I just finished reading a book that changed my life. The only other book that has changed my life and is still changing my life is the Holy Bible, which I know with all my heart and without any doubt, is God’s infallible and immutable word to each one of us. This new book: The Insanity of God is by a pastor and missionary, Nik Ripken. In his book, Nik travels the world over a period of 15 years to interview people who are in the midst of being persecuted for their beliefs. He tells their precious and priceless stories to give them a voice and a testimony of their faith and strength and healing in the most dangerous, hopeless and darkest places on this planet: places where evil reigns, miracles are daily events (survival is a miracle), and persecution is expected and even welcomed as “seminaries” of growth and maturity. I was so appalled by their stories, that I felt sick to my stomach.
Here I am, looking out my window at 2 acres of land, mountain views, yard full of azaleas, dogwood, peonies ready to burst open and a vegetable garden full of life for the summer. I just bought 6 hanging baskets without batting an eye while planning more landscaping design and layout of trees and shrubs. I sit and write about our beach house rental investment and the joy that it gives our family each year; about our vacations eating seafood and watching sunsets and doing the most urbane things to have fun and lots of it.
We eat, we drink, we play, we work, we make money and we take it all disgustingly for granted.
And there are people, at this very moment, who are being tortured, imprisoned, and martyred for their unwavering belief in Jesus Christ.
Why am I writing about this? I mean, this blog is about a beach house, right? What do life changing events, faith, spiritual growth and following Jesus Christ have to do with a beach house on a tiny Outer Banks island in North Carolina?
I just looked at the statistics of this blog. I have 3 followers. But on April 13, there were 55 people reading it. Last month, 338 people read it. In the two and a half years I’ve written it, there have been over 4000 page views. The audience is what is really fascinating. The readers are in Russia, China, France, Germany, Ukraine, and Malaysia among many others. I would love to know who is reading it and why they are reading it. What about this simple-minded and quaint story is so interesting?
When the persecuted hear about faith in the United States, the freedom to attend worship freely and openly, to possess multiple bibles (I just counted 13 Bibles laying around the house and there are many more that I can’t even find), to be able to obtain Christian literature, to attend Bible studies and Christian schools and seminaries, they believe that WE are living a MIRACLE of God. We are a miracle and we don’t even know it! Our country is a MIRACLE and we don’t know it and we don’t appreciate it.
One thing I know: if we do ever lose our religious freedoms and become persecuted for our beliefs, it will separate the wheat from the chaff and the numbers who truly follow Christ will grow like a wildfire. Just examine the places where belief in Christ is skyrocketing! This is where faith flourishes!
So maybe there’s an opportunity here in this little blog to spread my faith around just a little bit. Maybe it will make a difference in one life. Maybe not. Maybe it’s not really about a beach house and maybe it’s not really about me.
I recommend the book, The Insanity of God. But I really and wholeheartedly recommend the Word of God to my readers out there. And when I blog about a beach house, I’m celebrating His grace in my life and the miracle of salvation in His Son, Jesus Christ who freed me from sin and paid the price that I, personally, owed for it. Beach houses are here today and may be wiped out in the next hurricane, but God’s Word is eternal and my salvation is eternal and that’s the only thing in life that is worth blogging about!
I can’t end a blog without a few photos!
Mr. Honky, the Goose. I introduced him in my previous blog.
Mr. and Mrs. Honky.
Mustache-io, the Cat. He’s looking in the front door at us wishing to come in.
Here I am, looking out my window at 2 acres of land, mountain views, yard full of azaleas, dogwood, peonies ready to burst open and a vegetable garden full of life for the summer. I just bought 6 hanging baskets without batting an eye while planning more landscaping design and layout of trees and shrubs. I sit and write about our beach house rental investment and the joy that it gives our family each year; about our vacations eating seafood and watching sunsets and doing the most urbane things to have fun and lots of it.
We eat, we drink, we play, we work, we make money and we take it all disgustingly for granted.
And there are people, at this very moment, who are being tortured, imprisoned, and martyred for their unwavering belief in Jesus Christ.
Why am I writing about this? I mean, this blog is about a beach house, right? What do life changing events, faith, spiritual growth and following Jesus Christ have to do with a beach house on a tiny Outer Banks island in North Carolina?
I just looked at the statistics of this blog. I have 3 followers. But on April 13, there were 55 people reading it. Last month, 338 people read it. In the two and a half years I’ve written it, there have been over 4000 page views. The audience is what is really fascinating. The readers are in Russia, China, France, Germany, Ukraine, and Malaysia among many others. I would love to know who is reading it and why they are reading it. What about this simple-minded and quaint story is so interesting?
When the persecuted hear about faith in the United States, the freedom to attend worship freely and openly, to possess multiple bibles (I just counted 13 Bibles laying around the house and there are many more that I can’t even find), to be able to obtain Christian literature, to attend Bible studies and Christian schools and seminaries, they believe that WE are living a MIRACLE of God. We are a miracle and we don’t even know it! Our country is a MIRACLE and we don’t know it and we don’t appreciate it.
One thing I know: if we do ever lose our religious freedoms and become persecuted for our beliefs, it will separate the wheat from the chaff and the numbers who truly follow Christ will grow like a wildfire. Just examine the places where belief in Christ is skyrocketing! This is where faith flourishes!
So maybe there’s an opportunity here in this little blog to spread my faith around just a little bit. Maybe it will make a difference in one life. Maybe not. Maybe it’s not really about a beach house and maybe it’s not really about me.
I recommend the book, The Insanity of God. But I really and wholeheartedly recommend the Word of God to my readers out there. And when I blog about a beach house, I’m celebrating His grace in my life and the miracle of salvation in His Son, Jesus Christ who freed me from sin and paid the price that I, personally, owed for it. Beach houses are here today and may be wiped out in the next hurricane, but God’s Word is eternal and my salvation is eternal and that’s the only thing in life that is worth blogging about!
I can’t end a blog without a few photos!
Mr. Honky, the Goose. I introduced him in my previous blog.
Mr. and Mrs. Honky.
Mustache-io, the Cat. He’s looking in the front door at us wishing to come in.
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