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Eighty is said to be Moses’ wise and substantial age when he received the Ten Commandments. To go around the world in eighty days, as in the famous story, signifies speed. This book’s eighty stories combine sagacity and speed to testify to God’s goodness. Although each is a personal account, intriguingly the stories’ narrators are, for the most part, not named. God is the subject and agent and, as such, is timelessly trustworthy.The stories read quickly until the last two longer ones, as each is only about a page long. They can be read as daily meditations. Each story ends with a biblical quotation, a confirmation that the stories fulfill God’s words.
Many of the stories feature one missionary pastor and his family. Taking place in the Far East, Florida, the American South, and other places and times, they entertain with international flair. People all over the world accept Jesus’ salvation, each in a unique way. Some narrators’ faith heals them physically or emotionally. In some stories, narrators receive a monetary or material answer to prayer. Miracles of being spared from tragedy or meeting the same person in unexpected places also illuminate God’s work in the world. Their collective good news is convincing and inspiring.
Stylistically, most of the stories end with the best part. This literary technique of not telling what happens after the baptism, for example, or when the promise is fulfilled subtly invites readers to find out for themselves. This book’s emphasis on subjective experience means that the only way to find out the truth is to live it.