I am reading through Thomas Coke’s personal journals and will share a few thoughts in coming days.

Coke was a commoner who obtained his BA in 1768 and his MA two years later. Ordained as a deacon in Oxford in 1770 he quickly moved into public service. By 1769 he was elected to the Common Council and a year later and 22 became bailiff (what we would call mayor.) At the same time he had become a priest or curate to South Petherton. By 1776 he met John Wesley and Coke became enthralled with evangelism. By 1777 he cast his lot with the Methodists.

Advance forward to December 10, 1813 Dr. Coke set sail for Ceylon (Sri Lanka). When a colleague attempted to get Coke’s input on an important paper to be presented, Coke was fixated on one thing. His response, “I beg your pardon, but excuse me, I am dead to all things but Asia.”
What leads a man to turn from the affairs of public life to a sole fixation on advancing the Gospel to Asians? Stay tuned.