Sunday, March 11, 2012

"i am second" by doug bender & dave sterrett

About the book (from the back cover): Countless stories. One incredible ending.

A major league baseball player. A Tennessee pastor. A reality TV star. A single mom. A multi-platinum rocker.

What do these people have in common?

They've all hit bottom.

And none of them stayed there.

Famous or unfamiliar, these are the stories of real people who reached the end of their strength, the end of their control, and found the most surprising truths.

It taught them not to rely on self or substance but to lean on the only completely reliable source of love, hope, and freedom: the God who created them. Shocking in their honesty, inspiring in their courage, these testimonies are critical reminders that no one is too far from God to find him.

Join these and thousands more who have discovered the life-changing power in putting God first and proclaiming, "I am second."

My take: The twenty people profiled in I am Second come from diverse backgrounds—some are famous (like Sam Bradford, Bethany Hamilton, and Michael W. Smith); some are people you've never heard of.  Each story is inspirational in its own way—it may be the story of an affair, drug abuse, criminal activity, or pride. But all the stories are ultimately about just one thing—choosing to place Christ first in your life.

This is essentially a companion book to go along with the videos on the iamsecond[dot]com website, and the end of each chapter lists the URL for the video that goes along with each story, as well as listing other videos that follow the same theme. (There are also QR codes for each video.)

Also, the gospel is clearly presented at the end of the book—a must for a book that talks about placing God first in your life!

While the videos are much more engaging than the written out stories in this book (nothing compares to hearing a person's story in his or her own words), I think one of the book's purposes is to make people aware of and drive people to the website—and that it accomplishes very well! I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Here's my favorite of all the "I am Second" videos I've watched ... and if you know my background, you'll know why! Scott Hamilton - I Am Second

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this product free for review from Amazon.com through it's Vine reviewer program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own.

1 comment:

  1. I wanted to say thanks for sharing I am Second with your audience. I appreciate you reviewing my book. I wanted to let you know that I have another book coming out December 9 called Live Second: 365 Ways to Make Jesus First. The book contains 365 daily readings and prayers meant to inspire people to consider what life might look like if Jesus were First. I am organizing a Week-of-Second Blogging Campaign for bloggers like yourself who are fans of I am Second. Please email at launch@iamsecond.com if you are interested in receiving a copy of the book and joining in the campaign.
    Doug Bender

    ReplyDelete

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