Biography

One of the highlights was a service in the town of Goroka. The church house was filled with hundreds of people. Approximately fifty children sat on the floor. All three of us preached. Not one child left their seat. I still can’t believe how quiet and attentive the children were for a three-hour service.

There are some books that you read, finish, and move on. And then there are books that you read and feel profoundly thankful were written. For me, Forward in the Face of Fear: My Life for Christ in the Muslim World by Edgar Feghaly is in the second category.

Over the years, the Lord has used biographies to strengthen my faith and encourage my effort. Thus, biographies always have a place on my upcoming reading list.

The life and influence of Richard Hester extend from the farmlands of the great American plains, through Muslim neighborhoods in Lebanon, to Arabic refugee immigrant populations in Australia. It is a life dedicated to serving Christ in a ministry that spans more than six decades and three continents.

If you want to read some thriller stories, pick up a biography about Hudson Taylor, David Livingstone, or William Carey. If you want to be stirred by heroic endurance and courage, read about Adoniram Judson, Mary Slessor, or Amy Carmichael. These Christians—and a host of others—saw God do the impossible in foreign fields. They took seriously Christ’s command to give the entire world the Gospel, and they acted. And because they acted, to this day there remains fruit to their efforts.

Growing up in the average Australian household means a life void of religion, God, or faith. By the time Robert Bakss of Sydney, Australia, was eight years old, his parents had divorced, and he found himself in not one, but two of these average Aussie households. “I went through a bit of an ordeal then,” Robert recalls, “I was going back and forth between two homes, a dysfunctional sort of home life.”

These ladies are just like you and me, but we can learn what set them apart to be special instruments that God could use to awaken people spiritually in their day and time.

For 30 years I have prayed that someone would write a full biography of Missionary Bob Hughes. It was through this man that many missionaries, including myself, surrendered to go to the mission field. I believe the best way to introduce this book is by sharing the following email I sent to Bro. Roark after receiving a copy of the book.

The story of Bill Borden will touch your heart and challenge you. I had read stories about him and had even given illustrations about him, but I had never read his full biography.