus has done in that country.  It shows how God used widows who have lost their husbands and children to the LRA and other horrors to be models of forgiveness and helping other widows to have transformed lives.  Through these humble groups of widows, a prayer movement to break the spiritual power of Joseph Kony emerged.  Since that time, most of his forces have dwindled.   Though not fully defeated, the time is soon approaching.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Uganda, or knows of the past violent past of the country.  Also, it is a great heartwarming book of the testimony of a widow, who would normally be discarded in the Ugandan society, but whom God has used to speak to national and world leaders about the plight of widows and the ruthlessness of the LRA.  Nearly everyone would be blessed by the life of Beatrice Omese.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! 

2011 has been a great year.  A very busy one but an amazing one in all what God has done.

In 2011 here at Words of Life/ Antioch Institute we trained more than 3,000 leaders in Cambodia, and nearly 3000 in the Philippines, with hundreds of new churches started by these leaders.

In 2011 we also had the opportunity to help leaders from other nations, including leaders from Nepal, Indonesia, and Vietnam, who learned how to expand their ministries with strategic training.  Training took us to many countries in the world including: Ethiopia, Turkey, Uganda, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines numerous times.  I also had other trips to the USA, Japan, and Australia. Basically, I (Steve) lived out of a suitcase for an entire year.

Equally busy back home in Cambodia we had about ten visiting teams doing everything from training police, to children’s VBS programs, to pastor’s seminars, and construction teams.  We just finished off by building a wind turbine in Kracheh at our Imparting Smiles children’s center which now gives them electricity for the first time in a decade!  The impact of these teams on the community was great with thousands of children coming to Christ and growing in their character.

2011 also had us re-building from last year’s flooding and coping with this year’s even worse flooding.  In 2011 we were able to help rehabilitate 3 local schools with more than 2,500 children attending.  We built paved sidewalks, painted buildings, installed permanent drainage and planted trees.  In all more than $60,000 was spent directly in helping the community.  The result of that is not only did we have the opportunity to share Christ with 2,500 children multiple times, but we also received even more favor with the government.  We hope to help rehabilitate 2-3 schools in 2012 as well.

In farming, thanks to the addition of a tractor, we were able to plant 22 hectares of rice and had a bumper crop of 48,000 kilos of rice (105,000 lbs).  That will feed all our 150 children for a good part of the year!   Also in partnership with good Australian friends are starting a plantation in northern Cambodia of nearly 5000 acres.  We will grow Mahogany trees and various vegetables and short-term crops.  This will significantly impact the community, create many jobs, and provide long-term sustainability of our work here.

The greatest addition in 2011 was our son Odom.  His story touched many people’s hearts, but especially Noit and I.  We count it a great joy to love him as our son.   Each night when we kiss him goodnight our hearts are full of love.

In 2011 we also started home schooling our kids.  It has been a great blessing and we are so happy with the level of education and time we get with our kids.  At times, they wish for more time with their friends, but we are certainly happy to have them on the road with us in ministry as much as possible. We are so grateful for Alyssa Walker who came out from Arizona to help teach the kids.

May you all have a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!  May your 2012 be full of the God’s favor and amazing blessings.

“Candles in the Dark”

“Candles in the Dark” by Amy Carmichael.  Christian Literature Crusade. Fort Washington, Pennsylvania.  1981.  115 pages.

Review by Steve Hyde

Amy Carmichael was a missionary to India.  Once she arrived in India, she never went back to her home in Northern Ireland.  She died in India after 55 years.  She served in Tamil Nadu (southern), India.

The book “Candles in the Dark” is actually a collection of letters to her co-workers which she wrote.  They were written to individuals and never intended for publication, but I am glad that they were.  Much of the things she is talking to them about ring in my missionary heart too.  Especially, she refers numerous times to the need for missionaries to learn to “fill in the gaps of time”.  I refer to this as “ministering in the interruptions”.  Amy told one missionary that she was disheartened because it seems to takes up to ten years for people to learn to “fill the gaps of time”.  This is where ministry happens.

What she is referring to can be put another way as well.  Each day you can set a schedule, but in a place like India, it is going to change at every moment.  How you fill in those gaps of time, is crucial to being an effective minister of the love of Christ.

I loved her focus as well.  Mind you, she wrote this and many of her other books while being bed-ridden.  She was incapacitated for nearly twenty years and confined to her bed.  During that time she continued to speak words of encouragement and strength the entire time.  In a message to one missionary she said:

“It matters a good deal that your book-food should be strong meat.  We are what we think about.  Think about trivial things or weak things and somehow one loses fibre and becomes flabby in spirit.  Soldiers need to be strong. 

Soldiers have not time for everything. ‘I have no time for anything outside my profession,’ a young officer said once, and in measure that is true.  We can’t be entangled in the affairs of this life if we are to be real soldiers.  By its affairs I mean its chatter and its ways of thinking and deciding questions, its whole aspect and trend.” (p. 3)

I think this sums up pretty well why I read books.  I want to be sharp.  I want to learn more.  I don’t read (and refuse to read) any fiction book, novel or anything that would be irrelevant to my life because I don’t have time for everything, so I chose books that help me grow.

I could say that the most consistent theme in this book is the need to love more.  One can never love enough.  Amy Carmichael lived an amazing life.  Fortunately, she wrote so much that we have volumes of her words to continue to encourage us today.  She has so many beautiful quotes and challenging verses.  In closing, let me share one with you,

“One can give without loving, but one cannot love without giving.” –Amy Carmichael

If this book is still in print, I would recommend it.  Its older English will challenge some, but it would make a good devotional book.

P.S. The other day I asked a friend, “how many books have you read?”

They had to think and replied, “History, Social Studies, Biology”.

“I mean, since you finished school!”, I responded quickly. 

“None”, was the answer.  I felt sorry for them.  We should strive to be sharp, strive to learn, and strive to grow.  One of the easiest things we can do to improve ourselves is simply read books.    

Electricity!

Can you imagine a world without electricity? Actually, nearly 80% of Cambodian homes do not have electricity. In 2002 God led us to start our first Imparting Smiles children home in Kracheh, Cambodia. In a province of more than 300,000, most have no electricity. None of the children we help came from villages with any electricity, or clean water source, or even proper road access. So, for nearly a decade we have been running and building the Imparting Smiles home on a side of hill one building at a time. We built nearly everything ourselves. We planted every tree, painted every board, and drove every nail. Now it is a center which hosts 72 full-time children and up to 10 adults in 5 residential buildings and 3 smaller buildings. It’s quite a place. Only there is no electricity.

A couple of years ago the government teased us by putting an electric pole right in front of our property. Only, two years on, there are still no wires attached to the poles and the closest electric generator does not have the capacity to add one more house, much less 8 buildings!

Four years ago I met a guy, Joe Gustai, at Gate Church in Victorville, California who said he was going to send a wind turbine overseas. I tried not to ask jealous, but I told him. . . please send me one! We are not trying to reduce our electric bill, we are just trying to get some electricity. Joe starting getting things set in place. There were huge hurdles to get over. . .

• Shipping a huge wind turbine, tower and all the parts to Cambodia
• Getting the container through customs
• Getting it all through customs without paying bribes
• Not to mention installing the thing in Cambodia with no equipment (cranes, bulldozers, power-tools)

From time to time I think each of us lost hope several times. The big block came when I contacted Cambodian customs. I do things by the book, no bribes. So I asked about the costs of customs and one item floored me. Batteries. The batteries harness the electrical power and then it can be converted from DC to AC power. Only these batteries are not Duracell which you can buy at Wal-Mart. There are 24 batteries which weigh 300 pounds each! Well, the problem is in Cambodia the customs charges according to amperage. Each battery was 1500 amps. Customs wanted to charge $0.50 per amp. Here’s the dollars and cents of that: $0.50 per amp x 1500 amps x 24 batteries = $18,000. My heart hit the floor. It took me a year to pick it up.

Then one day I met the Deputy Prime Minister of Cambodia (long story). As I was talking with him I felt impressed to tell him about my “battery dilemma”. After all, this was a wind turbine for poor and orphaned children, not a business. I was so scared. Finally, at the end of our visit, the DPM said goodbye and started to walk away.

I gathered all my courage “Excuse me your Excellency. . . could I tell you about one of my problems.”

Long story made short. . . his answer brought a huge smile to my face. He replied, “This is but a small problem. The government will take the tax burden upon itself.”

Wow, that was it. A micro-miracle. $18,000 blown away in a moment.

Shipping proceeded. The governor of Banteay Meanchey guaranteed the shipment into Cambodia. We paid the truck drivers and they delivered the wind turbine right to the spot that the DPM had heard my request. Only. . . it was on the wrong side of Cambodia!

Still another long story compressed, we needed more help from government officials. Also more favors from trucking companies and we hauled the container all the way to Kracheh. The last two miles were the most nerve racking. We had to cross two old wooden bridges with a cargo ten times heavier than they were built to handle. I think some angels may have got a pretty good workout, because the bridges held.

All that I just wrote about lasted four years. We were learning patience.

Now, we had to install it: A steel tower 100 feet high weighing tens of thousands of pounds, capped off with a thousand pound turbine head! Joe sent me precise instructions. Concrete footings poured at exactly 5000 psi, laser leveled precisely to the millimeter, a 140 foot crane, on-site equipment and power. At one point I told him, “Think of America 200 years ago, that is what Kracheh is like.” No crane, no power tools, and no laser levels. Just brute strength and ingenuity. The kids, staff and I at Imparting Smiles center prepared the footings, poured the concrete ourselves. We unloaded the container and those immensely heavy batteries ourselves. Then the four man “dream team” came from Gate Church in Victorville to install the tower.

We worked hard for nearly a week. We needed plenty of miracles too. A crucial winch broke leaving us unable to raise the tower into place. That winch was a specialized $4,500 tool (made in China) precisely designed to raise a tower. It failed. There was no way to fix it in Cambodia. What we needed was a large bulldozer or very heavy truck to attempt to raise the tower. After visiting the owner of every heavy piece of equipment in the province, we finally found the owner of an old Soviet era KAMAZ truck willing to give it a shot (we didn’t exactly tell him how big and heavy the tower was). After a nerve wracking few minutes and every ounce of force left in that Soviet truck, we got the tower up. (I think the angels were ready for a break after that!)

So after nearly a decade of raising 72 children, for the first time, they can turn on a light bulb whenever they want to. Watching that wind turbine spinning in the wind brought tears to all of our eyes. Finally. There is electricity in the Imparting Smiles center in Kracheh province.

Thanks Joe. Thanks Gate Church. Thanks Cambodian Government. Thanks kids for all the work. Thanks angels.

Here are some pictures below which show the installation:

Everyone helping to pour concrete footings

Even 4 year old Odom helped to carry!

Working late into the night to pour tons of concrete

Brute strength came in handy all the time

Joe attaching the turbine head

The assembly crew

The turbine right before the winch broke

Joe, Alex, Charlie and Ron thanking God

Electricity! The skyline at Imparting Smiles is forever changed!

The Meaning of Christmas

A few days ago I was going around Poipet.  I was on the prowl. I regularly move around the city, in back alley side streets and in places where it is hard to go.  I am looking for the people and praying as I go to see how God would use me to help people.  By doing this, last year I found 3 flooded schools and fixed them. I want to be as close to the people as I can.  Down a horrible road I could see smoke rising in the distance. I was curious and drove with my wife to see.  It was a garbage dump.  Now, if you take a picture of any garbage dump (even in the USA) you can make any picture look tragic, poor and destitute.  What caught my eye were the children.  Adults can choose to dig around in the garbage, but kids can’t, they are usually sent there by their family.

What can I do?  I don’t know.  I know that simply giving a bag of rice and a bottle of soy sauce (the traditional donation to poverty in Cambodia) will never change anyone’s life. Wheels in my mind are turning.  Only a mile away from this site we are presently building the Imparting Smiles Hope Center, it will be a center with two key focuses: women and children.  Secondly, all the government officials are my friends.  The dump is not managed, nor is it in a good location.  I think my government friends will respond to pictures like this as well.  I am sure this will not be the last I see of this boy.

What does this have to do with Christmas?  Baby Jesus, wise men, shepherds, Christmas trees, snow, fruitcake (specifically Collin Street Bakery Deluxe fruitcake from Corsicana, Texas; yummy!. . . oops I digressed).  We know the actual event of Christmas is about the birth of Jesus.  But the meaning of Christmas is so much more; it is the very heart of God for the restoration of man to himself.  Consider what Jesus himself said,

³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. ³² All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

⁴⁴ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

⁴⁵ “He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

⁴⁶ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” (Matthew 25:31-46, emphasis added).

For many people, Christmas is just another day.  Poipet is not all bad, but this boy sure needs a better life.  On this Christmas I will remember this boy. What do you think would be a more meaningful celebration of Christmas?  A turkey and ham dinner followed by a worship service at church, or making a difference in the life of a boy?  From your answer, you will probably find the real meaning of Christmas.

King Me!

“King Me” (What every son needs from his father) by Steve Farrar. Moody Publishers, Chicago. 2005. 264 pages.

Review by Steve Hyde

My oldest son Paul is now approaching his teenage years and so when I saw this book in a Philippine airport, I picked it up.  I recognized Steve Farrar’s name as being the author of “Point Man” which was very popular when I was in Seminary (a while back), although I never read the whole book.  Looking at the list of books Steve has written clearly he focuses his ministry and life on men’s issues.

There are plenty of quotes in this book that would make a woman upset.  However, probably very few, if any, women would ever read this book.  I think Steve comes across as a guy who is trying to portray himself as an old school cowboy; Tough as nails and sleeps on his saddle at night.  During the day, he teaches his son how to shoe horses, lasso cows and treat women with respect.  He even shares that he lives in Texas.  However, the Texas of today is much more “city folk” than real cowboys.  In fact, it’s pretty hard to find a real cowboy in Texas.  You might need to go up to Wyoming or Montana for that.

Steve is obviously a very opinionated guy and not afraid to share anything.  Here are some of his quotes which made me chuckle.  I hope you like them!

“These contemporary “worship” atmospheres are weak. . . The present trend gives the wrong impression of Christianity.  A setting like that is feminine.  A setting like that is for women.  And it all seems so spiritual.  But it isn’t.  Am I in a church or a spa? At a deal like that you don’t bring your Bible; you bring your moisturizer.” (p. 126)

“Yes, the church has even feminized the Lord Jesus Christ.  That’s why I get so tired of songs that speak over and over of the “beauty” of Christ. The apostles never said he was beautiful, so why should we?  There is beauty to His character, but that distinction is rarely made.  The impression of his “beauty” that is given today is feminine.  But Christ was male, not female. One doesn’t compliment a man by saying that he is beautiful.  The appropriate word in that context would be “handsome”.  If you went up to John Wayne and said he was beautiful, he would separate several of your molars and bicuspids into a new world order.” (p. 127)

In the end, it was a refreshing book.  Honestly, it is the only one I have about father-son relationships so it was a good read for me.  I think I have failed at nearly all of its recommendations, but it is a book which encourages me to make a point to spend more time with my son and how important communication is. As my son turned 12 years old yesterday, he is fast approaching manhood.  He clearly isn’t the little boy he used to be.  Although I would not agree with everything that Steve says, I would recommend this to a father who needs some encouragement on the value of spending time with his son.

Steve Farrar also recommends the book: “Boys! Shaping Ordinary Boys into Extraordinary Men” by William Beausay.  I haven’t read it, but if you are looking for a book about father-son relationships, you might check it out.

P.S. I think it is weird to call Jesus “beautiful” too.  Come on, he’s a man!