I Can Only Imagine - Bart Millard

The back story of the famous song is written by the lead singer/songwriter of MercyMe. It begins as a story of early trauma, abuse and neglect, resulting in a wounded, damaged adolescent. Bart Millard’s father, an intimidating, severe figure in Bart’s life for many years, was diagnosed with cancer, which wrought a spiritual transformation that was life changing for both of them. A relationship characterized by pride and fear softened into one of repentance, honesty and openness. Bart says his father went from being a monster to being his example in all things. Bart’s father died in Bart’s senior year of high school, but by then, a firm foundation had been constructed for Bart which would guide him all his life. Bart tells the story of the formation of MercyMe, a band that self-promoted for many years, ministering mostly through youth worship events, including conferences and camps. Living on a shoestring, the band worked together to cover all the bases necessary to keep itself going. This is a fascinating story of the group’s slow success, living on the edges of contemporary Christian music. Bart’s paternal grandmother, a great influence in Bart’s life, was the inspiration for both the band’s name (“Mercy me!” she once said. “Get a real job!”) and the famous song. After Bart’s father died, she said, “Bart, I can only imagine what Bub must be seeing right now.” Her words percolated in Bart for many years before he wrote, in 10 minutes in the middle of the night, the words to the now-famous song. The tale of how the song wove itself into the band’s history and gradually skyrocketed to fame, taking the band along with it, is a fairly simple story, part of the great charm of this very readable book, told simply and engagingly. A bonus is the sweet story of Bart and his wife, Shannon, who knew at 13 that she would marry Bart. The reader senses the great blessing these two have been to each other and how Shannon’s family helped preserve Bart through his traumatic childhood. Everyone will enjoy this book, although two groups of people may struggle emotionally with the first third of the book: those who have not been exposed to childhood trauma and those who have. I received this book for free in exchange for my unbiased review through the Thomas Nelson BookSneeze Program.

Finish First - Scott Hamilton

This is the first book by this author that I have read. I found it enjoyable and challenging. The author combines his own life story with the lessons he has learned about perseverance, and it makes for a personalized aim that encourages the reader to find their own challenges, and to pursue and persist. This would be a good resource for anyone who feels stuck, as it talks about such things as the great value of failure, of editing others' criticisms, and of the importance of habits. While the book had some good points, I found it repetitious; it would have made a fine magazine article but was overly long as a book. I received this book for free in exchange for my unbiased review through the Thomas Nelson BookSneeze Program.

Shaken by Tim Tebow

Tim Tebow wrote this book to both tell his football story and to encourage readers when life goes awry. I found Tim’s story interesting and gained an understanding about how unstable the life of a professional athlete can be. Tim talks about how to assure and reassure yourself as well as how to move forward when disappointed. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Tim Tebow. I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

When Is It Right to Die? by Joni Eareckson Tada

Joni Eareckson Tada has been a wheelchair-bound quadriplegic for more than 50 years. She is sympathetic to the physical, emotional, social and spiritual struggles of those who are challenged to have a full life. This book is Tada’s answer to the right-to-die movement, and she writes thoroughly, considering the movement itself. One of her unique contributions to the topic are her beliefs about how euthanasia affects others, self, Satan and God. I understood the author to say she believes that only when death is actively approaching without hope of reversal is it right to withhold life-sustaining measures. This was a thought-provoking work with which I happen to not agree, as I am of the opinion that science has outpaced ethics; just because a person can be kept alive does not mean they should be. The last few decades have challenged medical ethics with mind-bending dilemmas in a way they have not been challenged for millennia. Artificial means of sustaining life now call for reason and emotion to make decisions that bodies alone used to make, which makes it necessary for books such as this one to be written. I received this book for free in exchange for my unbiased review through the Thomas Nelson BookSneeze Program.

How Healing Works by Wayne Jonas, MD

Although the word “holistic” is not used by the author, that is his approach. Jonas begins in Section 1, Rethinking Healing, by describing how he learned that a solely Western approach to medicine garners poor results, often little better than a placebo might. Using a number of case studies, the author describes in Section 2 The Dimensions of Healing, which include the presence and comfort of family and home, acting right (choosing beneficial behavior), loving deeply and finding (or attaching) meaning (to the health situation). In Section 3, Your Healing Journey, are helpful approaches addressing body, behavior, social and spiritual aspects of healing by focusing on inner, interpersonal, behavioral and external factors including physical environment, the behavioral dimension, social/emotional needs and mind/spirit connection. I found Sections 1 and 2 to be overly long, with many points belabored by case studies described in great detail. For example, the first 15-page chapter includes four case studies occupying 12.5 pages, which I found far exceeded my interest. Repeatedly the author states how the placebo effect can account for close to 80% of medical successes until I wanted to scream, “I GET IT!” It is unfortunate that so much of the book was devoted to case studies, which could have been summarized in a paragraph or two; the text really bogged down in those first two sections. Section 3, though, was worth the price of admission, being both helpful and interesting. Approaching a patient as a whole person makes sense, and having a medical doctor take this approach was refreshing. I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Hope for Each Day - Billy Graham

This daily devotional is a beautiful book with a leather or leather-like tooled cover and a ribbon bookmark. Each devotion starts with a verse, includes a few narrative or illustrative paragraphs and ends with a Hope for Today, comprised of a thought or a prayer. The themes of the devotionals are what you might expect from Billy Graham, heavily related to salvation, assurance of salvation, evangelism, heaven, and learning to walk with God. This book is particularly suitable to those who want to know more about God, the Bible, and salvation. It does not seem to aim to teach per se but more to challenge and encourage. I received this book for free in exchange for my unbiased review through the Thomas Nelson BookSneeze Program.

Be the Hands and Feet - Nick Vujicic

Nick Vujicic’s calling and mission is to bring as many people as possible into relationship with God through Jesus Christ through his example of love and respect, while being bold and confident to proclaim the gospel. His newest book delineates what is our calling, too, to be winsome and attractive everywhere we are, including at home, to encourage others to be godly. In the second section of this book, Nick writes about opportunities to serve, including foster care, mentoring others, and following any vision God gives to spread the gospel, whether that is in schools, by way of your church, and supporting others. The last section speaks poignantly about Nick’s father’s battle with cancer and Nick’s own recent health challenges, as well as lessons learned. While the author made good points, this book felt long at 222 pages, as much of it was repetitious. I think it could have been half this length and still covered all its bases. I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.