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"On a sunny, tropical afternoon in 1965, between classes as a Peace Corps teacher in rural Nigeria, I stopped under a large, shady palm tree to chat with the school carpenter. To my surprise, he soon began telling of dark, fearful "spirits" that had invaded his house the night before, punctuating his tale with animated gestures of his hammer.
Freshly anointed with a college degree in math, I laughed. "Oh, come on," I smirked. "You don't really believe in that 'spirits' stuff, do you?"
Hesitating, weighing his words as an illiterate laborer before this highly educated American teacher, he put down his hammer and wiped a sawdust-speckled hand on patched shorts. And then, he looked me firmly in the eye. "There are no small snakes," he declared.
Puzzled by his words and disarmed by the confidence in his gaze, I balked. "Wh...what do you mean?" I managed.
Graciously, he explained that all snakes in that area are poisonous and not easily seen in the bush. One bite from the smallest, newly hatched snake can surprise and kill instantly the toughest man.
His message, foreign then to my Western ears, was nevertheless clear: be humble when you approach things of the spirit.
Thus, an African carpenter taught me it's arrogant to discount spiritual power. At the bright, robust age of twenty, however, I wasn't ready yet to learn the full lesson: Not only is the spirit realm real, but it's dangerously naive to believe that all things spiritual are good. (from Introduction)
My new book No Small Snakes is the story of how, almost in spite of my seminary education and church background, I first encountered and learned to overcome evil spirits in the power of the Holy Spirit. Like my men's books, this one cuts across all factions and divisions to focus on basic reality that deeply impacts us all.
In my past 20 years of ministry around the world, I've met many sincere Christians now at a standstill in their emotional and spiritual growth, often because they haven't dared to face the real power of evil--and therefore, haven't trusted Father God to give us all we need to overcome it. At the same time, I meet many "seekers" who are beginning to open their hearts and minds to spiritual reality, but have not found a credible, emotionally safe place to be real and process their experience and questions. Meanwhile, the awful brokenness of our time, from divorce and sexual confusion to drugs and violence, has left younger adults hungry for a faith that embraces reality as graphically as they are forced to do in their increasingly lost and broken world. They want real power to make a saving difference in their lives, and know their own natural abilities aren't enough to provide it.
Today, we're all justly tired of the old political and religious distractions that pit Liberal vs. Conservative, pacifist vs. warrior. We know in our God-created hearts that there must be another way out of this destructive division into genuine unity. That's my goal in No Small Snakes: to unite us all at last before a common enemy in the overcoming power of God.
In the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, God has invited us to exchange the illusion of our control for the reality of His presence and power. This book is my attempt to extend that invitation to you. RSVP
Sound bites from the text:
"The problem in confronting spiritual reality is not that our childish imagination gets hooked into foolish fears, but that something real is evil and we can't control it."
"The true counterpoint to our Western materialism is not poverty and deprivation, but authentic spirituality."
"Not to recognize the spiritual battle upon us is blindly to capitulate to the Enemy. Pretending there's no thief in your house doesn't protect you from being robbed; it only gives thieves free rein to steal whatever they want."
"Israel did not recognize Jesus, not because they had wrongly expected the Messiah to be a warrior king, but because they did not recognize the war He had come to win. Insofar as Israel is God's prototype of larger humanity, this is why people don't recognize Jesus even today."
My story is divided into three sections, with sample chapter titles listed below:
The Call: Engaging the Mystery
Drafted by the Spirit, Called by Name, Confirmed by the Body
The Return: Sharing the Lessons
Jesus the Warrior King, The Bible as War Story, Power in the Blood--and Other Discoveries, The Weapon of Fasting, My Battle Partner the Paraclete
The Return: Sharing the Lessons
How Demons Enter--and Leave, "Kick Me" Spirits, Letters from a Spiritual Warrior
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