David Brainerd: A Flame for God

by Vance Christie

..".I hardly ever so longed to live to God and to be altogether devoted to Him; I wanted to wear out my life in his service and for his glory ..." David Brainerd

Introduction by John Macarthur. David Brainerd was devoted to live for his Lord. He lived a short life but in his four years as a missionary he was blessed with a period of revival amongst the Indians to whom he had been ministering. By considering the life of Brainerd this book will be of tremendous spiritual benefit to you as you read of a young man plagued with depression and yet made so effective under God.

Genres: Biography, Christian, Biography Memoir, Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2009

About the author

Vance Christie is a pastor and author best known for vivid retelling of missionary stories. He lives in Aurora, Nebraska and has previously written for the 'Heroes of the Faith' series. His website is www.vancechristie.com.

Reviews

[Brian Pate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thorough biography of David Brainerd, missionary to Native Americans in the 1740s. I read this book to prepare to teach on Brainerd's life in Brazil.

This biography's strengths are its weaknesses. It's a very thorough biography, but at times it feels like a day-by-day retelling of Brainerd's diary. Christie succeeds at remaining objective, but I would like more analysis and synthesis.

[Peyton Elkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Brainerd was a man of contradictions. He was physically weak, but spiritually strong. He battled depression, but experienced joy in tribulation. He was a natural fighter, who spent his life forgiving his enemies. He died young, and yet left a legacy behind him among the Native Americans he ministered to. The Lord used David Brainerd in a mighty way. He was truly a burning flame for God.

I thoroughly enjoyed this biography. Before I read it, I had never even heard of David Brainerd. I was thoroughly amazed at his devotion and his faith, but also encouraged by his weaknesses. So many of our Christian "heroes" seem almost invincible. It appears they never doubt or experience dry seasons in their faith. This biography shows David as a human (frail as the "heroes" and frail as the rest of us), who relied on God for everything. I would recommend this to any Christian who feels they are just not "strong enough." I'll be reading it again and again!

[Adam Joyner · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slower read and different from most biographies, but shows great insight into the imperfectness yet devoted life of David Brainerd. Challenging and Convicting!

[Rafael Salazar · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great new biography of the pioneer missionary. Brainerd was an extraordinary man of God. Weak, lonely, devout, mighty. As of now, I have no parallels with wich to compare the life of this towering life, in whose shadow many of my heroes lie.

[Caleb Holland · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Brainerd’s life is challenging, he’s a stud, this book wasn’t the most exciting thing to read, but it was healthy for me

[Shelby Hand · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jonathan read this on my kindle for school sooooo I’ve changed the dates because I don’t want it to mess with my reading stats…

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Sure there were some slow parts in the beginning but this author really sets the stage and does a great job of incorporating personal quotes by Brainerd and quotes from the biography done by Johnathan Edwards. Overall a great read and a book that leaves you challenged about the depth of your committment to God.

[Lynette Karg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a challenging read, but worth it. At times it was a bit too thorough and included irrelevant details that seemed to bog the story down, but the extraordinary faith and life of this man made it worth slogging through.

[Patrick Lennox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very thorough. It provides a good follow-up to Edwards biography. While heavily relying on Edwards' work, it provides a wider historical context than what Edwards could have provided.

[Jt]

i love this guy and his ministry. I bought his journal and I am getting ready to devour it.