BOOK REVIEW - "THE INDOMITABLE MR. O: 75TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION" BY NORMAN ROHRER WITH YOLANDA DERSTENE AND BEATRICE LEVANOS

I have no idea how I ended up there (though it might have been through Sunday School at the church I attended in Prescott, AZ), but in sixth grade, I attended a group with fellow students where we sang songs and heard a Bible lesson taught with a flannel graph. During the summer, I moved to Cottonwood, AZ, where I was at a different denomination church, but there was an after school Bible study at that church, singing the same songs, also with flannelgraph lessons. I also was introduced to the wordless book. I didn't realize it at the time, but I was in two different Good News Clubs, a ministry of Child Evangelism Fellowship (which will be referred to as CEF).

"The Indomitable Mr. O" by Norman Rohrer is a biography of CEF founder Jesse Overholtzer, following the direction of his life into the moment he realized children can understand the Gospel, at age 60. The edition I'm reading and reviewing was copywritten in 1970 and 2012.

The book starts with a preface by Rohrer and forewords by international evangelist and author Luis Palau and Reese Kaufmann, who was President of CEF from 1989 to 2022. Part One, "The Dream Begun," looks at the life of Jesse Overholtzer and how Child Evangelism fellowship came into being. Part Two, "The Dream Fulfilled," focuses on the expansion of the work of CEF into all the world. These events include the Supreme Court ruling that allows Bible clubs equal access to Public Schools after hours as other organizations like the Scouts. My hunch is that Yolanda Derstine and Beatrice Levanos wrote this part.

There are six appendixes following this second part, including "Child Evangelism as Taught in the Word of God," by Dr. Jesse Irvin Overholtzer, the statement of faith, the mission statement, the vision statement and strategy, "The Culture of Child Evangelism Fellowship," and CEF's trademarks.

I highly recommend this book. It shows the importance of evangelizing youth, from what happens when we do - such as when Overholtzer experimented on a quote of Charles Haddon Spurgeon that if presented properly a child of five can understand the Gospel - and when we don't - as in Overhotzer's pastor and parents telling him he was too young to be part of the church and how it affected his life.

 

BOOK REVIEW - "FRITZ AND THE MIDNIGHT MEETUP" BY MEGAN HILL, ILLUSTRATED BY CHIARA FEDELE

 

Why are the children at the orphanage sneaking downstairs after bed-time? And should they worry about the resident bully?

"Fritz and the Midnight Meetup: A True Story About Kids Who Prayed" is a delightful children's book written by Megan Hill (who also wrote the children's book "Meg is Not Alone" as well as non-fiction books dealing with the same themes in her children's books) and illustrated by Chiara Fedele.

I know there was a revival taking place here in the United States right before the Civil War started. That revival was also taking place in Germany. This true story accounts for children who had a heart for prayer and wanted to have prayer meetings like the adults.

There also was a bully in real life, as there was in the story. And the results were also the same.

I highly recommend this book.