A Bounty of Books

Ex-Muslim: How One Daring Prayer to Jesus Changed A Life Forever by Naeem Fazal is the personal story of how a young Pakistani Muslim raised in Kuwait moved to America and became a Christian. Naeem Fazal followed his older brother America to attend college. At first extremely resistant to his brother's new found faith, three weeks into his stay he had what most Western Christians would consider a radical encounter with Christ that forever changed him.

It's always interesting to learn about other people's experiences, especially people from other cultures. Fazal's perspective on things that I don't even think about because they are so common to me are refreshing. It's not for me to comment on another person's story, but as far as the story in book form goes, it seems as though the content was stretched a bit; there is a lot of repetition. Also, the narrative is non-linear, which is sometimes confusing.

Overall, this was a good read, but not a great one. It will be of interest to anyone interested in personal conversion stories and or Muslim culture.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookLook book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255

Miraculous Movements by Jerry Trousdale is a collection of stores about Muslims around the world giving their lives to Jesus. Trousdale is the Director of International Ministries for CityTeam International. It is through this position that he has access to amazing stories of entire mosques and sometimes entire communities surrendering their lives to Christ. Using a simple model of discipleship based on Jesus and taken straight from the Bible, the events Trousdale's teams have witnessed everywhere from the African bush to cities in some of the most hostile countries truly are miraculous.

The format of the book is very appealing. Trousdale mixes first hand accounts of Muslims who have given their lives to Christ with the simple principles and strategies behind how his teams operate. Almost every principle has a story that goes along with it. While the principles and strategies are important, it is the stories that grabbed my attention and blew me away. The things that Christ does when we get out of the way are often beyond description. I appreciate that Trousdale does not lessen the power of each story with a lot of commentary; each story has power and impact on its own, and he lets them stand that way.

This book was interesting and and one of the most encouraging I've read in a long time, and I have no specific interest in foreign missions. Anyone who is interested in hearing about Christ moving among thousands of people will find Miraculous Movements an enjoyable read, as will anyone interested in living as Jesus did. Its in the simplicity of His life that change occurred; we don't need complicated programs and events to show Christ to people. The main thing I took away from this book is that the best discipleship happens as we go, and community is a key aspect of that. My favorite quote comes from page 183 and says, "Many of us are not conditioned to trust that the Word and the Spirit are really 'enough' without trained professional Christians in every new community of faith. Trust that God's Word and the Holy Spirit are enough for people seeking to know and obey God." Like a lot of this book, this statement was both convicting and encouraging. I would recommend Miraculous Movements by Jerry Trousdale to any follower of Christ.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255