Christian Heroes: Then and Now

When I was young I read a lot of missionary biographies. The stories of men and women who were sold out to God and willing to serve Him in difficult circumstances had a huge impact on my life. The testimony of their faith and commitment bolstered my own.

And maybe more important, their witness of God's faithfulness showed me that God was worthy of my own trust.

I want my own children to have the same heritage of stories of Godly men and women.



For the past several years we have been adding to our collection of Christian Heroes: Then and Now series by Janet and Geoff Benge published by YWAM. Each year we've added a few more until we have a shelf full. We haven't yet read all of the ones pictured on our shelf above, but so far, we haven't found a bad one. (I know that if you are like me you have your head turned sideways trying to read the titles!) And we have dozens more to purchase if we wish.

Janet and Geoff Benge combine their well researched books with interesting facets to make a fascinating book. Many of these people had thrilling escapes and close calls that had us reading an extra chapter.



Some of the people we've read about are well-known - such as George Muller, John Wesley, and Gladys Aylward. But we've also learned about little known persons as we traveled by dog sled with Wilfred Grenfell in the Artic, visited sick women with Ida Scudder in India, and sailed in the South Sea islands with Florence Young.

These people were not perfect. They made mistakes like every human and the books sometimes mentions their failures but ultimately the glory for their lives is given to the Lord.

Many times we added to our knowledge of history. While reading about Count Zinzendorf, we learned about the early colonization of Pennsylvania. David Livingston's biography introduced us to the fight against slavery. We learned about the Great Chicago Fire in the life of D.L. Moody.

I like how these books have opened our eyes to other countries and cultures. Recently we were reading the book on Sundar Singh and his outreach to Nepal. The recent earthquake in Nepal gave us a connection to that area of the world and when we saw photos of the Himalayan mountains, it made Singh's treks in bare feet even more astounding.

Janet and Geoff Benge also wrote books about individuals in American history. We have enjoyed the volumes on William Penn and Milton Hershey in this series.

The books are listed for ages 10 and up but I read them to our whole family and the six-year-old was eager for the next chapter. And as an adult, I gained as much or more than my children from reading them.

These books are available from Amazon or directly from YWAM Publishing. Purchasing by sets or in bulk is the most economical way to purchase.

Do you have any favorite missionary biographies? What character building books do you consider a good investment for your family?

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