August 5, 2025
Karen Rees’ New Book Points to the Good Book
In addition to serving with her husband, Benjamin Rees, as a long-time missionary to Hong Kong, Karen Rees has become an accomplished author of historical novels.
Articles for tag: Karen Rees
October 1, 2014
A Bad Year, a True Hero, and an Invitation to Wonder
By LeRoy Lawson Diary of a Bad Year J. M. Coetzee London: Harvill Secker, 2007 The Ruby Ring: Tyndale”s Battle for an English Bible Karen Rees Crosslink Publishing, 2013 Unwrapping Wonder: Finding Hope in the Gift of Nature Carol O”Casey Greeley: Gladach Publishing, 2013 I suppose it is because “misery loves company” that books by or about other old people get my attention, but that”s not the only reason. Sometimes old people write very good books. And younger people sometimes write very good books about old people. In the case of J. M. Coetzee”s Diary of a Bad Year, we
Questions about Our Sins and God”s Punishment
By Karen Rees Did God, in an effort to call America back to him, cause the severe drought that shriveled up crops in the Midwest last summer? According to a Christian”s well-written blog entry I stumbled across, the answer is “yes.” The blog writer quoted a few verses from Amos 4 to support her conclusion. In these verses, God said he caused a drought in the northern kingdom of Israel and struck their vineyards with blight, yet they had not returned to him. She ended by saying Christians need to do more to get abortion outlawed and bring our
May 27, 2013
Foundation Problems
By Karen Rees A mainland Chinese construction company learned a hard lesson about having the right foundation. The company had nearly completed several high-rise apartment blocks across the border from Hong Kong. A number of the units had already been rented. Then a storm blew in and, to the horror of all, one of the buildings toppled over. Several workers were killed or injured. An investigation determined the accident was caused by foundation problems. The builders had constructed 10-story high-rises on foundations that were suited for one- or two-story houses. The storm exposed the truth. The foundations couldn”t handle the
December 26, 2011
The Bible vs. Culture: What Shapes Our Christianity?
By Karen Rees I almost got into an argument at a Christmas party. The party was an activity of a local Evangelical women”s Bible study. The group includes women from a number of different, mostly Asian, countries. On this particular occasion we had a visiting woman speaker fresh from the United States. She had a good talk, but her Scripture application was from an American worldview. I was the only other American there. In the discussion time, I said that different cultures emphasize the verses that best match their cultural values. As an example, I mentioned that, with regard to
March 31, 2011
Truth Matters
By Karen Rees Twice recently I had the job of trying to find the truth. The first instance had to do with serious allegations made by one of our church members against another. Was the allegation nothing more than vicious gossip by “member A” who was upset with “member B” over a secondary issue? Or was “member A” telling the truth? If so, “member B” needed to repent of serious sin. The second instance had to do with Priya, a Sri Lankan household servant and friend of our Sri Lankan church member. Priya had been admitted to a hospital”s psychiatric
November 22, 2010
Lesson for Nov. 28, 2010: God Is Omniscient (Psalm 139:1-6, 13-16, 23, 24)
This week”s treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson (for November 28) is written by Karen Rees. She and her husband, Benjamin, have served in Hong Kong since 1975. God Is Omniscient (Psalm 139:1-6, 13-16, 23, 24) By Karen Rees Their God What is their god like? In the 35 years my husband and I have served in Hong Kong, knowing the answer to this question has helped us to share our God in a more meaningful way with the variety of people we”ve worked with. The Chinese traditionally believe that the gods can”t be known. They rely on their
November 12, 2010
The Value of Justice
Karen Rees How valuable is justice? Few people in the United States give much thought to this question. But for many in the world, it”s a far different story. In the United States, justice is simply there, a part of the community. It looks like the local police officer or mayor or building inspector. We expect officials to do their jobs properly and treat us fairly. We expect the police to protect us to the best of their ability. Where I live, in Hong Kong, Britain”s 150-year colonial rule has left a similar legacy of justice. People expect to receive
March 22, 2009
The Greed Factor
 by Karen R. Rees  Money is a great motivator. It has enticed 240,000 women, mainly from the Philippines and now increasingly from Indonesia, to Hong Kong to work as household servants. For the last 27 years my husband and I have served a church mostly made up of these women, so I know their stories well. They come here because the economies in their countries have been ruined by private and governmental greed and corruption. The women, all from the low-income bracket, dream of building a house, helping their husband start a small business, or sending a child
