It was hard work being a hippie. Doing acid and smoking pot made my feelings of insecurity even worse, and coupled with my depression, I was living in the cold fires of hell. I was on a quest to find meaning, maybe even God, but I scoffed at anyone who thought they had a some kind of direct connection. One day I saw the blue sky reflected off the glasses of a preacher standing outside his church. Somehow he seemed to posses the entirety of that blue sky within himself. I kept walking - but that blue sky pierced my heart.
We all hunger for something more, above the day-to-day and deep beneath the night-to-night, but we usually don’t expect God to break through the normalcy of our lives. And who wants anything to do with Bible-thumping religious people. But I have seen cracks in the boring routine of reality. Honest to God miracles have happened right under my nose. There is light brighter than the sun ready to break out on the dullest of days. There is a quiet voice louder than the constant noise of cities. There is a joy underneath the heaviest sorrows. There are people who smell like heaven. And there is a God who is able and willing to break into our lives.
What people are saying about The Safest Place on Earth:
Artists use paintbrushes, sculptors use chisels, musicians use instruments but poets and preachers use words to beautify what’s truthful. This book is a gallery of irresistible truths, life changing principles and the miraculous story of a man that dared to know God in the beauty of his holiness. Get ready to be refreshed! Your glasses’ prescription will change!
Andrew McMillan is an extraordinary man. He and his wife Kathy lead the largest church in Medellin, yet you’d never know it in talking to them, they are so humble. Andrew loves people and people love him; he doesn’t take himself seriously and simply lives in the goodness of God. I love this man! The Safest Place on Earth is full of stories, and they leak out the miraculous. Stories from his youth and chasing girls. Stories of encountering God in unusual places. Stories that take us on a journey into God’s goodness. If you like to glean wisdom and life experience from great leaders, this is a book you will enjoy!
What happens when West Virginia meets Yale University meets Medellin, Colombia…Mucho!!! And it’s all outlined in this very charming, revealing, and thought-provoking book. Join the exhilarating and humorous ride as Pastor Andrew details how he traversed national, international and inter-denominational borders and the obstacles he overcame en route to becoming the Godly man and exceptional leader he is today. The Safest Place on Earth finally provides us the catalyst in which to experience the transformation from gifted speaker to poignant writer.
Andrew McMillan writes as only few gifted people can, bringing up the depths of his heart in prose that allow all of us to sing from the pages of his heart. He points people to new possibilities — for example, “I would like to suggest a new category, the miraculous reality. I have seen cracks in the boring routine of reality. There is light brighter than the sun. There is a quiet voice louder than the constant noise of cities. There is a joy underneath the heaviest sorrows. There are people who smell like heaven…” I was captured by the dedication to his sons, and couldn’t put it down. The Safest Place on Earth is a gift to you – a gift to enrich your life with new possibilities and new ways to see. Don’t miss the gift. It is a spiritual and literary feast.
Pastor Andrew’s book is a beautiful piece of writing that propels us deeper into the heart of the Father, brings us face to face with the person of Jesus and alerts us to the continuing move of the Holy Spirit. I truly believe God may have put the “sign” you have been looking for into the words He inspired through Andrew McMillan.
Because Andrew is my friend, saying that his book is amazing sounds like I’m trying to help my friend out. And although that is true, once you start reading The Safest Place on Earth you will realize that even his greatest enemies would have to acknowledge the beauty and the mastery of this book. I have been with Andrew and his family in Medellin on multiple occasions. I have enjoyed his leadership and his fathering. I have also been challenged by his humility and his depth. Now, you get to be exposed to the man and his poetry. To his wild journey and his authentic relationship with Jesus. And maybe, just maybe, you will be challenged like me, to imitate Andrew as he imitates Christ.
¡Bravo mi amigo! Este es un libro que el mundo necesita.
Andrew McMillan’s book The Safest Place on Earth is one of the most unique and entertaining manuscripts I’ve read in recent years. It’s one man’s account of a very real and raw journey to discovering God. I want to re-emphasize real and raw. I’ve known Andrew for some years now. God is using him and his wife, Kathy, in powerful ways in South America. This story is an invitation to souls who are hungry, thirsty, and searching, not forcing you to make any kind of decision, but painting a truly beautiful picture of a journey to faith.
When testimony is shared, often, people sanitize it. They take out the ugly, they remove the “search” and they disregard all of the details. In other words, the stories begin to sound overly “churchy” and religious. Not this book. It is not off-putting for any audience; only inviting, gently calling you to reconsider life as you know it and embrace the very real possibility that “there must be more.”
Wherever you find yourself on the faith journey, I know that Andrew’s book will surely bring a smile to your face. If you are a follower of Jesus, then I believe it will call you into some new uncharted territory in your interaction with God. If you are still on the fence about this whole “Jesus thing,” this is one of the best books you can possibly read, not because it’s trying to convert you or proselytize you, but because it’s so warm and inviting. By the time you’re finished, I trust you’re going to want to know the man with blue sky in his glasses just like Andrew did.
Andrew McMillan is the funniest, craziest (in a good way) and most caring pastor in our city. His faith and charisma are contagious and you always want to be around him. His story is surely going to inspire you to believe God for greater things and never settle for an ordinary life.
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About the Author
Andrew McMillan with his wife Kathy, are the founding pastors of the Comunidad Cristiana de Fe in Medellín, Colombia. Andrew was born in Charleston, West Virginia, and majored in literature and religion at the University of Virginia, before receiving his Masters of Divinity from Yale Divinity School. Though wanting to be a poet, smoke a pipe, live near a pond and publish mildly famous books, Andrew ended up pastoring a Baptist church in New Jersey for six years. In 1986, shortly after getting married, Andrew and Kathy followed God to Colombia, where they served Pastor Randy MacMillan in Cali for seven years. In 1994 they planted Comunidad Cristiana de Fe in Medellín.
Today the church sees attendance of 8,000 people every weekend, with strong leadership, 850 home groups and 17 new church plants. Andrew’s joy is seeing leaders having a blast together and pursuing the supernatural things of God. Andrew and Kathy have two adult sons, Andrew Michael and Christian, who both love God, love Colombia, and are studying in America.