Crown Pub, Sachbücher, Swashbuckling Faith (Englisch, Tim Wesemann, 2006)

Introduction Surrounded by redcoats, Commodore James Norrington addresses the pirate with open contempt: &ldquo Well, well. Jack Sparrow, isn&rsquo t it?&rdquo &ldquo Captain Jack Sparrow, if you please, sir.&rdquo Norrington examines Jack&rsquo s one-bullet pistol, his compass that doesn&rsquo t point to magnetic north, and his pirates sword. Then he looks into Jack&rsquo s eyes and says, &ldquo You are without a doubt the worst pirate I&rsquo ve ever heard of.&rdquo Jack fires back: &ldquo But you have heard of me. Now, you should know that I&rsquo m not a pirate, nor do I play one on TV. I am a Christian who loves to find biblical truths in daily life-including movies with pirates who pillage, plunder, and pilfer. Millions of people know of Jack Sparrow (pardon me, make that Captain Jack Sparrow), who confessed his intention to commandeer a British ship, Tortuga, and commence with some raiding, pillaging, and plundering. Ah, yes &hellip it&rsquo s a pirates life for Captain Jack Sparrow. And with the popularity of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, it&rsquo s safe to say that a lot of people are familiar with this pirate named Jack. You might be surprised to hear that the charcoal-eyed, straggly haired pirate also taught me quite a bit about Christian living. Yep, mate, thar&rsquo s a treasure trove of faith-growing gems waiting to be discovered within the movie, sparkling vibrantly as the Light reflects from each facet. Swashbuckling Faith uses the treasure map of God&rsquo s Word to explore these life-changing gems. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we&rsquo ll become swashbucklers ourselves&mdash explorers who will fight for the treasure, cross blades for truth, and duel for the One who gives us life. That&rsquo s swashbuckling faith. Before we raise the anchor and head out to sea in anticipation of adventure, let&rsquo s climb to the crow&rsquo s nest. From there we can see what lies ahead as we sail toward the heavenly horizon. While I am a fan of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, let me state the obvious: They&rsquo re not Christian flicks. This book is not an endorsement of the movie, nor am I affiliated with it in any way. As a former parish pastor, and now a full-time Christian author and speaker, I love how God leads us through the treasure map of His Word to discover faith riches. I&rsquo m so glad the divine Captain invited you to join me on this adventure in search of life treasure. Jesus often used the same approach in growing faith in His followers as He walked the earth (and sea). He understood the culture and wanted to meet people where they were, so He used stories and familiar objects to inform them about the kingdom. In much the same way, Paul&mdash make that the apostle Paul&mdash when visiting Athens (Acts 17) used its idol-junkie culture and worship, including an altar with the inscription &ldquo To an Unknown God,&rdquo to present the gospel in a creative way. The same cultural treasure chest is available to us today. Unexpected faith treasures are at our fingertips. The treasures aren&rsquo t even hidden. The Holy Spirit wants us to see and seize the treasures. The rough seas come when pirate ships waving their flags of temptation attack our belief in the riches of God&rsquo s grace. Thankfully, our Captain leads us safely through the storms. So climb aboard! The wind&rsquo s at our back, and treasure awaits. As Jack Sparrow once said, &ldquo Now, bring me that horizon.