Saturday, March 29, 2014

Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity by Nabeel Qureshi


Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus has been one of the best book’s I’ve come across in a long time. I love learning about other religions, I love learning why others think and believe and how I could be a better representative of Christianity to them and this book has equipped me with far more than I expected.
Nabeel Qureshi shares his highly personal story, gives readers an insight into his struggles, family life, and Islam. Nabeel’s account gives Christians the opportunity to understand Islam like never before. It shows areas where Muslims and Christians are in contention and gives arguments why each believes they are correct.
Throughout Nabeel’s life, having lived all of it in either U.K. or the U.S., he’s been in contact with Christians; but it wasn't until David, a college classmate, appeared in his life that anyone has ever given him a valid argument for Christianity. Has simply not anyone cared about his salvation before? And why hasn’t anyone before David been able to defend their faith in Jesus to him? Despite teaching me a lot about Islam, these questions were a punch to my own gut, forcing me to wrestle with the thoughts whether I could defend my faith to a Muslim, and to what degree?
This book spells out all the reasons why Muslims have such a rock hard faith in their religion, but it also spills out all the problems they have in defending their faith and the cracks they have in their foundation compared to Christianity. Don’t misunderstand, this book is not only for Christians, it’s as much for Muslims, or anyone else that is seriously searching for answers. It does not bash Islam but it does ask the hard questions and shows that Jesus is the answer.

Few books do as great a job teaching about another faith, equipping the reader with verses, quotations, and findings that help in their own spiritual journey and prepare a defense for one’s faith in Christ. Nabeel is an inspiration and his story is spectacular. Thank you to Zondervan for blessing me with a copy of this book.

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you. – Saint Augustine
Whatever our calling, regardless of our fears or anxieties, let us pray and then go and do. – Thomas S. Monson
Prayer without action is powerless. – Bill Keller
Action without prayer is arrogance, Prayer without action is hypocrisy. – Jose Zayas
I did not ask for success; I asked for wonder. - Joshua Abraham Heschel 
To live in community is to forgive and be forgiven a lot. - Henri Nouwen
Let the proud seek and love earthly kingdoms, but blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. – Augustine of Hippo
I will place no value on anything I have or possess unless it is in relationship to the kingdom of God. – David Livingstone
There can be no kingdom of God in the world without the kingdom of God in our hearts. – Albert Schweitzer
Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself. – Leo Tolstoy
Those who never retract their opinions love themselves more than they love truth. – Joseph Joubert
Be the change you want to see in the world. – Mahatma Gandhi
People avoid change until the pain of remaining the same is greater than the pain of changing. – Author unknown