'Out of the Desert' by Mike Dwight (New Wine Press, 2015, 79 pages, £5.99, available from Roperpenberthy for £5)

Mike has served as a missionary with WEC International for over 35 years in Europe and Asia. His ministry has involved church planting and leadership training, most recently with WEC Betel International. This book, his first, is based on the talks he gave at their 2013 conference, which centred on Exodus 33 and God's planned journey for Moses and the people of Israel. Drawing lessons from this passage, Mike brings a powerful encouragement to all involved in mission or ministry: to get closer to God in order to serve him more effectively.

Personal Witness

It is soon apparent that God has been speaking to Mike very powerfully in recent times, showing him new things that would change his ministry even after years of experience and success. As the author tells us towards the end, "What I have shared in this book is not the product of study so much as an opening of my heart to what God has personally been doing in me over these last few years" (p77).

Stories and testimonies from Mike's life and ministry flow naturally and regularly as he takes us through the scriptural passages and key points. But these are not mere anecdotes; they enhance his message like lights on an airport runway, guiding us along the path he wants us to share. As his own personal pilgrimage unfolds, his integrity and honesty encourage us to reflect on our own journeys and where we are with God at present. Do we hear the call, as Moses did, to "leave this place" and "go up to the land I promised" (Ex 33:1)?

Mike testifies through his own journey that God is more important than any ministry or calling: we cannot go out of the desert without him."

A Fresh Revelation

But as Mike explains clearly and passionately, you cannot begin this new journey without a fresh encounter with God and revelation of him, otherwise "I will not go with you" (Ex 33:2). Mere gifting and experience is not enough. God himself needs to be at the centre of any ministry and in the heart of anyone desiring to serve him.

We are repeatedly warned that "we cannot drift casually into the purposes, calling and future plans of God, no matter how able and capable we think we may be." (p22). Time has to be spent in God's presence, listening and seeing before speaking and doing. We must rest in God before we can journey with him, allowing him to move our hearts before we move our lips or feet. This is what makes a ministry truly prophetic, one which is alive to the next stage of the journey and aware of what the world most needs from God. It is no surprise that Mike's Biblical hero is Enoch, more renowned for walking with God than doing anything else!

We must rest in God before we can journey with him, allowing him to move our hearts before we move our lips or feet."

New Impetus

The book is both hard-hitting and gently persuasive, a sure sign of being Spirit-inspired. In his foreword, Jim Graham sums it up as "not so much a book to be enjoyed as to be experienced" (p.ix). Yet, it is also an enjoyable read. The spoken word has been expertly transferred into the written word, and the resulting volume, although slim, is packed with help for those setting out in ministry as well as for those who have been in ministry for years but seeking a fresh impetus and greater fulfilment.

Here is a message from someone with a clear call on his life and who has resolutely followed it, but who has also discovered that God himself is more important than any ministry or calling. We cannot go out of the desert without him.