The Insanity of God ~ Nik Ripken

From P. 140 "To me, the most startling thing Jesus ever said was when He assigned His followers the task of going out in pairs to share His good news with lost people.  He said that He was sending them "as sheep among wolves".  Still he expected them to prevail.  In the history of the world, no sheep has ever won a fight with a wolf.  The very idea is insane."

This and many more things went into The Insanity of God.  I laughed, I cried, I gritted my teeth, I questioned God, and I come full face into the insanity that is God.  

God is not "logical", "rational", "reasonable", and at times not "understandable".  NO matter how much we'd like to put him in a box we can understand.  We can't, He just is...  It's not for us to question, it's for us to do... 

He points this out in my favorite section.  A pastor in Siberia was arrested and imprisoned.  His wife and children were hungry.  They prayed.  In the middle of the night a deacon was awakened by the Holy Spirit and told to go feed them.  Despite the fact that it was 30 kilometers away, in the middle of the night, tons of snow on the ground, and a major chance of either freezing to death or getting eaten by wolves, he was told to "GO"...   After fighting with the Holy Spirit for a while over this directive, the deacon came to the realization that "You don't have to come back. You just have to go."  

THIS is awesome, and utterly brilliant!!! I love it!

This says it all.  If we are true believers, true Christians, He will ask us to do things to help others, and we are obligated to do them.  We shouldn't argue, beg, plead, ignore, or in others ways try to get out of what he wants from us.    

AND...

When we do, it is AWESOME!!!

I absolutely loved this book.  It was, I admit a little hard to read at times, but well worth staying until the end.  It opened my eyes to things in this world that I was really blind to.  It helped me to be grateful for things that I have, freedoms that I have, and never to take anything for granted.  I will never again take for granted that I can believe openly, I can speak openly, and I can read what I want without fear.  

I learned about a great website called OpenDoors.com.  On this website they share the story of many other countries that do not have religious freedom, and tell about persecuted Christians throughout the world.  

Reading through Nik's (not his real name) journey, and seeing his progress, as well as seeing his eyes opening, gives great encouragement to others on the same journey (especially me).  To go from thinking you know so much, to realizing there is more than you could possibly ever know, is an enlightenment that I am so glad Nik shared with others. 

I wholeheartedly recommend this one.  I could fill a book with quotes from this book, but rather than get in trouble for that, YOU go get this one! it's well worth the money!