This is why I don't pick books for my book club

I love to read. Most of my sentences start with, "I just read..." My taste in books is very eclectic and I love both fiction and non-fiction. But when my book club called to say it was my time to pick, out of mercy for them, I declined. You see, here's what currently on my nightstand.

Inside the Revolution: How the Followers of Jihad, Jefferson & Jesus Are Battling to Dominate the Middle East and Transform the World is the book I just finished, but I have When Skateboards Will Be Free: A Memoir of a Political Childhood, Meltdown: A Free-Market Look at Why the Stock Market Collapsed, the Economy Tanked, and Government Bailouts Will Make Things Worse, and A Slobbering Love Affair: The True (And Pathetic) Story of the Torrid Romance Between Barack Obama and the Mainstream Media coming up. I don't think anyone in my book club would appreciate me picking any of these.

This book has made a huge impact on me and I highly recommend it.

It starts with a very scary section on the Radicals of Islam and their plan for violent world domination. We in the west are completely blinded to their murderous agenda, yet we have only to listen to what they are saying. Iran has pledged to gain nuclear weapons and has promised time and again to use them against Israel first and then us.

To which western scholars scoff and say he must be bluffing. Surely Iran knows that they can't win that game. After all, they aren't suicidal, right? Yes, they are. It is almost impossible for secular analysts to comprehend the motivating power of religious fervor. People have sacrificed their lives for religious beliefs all throughout history. We make the mistake of believing that humanity has somehow moved beyond this at our own peril.

The next sections details the efforts of the Reformers to preserve "true Islam" and make it a religion of peace and tolerance. They are seeing remarkable success in such places as Morocco and Jordan. This part of the book began to offer some hope for a future not determined by the mad mullahs of Iran. It also offers a huge opportunity for sharing the gospel of Christ to one of the most hopeless areas in the world.

Finally, in the most exciting and moving section, Joel details story after story of Muslims and those born into a nominally Christian family in the Middle East turning to Christ in record numbers. The tales of "old men seeing vision and young men dreaming dreams" give you chills as you experience Biblical prophecies of the last days coming true, today. Time and again, Christians in the Middle East report that they don't even need to share the gospel. People are approaching them begging for Bibles and discipleship after seeing visions of Jesus!

That's right. Jesus is appearing to hundreds and thousands of people in the most closed societies on earth. If we can't get to them, He can. And this is no, "I saw a bright light at the end of my bed" type story. These people are having conversations with Christ, sometimes night after night, in which He is guiding them and teaching them the Word of God. And the conversions that result from these experiences do not produce fly-by-night believers. Rather, these are some of the most hard-core, committed Christians, many in hiding after having their lives threatened, yet they continue to boldly proclaim the truth of Jesus Christ.

I couldn't help but cry as I read story after story of Christ's miraculous saving grace. People who were hopeless and lost found truth and meaning. Many were former terrorists who laid down their weapons. Some were born into nominal Christian families but had no idea of what true Christianity was.

One particular story tells of two men, smuggling Bibles over dark mountain roads. For some reason, their car stops on the road and they get out to find an old man asking for the books they are supposed to be bringing to him. After stating they had no books, the man says that his entire village had a vision of Jesus the night before and He told them to go out on the road and wait for the books that were being delivered. So he asked again, "Where are the books?" An entire village, saved and just waiting for Bibles to be miraculously delivered to them!

Another story points the readiness of fields ripe for the harvest. A Christian pastor went to the doctor and the radical Muslim receptionist told him his wait would be extremely long. After telling her she would regret that, he takes a seat. A few minutes later, the doctor happens to notice him and says, "Hi Reverend, I'll be with you soon." Once the other 15-20 people heard he was a Christian pastor, they all begged him to tell them about Jesus! He led the entire waiting room to Christ. Finally he looked at the receptionist and said, "I told you that you would regret it."

I don't want to rewrite the whole book. Joel Rosenberg does a pretty good job of it for himself. But I do want to encourage you that if you are wondering where the world is headed, READ THIS BOOK!