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Live | Dead The Story
Embark on a 28-Day Journey With Iranian Believers
A young man flees on horseback across the Iranian border into Turkey, pursued by armed border-patrol guards. An entire church goes underground after their pastor is executed. A young woman encounters Jesus for the first time . . . in a dream. The third installment of the Live | Dead series, Live | Dead: The Story, is a twenty-eight-day journey into the lives of Iranian Christians that illustrates their resilience, courage, and deep faith. It will change the way you view your faith and your commitment to Christ . . . forever.
This journey will lead you into a deeper prayer life, God-centered reflection, and a softer heart for the Iranian people. It's a journey you don't want to miss!
A young man flees on horseback across the Iranian border into Turkey, pursued by armed border-patrol guards. An entire church goes underground after their pastor is executed. A young woman encounters Jesus for the first time . . . in a dream. The third installment of the Live | Dead series, Live | Dead: The Story, is a twenty-eight-day journey into the lives of Iranian Christians that illustrates their resilience, courage, and deep faith. It will change the way you view your faith and your commitment to Christ . . . forever.
This journey will lead you into a deeper prayer life, God-centered reflection, and a softer heart for the Iranian people. It's a journey you don't want to miss!
188 pages, Paperback
First published July 29, 2014
9 people are currently reading
79 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 26, 2015
A devotional, not a first-hand account of life with Iranian believers.
This book was not what I expected, so there are two main parts to this review - what I expected, and what the book really is.
What I expected
I expected this book to be about the author's month of living with Iranian believers. I thought the book would be filled with personal observations of how they are worshiping, enduring persecution, and making disciples. I thought the author, based on this experience, would note correlations between what he saw with the Iranian believers and what the early church experienced, as outlined in the book of Acts.
What the book is
The book is devotional. This came as a complete surprise to me as nowhere in the book's description did I see this mentioned. OK, not what I expected, but I can roll with it. Also, the stories aren't from the author's observation, they are from the author interviewing Iranian believers and getting a short story on them. Usually, one story is one for one day's devotional. Along with each story you are supposed to read a chapter in the book of Acts (Day one in book & read chapter one of Acts, day two in book & read chapter two of Acts, etc).
Since this was the set up of the devotional, I expected the story to mirror what was in the "parallel" chapter of Acts. I don't recall a single instance of this. Instead each story is linked with just one verse from the Acts' chapter. This was very disappointing for me. I appreciated that you were supposed to read the entire chapter of Acts (thus getting the surrounding context), but I'm not a fan of focusing on a verse in isolation and not really having the other material discussed.
At the end of each devotional is the "Live|Dead Challenge" where the chapter of Acts and the Iranian story meet for a paragraph or so and a specific prayer point or action point for you related to that.
Short of it
Overall it's not a bad book, it's just not what the marketing material for the book lead me to believe it was. I do wish that there was more relevance between the daily stories and chapters, but if the book had been marketed for what it is I would have been less disappointed.
I was given a free copy of this book to review. All opinions are my own.
This book was not what I expected, so there are two main parts to this review - what I expected, and what the book really is.
What I expected
I expected this book to be about the author's month of living with Iranian believers. I thought the book would be filled with personal observations of how they are worshiping, enduring persecution, and making disciples. I thought the author, based on this experience, would note correlations between what he saw with the Iranian believers and what the early church experienced, as outlined in the book of Acts.
What the book is
The book is devotional. This came as a complete surprise to me as nowhere in the book's description did I see this mentioned. OK, not what I expected, but I can roll with it. Also, the stories aren't from the author's observation, they are from the author interviewing Iranian believers and getting a short story on them. Usually, one story is one for one day's devotional. Along with each story you are supposed to read a chapter in the book of Acts (Day one in book & read chapter one of Acts, day two in book & read chapter two of Acts, etc).
Since this was the set up of the devotional, I expected the story to mirror what was in the "parallel" chapter of Acts. I don't recall a single instance of this. Instead each story is linked with just one verse from the Acts' chapter. This was very disappointing for me. I appreciated that you were supposed to read the entire chapter of Acts (thus getting the surrounding context), but I'm not a fan of focusing on a verse in isolation and not really having the other material discussed.
At the end of each devotional is the "Live|Dead Challenge" where the chapter of Acts and the Iranian story meet for a paragraph or so and a specific prayer point or action point for you related to that.
Short of it
Overall it's not a bad book, it's just not what the marketing material for the book lead me to believe it was. I do wish that there was more relevance between the daily stories and chapters, but if the book had been marketed for what it is I would have been less disappointed.
I was given a free copy of this book to review. All opinions are my own.
November 4, 2014
I loved this devotional. I started reading it because I've always been interested in Muslim countries and how ministry works in those areas. It was amazing to read the stories of those who have lived dead to the things of this world, and of those who were willing to give everything for Christ.The stories were fascinating to read. Everything about it is eye opening. I think everyone should go through this book.
May 18, 2024
It’s a nice devotional with good testimonies from Christians in Iran. However, I was disappointed with the connections between each story and the correlating chapter in Acts. Instead of having an Iranian testimony that strongly reflects the account in the Acts chapter, this book picks one verse from Acts that loosely matches the theme of the testimony. I was expecting a stronger connection between the two sources.
I wasn’t a fan of the writing style, but I can see how it is accommodating a broad range of readers.
Also, I powered through the book instead of reading a chapter each day because I got tired of the format.
I wasn’t a fan of the writing style, but I can see how it is accommodating a broad range of readers.
Also, I powered through the book instead of reading a chapter each day because I got tired of the format.
February 22, 2018
Inspirational stories on faith put the test or finding God in the midst of trial
December 17, 2015
This is a devotional with a difference – each day follows a chapter from the book of Acts,and has a verse from that chapter, along with a true testimony of an Iranian Christian. As well as the stories, they have a photo of the person whose story it is, and a short note at the end of how their story ties into the chapter in Acts, and how it can make a difference to your life.
I was half-fearful that this would be a depressing read, because of the stories I had read in the news about pastors persecuted in Iran, but I was surprised by how full of hope it was. I found it to be a genuinely inspiring and uplifting, full of stories of courage and God’s goodness in dark places. Shawn Smucker is such a talented storyteller, and he faithfully conveys the drama and voice of each individual testimony, so I didn’t want to stop reading. This is a gem of a book – helps you to pray for Iran by rooting it in people’s stories, informs and encourages you about the realities of the persecuted church, and has practical insights for living out. It would be great to read for a month as a devotional, or as a book group together.
I was half-fearful that this would be a depressing read, because of the stories I had read in the news about pastors persecuted in Iran, but I was surprised by how full of hope it was. I found it to be a genuinely inspiring and uplifting, full of stories of courage and God’s goodness in dark places. Shawn Smucker is such a talented storyteller, and he faithfully conveys the drama and voice of each individual testimony, so I didn’t want to stop reading. This is a gem of a book – helps you to pray for Iran by rooting it in people’s stories, informs and encourages you about the realities of the persecuted church, and has practical insights for living out. It would be great to read for a month as a devotional, or as a book group together.
August 31, 2014
Packed with raw stories from precious people
January 4, 2015
Incredible stories that were very, very inspiring. Amazing to see how God works in/through the most difficult circumstances.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews