‘Gullible’s Travels’ – Book Review

Last week, as my flight from Amsterdam touched down in Tbilisi I closed the cover of Gullible’s Travels. Intrigued by the title, compelled by the subject-matter, but even more drawn in by my recent conversation with the author, I had decided to read this book on my way back ‘home’ to Georgia #thecountrynotthestate.

Gullible’s Travels is the story of Nick and Sue Long who are missionaries currently living in Austria. Before that, they were missionaries serving for almost three decades in Germany. The years in between Germany and Austria were years of wilderness-wanderings, or perhaps better described as years of the crawling, consuming, and chewing locust (Joel 1-2).

Gullible’s Travels is the painfully raw, yet bold account of a man whom God saved and used to share His light and love in the nation of Germany, but who also was led down a rabbit hole of medically-induced drug addiction. A before-Christ life marked with drug use plus doctor-prescribed opioid concoctions used to treat severe pain do not result in anything good. Nick’s pain treatment would result in a years-long nightmare of addiction, deceit, danger, lost time and memories, and almost the loss of his marriage.

Gullible’s Travels is a well-written book with a warning. The biggest lie that any of us can believe is that we are immune to the tricks and deceits of the enemy. “A roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” is not just metaphor. Satan has a plan for your life–that is for your downfall, your destruction. Our pride will tell us that we are immune, our hypocrisy will tell us we are better, but if we remain ignorant of his devices then we will be bloody prey dangling from that wolf’s mouth.

Nick Long’s story is personal, moving, and redemptive. In light of other pastors who have struggled (or are currently struggling) through similar battles, I highly encourage people to read Gullible’s Travels. In our day of massive opioid addictions and overdoses, the New Testament warnings of sorcery (pharmakeia) could not apply more. Pray for your pastors. Share with your friends. “The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.” (I Peter 4:7-8 NLT)

Interview with Pam Markey by Story4All – Part 2

“Pam Markey, continues her story, talking with Bryan about the joys and pain of serving on the field, especially after her husband died. The story clearly covers the amazing grace and comfort of the Lord and how the story continues today..”
Click HERE for the link to part two of the interview.
Click HERE for the link to part one of the interview.

Pam Markey Interviewed on Story4All

“Bryan Thompson from Story4All interviews Pam Markey, who, in this first show of a two-part series, tells how she and her husband and their family moved to the former Soviet Union to begin a new life, leaving behind the farmlands of the American Mid-West.” Click HERE for the link to part one of the interview.

$1.99 – Distant Fields – Read an Excerpt for Free!

Distant Fields is on sale from now through Valentine’s Day!

The following is an excerpt from the book describing the arrival of George and Pam and their eight children to Ukraine:

Independence Day

Flying into Kiev on July 4, 1992, was an unforgettable experience. As the wheels of the plane touched down, dilapidated shacks, old planes, and trees and overgrown bushes surrounding the airport seemed to race by. Thuds were felt every second as the plane rode over the concrete slabs that had been laid down for a runway. The tall grass growing up in between these concrete slabs left one wondering how many flights actually arrived into this airport. Eventually the plane came to a stop at the Borispol International Terminal.

Upon exiting the plane, the family discovered that looking for a baggage carousel was an effort in futility. While pondering the status of their belongings, the Markeys and everyone else from the plane were herded into an empty room and left standing and wondering. Soon the sound of a tractor jolted everyone into alertness. Gazing around the room, local people soon began to congregate around an open area in the middle of the room. The sound of the tractor grew louder and then finally emerged from new beginnings the back of the room. Behind the tractor was hitched a trailer, and on the trailer was a huge mound of luggage. Before the tractor even came to a halt, people from the plane were climbing up onto the trailer and hunting for their luggage.

As the engine of the tractor finally shut down, George climbed onto the trailer and began searching for their belongings, passing them to his children. All of the bags were gathered and the family was once again left standing and wondering. A line was forming, meandering into a dark corridor over to their left. The all-important matter of lines would be something that the Markeys would learn over time. For now, the 10 family members got into line, amazed at the pushing, shoving, and trampling as people rushed to cut in front of them. To their right stood a small glass-encased display cabinet offering “duty free” items, and to which no one seemed to be paying attention. A solitary light bulb dangling over their heads was the only source of a dim and insufficient illumination to the path before them.

After passing through customs, the family followed the other passengers to a set of doors. As the doors opened, all that could be seen was a wall of humanity. The passengers ahead of them walked directly into this mass of people, and as they did, a small crevice emerged through which they then inched forward. Not wanting to miss out on their chance, George led the charge, the people in the crowd seemingly not phased by the commotion, elbows, and other body parts clashing into each other. Any apologies offered for bags rolling over shoes went unanswered by people who were returning only empty stares and confused expressions…

Continue reading.
Get your copy of Distant Fields today for $1.99!

Free Kindle Book – “A Story of Grace,” by Phil Metzger

I wanted to let you know of a book that is FREE right now on Kindle! “A Story of Grace” is a history of the missionary work in eastern Europe, and the beginning of the movement of Calvary Chapel in Hungary. It is written by long-term eastern European missionary (and friend), Phil Metzger. You can download it now here.

Phil Metzger is senior pastor of Calvary Chapel of Budapest and is also the director of Calvary Chapel Bible College Europe (CCBCE). Pam Markey is the director of the missions training program at this Bible college. CCBCE a remarkable place for young people to receive solid Bible training while getting their feet wet in practical missions.

Free Copy of Distant Fields!

From September 26th – 28th (in memory of George W. Markey’s birthday), Distant Fields–The Amazing Call of George Markey from Farmland to Missions is available as a FREE digital download for all Kindle devices and applications! Just click here to get your FREE copy at Amazon.com.

Furthermore, paperback copies are on sale for $7.99 — that’s $5 off the retail price, when you use discount code VJRMJ8AU at check out. Click here to order your discounted paperback copies at the CreateSpace store.

Please share this FREE resource and sale with your friends on Facebook, your blog, or in an email. Also, if you have read Distant Fields and would like to post a review, please do so at Goodreads, Amazon, or other book sites. This giveaway and sale end on September 28th. Help spread the word. Thanks!

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“This book has challenged my life in every way. The life of George Markey has always been an inspiration to me, but being able to read this book and put together all of the details has been invaluable. He was a true servant leader. His testimony is a modern day inspiration that is on the same level as Hudson Taylor and Isobel Kuhn.”
– K. Spencer, taken from a review at Amazon.com

“George was one of the most servant-hearted men I have ever met.”
– Jeremy Camp–Grammy-Nominated Singer/Songwriter

“George was a tremendous example. When I think of him, I think of simple faith, simple trust.”
– Pastor Chuck Smith–Founding Pastor, Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa

In Loving Memory of George W. Markey
September 28, 1941 – February 13, 2007

Goodreads Review of Distant Fields!

“Distant Fields by Jed Gourley proved to be one of those books, one of those stories that would confirm that God can use anyone regardless of background, if they would surrender completely to Him. I’ve always enjoyed reading missionary stories such as the Hudson twins to Asia, or of the Elliots and their fateful trip into Inca territory. I’ve enjoyed stories such as “God’s Smuggler” about Brother Andrew, “Tortured for Christ” about Wirmbrand, and like George, I too have read “Revolution in World Missions”. So to read George’s story and to discover myself a contemporary to half his children, was amazing. Then to discover that he had some of the same character-quirk hang-ups that I do, made the ability to relate even stronger.

The style of writing was very personal, like that of reading a memoire more than a biography of one’s life. Eventually I’d discover that the author was (spoiler alert) married to one of George’s kids. This made the telling of the story very personal, and it was impossible to miss the growing sense of “goodbye” that was looming as the author approached the latter pages of the book. Most professional editors would have had a conniption at Jed’s sentence fragments, or worse, at his use of the occasional single-word sentence, but he was writing this way on purpose. This book is a very personal work, and to remove some of the conversational structure of the writing would have been to render it’s heart anemic. The telling of this story was both personal and introductory.

As I sit here now writing out my thoughts, I too am left with a sense of what this world has lost. I look forward to meeting George in heaven one day and am grateful to hear that his family continues to reach out to people on the mission field and at home.”

By Marilynn Dawson
Author of “Becoming the Bride of Christ: A Personal Journey”, “Mom’s Little Black Book: Godly Advice for the High School Graduate”, “Practical Thoughts on Becoming an Author” and “Dressed for Eternity”.

Mp3 of George Markey’s Last Message!

Now available for download!

Many have inquired about obtaining a copy of the last message that George Markey gave at the mission’s conference. It was given a little more than a month before he passed away. Much of his message is a summary of his life, as well as lessons he learned as a pastor both in the U.S. and overseas. The mp3 audio recording can now be found here.

Kindle ebook of Distant Fields–Now Available!

Announcing the release of Distant Fields in Kindle format! Get your copy here or by searching for “Distant Fields” in the Kindle Store.

After you have read the book, we would appreciate your review on the Amazon page for Distant Fields. Thanks!