text: New book - "The Burden of Baggage" - Voice of Christ Media
  New book - "The Burden of Baggage"
  A new book by our friend Roy Oksnevad has recently come off the press. This is highly recommended reading, especially for those wanting to help Iranian Christians in the diaspora.
  Every person coming to Christ has baggage, but a first-generation believer, especially one coming from little or no connection to Christianity, has an uncommon amount of cultural baggage that they bring with them. This book tackles common issues and sees specific examples play out in the Iranian church as a prime example of these challenges. The Burden of Baggage explores how the cultural upbringing is expressed in the personal, interpersonal, family, leadership, and spiritual expressions of church life—contributing to both the strengths and weaknesses.
  Church teaching must shift the emphasis away from the self, as perceived by the community in terms of honor and shame, by encouraging people to give up their honor through humility and refocusing the attention on God and loving others. Readers will walk away knowing they are not alone in their struggles as they deal with gut-wrenching issues that often aren't able to be solved in one generation.
  - The Luggage We Bring
  - Can We Just Play Nice?
  - Everyone Wants to Be a Leader
  - Conversion Is Like a Bomb Going Off
  This book is also available in Farsi as "Risen from Ashes to Christ." Order here.
  Roy Oksnevad and his wife have worked among Muslims for more than 30 years in Europe and the United States. He is the founder and director of COMMA, a coalition of ministries to Muslims in North America.