A Texas pastor has collected gripping stories and encouraging thoughts from his years as a missionary in France, and as a pastor in numerous churches. They're all included in a book designed to help Christians worldwide.

Book cover

Woody Wilson, senior pastor of Waddill Street Baptist Church in McKinney, Texas, is the author of the new book, "The Shadow of Babel: Speaking Jesus to a Language-Challenged World."

According to a news release, through common sense and practical helps, Wilson encourages Christians to discuss their beliefs lovingly but boldly with their friends and family members.

The book looks at experiences from Wilson's life as a missionary in a challenging setting in France, and as a U.S. pastor in more everyday circumstances.

"The Shadow of Babel" discusses the importance of talking about one's beliefs, how to speak with one's heart, why listening is the key to talking, and why "crossing the cultural divide" can be difficult.

Despite the difficulties in communicating understandably in a world of diverse languages and cultures - the "shadow" of Babel that the title references - Wilson explains how we can bridge language and cultural barriers.

Each chapter centers around Bible verses and Wilson's own stories to draw in readers and equip them to examine their own challenges of talking about their faith. At the end of each chapter, Wilson includes three practical helps that are designed to engage readers in deep thought and Bible study.

Through these questions, Wilson hopes each reader to be encouraged to share his or her own faith story. "We can't keep it to ourselves any longer," Wilson explained in the book.

In an endorsement of "The Shadow of Babel," Dr. Preston L. Nix, director of the Leavell Center for Evangelism and Church Health with the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, said in a news release, "Through the lens of his experience of learning a foreign language to communicate the Gospel cross-culturally, Wilson challenges his readers to 'find their voice' to clearly communicate the Good News of salvation to this present generation."

With amusing anecdotes and inspiring illustrations, Wilson highlights Biblical principles for communicating Christ to a lost and confused culture."

Paperback ($15.95) copies of the book are available through online bookstores such as Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com.

Source: By Jeremy Reynalds orrespondent for ASSIST News Service