It is difficult to find a story that stirs the soul quite like Jim Elliot's. His life reads just like a novel, and yet is all the more compelling knowing it really happened. He was a husband, a father, a missionary, and a martyr by the age of twenty-eight; most people do not live such a full life. The author and wife of Jim Elliot tells his story primarily through his own letters and journal entries, rather than her own narration, allowing the reader to dig deep into the mind and heart of Elliot without the distraction of author bias. Her goal is to tell his story plainly, without dramatizing any points - not even his terrible and sudden death at the hands of the savage Auca Indians. It is Jim Elliot's poetry and eccentric writing style that give Shadow of the Almighty its novel-like appeal.
As with any biography, the reader is first and foremost acquainted with who Jim Elliot was, what made him the man he was by the time he died. However, just as Elliot chose a life dead to the attention and applause of this world, his story is not meant to persuade the reader to admire him, but the One after whom he patterned his entire existence. Every time I set the book down, I found myself thinking more intensely about what it means to be a follower of Christ. The book as a whole is essentially one man's example of true Biblical Christianity, something long forgotten in this country yet desperately needed.
I would certainly recommend this book both to Christians seeking a more noble vision for the believer's life and non-Christians who feel called to a greater purpose than what the world has to offer. Elisabeth Elliot's straightforward and unassuming commentary and Jim Elliot's inspiring, convicting words make this a very worthwhile read.

Life Changing Story. Important not to view Jim as super-human, but rather as a man devoted to God and to His mission around the globe. Inspiring Story.

This is one of the best biographies and missions oriented books I have read. I learned so much about God in reading this book and His heart for the world to see all nations, tribes, and tongues know Jesus. "It is His business to lead, command, impel, send, call, or whatever you want to call it. It is your business to obey, follow, move, respond, or what have you."

This book has impacted me in a far greater way than I anticipated. I was prepared to read a book that spoke only of the joys and sorrows of being a missionary overseas and was applicable only to those who knew of a specific calling to go.

What I found, though, was a book that should have a place on every believer’s shelf. The book consists mostly of journals and letters written by Jim Elliot, with little commentary by Elisabeth to fill in some gaps. After read this book, I long to imitate Jim Elliot as he imitated Christ (1 Corinthians 1:11), to treasure God as he treasured Him, and to prioritize love for and obedience to Christ over all other temporal desires.

Most of all, I loved how this book points its readers not to Jim Elliot, but to the “God who keeps promises and is sufficient” (pg. 178). It took me a long time, but I highly recommend this book to all believers in Jesus Christ!

In a way, this book is boring. I picked it up thinking I would be reading an exciting missionary story about the brave young men who were speared to death by the Indians they had been laboring to evangelize. And it is, circuitously, about that. But more than anything it is a book detailing the spiritual formation of one of those young men, long before he landed an airplane on muddy river banks in Ecuador. And that formation, that spiritual honing that prepared him for that moment, is well worth reading.

The book is written by Elliot's widow, Elisabeth, and is primarily a collection of letters and diary entries from the time Elliot is a teenager, through his time away at college, and preparing for the mission field. It is only the last section of the book that details his time dealing with Auca Indians.

Elliot's single-mindedness, doggedness, and tenacity for his faith is bracing. At times, his zeal pushes him into decisions that I found to be too austere or overly (that is, wrongly) pietistic. For instance, I thought the way his relationship with Elisabeth is drug out out of a desire to wait for "clear guidance" from the Lord was wrongheaded--I think he probably should have married her far earlier. Also, his pacifism, sensitivity to what he considered worldliness (for instance, having a beard was considered vain) I disagreed with. Further, his insistence that ecclesiology was relatively unimportant and ecumenical bent seemed to telegraph that his spiritual fervor at times outstripped his intellectual formation.

But that being said, even when I blanched at what I found to be mistaken (for instance, at one point he writes of how a man told him that Jesus will likely return within a few decades and he seems to agree with it), I still found what motivated him to his wrong conclusions to be helpful. Elliot wanted so desperately to please God, to make his life count for something, to not walk the well-worn paths of comfort and worldliness. His zeal for evangelism didn't just live in his imagination, but played itself out in his life far before he hit the mission field. Further--and this is hard to put into words--as you read what he writes you get a sense that this is a man who is familiar with being in the presence of God. There is a gravity, solemnity, and weightiness to his understanding of God. The desire for the glory of God wholly and totally consumed the young man. But this didn't make him morose or a recluse--his journals are filled with joy, laughter, and friendship. His life was full and happy, even when in some of the most harrowing and uncomfortable of situations, Elliot often found things to be praising God for and seemed genuinely, really satisfied.

Further, I was surprised to find how beautiful his writing was. Elliot was a poet himself and had memorized a great deal of poetry. His writing is marked with the stroke of one who is hungry to see beauty and to describe it beautifully. And last of all, Elliot is honest. His diary is filled with mourning over his sin, his spiritual coldness, and distance from God. It is a helpful reminder that even one as singular in his focus on the Lord can likewise experience dark nights of the soul.

This account of Jim Elliot's life, told through his journals and letters to family, friends and Elisabeth, is a story of a man wholly committed to God. His words are beautiful, poetic at times, and his discipline and passionate pursuit of the knowledge of God was so inspiring. One great quote: "Father, make me a crisis man. Bring those I contact to decision. Let me not be a milepost on a single road; make me a fork, that men must turn one way or another on facing Christ in me."

Also inspiring was the commitment to God that Jim and Elisabeth had in their relationship. Not in word only, but the two did not take steps in their relationship until they had the Lord's leading in it. For five years they corresponded by letter, encouraging one another in the work of missionary preparation and later, missionary work. Were it not for their wait, there would be no letters. Praise God they waited because the letters reveal Jim Elliot's bedrock of faith like nothing I've ever heard. Great blessing to read!

I do my reviews in the form of a letter, which is why they are written like this.

Dear Elisabeth Elliot,

This book was really good!
I thought Jim was such an incredible person. His love for God blew me away. I wish I loved God that much. He was willing to do anything for God. He was willing to give up anything for him. He didn't even marry you for a whole five years, even though he loved you. He wanted to be sure to be in the will of God.
His journals and letter were very interesting. He wrote very eloquent, yet genuine words. His non-conformist approach was refreshing in many ways. I was actually really sad that he died the way he did. I wish we had gotten a bit more details about that, but I read your other book before, and I knew about it already.
The reason I gave it four stars is because of this:
1. I usually never get REALLY into non-fiction. Even if it's an amazing story (like this one) I just don't.
2. It wasn't written as well as it could have been. It was tiring to read entry after entry, and at times it went by very slow.
It was still a really good book, but I wish it had been a tad bit better. Anyways, thank you for writing it.

Sincerely,
Lena Marie

finished this in tears. wow.

4.5 stars (re-read)

One of my lifetime reading goals is to read through Elisabeth Elliot's oeuvre. I was delighted to find this audiobook available through my library, even more so because Elisabeth, with her steady, low, modulated voice, was the narrator. She so passionately loved Jim; her respect and affection shines both in her diction and in her voice. Jim's grasp of language was impressive; the descriptions of his travels were lyrical.

Jim Elliot. A dynamic and direct (and dogmatic?) man. His intensity, his burning zeal ... made me shift in my seat, a bit uncomfortable, I'll admit. I admire him. If he had lived to threescore and ten, would his tone have modulated, I wonder?

The way he made decisions, the dichotomy he made between spiritual and secular, and his rejection of the ceremony and pageantry of weddings were other areas that made me squirm. I was cheering when he loosened up the last half of his senior year at college.

The close-knit fabric of his family life as seen through his letters is lovely. I had forgotten that his dad was able to come to Ecuador to help him with some construction projects. What a precious gift that time was.

I was raised in the shadow of Jim and Betty Elliot. My family were part of the Plymouth Brethren chapel Jim had attended (whose complacency he complained about!) while a student at Wheaton College. Jim's uncle, a man who radiated enthusiasm and was ever so kind to me, was an elder; Jim's cousin currently employs several of my family members. I went to Bible college with Jim's niece. My Harper aunts were schoolmates with Betty Howard at DuBose, a boarding school in Florida. When my Aunt Betty died in South Africa, I inherited her personal effects. Among them, I found this picture.



Fun quote: He sought the help of older Christians in learning to live for God. And there were occasions when he asked them to pray with him. Of one of these he wrote, "Had fellowship in prayer with Brother Harper and discussion of the things of God. A happy experience." <-- that's my Grandpa!

Next up to read is Valerie Elliot Shepard's book, Devotedly: The Personal Letters and Love Story of Jim & Elisabeth Elliot

I re-watched Elisabeth Elliot's funeral at Gordon College, throat-lumping through it all, especially relishing her brothers' reflections.

"He is no fool who gives that which he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose." This is the quote on the front of the book, one of Jim Elliot's most well known sayings. It was written in one of his journals. This is what Jim Elliot accomplished in his life. He died at the age of 29, yet his life has impacted many.

The book consisted mostly of Jim's own writing, his journals and letters to others. What I would have liked more is to have know more of what was going on around him. The context of the U.S. and the countries he was in for missionary work. It would have been nice to have been able to have placed him in the personal time line that I have in my head of history. Overall it was a great read.

Read some personal notes in a review on my blog.

“God, I pray Thee, light these idle sticks of my life and may I burn for Thee. Consume my life, my God, for it is Thine. I seek not a long life, but a full one, like you, Lord Jesus.”

God answered that prayer for Jim Elliot. Many have heard the story of the martyrdom of Jim and his four missionary companions by the Auca Indians in Ecuador, but the Shadow of the Almighty tells the story of his life that lead up to that point. In this story we find an ordinary man: one who enjoyed nature, wrote poetry, fell in love with a woman, and learned to wait. While his zeal, intelligence, and ability to write beautifully make him stand out, what makes Jim Elliot stand out is his simple devotion to know God through obedience no matter what the cost. He showed this in his death, and just as much in his life.

This book has challenged me to imitate Jim Elliot as he imitated Christ. That might not mean I myself go to the nations to die for Jesus, but it means dying to myself and the world daily and giving myself to follow Jesus no matter that cost. Shadow of the Almighty is one of my all-time favorites and I would commend it to any believer.

n  "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain that which he cannot lose."n

This book could be read as a prequel to Through Gates of Splendor, also by Elisabeth Elliot. It is basically a biography of the life of Jim Elliot, from the perspective of his wife, his lengthy and detailed journals and his letters to his family/friends.

Jim Elliot's life was cut tragically short when he and four fellow missionaries were murdered by the Auca Indians in 1956 during one of their first outreaches to them. This story is told in Through Gates of Splendor.

On reading about Jim's school life and growing experiences, I was impressed with his dedication to personal holiness and spiritual discipline. Also, his desire to understand the Bible for himself through thorough study rather than relying on, and adopting the viewpoints of, other respected Christians. Most of us tend to do the latter, often to our detriment, especially when it comes to apologetics as we are unable to effectively express our viewpoints/defend our faith as we haven't studied it in sufficient detail, or been persuaded ourselves what we believe. Elliot diligently and persistently studied the Word often adopting viewpoints that went completely against the grain at the time. He refused to get involved in leading a political group in school. He sought also to use every minute of his time wisely and only got himself involved in those things that would forward God's Kingdom in some aspect or another. Through reading his diaries it is clear that his dogmatic views changed over time but his heart was always to follow Scripture regardless the cost to his personal reputation. We can all learn from his example.

Somewhat strangely Elliot seemed to become less effective/less dedicated when he actually went to a foreign mission field. Whether this was because he faced all kinds of difficulties; building swept away in typhoon weather, various deaths, potential colleagues marrying and remaining at home, or whether it was because God was expecting him to live more by faith as he matured spiritually, I don't know.

His decision to go into Auca territory with the other men is an interesting one. I'm sure this has been debated endlessly. The author (his wife) was at first unsure and asked him whether he was sure that God led him into this decision. He confirmed that this was the case and then proceeded. Whether or not it was the right decision, I'm sure that Elliot believed it was and God has obviously used his testimony (and that of the others that died) for many years after his death. It is rare to read of someone so sold out for Jesus and this should be an inspiration/challenge to us all. Earthly things were of no consequence to Elliot and he spoke a lot about his frustrations in having to maneuver them.

You will wonder then why I'm only giving this 3 stars. Whilst Elliot's life was interesting and his devotional life a challenge I found the style of the book hard going and much too detailed in places. Lengthy journal extracts and letters about flora and fauna, Elliot's personal spiritual experiences, details of his growing attachment to Elisabeth, may be exciting reading for his wife and family but I found it a struggle not to lose interest. For his life and dedication I would rate it 4 stars.

Recommended for those with an interest in mission/missionaries. This is clean; free of bad language and sexual content. There is a little violence on the field and also some death scenes but nothing too graphic.