M.R. Conrad's Blog, page 3
April 26, 2023
Reviewing John Paton: Missionary to the New Hebrides
If you want to read harrowing adventures of missionaries running from cannibals, then this is the missionary biography for you. However, this book contains much more than just action.
April 6, 2023
Reviewing Hudson Taylor’s Best Biography
During the turbulent colonial era, a sickly British boy, named Hudson Taylor, comes to Christ and hears God's call to China. Spurning the aristocratic society of his day, he turns to God alone for support during his medical studies, leaves for China under an unsteady mission, embraces local Chinese dress and diet, and launches into the interior of China with the gospel of Jesus Christ...
March 8, 2023
Reviewing Evidence Not Seen
Readability
Original Sources
Devotional Quality
Avoids Hagiography
Biblical Clarity
Fiel...December 6, 2022
God, My All-Sufficient Portion
William Carey’s heart raced as he leaned against the railing of the Kron Princess Maria.[1] The winds and tides had finally allowed the Danish ship to enter the Bay of Bengal on November 11, 1793. In the distance, Carey caught his first glimpse of the shores of India. He hoped it would not be his last. Beside Carey, Dr. John Thomas fidgeted. On his last stint in India, Thomas had incurred outstanding debts—debts he had failed to mention to his new coworkers. Soon, a flotilla of smaller boats sur...
May 14, 2021
The Risky Upside of Missionary Biographies
Eighteen-year-old Sarah Hall curled up in her New England home, her legs tucked beneath her voluminous 1700’s skirt.[1] Neither the chill of the room nor the hardness of the wooden chair distracted her from her book. She barely noticed her younger brothers and sisters as they noisily went about their business in the common room. The hardbound volume, stiff with newness, recounted the life of the recently deceased missionary Samuel Mills.
What Missionary Biographies Did to Sarah HallSoon a...
January 10, 2021
Misquoting God: Are We Putting Words in God’s Mouth?
“I cannot tell a lie,” young George Washington admitted. “I did cut down the cherry tree with my hatchet.” Of course, Washington never said that, nor did Lincoln or Einstein say half the memes attributed to them. Misquotes and false attributions litter the web. While researching for my recently published devotional book, I discovered that Christians of the past, too, have had words put into their mouths.
Misquoting Christian FiguresFor example, I love this quote from David Brainerd: “Lord...
November 30, 2020
Gold in the Laundry: Finding Value in the Mundane
Bathe the children. Cook three square meals. Weed the garden. Repair the fence. Beat back the vines of the encroaching jungle. Unclog the outhouse. Patch the hole in the roof. Help the neighbors. Such was the life of missionary Mary Slessor. Far from the conveniences of her homeland, this Scottish woman found the mundane chores of daily life in Nigeria consuming her time. Is your life similarly filled with repetitive, mind-numbing tasks? Do you feel there is little value in the mundane?
Daily...
