In honor of a family friend leaving for college today to start his Missions Major, I thought it would be perfect to share 5 of my favorite Missionary biographies. I don’t know about you, but I love a good missionary Biography, so today, I am happy to tell you about five men/women who buried their heart on the field God gave them!!!

*Indicates the need to check the scriptures in the book, not all are correct.

1.Adoniram Judson by Janet and Geoff Benge*
I’ve always been fascinated by forign missions work, especially back in the old days, but this story! Oh! There are so many good parts! From Mr. Jusdson’s conversion, to his becoming a baptist, to the whole story of exactly how he ended up in Burma, the story of this man of God will not fail to inspire you. We actually got to help fund the printing of his translation of the Bible for the people of modern day Myanmar! His work carries on to the people he loved with all his heart.

2.Jacob DeShazer by Janet and Geoff Benge*
A little known missionary, if anyone had a heart for Japan, it was this man and his wife. But if anyone had a reason to hate Japan, it was also this man. Mr. DeShazer’s was a Doolittle Raider and flew over Tokyo with his squadron. After bailing out over China, he was captured and kept as a POW for around 40 months…most of that being spent in solitary confinement. Read this book and see just how God turned his life around!

3.Evidence Not Seen by Darlene Diebler Rose
This is an autobiography and another WWII missionary story. I don’t want to say too much, because I don’t want to spoil her story, but oh! You have to read this one (recommended for 16 and up). I will tell you that she was a missionary to Paupa New Gunia and that she came in direct contact with the Japanese. Her story witll break your heart and grow your faith. READ IT!

4.Lillian Trasher by Janet and Geoff Benge*
Ever heard of Amy Carmichael? Take a person like her and drop her in war torn Egypt and you have Lillian! I loved getting to know more about a missionary I had admired for years after hearing a short story about her. Her ministry was amazing as was the history and culture wrapped in this story.

5.David Livingston by Janet and Geoff Benge*
This list would not be complete without the story of the man who’s heart was literally buried on the Mission field. Oh, wow. I had never heard his complete story, though I grew up reading short stories about him. David Livingston is an inspiration to me, his love for the people of Africa and his passion for science and reaching the lost for Christ…This book is a beautiful tribute to the man, the missionary and the explorer. I look forward to meeting him in heaven someday, and perhaps greeting him, “Dr. Livingston, I presume?”

Something to Think about: Who is your missionary hero? Is there someone you’ve heard about, but don’t know their whole story? Check out a book about them ASAP!

Last month I mentioned that July was a crazy busy month for us, telling others about the Fundamental Broadcasting Network. Well, it certainly was! We had the Southeast Old Threshers Reunion, our church’s VBS, The Sword of the Lord Conference, and additional meetings in between!

July Favorites

Verse: Again, a specific verse didn’t jump out at me, but reading through Genesis has been very enjoyable! I love the story of Joseph, and every time I read it, it’s like I’m there, watching it all happen, wishing I could prevent some things, rejoicing with Joseph at other times. And seeing how God worked it all out for good is so thrilling!

Song: Complete in Thee. I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned this one before, but it has been such a blessing to me this month.

🎼Yea, justified! Oh, blessed thought! And sanctified Salvation wrought! Thy blood hath pardon bought for me, and glorified I too shall be.”🎼

Event: The Majesty Music Conference! I was able to attend the conference in Raleigh this year, and it was worth every penny! I, at last, learned precisely what I need to work on in singing and learned techniques to take care of my voice. After all, we should be good stewards with everything God has given us, and while I’m by no means an expert singer, I want to be all that I can be to honor Him. I also received free music and purchased more. Can’t wait to put it to use! And who wouldn’t want to sit and learn from the crew of the Jolly Roger️?⛵ (If you aren’t familiar with Patch the Pirate...you are missing out! 😉)

Book of the Month: Enemy Brothers by Constance Savery. I’m not quite finished with it yet, but it is sooo good! (Review to Come!)

Ministry: As I mentioned earlier, we set up for FBN at Threshers (a tractor show) and Sword Conference. I look forward to both events every year. Last year, our representative, Rep. Ted Budd, came to Threshers to hear my dad preach! We had a wonderful time at both events, sharing about our ministry! God is so good!
Writing Update: Because we had the opportunity to do VBS at our church again this year, we didn’t get as much editing done as we had planned on, but my mom did get some solo edits done! Now to meet…But I did get some writing done on side projects, and when I added it up, it was over 41k! I wasn’t planning on having that much done this month, but it happened and I’m grateful!

A Book I am Anticipating for August: Last month I mentioned Jefferson Davis, American and I am still working through that one, but I also hope to finish The Auschwitz Escape by Joel C. Rosenberg. It’s a Holocaust story and very moving so far. Definitely not recommended for children, but oh! So eye-opening!
 
And Now, Some Writing Prompts…

Well, that's it for now!
Have a blessed week!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

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I love books. I think every author would say the same. I’m much better at buying books than at buying clothes! So today, I wanted to answer some bookish questions that a sweet friend sent my way. Thanks, Kassie!

What is your favorite thing about reading?
Wow…that’s a tough question…I guess it would have to be learning about people, times and places that I have never met, lived in or visited. Historical fiction is my genre of choice and when I find one that is so vivid I feel like I’m part of the story, it’s not hard for me to enjoy! I love reading stories about people who lived during hard times and conquered in the end. Those are so encouraging!

Which Male Character is your Favorite?
Theodore Mallory from Three People by Isabella Alden; Corey Schreiber from O To Be Like Thee by Kassie Angle (she didn’t tell me to say that 😉); Tom Sampson from The Big Sky Country Series by Rachel McBride; and (I’m gonna cheat) Seth Mason from The Battle for Heritage Series by yours truly!

Which Female Character is your Favorite?
Yikes…that’s actually very hard…Ester Reid from Ester Reid by Isabella Alden; Dixie Mason and Lana Brewster from The Battle for Heritage Series 😉.

Who is your Favorite Villain of all Time?
Say what? Is there such a thing? Like a good bad guy? I can honestly say I don’t have one. I despise the bad guys in books and movies. But then again, I don’t like for them to be stupid and cheesy either. There’s no glory in overcoming an imbecilic.

Who is your Least Favorite character of all Time?
Basically every Nazi in any World War Two book I’ve ever read! I can’t think of specific names. OH! The bad guy from the Elsie Dinsmore series! I can’t remember his name, but he still gives me the creeps!

Which book do you think has the Strongest Plot?
Ester Reid, O To Be Like Thee, The Young Refugees Series

What gets on your nerves the most in a story (a boring character, unrealistic plot, etc.)
The bratty character, especially if you can tell we are supposed to like this character. I can’t stand them. Also, books that make adults/authority figures out to be stupid.

Which book has the best cover?
The Secret Slipper by Amanda Tero. So Gorgeous!

Do you let people borrow your books? If so, are you specific about how they treat them?
I only allow people I trust to borrow my books. People I know will return them and take care of them to the best of their ability.

If a Movie could be made based on any book, which book would you choose?
The Holy War, Across Five Aprils, Iron Scouts of the Confederacy, O To Be Like Thee, The Last Full Measure (because I saw Gods and Generals and Gettysburg {edited| and I really want to know how the film version of the story ends!)…is it lame to say that I’d like to see stories I’ve made up in my head made into movies? I have a really neat WWII German Resistance story I made up that I would love to see on DVD!

Which author has inspired you most?
Isabella Alden. I consider her my mentor, though I can only dream of writing as well as she did!

What single book would you be unable to live without?
The Bible obviously 😉 But if we are talking about man written books…I really can’t think of one that ranks that high above all the others. Maybe I should make a list of the top ten books I love the most…
These were such fun questions! Why not take a minute and look over the books you own and answer the questions for yourself? Maybe do it with a friend! See how many similar (or opposite) answers you give!
 
Have a blessed day!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

PS. This post was originally the Book Lovers Tag. I didn't feel like tagging anyone, but if you would like to do it, see Kassie's post for the rules!

Summer is here officially and one of my favorite holidays is just around the corner! I love fireworks! July is a busy month at the Miller house thanks to all the special events we have lined up for our ministry, The Fundamental Broadcasting Network. But I wouldn’t trade any of it! Ministry life is the best!

My June Favorites…
 
Verse: Rather than a specific verse, the book of Habakkuk really stood out to me. I noticed in the beginning as Habakkuk was describing the state of Israel and how bad they were, that a lot of the things he was praying about were problems America has today. I was eager to read, to know what God would do to bring His children back to Him. I was devastated to realize that this was one of those times God chose to allow His people to go into captivity.

Are we better than Israel? What is to keep God from allowing the same thing to happen to America? It’s amazing to see through history how God often uses the worst circumstances to bring the most people to their realization and acceptance of Salvation. Like Jacob DeShazer, a WWII airman who was captured following the Doolittle Raid. He was kept in solitary confinement in horrible conditions and tortured for the majority of his 40-month imprisonment. And yet during that time, God saved him and called him into the ministry. I certainly don’t want to see anything horrible happen to my country, but what a comfort to know that if it were to come to pass, the Gospel would only take off like wildfire through our nation. 

Book of the Month: It’s going to be a tie between two biographies. Unbroken and I Varina were both great reads. I had a few issues with both, but for the most part, both were amazing tributes to brave Americans who survived horrible, unmerited trials and came out better for having gone through them.

Ministry: FBN is continuing to reach the world with the Gospel! We’ve had a listener in the Vatican, have been able to present the ministry to several churches this past month and we helped celebrate 20 years of FBN in Oakland, Maryland! God is so good!

A few months ago, I requested prayer for the nation of North Korea, who have not been reached with FBN. And while I would continue to pray that FBN be heard there one day, please pray for the underground Christians in the country now who undergo persecution on a daily basis. FBN has never saved anyone; it’s the Gospel Jesus Christ preached on FBN that does that. Pray for those in the country as they labor in secret for the Master. Pray for their protection, faithfulness and strength as they Shine the Light of Christ into their dying nation!

Writing Update: A Song of Home is progressing through the team edit! Already, mom and I have found several things to make the story better and added a fun scene with a particular character deciding to volunteer at a hospital! No details on that, though 😉 Prayers are appreciated as we continue to work. Summer is a busy time for us, in our home life and ministry wise, so meeting together for edits gets harder.

A Book I am Anticipating for July: Jefferson Davis, American by William J. Cooper, Jr. I started this book last year, but it’s thick and small print. I’d like to read a few more chapters of it this month. The writing is very good, just a lot to process! Definitely not a quick read!

A now for your story prompts!

Until Next Time,
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

Hello and welcome back for my newest book related post. But …I’m cheating. 😉 I have only one actual research book to share today. But don’t despair! I’m going to include a few fiction titles to this list to round out the end of this series (for now anyway 😉). So, without further ado, let’s jump right in!

1. Manhunt: The Twelve Day Hunt for Lincoln’s Killer by James L. Swanson (Don’t currently have my book with me, it’s being loaned out, it’s that good!)

This book! It’s so good! Okay, so that sounds terrible, seeing as how this is about someone dying… Anyway, this is the best book I’ve read about the Lincoln assassination. It’s non-fiction written like a novel! (I think you call that narrative non-fiction…?) Anyway, Mr. Swanson spins an excellent narrative. At times there are bits of history that we just don’t know what happened. I think there were (I think) three days of the Manhunt when we don’t know what John Wilkes Booth was up to. What did Mr. Swanson do? He used it as a springboard for some background story on the Booth family! It was brilliant! Because of some of the details, I would recommend either editing it first or waiting until the reader is at least 16, depending on their maturity level. It’s very well researched! I’ve read it…3 times? And I’m going to be reading it again when I get it back, to refresh myself for the writing of my 5th book on the War Between the States! (Title is still under wraps!)
 
2. Iron Scouts of the Confederacy by Lee McGiffin

Okay…I did a whole post on this book, so I won’t reiterate here, but people! You need to read this book! It too is Narrative non-fiction, but not really a research book. It’s about Wade Hampton’s elite Cavalry unit and I just adore this book. This is another one I’ve read two or three times and hope to read again soon! Recommended for all ages!
 
3. Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane

Okay, so this one will need editing. But, it is worth it. It’s language, not content. But this book I learned a lot from. It shows the struggle of duty and fear for a young soldier and how he overcomes what he feels is cowardice. I personally just wanted to tell him everything would be okay and your not a coward, you’re just young and scared. Even though he didn’t subscribe to my personal view of the War Between the States, Henry taught me a lot. It made me understand some of my own characters a little better.
 
4. Iron Thunder by Avi

This was my very first Avi book! It was written in First Person Point of View (POV) so that was so neat. The main character is Tom Carroll and his service aboard the USS Monitor. (There actually was a Tom Carroll aboard, but they make it clear, this is a different person ) While some of the talk about the south was offensive to me, I found it very intriguing to learn about the Iron Clads of the War Between the States. I would love to find a book like this about the CSS Virginia (which this book calls the Merrimac, which drives me nuts!) It was very informative and worth reading. Minimal editing needed, recommended for ages 8 and up!
 
So that pretty much wraps this series up for now! If I read anymore for my The Battle for Heritage Series research, I will let you know!

God Bless!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22