A MUST READ!!!
I LOVE any books written by Elisabeth Elliott. I personally met her in White Sulphur Springs, Montana and at home in Big Sky. She had an onset of dementia the 2nd time we met, unfortunately. I have read the hard copy of this book, but now have it as an audible book as well. Need to read it again!

Amazing story of the life of Jim Elliot, told by his wife through his journals, letters and her life with him. Jim Elliot was a man who had his eyes fixed on Jesus at all times. Very inspiring and I can’t wait to read “Through gates of splendour” next.

Another missionary biography that makes you feel spiritually very small. Jim Elliott famously said 'He is no fool to give what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose". After making great progress with several Indians in terms of converts and schooling, Elliott (along with 4 other men) was martyred by a more violent tribe of Indians he attempted to introduce to Christianity, but his legacy lives on today in many ways+. Recommend.

This biography was remarkable and the array of letters filled me with joy and sorrow. What an insight into living in obedience to God for His glory.

Jim Elliott was an amazing man of God, and any book about his life is inevitably challenging in a spiritual sense. I found, however, that this particular book was otherwise a little dry. It was more the story of his inner spiritual growth rather than his actual life, although obviously the two are intertwined. I think also, upon reading this book, that I was mildly disillusioned about Jim Elliott, because he came across as a somewhat arrogant argumentative person that I probably would not be good friends with were I to meet him.

I got to pick a missionary biography for class and quickly knew that I wanted to read one on Jim Elliot. His story had been really interesting to me, but I knew very little before reading!

Jim Elliot was clearly a man who prioritized obedience and discipline to the Lord’s plan. It was a constant theme throughout the book and was what led him to answering the call of missions. It is so special that Elisabeth Elliot had all of his letters and journals so that she could continue sharing his story. I do wish she would’ve talked more about the experience with the Auca tribe, but I know she has another book that focuses specifically on that!

The book as a whole really reminded me of the truth in Philippians 1:21
”For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.“

To have an ounce of Jim Elliot's faith and discipline... The joy he truly reflects in his writings is reminiscent of Paul in his letters from prison. He counts no suffering as loss but as gain in likeness with Christ. To have already known the end of his story and to witness God's will manifest in his life was faith building. I asked myself if I could pray as Jim did to "shed his blood" for the Gospel, to be willing to sacrifice family, friends, comfort, to reach the unreached who are still out there today. The last lines of the chapter, "Mission Accomplished," emphasize the nearly prescient nature of Jim's understanding of his mission to the Aucas throughout his life; additionally, these lines foreshadow Elisabeth's overwhelming grace and forgiveness for this tribe.

Anyone who feels called to the nations, especially to the unreached, should read this and appreciate the devout hope and willing sacrifice of a true martyr.

We talk a lot about discerning the will of God, but what about obeying it? Obedience to the Lord and submitting oneself to the Bible and the Lord are some of my biggest takeaways.

Like most dead Christians I choose to read about, it always serves as a check to my soul and reality. They lived with eternity on the forefront of their minds all the time.

A captivating mixture of Jim and Elisabeth Elliot’s own words, this is a great account of what is true about all Christian lives: we are born with the purpose of using our time to further God’s kingdom, not our own agenda. A great reminder that we don’t have a choice in the matter of how many days we have to live, but we do have a choice in how we live them.

Favorite quotes:

I would be encouraged beyond measure, but the work schedule keeps me snatching at every moment for what it's worth. I suppose time has always gone as fast as it does now and it is silly to say how time ‘flies' since it has always been the nature of time to 'fly and we are carried along in its current at the same rate from cradle to coffin, and should not act surprised at its passing. Only one is increasingly conscious of the rate as he finds more to be done, and discovers the enormous obstacles, within and without, which oppose their accomplishment. Life? 'It is even a vapor that appeareth for a little time. And this musing spurs me on: For yet a little while and He that shall come will come and will not tarry. Behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me.’ What a challengel What shall be my reward in that day?
How much will have to be consumed at the glance of His "flaming eye? How little remains to His everlasting praise? Looking at my days-how short they are, how unproductive, how full of incidentals days-how short they are, how unproductive, how full of incidentals. how little real production for the Harvest-Master. - Jim Elliot Pg 79


Let us not say in our hearts that this is a heartless attitude; it may be realistic, and therefore harsh on our feelings, but it is always the very best thing that can possibly be, the doing of the will of God. There is no need to apologize for one's action, nor defend it if he is sure of God's will. And this is my confidence, that the Lord wanted me here for now Pg 140

We feel God must be testing us, for He has certainly given us no evidence, beyond His provision of our needs, of any special sort that this move was His will. But what can one do? Doubt after praying, waiting, and weighing as well as one can and still leaning on the Spirit to move? No. We cannot doubt, but search our hearts and pray more and believe more.. It would be easy to slip into the business world and just be a good guy with a lot of religion, rather than a producing son of God in enemy territory. Time's up.
Look aloft and pray for me." Pg 144

For content; an excellent book. Powerful testament of the life & death of Jim Elliot, a US missionary to the Haorani & Quechua indians of Ecuador. Finished the book convicted and encouraged for boldness of faith like Jim’s.

In terms of form/style, the book is a compilation of Jim Elliot’s prayer book, journal, and letters to family. At times it doesn’t flow perfectly, and could be confusing trying to keep track of who a passage was written to, but don’t let this stop you from reading it.

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
Jim Elliot

“When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”
― Deitrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship

Jim Elliot was an Evangelical Christian who served as a missionary to the Quichua, an indigenous people group in the jungles of Ecuador. Shadow of the Almighty is the life and testament of Elliot, as told by his widow Elisabeth. The book covers Jim’s life up to the time of his martyrdom in 1956 at the age of 28. Elliot was one of five men killed while trying to evangelize the Huaorani people of Ecuador, an isolated tribe known for their violence against both their own people and outsiders who entered their territory. The Huaorani were known pejoratively as the Aucas (a modification of awqa, the Quichua word for “savages”). Jim and his four colleagues sought out the Huaorani, in obedience to the Great Commission, with the intention of being the first Christians to evangelize the previously uncontacted Huaorani.

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20

The martyrdom of Elliot and the other four men led to a renewed interest in world missions. Life magazine covered the deaths of the men with a photo essay. The ensuing worldwide publicity gave several missionary organizations significantly more visibility, especially in the United States and Latin America. Most notable among these was the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL), the organization for which Elisabeth Elliot worked. Numerous people felt the call to be missionaries through reading Elisabeth Elliot’s books. Chronologically, this book ends where her book Through Gates of Splendor begins.

The story weaves together Jim’s early life, his dedication to ministry, his college days, and his rather distanced courtship with Elisabeth. Only the last few chapters cover his time on the mission field. Shadow of the Almighty is a challenging book to read. Rather than being a simple, straightforward narrative, the book is largely a collection of Jim Elliot’s journal entries and his personal letters, with brief explanations provided by the author, Elisabeth Elliot. It showcases his love for his Lord and his desire to serve Christ, even into death. Jim does not shy away from describing his struggles and doubts. The content is both inspirational and thought-provoking.

"Jim left for me, in memory, and for us all, in these letters and diaries, the testimony of a man who sought nothing but the will of God, who prayed that his life would be 'an exhibit' to the value of knowing God."
― Elisabeth Elloitt, Shadow of the Almighty

While I found the book a challenge to read, I often found that the words and thoughts of this young man challenged me. The book demonstrates that obedience is costly, a message reminiscent of the German pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was killed at the command of Adolf Hitler for his staunch resistance to the Nazi dictatorship.

“Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: 'Ye were bought at a price', and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship

While the book is challenging to read (three stars), it inspires by showing what passion for Christ looks like (five stars).