Introduction

My passion for books—which goes back to my conversion—has always been for other people’s books. I’ve spent a lifetime publishing and distributing books by great men and women of the faith, and even as I look back at my own books I think one of their best features is the way I introduce my readers to so many other authors. You’ll find many more of them recommended in the following pages.

One thing I do enjoy about writing is getting to go through the letters readers send to me. One of my first books, Come! Live! Die! (now titled Hunger for Reality) brought me over 25,000 personal letters. It’s been a great encouragement, and I can only give thanks to the Lord.

Another of my books, Drops from a Leaking Tap, features a chapter on the biggest change in both my life and the history of Operation Mobilization (OM). It was the embracing of social concern and action as a vital part of our ministry. In this new book I want to elaborate more on that development, with all its challenges and complexity, and on how easy it is to get into difficulty. I have a great passion to pass to the next generation all I have learned from the Lord and His people.

I have made mistakes in my life and ministry, and I know that many others have as well. I hope that by sharing some of my own pitfalls others may learn by observation to avoid serious damage to themselves and to the body of Christ.

When I was eighteen and heading west to the Grand Canyon, I stumbled upon my life verse while reading the book of Acts:

However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.

Acts 20:24

Now, looking back after fifty-eight years in Christ, I can say that this has been the case on more or less a daily basis. My prayer in whatever years remain is that it will continue to be my reality. Can you feel the passion of this verse? Can you read it and make it your goal and aim in life as well? If so, I think you will find this book helpful in more ways than one.

A few days ago I took Drena, my wife, to a wonderful concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Even now as I type, I am enjoying classical piano music by Tchaikovsky, Mozart, and Beethoven. I trust that at least some of what I write, especially about forgiveness and grace, will be like music to your spiritual ears. That it will bring into balance the challenges of radical discipleship and grace, as expressed in books like Radical by David Platt, and Grace Awakening by Charles Swindoll. And I also want to add a plea for global missions and evangelism at any cost—that all the people of the world might have the gospel, and that the church would be among all peoples.