My Enemy, My Brother

Isaiah 49:5-6
And now the LORD says— He who formed me in the womb to be His servant to bring Jacob back to Him and gather Israel to Himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD and my God has been my strength-
He says: "It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth."

I've mentioned Joel Rosenberg before, but he's doing amazing things for the LORD so he's totally worth mentioning again :)

Check out the foreword he wrote for My Enemy, My Brother. In Joel's mass email today, he wrote:

We all know how dangerous it is when a Palestinian boy becomes a Radical Muslim and a devout follower of jihad. But have you ever stopped to consider just how beautiful -- indeed, miraculous -- it is when a Palestinian boy becomes a Revivalist and a devout follower of Jesus instead?

A fascinating new book, My Enemy, My Brother, has just been published that was written by a Palestinian man who was born and raised in Jerusalem. You're not likely to hear about it on the Today show or Good Morning America. But I commend to your attention. I have known the author, Hanna Shahin, for nearly two decades, and I can tell you first hand that his is an extraordinary and must-read story.

During the 1967 war, as the fighting between Jordanians and Israelis was at its most intense in the battle for the Holy City, Hanna begged God to save all the members of his family from death, and if God did that, he promised to serve the Lord in full-time ministry for the rest of his life. In a series of gripping events that Hanna shares in the book, the Lord heard that prayer and answered it in an amazing way. In time, Hanna went on not only to become a minister of the gospel, but one of the most influential Revivalists in the region, using the power of radio broadcasting to beam the good news of Jesus' love and mercy to untold Muslims and nominal Christians throughout the epicenter.

It was my honor to write the foreword to this book at Hanna's request, and I have posted it on my weblog to give you a sense of the man and his message. I hope you will take a look at it, and pick up a copy of Hanna's book from Amazon or your favorite Christian bookstore, as well as consider sharing one with a friend.

Excerpt from Joel's foreword....

The book you hold in your hands is, at its core, a love story – one of the most beautiful and powerful I have ever read.

It is the story of God’s extraordinary love for a Palestinian boy in Jerusalem, a boy who grew up lonely and sad and afraid until one day Jesus Christ personally reached out and took this little boy into His arms and told him, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have drawn you with lovingkindness.”

It is the story of a young man who becomes transformed by Christ’s love, a young man both called and compelled to share the good news of that powerful love and amazing grace with his fellow Palestinians, and eventually with the entire Arabic speaking world.

I'll certainly read this...let me know if you pick it up, too!

What I'm reading...

... you should read, too!

I usually pick my next book based on recommendations, sooo.... I've decided to start blogging on "What I'm reading..." to share with you good reads to pick up next time you are browsing the aisles of Barnes and Nobles.

One of the books I am reading now: A Hunger for God by John Piper.

I was pretty excited when this arrived in the mail! If you've never heard of John Piper-- check him out and his ministry, Desiring God. Piper identifies himself as a "Christian Hedonist," because "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him."

Piper challenges: re-think the way I achieve satisfaction in my life. Although this is a book about fasting from food, you can apply fasting to other parts of your life. Identify what you place as the thing that makes you feel content-- maybe it is food-- but for others-- maybe it's television, shopping or words of affirmation from others.

And why do this? God gave us food. God gave us everything that we enjoy. Yes, true.

But God didn't give us things to replace Him. They are gifts to enjoy, but not to idolize and place before Him.

Piper points to Matthew 4:4 to explain God wants us to desire Him for our total fulfillment,

"Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

Piper goes on to emphasize that God feeds His people from an everlasting table, turn to Deuteronomy 8: 2-3,

"Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. "

I pray that you will feast at the Lord's Table! :)