Wednesday, April 07, 2010

Book Review - The Heavenly Man


The Heavenly Man
By Brother Yun and Paul Hattaway

I don't read enough Christian biographies.  Maybe one a year.  The last one was A Severe Mercy (which my mom's reading right now), and that one was glorious.  But partly its enjoyment came from the magical writing.  Whether the writing is engrossing or not, I know there is a wealth of wisdom and insight waiting to be gleaned from the lives of saints who have gone before.

This book has been sitting on our shelf for years, but what finally drove me to take it down and dive in was a newly-wakened desire to get into the mind of the house church Christians in China.  And let me tell you, it was eye-opening!  Not amazing writing, but definitely an amazing tale.

Brother Yun's story covers his conversion as a young boy in a poor village, his frequent persecution, torture, and imprisonment, and his ministry to everyone from house church members to prison guards.    It is a testimony of God's faithfulness and the joy he offers to those who embrace persecution (Matthew 5:10

"I didn't suffer for Jesus in prison.  No!  I was with Jesus and I experienced His very real presence, joy, and peace every day.  It's not those in prison for the sake of the gospel who suffer.  The person who suffers is he who never experiences God's intimate presence."

~Brother Yun~

Posted for the March of Books on YLCF.

1 comment:

  1. Wonder what that attitude could do for us as we face our own so-called "sufferings" from day to day (which pale in comparison to true persecution)? Thanks for sharing this "heavenly" perspective! - a YLCF "mom"

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