Jacob Deshazer: Forgive Your Enemies (Christian Heroes: Then and Now)

Great story! Check out the audio version. The guy does a great job. What an amazing story

After graduation, Jake started working for the Basque sheep herders in California and Nevada. After two years he had saved up enough to invest in five hundred turkeys. Due to the Great Depression he went broke! Jake then joined the army. Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Jake along with many other men volunteered for a mission they were told nothing about! Under the direction of Jimmy Doolittle, Jake was to become one of the infamous Doolittle Raiders who bombed targets in Japan. Jake was the bombardier on a B-25 bomber named the BAT. Sadly, due to having to take off from the USS Hornet earlier than expected along with having a crack in the visor, after their successful bombing raid the team had to bail out over Nangchang. It was not long before Jake found himself in the presence of Japanese soldiers!Jake spent 40 months as a prisoner of war and most of those months in solitary confinement. However, instead of findingbitterness in jail, Jake found the Lord! This incredible story is one of redemption and forgiveness. Not only did Jake find forgiveness for his own life, he forgave all the Japanese soldiers/guards who had so mistreated him.Read how upon marriage and graduation from Seattle Pacific College him and his wife, Florence, dedicated their lives to serving the people of Japan and spreading the gospel throughout the country. How God opened doors for them was INCREDIBLE!Unlike many of the other Christian Heroes: Then and Now books, this one is not all about a life of working as a missionary. Unless you already know the story of Jake DeShazer (we didn't) you may well question what in the world this man is even doing in one of these books as you read through the first few chapters. HOWEVER don't let this stop you from reading this book. The leading up to Jake becoming a missionary is vitally important to the end result. This was a truly gripping and sometimes hard book to read when you read what the POW's experienced. We read this aloud to our children (11, 8 & 5) so do not hesitate to recommend it to your family.Jacob DeShazer 1912-2008

Jacob DeShazer had turned his back on God as a young man. He felt he had control of his life and was doing well. Then came the Japanese attack on Pear Harbor and the U.S. was thrust into WWII. As many young men of that tiime, he cultivated a hatred for the Japanese people that festered into a deep dark place in his mind and soul. Hatred does that to a man. He enters in to a secret training program that ultimltely ends up with he becoming one of 'Doolittle's Raiders'. This famous group of men were to fly bombers off of an aircraft carrier (never done before) with orders to bomb Japan. His hatred motivated him to look forward to the mission. The take-off and bombing were sucessful but the ill-fated planes lacked enough fuel to make it safely to China and safety. Many were captured by the Japanese and put in to prison camps. During his 40 months of torture, near starvation and hopelessness God speaks to Jake and his faith is renewed and his hatred removed. After the war, Jake became a missionary to his former enemies. He spent 30 years ministering in Japan. This book contains good WWII history and a beautiful example of what God can do when a person submits to His will. Near the end of the story as Jake has become an old man, he starts having serious memory problems. Take time as you read this small section of the book to reflect on the true meaning of total forgiveness. It will bring you, literally to your knees.

Great book and a good value.

I love the story of the Doolittle raiders. I have another book about Jake Deshazer. I am really enjoying this book so far. He suffered so much as a prisoner of war, I am really touched by his warm attitude towards his captors. The fact of his love for God, and his desire to share this with the Japanese people it’s truly amazing. Anyone will love this book.

I liked "Jacob DdShazer: Forgive Your Enemies" very much and give it a five star rating. The book tells of the Doolittle Raid and the brave men who took part in that raid on April 18, 1942. Jacob was in the last B-25 off the carrier in plane # 16. His capture after bailing out over China and the harsh treatment he received from the Japanese is told in detail. Jacob became a Christian Missionary after the war ended. His story of how and why he "turned to Christ" is told. His return to Japan and his years of missionary work are detailed and are very interesting. I had heard that after General MacArther that Jacob DeShazer had more influence on Japan than any other person. He converted many to Christianity. As the book states the Japanese were looking for a new religion when the Emperor declared that he was not a God, but just a man. I was glad this book was written as it gives us a history that would have been forgotten. Robert Seikel

An excellent presentation of one of the little known aspects of World War II, how a member of the Doolittle squad which bombed Japan in 1942 was captured by the Japanese and during his imprisonment became a Christian and determined to return to Japan after the war as a missionary. After the war he wrote a pamphlet detailing his experiences as a Japanese POW and conversion, which was read by M. Fuchida, the Japanese aviator who led the air raid on Pearl Harbor. Mr. DeShazer's pamphlet was one of the seeds that led to Fuchida's conversion to Christianity and his role as a missionary after the war. It is an indelible story of how God works in many ways unknown and unthought-of by man. Read it to discover how God works through many and various circumstances for His own purposes.

This was one of the best Christian heroes everIt was so inspirational and exiting a perfect example of what it meens to forgive and love your enemiesIt was as if it was a Bible story designed for everyoneI love DeShazers life and his legacyNot recomended for girls! Addiction alert

Okay book. But glosses over a lot. I do not believe this was quite as ‘Hollywood conversion’ as this paints his testimony. I think another biography will show a deeper story. These are well written-ish. But. And it’s a big but! They use light sources and other biographies already written, so essentially are making money by rewriting others work and in a more lazy style. Only uses one or two sources. Very, very lazy research. That does not mean I do not recommend. Its an easy read if you do not want an in-depth view. But I do object that these seem to be an easy money spinner very much though. The authors have not put much of their own effort in. And are taking far to much credit and money for themselves. Or their organisation! As a series I feel some have more effort than others.If you want a more in depth look at how this man truly lived and what he went through to become the man he did, look elsewhere. This is much more about them making money than the man himself. Not a great Christian way of doing things, I feel.

Once again a brilliant book from the series, I would recommend it.