3 Sept 2009

Reading can be fun!


Last night I finished reading A.W. Tozer's "Wingspread A.B. Simpson: A study in spiritual Altitude"
I know, the title doesn't seem very exciting and if you're not Steve Carlin, then you're probably asking yourself, "Who the heck is A.B. Simpson?" That's what I was asking when I was par-oozing my friends bookshelf. So, I was bored a few nights ago and I wanted to read something. I had just destroyed a fiction novel that I picked up last time I was in Lusaka and was hungry for more reading. The only reason I picked up this volume was because I've heard much about A.W. Tozer being a great writer and the other books I had either read already, or didn't look interesting enough. That should tell you how interested I was in the other selections, since I picked up a book written 66 years ago about a man that I never heard of.

Wingspread is a biography of the A.B. Simpson, who was a Canadian man born in 1843 and died in 1919. The most interesting thing about Mr Simpson was how disciplined he was and devoted to making a huge difference. He was an amazing speaker and formed a huge heart for evangelism. This brought him to post civil war Louisville, KY. He later moves to New york, NY and starts The Christian and Missionary Alliance. At 37, he becomes very sick and is told his days are numbered. He goes to a healing service and listens to the testimonies of those who were healed. He didn't want to get caught up in the enthusiasm so he prayed about it. One day, he goes on his own into the woods and kneels and prays for healing on his own. By miracle, he is healed and knows that it was The Lord. This causes him to believe and from then on teach on divine healing. Many criticized him for this.

Sorry, I didn't start this to write my own biography about this man. If you're interested, I would suggest picking up the book. It's a quick read, which is an inspiring story. I felt that I was sitting and having a coffee with A.W. Tozer as he was narrating the story because as I was reading the book it was as if I could hear his voice.

That's all.