~ A Thousand Shall Fall ~

First of all, everyone please pick up a copy of this book!  It is so worth the read!  I read it in just a few days - it's not a terribly long book, but there's a lot packed into those pages, that's for sure!

Now for a little description....I read a review on Amazon that sums up everything I want to say perfectly:  

"Okay, lets imagine you have problems. No, I mean REAL problems. You're Christian, good.. But let's say you're a Christian in Germany at the beginning of WWII. HITLER's Germany! Not too bad?? Well, how about if you are one of the first to get drafted into HITLER'S ARMY?? Not bad enough?? How about if your request to be a conciencious objector is DENIED. Bad enough yet? How about facing persecution for your beliefs? Most of us in Modern America can't understand what that is. But Franz Hasel knew well. Forced to be a soldier in the front lines of Hitler's army, he vowed to stay true to his beliefs and his God. What would you do if Hitler told you that you had to fight for him and his ambitions that you believe are evil, but your God says "Thou shalt not kill" What WOULD you do? How much would you risk to avoid going against your conscience? Would you risk your life?  The more faithful he was to his God, the more faithful God was to him, protecting him, unarmed in the front lines of battle, and his family back at home as they face starvation and social persecution. This book will uplift your spirits and give you a greater faith in God. A book that you won't be able to put down once you pick it up, it is as exciting as any action flick while being 100% true. After reading this book, you'll understand what it really means to be a Christian. To risk it all and trust completely in God. Not to be missed!!"

~A Customer (Amazon)

This book is a keeper, for sure.  For me I found it to be faith strengthening.  It made me ask myself some questions - how would I react in situations like these?  Would I really have the faith to do what they did?  Would I risk my whole life in this way when faced with these types of problems?  Am I really as set and firm in my faith as I should be, when push comes to shove, when it starts to get hard?

A whole other aspect that really hit me hard... if I was to look face to face at the main character in this book, Franz Hasel, I would think he was a typical "Nazi" of the time - serving a man who thinks he's God.  But who am I to judge this man based on what he was forced to do?!  I would be misjudging him completely, when really he believes in many of the same things I do.  It gets me thinking.... Who are we to possibly look at someone and assume we know what they think and what they believe based on what they look like.  How utterly UN-Godly...I'm ashamed that I've ever let that happen.

So again, what a great book!!  It is high on my list of favourites, and I can see myself reading it again soon.  Buy it here!