A Good Read - Hearts of Fire

I am currently reading through a book called "Hearts of Fire" - the story of eight women in the underground church and their stories of costly faith. It was published in 2003 by Voice of the Martyrs.

I have been following the literature put out by Voice of the Martyrs for many years now. I remember reading about Richard Wurmbrand when I was a teenager, and being inspired by his life. As I grew, I continued to subscribe to their magazine and follow the work that they are doing globally on behalf of Christians.

In America, we are so comfortable and so insulated in our own little world, that often we have no idea what the cost of Christianity really is, because we really have not been asked to pay it. I think it is very important to stay informed as to what the reality of Christianity is for our brothers and sisters in Christ who live outside this land. Often, making a public profession of faith means persecution, hardship, exclusion from the economic system, abuse, or even death at the hands of intolerant governments or societies for our brothers and sisters. We must be in prayer and do what we can to support the body of Christ. We must not ever forget about them.

I first borrowed this book from The Family Vision Library which I discussed in this blog post. After reading just the first chapter, I knew this was a book that I must own and read over and over. I also wanted my teenaged children to read it, and become more aware of how different cultures and countries are treating Christians. I don't want them to think "American Christianity" is how Christianity is everywhere in this world. I wanted to be continually inspired to give my all for my God. I bought the book.

In this book, the authors traveled to various parts of the world and actually interviewed the people involved in the stories. They met in secret places at times, so that they could intelligently write the courageous stories and share them publicly.

Each one of the eight stories tells of a woman with courage, love for God, and boldness of faith. It tells of how their lives were drastically changed, solely for the 'crime' of loving God, owning a Bible, or talking about their faith. In most instances, these women did not get to leave their circumstances. In some cases, they still live in these rough conditions, yet their faith is enough to sustain them.

In reading their stories, I am truly blessed, humbled, encouraged, and driven to prayer.

The book itself is almost 300 pages, and is chock full of Scripture. Each woman's story is a chapter, and you can read the entire book from beginning to end, or you can read one story at a time, set it down, and pick up right where you left off with another story at a different time. 

I highly recommend this book to anyone who would like to learn about Christianity in different cultures, or would just like to be more informed as to how to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ living around this world.

The book can be purchased for $9.00 at Voice of the Martys website.

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Would you like some good book suggestions from other Crew members?   

Visit the "Good Read" post to see their recommendations.
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