Friday, April 14, 2006

To End All Wars

Reading a book my daughter recommended, To End All Wars, by Ernest Gordon. It is the true story behind the film by the same name. Wow. Powerful. Gordon, a non-believer in Christ when his prisoner of war experience begins under the Japanese in WW II, becomes a believer in Christ through the simple life and testimony of two very different men. One, a Methodist and the other, a Roman Catholic, fellow prisoners with him on the river Kwai in Thialand.

These two men's quiet faith and example in the hell of their experience, [Official records of allied POW's offer some grim statistics. POW's under Nazi Germany and Facists Italy died at a rate of about 4%. POW's under Japanese warders died at a 27 % rate! While malarial jungles account for part of the discrepancy, most scholars also point to the unremitting cruelty that--incredibly--distanced the Nazi's by a large measure, for the bulk of those deaths. ] is a powerful statement of how the Spirit of God works in the darkest of situations.

I highly recommend the book to sceptics and followers of Christ alike. It will challenge both.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Pastor Marty, finally checking out your blog and the first words touched my heart - "reading a book my daughter recommended". The impact was not the actual book but the connection you have with your child. Reading the same books as our children is a way to connect on a deeper level. This is similar to how we connect with God, our Father, through His book. Another reason these words touched me is because reading the same books as my adult, married, daughter is sometimes the only way we connect because of logistics, schedules, life. I miss her very very much and it is another reminder that God misses me when I am not "connecting" with Him.

Thanks for sharing your heart and thoughts.

P.S. I am not a "blogger" so this is my 2nd try at posting...

ChosenRebel said...

Interesting. We can all learn a lot from our children. You post is a good practical idea for all and soon to be empty-nesters. Thanks for visiting the blog. See you Sunday.