"Chasing the Dragon" was Jackie Pullinger's tale of ministering in HongKong's walled city - amidst the depths of drugs, gangs, crime, and prositution. Her story was a story of faith - her call as a college student, and her simple obediance to go to HongKong. The greatest thing that struck me about Jackie's story was the mighty power of the Holy Spirit demonstrated through her life of weakness among the oppressed. She didnt have an organized "ministry," rather she stayed up all night to walk the slimy streets of the walled city, finding her way in brothels and drug dens to speak the truth of the gospel. She saw converts delivered from heroin addictions by the power of the Spirit, painlessly as they spoke in tongues. Her stories were full of life, trust, faith, and continuous dialogue with Jesus that served as her LIGHT in the darkness.
"The New Friars" was a very inspiring compilation of stories and journal entries of people like me, who want to find solidarity among the poor for Jesus. The author pieced together snippets of experiences and struggles throughout history for the cause of the poor - to introduce the latest surge of twenty somethings committed to serving the oppressed. He coined the term "New Friars" for these individuals, who are radically living on the fringes in the inspiration of Christ Himself, Mother Theresa, John the Baptist, St. Francis, St. Clare, Shane Claiborne, Chris Heurtz, and the like... I was suprised to find WordMadeFlesh mentioned in this hall of fame, as well as a place for the 24/7 prayer movement, and also those who have made Nazarite vows. These journeys seemed like reading a chapter of my own journal from the past two years, it reminded me I am not alone.
"Rees Howells - Intercessor" by Norman Grubb is a powerful account of the life of a Welsh coal miner who was used by God to change the course of history merely by prayer. It has challenged me to not pray for anything I can become the flesh and blood answer to. It has reminded me that we MUST be heavenly minded to be of any earthly good. I am only a few chapters into this one, and I'll be taking it on the plane to Nepal this weekend.
"Pedagogy of the Oppressed" was Paulo Freire's insight into work among the poor. Although I wholeheartedly agreed with his analysis of the poor's identity crisis and struggles, I found his solutions godless and lacking. Poverty is indeed, at its core - an identity crisis. It restrains an individual under systems of oppression that leave them questioning who they are, and if they can ever change! His solutions were written from a humanistic perspective so I didn't agree with his theory that we could lead the poor to simply "discover their potential to change" by dialogue. The truth is, the only message of hope we can bring to the poor is about a God who loves them, entered into their pain, overcame it, and therefore can also enter their hearts and transform them by the Holy Spirit.
"The New Friars" was a very inspiring compilation of stories and journal entries of people like me, who want to find solidarity among the poor for Jesus. The author pieced together snippets of experiences and struggles throughout history for the cause of the poor - to introduce the latest surge of twenty somethings committed to serving the oppressed. He coined the term "New Friars" for these individuals, who are radically living on the fringes in the inspiration of Christ Himself, Mother Theresa, John the Baptist, St. Francis, St. Clare, Shane Claiborne, Chris Heurtz, and the like... I was suprised to find WordMadeFlesh mentioned in this hall of fame, as well as a place for the 24/7 prayer movement, and also those who have made Nazarite vows. These journeys seemed like reading a chapter of my own journal from the past two years, it reminded me I am not alone. 
"Rees Howells - Intercessor" by Norman Grubb is a powerful account of the life of a Welsh coal miner who was used by God to change the course of history merely by prayer. It has challenged me to not pray for anything I can become the flesh and blood answer to. It has reminded me that we MUST be heavenly minded to be of any earthly good. I am only a few chapters into this one, and I'll be taking it on the plane to Nepal this weekend.
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