It’s Quite Memorable, the Diversity of Believers Shown in This Eleven-Location Journey

I’ve read all of Tim Keesee’s books, so I was eager to read this one, especially knowing that Tim Challies accompanied and collaborated.

“There’s a wonderful sameness about the gospel in every corner of the world,” says a church planter in Cambodia to author Tim Keesee.

In the sameness, there are so many differences in the ways people worship around the world.*

It’s quite memorable, the diversity of believers shown in this eleven-location journey.

The Sunday after I’d finished reading From the Rising of the Sun—and watching the accompanying videos—I stood with my local church, and as we sang the song, "Did You Feel the Mountains Tremble,” I recalled images of the people in the eleven churches. The unity and the diversity.

The song I mentioned singing with my local church says, “all the saints join in one song,” which is so true about these eleven churches that cherish Christ and exist to worship him.

People across mountain ranges and oceans that Tim Challies and Tim Keesee spent time with have been documented, making the notion of the global Church a visible thing to cherish as we cherish Christ.

Some memorable aspects: in Cambodia, homemade musical instruments, in Poland, bilingual preaching to serve two ethnic groups, in Morocco, guitar-led worship in a tiny-apartment church, in Brazil, the large bulletin board in the lobby with photos of Brazilian missionaries serving abroad, and in rural Chile, a one-room sanctuary with a woodburning stove.

As my local church sang, “we can see that God you’re moving,” I thought, yes, the book and videos display exactly this. There are testimonies and ministries and side stories about the culture and about the past. Jesus is worshipped in each of these churches.

Every chapter/episode features a church “made up of people who are native to the country,” with each church worshipping “in ways that reflected their unique cultural setting.”

I’ve read all of Tim Keesee’s books, so I was eager to read this one, especially knowing that Tim Challies accompanied and collaborated. There is much to recall and much to recommend. Readers—and viewers—will experience an unforgettable picture of the global church, growing in their affection for God and others.

I ordered From the Rising of the Sun: A Journey of Worship Around the World on Amazon, and also reveived a free copy from Zondervan Reflective to read in advance—a huge honor for me with my very small blog readership. Click here to subscribe to my monthly blog post and newsletter.

*Sentence updated on 8/20/2025 for clarity—the gospel's sameness does not differ; the ways people worship around the world certainly does differ.