Soul-stirring and challenging. This is one that you should read if you find yourself sometimes callous toward the down-trodden. ( )

The subtitle to this book is God's Great Expedition for the Restless Christian. Now I ask you, what kind of image of the book does this title & subtitle conjure up for you? Does it sound like a Christian Living book with some tips on full living? A men's book with adventure metaphors for living the Christian life?

Really, think about it. Look at the cover, too. Then keep reading below.

Now, what's this book actually about?

In some ways, it's a challenge to Christians to truly live out what they say they believe. To ask whether we're really satisfied with our comfortable lifestyles, or whether we're willing to step out in faith and take risks... by standing up for justice.

Wait a minute, what? Justice? What does that mean?

This book was published by the founder of an organization called the International Justice Mission, a group that goes into countries where people are being held captive as slaves and where girls as young as five and six years old are forced to work as prostitutes.

And the IJM smuggles the girls out. They save these children from a lifetime in the sex trade. They free these people who are literally bound in chains and forced to spend their entire lives as slaves. There are millions of people who live like this every single day, and the IJM works to free them.

Guess what this book is? This book will make you aware of the horrendous and EXTREMELY RAMPANT child sex trade all over the world. You will weep. You will read in horror. And yet, the book is only an introduction and I think it holds back a bit, since it's meant to only introduce the notion of standing up and seeking justice for these people.

But the cover doesn't give you any indication of that. The cover fades into the background like just another generic Christian Living book, something you'd easily pass by and dismiss on the shelves. There's no indication of the real content inside, and the design on the cover is bland and, like I said, generic.

Maybe they didn't want to shock people right away. Maybe they thought people would be scared off by the truth, which I can understand. But think of it this way: Is it better to have everyone pass by your book, or is it better to have at least a few people pick it up and have their lives changed by it?

If you're interested in learning more about the International Justice Mission, here's a link to their website: Int. Justice Mission. They are a Christian organization, but let's be honest, does it really matter who is saving people from slavery and the sex trade? Read some of the stories of the children who've been rescued. Make sure you have a box of tissues at hand. I don't think you can learn about this kind of thing and NOT be affected... I want to DO something, help these trapped people somehow...

But back to the book. I know they have another book that specifically discusses how they infiltrate the brothels and smuggle the girls out called Terrify No More: Young Girls Held Captive and the Daring Undercover Operation to Win Their Freedom, and I'd like to read that and learn more of the specifics.

I just wish that Just Courage had a different cover. Then maybe, just maybe, more of us would know the realities about daily slavery and the child sex trade that we've been ignorant of all this time (I know I was). And maybe, through this knowledge, we can help make a difference. One rescued little girl at a time. ( )

NCLA Review -Are you “traveling with Jesus but missing the adventure?” If so, why? Is that the way you really want it to be? The adventure starts when you begin to live as if you really believe the things Jesus taught—things like becoming as little children, say, or loving an enemy. Gary Haugen’s equivalent of a demanding mountain climb is his involvement with International Justice Missions. As one of 300 Christian lawyers, investigators, and other advocates, Haugen helps rescue victims of slavery, violence, and oppression in many countries. Though his own calling to service is through IJM, and the book is filled with inspiring stories from his experience, his point is that any Christian’s life can be adventurous. We need only be willing to take Jesus’ teaching seriously enough that our actions embody our beliefs. Early Christians turned the world upside down because Jesus taught them a new way to live. Haugen challenges modern Christians to do the same. This well-written book is a great choice for a church library. Rating: 4 —DKW Intervarsity 2008, 148p, 9780830834945, $18.00 [248.4] ( )