David Joannes: The Mind of a Missionary
I particularly enjoyed reading about how some of the well-known missionaries mentioned in the book had points where their lives crossed. For example, David Livingstone heard Robert Moffat speak. This had a profound impact on Livingstone as he heard Moffat speak about “The smoke of a thousand villages” in Africa, referring to the many unsaved who lived there. Livingstone is known today for his work in Africa. Amy Carmichael was also impacted by Hudson Taylor when she heard him speak.
There are also some notable quotes in the book. The author mentions the famous quote of Jim Elliot “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” And, citing other sources, he mentions Hudson Taylor’s famous saying “I have found that there are three stages in every great work of God, first it is impossible, then it is difficult, then it is done” and a lesser known Taylor quote “All God’s giants have been weak men who did great things for God because they reckoned on His [power and presence with them].” Another lesser known quote comes from missionary James Calvert. When he was about to leave ship he was warned by the captain of the ship that he and his co-workers would die trying to evangelize cannibals in the Fiji Islands. He replied, “We died before we came here.”
The Mind of a Missionary will challenge how you think about missions.
Reviewed by John P. Lathrop
Companion website: https://www.themindofamissionary.com/
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