During today’s sermon, I mentioned two books you ought to read or at least peruse in the coming days. One was written in the 16th century and is a Christian Classic: Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. The other is a modern daily devotional telling the stories of those who have given their lives for Jesus Christ throughout the centuries: Extreme Devotion – The Voice of the Martyrs.

Both can be ordered at a local Christian bookstore or online. Foxe’s Book of Martyrs is available in it’s entirety online or as a PDF download at Google Books. The classic by Foxe is easily accessible through the web, but Extreme Devotion is easy to read, incorporates Scriptural passages for the day, and includes stories from modern times.

When circumstances overwhelm your life, when you feel wronged, or maybe even persecuted to one or extreme or the other – remember those who actually were killed for their unwillingness to recant their faith in Jesus.

Few, if any of us, will give our lives for the Lord, but all of us will sense the pressure and maybe the persecution living as a follower of Christ includes until we are with Him.

Use one of these resources over the next couple of weeks. Read the stories. Feel what the martyrs felt. Sense the love and devotion they had for Christ. Recalibrate your perspective on your suffering to the suffering they experienced. Maybe what you are experiencing today will be more tolerable for Jesus when you realize the extreme some followers have experienced.

Our Newest Missionaries

With the vote of the congregation last Sunday night We begin a new partnership with Joshua, Kristen, and Cassia Gee. Our newly expanded budget will provide $500.00 per month to support them as they send the gospel into Europe and much of the Muslim world from a base in Great Britain. Joshua is the grandson of Peggy Gee who has been part of our church family for many years. We also supported Peggy and her husband, Fred, as they served as missionaries with Child Evangelism Fellowship. The Gees join 53 other missionary families, and 6 organizations that comprise our global missionary family. Each month we contribute $30,270 to these missionaries through your giving. As the Gees begin a new chapter in their service for the Lord, let's praise our God for the opportunity to serve with them through our prayers and gifts.