The Very Order

I'm very fond of history and am working on a book entitled "Words to Die For - Verses that shaped the lives of 30 people who changed the world" by Lawrence Kimbrough. A small book, organized in short chapters, It features the lifestories and struggles of various individuals through history. Most of the ones I have read were very engaging.

As Kimbrough states in the introduction: "If we all knew our church history a little better, we wouldn't feel like we were enduring Christian suffering every time the preacher's sermon ran a few minutes over." (Love that!) "We'd know better. We'd know that worship is a privilege. We'd know that our pews have been padded by men and women who served Christ when it hurt, when it cost them...when it killed them. We need to know them and the scriptures that inspired them."

His entry on Augustine shows a brilliantly educated young man whose life was derailed by lavish, foolish living even while he fostered his love of learning. Supposedly, his faithful mother had prayed and worried over Augustine for years and years. As his life was falling down around him, he picked up Paul's letter to the Romans, Chapter 13 and it was verse 14 (according to this author) that changed his life forever. Augustine went on to become a priest and defender of the faith, living to the age of 75.

(I'm trying to figure out how to post a larger image on blogger, but haven't succeeded yet. To get a better close-up of the artwork above, click on image and it will take you to a larger window). Enjoy!