Reviewer puts ‘Best of God Reports’ book at top of gift list

By John Pearson —

OH, MY! This new book—jam-packed with 60 inspiring stories—is so, so powerful that I’ve already gifted the book to seven people and it’s not even Christmas! Here’s my Christmas Gift Idea #1:

When Mark Ellis generously gave me this book on Nov. 3, 2024, I had a brilliant reading plan: 60 stories/60 days. But after reading the first inspiring story—I couldn’t stop! I averaged three chapters every day and completed this unbelievable book in 21 days!

AMAZING! I started with Chapter 20, “How God Answered Francis Chan’s Ridiculous Prayer for a Son-in-Law.” (Did I mention, amazing?) You’ll read about this daring prayer (just three pages) by author and speaker Francis Chan, “who lifted up a bold, audacious matchmaking prayer, and God answered in a way that confounded Francis himself.” (Have you ever prayed a “ridiculous” prayer?)

The 60 short stories feature the author’s favorite “God reports” from the last 25 years. Mark Ellis believes that “God’s stories are the best stories, and that He is doing even greater things in the world today than he did in the first century.” So Ellis launched the God Reports website “with a mission to support and encourage Christian missions, by sharing stories and testimonies from believers around the world.”

YOW! There are two powerful bookends in When Kingdom Light Shines: Stories That Inspire Faith. Chapter 1, “Dream Led to Hidden Tribe,” begins with this: “In 2013, Caleb Byerly woke up with a start and began to furiously write in his journal everything he saw in a rather unusual dream.” This missionary had sensed that “God had spoken to Caleb through dreams previously, so he meticulously recorded” the dream details.

“I feel like when God speaks to you, it’s an invitation to partner and walk with God,” Byerly said. (This reminded me of Henry Blackaby’s wisdom, “When God speaks, it is important to write it down.”) What follows will shock you (in a really good way!)—and you’ll retell the story to family and friends.

Chapter 60, “Dying Farmer Left Civil War Bible Behind for New Age Homebuyer,” is another breathtaking story that concludes this marathon of miracles. Dale Walker reports that he “graduated from Wesleyan University without knowing who John Wesley was, or who Jesus Christ was. And I never really met a single person that knew God or could tell me about God.”

At age 31, he practiced Eastern meditation, but “his inner emptiness wouldn’t go away.” He notes,“At the same time, my personal life was tangled into a series of knots which I didn’t know how to untie.” (This reminded me of a recent “Hidden Streams” podcast and the original song, “Tied Down,” at the end of the podcast.)

Read why after his first-ever prayer on his knees to “ANYBODY UP THERE,” Walker sprinted (no pun intended) across a farmer’s field to a farm house he had recently purchased—and found the previous owner’s 1865 family Bible in the attic. (Yes. It was dusty!) He read “The Lord is my shepherd” from the 23rd Psalm—and it changed his life!

There’s more! Read how that same night Walker randomly views a TV program about Roy Campanella. The program depicted the famous Brooklyn Dodgers catcher in the emergency room after a paralyzing injury from a car accident. The program flashed back to a young Campanella who remembers a Scripture his mother had taught him. (Guess which one?)

AMEN! I generally read silently—but dozens and dozens of times when reading this stunning book, I heard myself audibly respond:Amen! Wow! Yikes! Amazing! Praise the Lord! Examples:
• Chapter 34, “Lost Forty-Seven Days at Sea,” spotlights Louis Zamperini, the USC track star, 1936 Olympics runner, and WW2 POW. Read about the event that rid him of his extreme PTSD.
• Chapter 32, “Vincent Van Gogh’s Unappreciated Journey with Christ,” will prompt your own “Amen!” You’ll never look the same way again at “The Starry Night” or other Van Gogh masterpieces.
• Chapter 58, “He Preached the Gospel as Hijacked Plane Hit the Water,” is an excellent God story to share with the seatmate on your next plane ride. Andy Meakins, “a gentle giant of the faith,” was airborne on Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961 from Addis Ababa to Abidjan—when “three hijackers stormed the cabin and demanded to be flown to Australia.” (No way!) When the plane ran out of fuel, it hit the water, yet 50 people miraculously survived—but all 175 passengers and crew heard the Gospel story during those fateful final minutes. Must-read!
•    Chapter 10,“Missionary Died Thinking He Was a Failure,”describes the 17-year ministry, beginning in 1912, of a doctor’s work among tribal people in a remote corner of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Failure? You decide.

All of these God stories reminded me that writer David Sedaris called Tobias Wolff “America’s greatest short-story writer.” (See my review of My Ideal Bookshelf—also a Christmas gift option.) Sedaris notes:

“Sometimes I meet ministers, and I always say to them, ’If I had a church, I’d read a Tobias Wolff story every week, and then I’d say to people, “Go home.”’ There’s nothing else you would need to say. Every story is a manual on how to be a good person, but without ever being preachy. They’re deeply moral stories; the best of them read like parables.”

Ditto these 60 God stories. I envision a surge in storytelling at weekly staff meetings—and hopefully—in pulpits across the globe. Thank you, Mark Ellis!

TO ORDER, click on the title for When Kingdom Light Shines: Stories That Inspire Faith, by Mark Ellis. (Note: This book is not yet available on Amazon, but you can order online directly from the publisher here, or call them directly in the U.S. at 1 (423) 478-2843, Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST.)

JOHN PEARSON retired in 2018 as president of John Pearson Associates, Inc., a board

governance and management consulting firm in San Clemente, California. John served nonprofit Christian organizations with a focus on “Vision Implementation With Detailed Execution.” He is also the editor and publisher of the eNewsletter, Your Weekly Staff Meeting and has reviewed almost 600 leadership and management books in his eNews.