(foreword by Jeremy Camp)
Revell, 2005, 192 pp., $12.99,
www.revellbooks.com
Oh, no, was this gonna be another tradition-bashing book in which the author laments all that was lost in the land of lifeless liturgy? I’m happy to say, no. Reading it was as if Turner took readers for a cup of coffee and passionately, humbly, humorously, told his story. From faithful church-goer, struggling with personal sin, to a personal awakening to a Jesus that’s worth sharing, Turner doesn’t assume everyone’s struggle or journey matches his. He does assume that we can all relate with frustration when God is silent, or when we’re stuck in spiritual or emotional cages due to erroneous mental models of Jesus, disillusionment with life, or our own sin. Not a “how-to,” Turner’s writing will be a wake-up for some, a great devo for others. It’s so Jesus-focused (but not preachy), it reminds both the hungry and sated, the cynical and certain, why Jesus is worth pursuing and that he wants us fully alive — like him.
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Review by: Danette Matty, freelance writer and 18-year youth ministry volunteer in Minnesota.
