Joyful­ about-turn

FINDING FAITH:
Inspiring Conversion Stories from around the
World
By Naomi Reed
Authentic Media. 183 pages £9.18
ISBN 978 1 780 784 625

I confess that when I saw the cover of this book I was not inspired to read it, despite its claim to contain inspiring stories from around the world.

I would never normally pick up a book like this, perversely finding tag lines that make such claims very off-putting. So I read reluctantly, only because I had been asked to review it. My cynicism was challenged. I had been wrong. As I read, I met brothers and sisters, real people from a variety of backgrounds and nationalities, testifying to the work of Christ in their lives.

Thirteen people

This book is about 13 different people with very different experiences and very different struggles, but each one is deeply relatable-to and each one discovers life in Christ. It is encouraging to see over and over again that the gospel is the power of God for salvation for all who believe. If you are tempted to think that those you love and pray for are too far away from Christ to be saved, read this book. Listen to the voices of your brothers and sisters to be reminded that the Lord uses all circumstances for his purposes and he really does bring people near.

These stories are also challenging. There are poignant moments which expose the churches’ failures, as well as glorious examples of God’s people living faithfully, adorning the gospel and drawing people to Christ. Plenty to meditate on for our own evangelism. As the cover says, these are inspiring stories – not because they are extraordinary stories, but because they testify to God’s ongoing work in the lives of ordinary people around the world. They would make a great holiday read.