Safely Home (Randy Alcorn)

from an email June 7, 2006

I just finished reading a great book that was recommended to me by many of my good friends. Some of these friends have been to China themselves, the others long to go. "Safely Home" is a fictional novel based on facts and true stories of men and women who have been persecuted in East Asia. If I were to list my top 10 books that I "highly recommend" this would DEFINITELY be on the list!

I strongly encourage you to read this book! It's about an American man, Ben Fielding, who goes on a business to trip to China and is reunited with his Chinese university roommate.

Parts of this book will shock you; parts of it will tug at your heart; parts will bring you to tears; parts will remind you we're at war and man... the ending is so good! "I can only imagine" the day I kneel before His glorious throne above, having arrived.... SAFELY HOME!

Here are some selected quotes from the book... I didn't put too many... so that you guys will read the book too!!

The book begins with a long dedication, including these words...

This book is dedicated to the hundreds of men, women and children killed for Christ each day, ignored by the world but watched by the eyes of heaven - those of whom the world is not worthy.

"When I decided to leave Harvard, I told you China was my home, not America . I was only half right. I was right that America was not my home, but wrong in thinking China was."

"What do you mean?"

" China is my place of service. It is the battlefield where I've been dispatched as Yesu's soldier. But this is not my home. Heaven is my home, my true country." (pg 88)

"If you are looking for a religion centered around yourself, Ben, I must agree that Christianity is a poor choice." (pg 109)

"I refuse to believe in a God who sends men to hell."

"And do you think your refusal to believe will convince God to change his nature? He is who he is no matter what you think of him. Despite what Americans [and Canadians] believe, the universe is not a democracy." (pg 110)

"The Americans sang about being 'safe and secure from all alarms.' I do not know much about this song. Some of it sounded good. But I think perhaps they did not understand that most Chinese Christians are not safe and secure from all alarms." (pg 133)

I used to like this old-school hymn, "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms", but now I'm always going to sing it with a different idea in my mind.

"Never believe a man who says God no longer does miracles, Ben. But never believe a man who says God must do a miracle the way a man wants him to. God is God." (pg 191)

I liked that quote. God is God! He can do what He wants!

"Wife and husband must be more than lovers. Must be comrades, soldiers fighting side by side for same great cause." (pg 226)

This was a good one too! Fellow warriors in the battle!!!

"When laws are unjust, just men must break them." (pg 238)

These final 3 quotes are from the final 20 pages of the book. Man... they're good! Randy Alcorn gives a great picture of what heaven is like.

A multitude of voices merged into a single hum of excitement. An intimacy pervaded this huge group, a closeness Li Quan had never known among large numbers, though he'd caught glimpses of it in the house church. He heard all the voices in different languages and enjoyed the distinctive tone of each. He heard several Chinese dialects, Swahili, Norwegian, Aboriginal languages, Hmong, Tagalog, Persian, Greek, Hebrew, Arabic. Strangely, he recognized them for exactly what they were, and hearing each caused him to visualize the distinguishing features of the cultures, even those he'd been unfamiliar with. People from every nation, tribe, people and language were here, living together under one flag, one King. (pg 375)

Compared to what he now beheld, the world he'd come from was a land of shadows, colorless and two-dimensional. (pg 376)

MAN! Imagine that! This is probably still even an underestimate. But thinking about the vastness and beauty of our earth here and now and then multiplying that by a billion... SO GOOD!

The archangel threw his arms forward, the hosts of heaven shouted, and millions of horses gathered, mounted by warriors of every tribe, nation and tongue. Eternity's door swung open on its hinges. Out of one realm and into another rode an army like there had never been. (pg 391)

SO GOOD! I guess the warrior deep down inside of me, got all pumped up when I read this final page of the book. Until that day ... may we all be fit with the armor of our King and may we never forget that life isn't just some nice walk in the park, but it's a battle. The war's already won, but the battle rages on!

God bless!

Check out www.epm.org/safelyhome for reviews and comments from people more educated than me.