There are some books that you read and are grateful for, but they leave little lasting impression on your life and then there are some books that leave a lasting impact on your life and you wish the book just kept on going. This book is the latter!
This book begins with Pauline, a young woman in the USA who was thrown out of medical school, diagnosed with TB, left by her boyfriend, struggling with an overwhelming sense of wanting life to end driving her car towards the edge of a cliff. But God takes a hold of her and she remembers promises that couldn’t let her go.
This young and struggling girl was transformed and her life would never be the same. To a Different Drum tells the story of Pauline Hamilton who went to serve the Lord with China Inland Mission but then later on was moved to serve among students in Taiwan after the Communist takeover. This book marvellously shows how great God is, how His perfect timing is unexplainable and how the Lord works in ways that we may never understand.
Pauline went from teaching science in the US to ministering in China, to then teaching in a missionary school then having to leave China, to then ending up in Taiwan. Throughout this story you will be gripped at the events that take places, you’ll get insights into different cultures and of years gone by. But most importantly you’ll be blown away by how amazing God is and how He kept Pauline for the work that He had prepared for her to do.
One of the things that I like most about this book is how Pauline explains her own conversations / arguments with God and how honestly she speaks about her struggles at times. These little insights make the book really relatable. Sometimes missionary books can present the person almost as being perfect, which is unhelpful, here Pauline is honest about herself and how difficult times were but throughout how amazing God was.
If you like Christian biographies this is definitely for you and if you don’t this book might just convince you otherwise! Get your copy here and be encouraged by what God can do when people surrender to Him!
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