Donald Miller and a Follow-Up from Hogegivers International

How do you evaluate your reading? How it makes you feel? Whether or not your were entertained? The action that results in your life after reading? I am sure there are a multitude of evaluations we use when we read. Let's face it, if we are reading Sue Monk Kidd we are evaluating our reading with our the touch of our emotions. At least, that is what happened to me when I read the The Secrect Life of Bees. (Yes, I am not ashamed to admit I read this novel. It was quite touching!) When you read David Baldacci or John Grisham or Tom Clancy, we evaluate the reading by the level of intensity we feel.

But what about your Christian reading? You do read Christian authors don't you? Now there is an incredible glut of writing out there today. That is one of my fears about my blog. It just becomes a part of the cacophony of words out there to be read that contribute no value. That is certainly true of Christian books as well. There are some that do not cause us to think more highly of God or Jesus or Scripture. They tend to make us think more of ourselves. Is it bad to think of ourselves? Not necessarily, but the trouble comes when books or anything else cause us to think more about us--or more accurately, me--as the center of things. At the end of the day, in a very important way, Christian writing has to cause us to think of our lives in subservience to Christ and how we live in light of that fact.

I am very thankful for some authors whose books have crossed my path. In reading them, I have been challenged, in both emotion and action, to think more highly of God and desire him to be more glorified in me. John Piper, Marva Dawn, Mark Dever, James Montgomery Boice, Ronald Nash, CJ Mahaney, Gene Getz and Bruce Ware are just a few that have been used greatly of God to bless many in this way.

Recently I picked up a copy of Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller. I have read interesting things about Miller. In one review, I have heard him praised. In another, harshly criticized. Now I would say I have not agreed with everything in Miller's book. But I say this, so far, he has caused me to think more highly of the God of the Bible, not some imagination of a god that is often so prevalent in many American churches. So I wanted to give you a quote and afterward, an update about Dr. Samuel Thomas from Hopegivers International about which I mentioned last week. Consider Miller's thoughts and pray for Dr. Thomas!

"If you ask me, the way to tell if a person knows God for real, I mean knows the real God, is that they will fear Him. They wouldn't go around making absured political assertions and drop God's name like an ace card, and they wouldn't be making absurd statements about how God wants you to be rich and how if you send in some money to the ministry God will bless you. And for that matter, they wouldn't be standing on a beach shouting about how they are God, twirling around in the waves. It seems like, if you really knew the God who understands the physics of our existence, you would operate a little more cautiously, a little more compassionately, a little less like you are the center of the universe."
--Donald Miller
Searching for God Knows What, p. 38

Update from Hopegivers International:


COLUMBUS, GA (March 28, 2006) -- Hopegivers International leader Dr. Samuel Thomas, who is in day 14 of protective police custody, is scheduled to be moved to the Kota Central Jail today pending trial. According to local newspapers, a judge denied bail to the Christian humanitarian leader on March 27 and has ordered him to be held in judicial custody until April 10 when he is scheduled to appear before the court again.
Meanwhile, Hopegivers’ Executive Director Mr. Michael Glenn called for donations to the Legal Defense Fund for Dr. Sam and repeated his call for letter writing. (Donations for the fund are being received at 866-373-4673.)
Mr. Glenn said while he has not had any contact with Dr. Sam, he knows that Dr. Sam appreciates the prayers of friends in America and around the world.
“This is a clear case of religious discrimination,” said Mr. Glenn. “But we are very encouraged by events like the freeing of the Christian convert Abdul Rahman today in Afghanistan.
“Governments do listen to world public opinion when Christians are falsely imprisoned like this. We need to continue to press Indian authorities with letters, faxes and phone calls to make sure that they protect Dr. Sam while in custody and that his basic human rights are restored.”
Other sources reported by phone that lawyers for Hopegivers’ Founder Bishop M.A. Thomas are seeking anticipatory bail due to his age and poor health. Both of the Thomas’ have been charged with false accusations related to “causing communal disharmony” and deny any wrongdoing.
Dr. Sam’s defense attorney, Mr. Bharat Bawa, asked the judge to maintain a special watch over the Christian leader. Hindutva radicals have promised to slay Dr. Sam and M.A. Thomas and have publicly offered a $52,000 bounty for their heads (over two million rupees in Indian currency).
“The letter-writing campaign is working” said Mr. Glenn. “Just last week, the Chief Administrator of Hopegivers’ partner, EMI, was released and more positive things are happening every day. Every major Indian newspaper has run a story condemning the extremists and it is only a matter of time until the Thomas’ are fully exonerated of any wrongdoing.”
Hopegivers International, based in the United States and directed by an international board of directors, is offering a Hopegivers Letter Writing Guidelines Kit to those who want to write officials to help secure Dr. Sam’s release. Those interested in the kit can e-mail info@hopegivers.org or call Hopegivers’ USA office toll-free 1-866-373-4673.