"The principle of getting by spending is illustrated by the actions of God:

'He had yet one, a Beloved Son.'
'He giveth not the Spirit by measure.'
'He spared no His own son.'
'He emptied Himself.'

Is heaven the poorer for this spending? Nay, both heaven and earth are enriched by it: Who dare not follow God's example?" (P.250)

Love being challenged by this brother’s desire to live fervently for the will of his King alone. A true living out of “to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

This was just so good. What a life. What an impact he had - in South America himself and around the world because of the opportunities Elisabeth had because she was his widow. Hard to believe this man was only in his 20's - died at age 29. To hear the book read by Elisabeth was just icing on the cake.

This is a very inspiring book about Jim Elliot's love for God and his strong faith. It was very challenging and encouraging reading about how Jim lived for God, despite his desire to get marry and the initial opposition of his parents. It is amazing that Jim never really hesitanted on his faith, choosing to major in Greek in order to serve God and not being upset about being unemployed after graduating from college. He certainly lived fully for God and his life changed many people. This is a great book narrated by his wife, but most of it is filled with his journal entries and letters to family/friends. I was surprised that Elizabeth didn't include a fuller conclusion about her contact with the Aucas and their conversion to faith. So if you have watch the movie and haven't really hear of Jim, you will get a bit confused. Definitely a must read for every Christian to know more about ordinary Christian heroes, instead of being influenced by today's celebrities and icons of success.

Favorite Quote: "'Delight thyself also in the Lord, and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.' God had given us that desire, and perhaps in the sense in which Jim had interpreted it in a letter to me written in 1949: 'It does not say He will give you what you want. It does say He will give you the want. Delight in Christ brings desire for Christ. He gives the heart its desires - that is, He works in us the willing (Philippians 2:13). This is why He can say in John 15:7 'Ye shall ask what ye will...if ye abide.' The branch takes its sap from the vine, the same surges the vine feels then become the surges of the branch. My will becomes His, and I can ask what I will, if I delight myself in Him. Only then can my desire be attained, when it is His desire.'" (P. 212-213)

Jim Elliot’s life is a beautiful example of faithful Christian sacrifice.

The missionary Jim Elliot (1927-1956) was one of five men killed by the Auca Indians in Ecuador. His widow Elisabeth has written many tremendous books. In Shadow of the Almighty, she reveals much about the life and heart of Jim through his journals and personal letters to family members and to herself.

As I read Elliot’s writings, I was amazed how spiritually mature and completely "sold out" for the Lord this man was from as young as 18 years old! As an 18 year old freshman at Wheaton College, Elliot earned a reputation for having a “one-track mind” and for being a “woman-hater” because he refused to date, feeling it would distract him from his goals. By the age of 20, Elliot was convinced that God was calling him to serve on the mission field, and from that time on all his energies and plans were directed towards that goal.
It seemed to me that Jim Elliot didn’t do anything -- make any decision -- without considering how it would profit his soul, benefit another individual, or most importantly, advance the cause of the Gospel of Christ and his goals to contribute to that cause. For example, in high school Jim was on the track team and in college he was on the wrestling team. But these were more than merely fun, extracurricular activities. He believed physical exercise would strengthen his body “for the rigors of missionary life” and helped to stimulate his mind for his studies.

I gathered so many moving, meaningful, and inspirational quotes from this book that I just can't list them all here. I wrote a more thorough review with excerpts from the book, which you can read on my blog: www.ImAllBooked.com.

This was a challenging read. It was so encouraging and inspiring even though you know it must end with Jim's death. I have never read the entirety of Through the Gates of Splendor, but I am intrigued to dig into that as well. Their passion for Christ and for the lost speaks so much for their love of humans. I think one of my favorite things was that Jim wanted the indigenous population to be the pastors and Bible teachers. He wanted to mentor and train in order for them to make Christianity their own faith. He fully participated in funeral traditions even though they were far from American "civilized" culture. His value for their culture and heritage was evident as he wove Christ into them rather than demanding they conform to American ideals of church and faith.

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” - Jim Elliot (age 22)

A great inspiring book to read. This book is made up of the writings of Jim Elliot, a passionate missionary who was killed spreading the gospel in Ecuador when he was only 29. His wife, Elisabeth Elliot, compiled the letters and journals written by Jim and edited it into this book. It is a biography of Jim Elliot, but it is unique in that it offers the chronology of Jim's thought life. From reading this book, we get to read his struggles, triumphs, passion, joy, and sadness in his thought life revealed through his own writing. The amazing thing is that all his thought life is focused on is one thing: pursuing God and living the life that God wants him to live. And if you read this, you will find that Jim was a serious, passionate, and Christ-centered lover of God. By reading this, I was much inspired and challenged by his example to pursue God in reading the words, sharing the gospel to the end of the nations, and making the choice in each phase of his life in serious earnest to please God and God only. Jim wasn't perfect, but he sets us such inspiring example of living the Christ-centered life.

This one's a biography of Jim Elliot, a missionary who was killed on the job in Equador back in 1956. Whereas the Woodrow Wilson biography I read preceding this one was a well crafted story, Shadow is more a collection of diary and correspondence excerpts, weaved together by a bit of narrative. I'm not quite sure how much I like the book. Overall, Jim Elliot came across as a sanctimonious young lad, quick to speak the word of Law to his peers and himself. Of course, I'm not quite sure how much of that negative perspective flows from his youthful attitudes or how much flows from guilt over my own shortcomings. Jim Elliot was more faithful in his lifetime than I've been, even though I've had almost twice as much time to get it right. Lord, have mercy! Anyway, the life of Jim Elliot is a tale that should be told. I just not sure that Shadow of the Almighty is the best way to tell it.

I love this book. It is one of my all-time favorites as it describes the short life of a man whose motto was the very Kingdom centered "He is no fool who gives up what he can not keep to gain that which he can not lose." The passion and resolve of Jim Elliot to follow the leading of God, which for him was to the unreached tribes of South America, ultimately led to his death and the death of his four teammates as they tried to share the gospel with a dangerous yet unreached tribe.

Dying before his 30th birthday, his young life and the lives of the other missionaries sparked a great movement in churches in the 1950s to go to the ends of the earth with the gospel of Jesus Christ. This biography gives more specific detail about the inner thoughts, feelings, and decisions that Jim Elliot nurtured and inspire all who read it to want more from this life than what this world can bring.

Thanks to his wife Elizabeth for writing his biography and thank you God for giving us a young and zealous life, in the spirit of Stephen in Acts 7, to see that a life sold out to Jesus is still possible and needed in the world today.

Disclaimer: I only listened to this one on Audible, but the book was read by Elizabeth Elliot which added to my enjoyment of it.

As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Jim Elliot was a sheep who lived and died before the alter of Christ. As Jim’s Redeemer bore the cross from him, so Jim was ready to bear the cross following Christ. What the book makes clear is that Jim’s death as a witness to Christ was the logical culmination of a life witnessing to Christ.

The book consisted of mostly letters and journal entries of Jim which of necessity generates a book that is Jim’s understanding of himself. While the book is peculiar in this genre, it does provide an enjoyable and edifying read.

My only negative critique of the book is that it can be hard to follow what is happening around Jim at times. Understanding his relationship with others, theological and ecclesial surroundings, and information like history of missionary movements to Ecuador would have been helpful for better understanding Jim; however, Elizabeth may provide this info in the other book she wrote regarding Jim…so even this critique is provisional.