The Torchlighter Series is currently free on Amazon Prime Video (for who know how long). Though I had heard of these videos and had seen one at an event, I hadn’t watched most of them. These basic animation stories are a powerful witness to great men and women of faith who were sold out for Jesus and growing his church. Their faith is inspiring. Each episode is about 15-20 minutes and is worth the time to watch, especially with kids. The #quarantine time is a great opportunity to remind our families that following God isn’t always easy. These stories inspire me to live faithfully, following God no matter the cost.
We’ve watched 17 of them and recommend viewing them in this order:
Richard Wurmbrand (1909-2001)
Wurmbrand was tortured in prison for years for preaching in Romania. After his eventual release, he and his family founded the Voice of the Martyrs, the international organization that put these videos together as part of their mission to serve persecuted Christians.
Jim Elliot (1927-1956)
Elliot was among five missionaries killed in Ecuador while evangelizing the Huaorani people. After his death, his wife went into this tribal village to witness and live among them for a couple years.
Samuel Morris (1873-1893)
Morris has an incredible story as a Liberian Prince turned Christian. He came to America to learn more so he could reach his people. He attended Taylor University and died while he was there. His story and his life prompted many missionaries to travel to Africa. Here’s a book I read about him.
Eric Liddell (1902-1945)
Known for Olympic medal running, some of Liddell’s story was portrayed in the movie Chariots of Fire. He would not compete in his best event because the game was on Sunday morning. They allowed him to compete in another event where he won the gold medal. Soon after, he dropped stopped competing and left with his family to serve as a missionary in China were he died during an uprising.
Robert Jermaine Thomas (1839-1866)
Jermaine and his wife traveled to China to serve on the mission field. His wife died a month after they arrived. After grieving and feeling like a failure, his calling to Korea became clear. He traveled to a country closed to Christianity several times before eventually being killed by the very person to whom he gave his last Bible.
Corrie Ten Boom (1892-1983)
Corrie ten Boom survived a Nazi concentration camp after her family hid Jews in their home. She became an incredible evangelist sharing her story all over the world until her death. “You can never learn that Christ is all you need until Christ is all you have.”
Adoniram Judson (1788-1850)
Judson was a missionary to Burma where he translated the Bible into their language. He was among the first missionaries from the United States to go overseas.
We also watched:
- John Wesley
- William Tyndale
- Gladys Aylward
- Perpetua
- William Booth
- Harriet Tubman
- Augustine
- Amy Carmichael
- Martin Luther
- John Bunyan
Take time to look up one or more of these folks and read about them. Their stories inspire me to stay true to God’s calling and God’s word. Their stories remind us that sharing our faith and living in God’s call isn’t easy and may cost us. Each one is a powerful story about how God can take a simple life and use it for incredible kingdom work!