Books I Have Read – “The Insanity of God” – Nik Ripken

This is a must-read.

In the first half of the book, Nik tells his story of working with a huge relief effort in Somaliland, and shares many heart-wrenching stories of the people who survived the horrors there.  He comes away from that experience with an overwhelming need to heal from his own personal tragedy of the loss of a son, and also to heal from seeing all that human suffering, and not seeing people come to faith in Christ.  He agonizes at his own limitations in sharing the truth of Jesus, and at his doubts that Jesus is enough in the worst situations of life.

As I read this first half of the book, I almost put the book down and decided not to finish it.  The stories were real and painful, but there was no talk of sharing Christ, or seeing people come to faith, and I wondered if the book was going to be worth the read.

So if you pick up this book, and have that same thought in the first half, the best advice I can give you is to KEEP READING!!!

In the second half of the book Nik is back home in the states, and takes on the project of interviewing, all over the globe, Christians who have gone through intense persecution for their faith.   He is seeking answers – Why were you willing to go through persecution?  How did you do it?  What did you learn?  How do you avoid persecution? Was it worth it?

The stories are true –  from Russia, to China, to the 10-40 Muslim window, people tell their stories of being in love with Jesus, and unwilling to step back from their faith in Him, no matter what the cost.

If you live in America, you will be beat up by the time you finish this book.   You will ask yourself whether or not you are ready to live your life flat-out for “The Insanity of God”.