Encounter stories of humility and grace: My review "I am Second"

Publisher: Thomas Nelson (January 3, 2012)

I Am Second is more than just a book - it's a movement. It is "the honest, raw, and often painful journey of broken people who have decided that life is not about them". Authors Doug Bender and Dave Sterrett have taken the stories of both famous people and everyday folk and allowed us to peek into their lives, at the mistakes they have made, and the encounter they have had with Jesus. Rock star Brian "Head" Welch, athlete Josh Hamilton, one-armed surfer Bethany Hamilton, and Christian musician Michael W. Smith are just a few of the people you will meet through the pages of this book, people who are choosing to put God first and themselves second.

The stories contained in I Am Second are powerful, engaging, and very well-written. The book is easy to read, and can either be read all at once or over the course of many days, allowing you to meditate on the power of Jesus to change lives. I greatly appreciate the willingness of the contributors to open up their lives and allow us to see their mistakes, their decisions to use drugs, look at pornography, or dive into a myriad of addictions, choices similar to ones we all make, mistakes wiped away by Jesus' grace. Others share about the power of their relationship with Jesus to help them walk through incredibly difficult times. I thought that a neat feature of the book is the provision of the QR codes at the end of each story, which links to the film for the person who is the focus of that story, or for people who have similar stories. Most of all, I liked the chapter at the end of the book about becoming second by recognizing what Jesus' sacrifice offers for us all.

I highly recommend this book, for it's potential to change lives, and give it 5 out of 5 stars.

Book has been provided courtesy of the publisher, Thomas Nelson, through the Booksneeze program, for the purposes of this unbiased review.

For an example of a video that the book links to, please see the below film about Bethany Hamilton, whose story is the subject of the popular film "Soul Surfer", about the surfer who loses her arm in a shark accident but who continues surfing for Jesus: 

Buy from Christianbook.com:

I Am Second: Real Stories, Changed Lives