Stronger by Jim Daly: Book Review

At some point or another we all face a type of hardship ~ it could be the loss of a job, the death of a loved one, a devastating illness, or a tragic accident. We are all going to face trouble.  How we deal with the trouble, with the hardship is the basis for Stronger by Jim Daly, President of Focus on the Family written with James Lund.

If you are even somewhat familiar with the Christian community you have probably heard of Focus on the Family and Dr. James Dobson.  Jim Daly became president in 2005 after 16 years with the organization. Stronger is his second book.

Let me begin by saying, if you are uncomfortable with the Baptist preaching and liberal use of the Bible then this may not be the best book for you.  If you are seeking a book that will encourage your spirits in times of trouble, give you real-life situations of others who have walked through the fire and come out on the other side intact, and share with you men and women of the Bible who not only lived with a thorn in the side, did it joyfully - well, then, this book is for you.

Stronger is well-written, sprinkled liberally with anecdotal stories of individuals who have suffered tremendously and became either bitter, broken or beaten.  I will give you a hint - broken is the best place to be -

I see a great distinction between beaten, bitter, and broken. When we're beaten, we are in a sense limp and useless. We're like clay that disolves at a touch. The potter can't do anything with us because we don't hold our shape. But when we're bitter, we're like a single piece of clay that's grown hard and inflexible.  We're equally useless because we aren't malleable. . . Being broken, however is a different story. We may be shattered into pieces, but there is strength in those pieces. . .He molds us into a new, more useful, and more lasting form--one even stronger than before. (pg. 67)

We all have those people in our lives - that one person who just glows from within and no matter what the circumstance, life does not destroy the person. I had a grandmother-in-law who was like that who passed away from bone cancer 10 years ago. I'm sure she has a home amongst the rest of the saints in heaven for she was truly a saint. While reading Stronger I kept thinking back to her struggle with breast cancer and then bone cancer and what a beautiful, peaceful countenance she always possessed.That seems to be the overwhelming sense I got from the book - each individual who had such a strong faith, that deep, unabiding faith and love in God, seemed to all possess a peace that defies all.

Do you have someone you admire or know anyone that has taken their faith to a stronger, deeper level revealed by his or her actions, especially RE-actions?

Sites of Interest: Author's site | Focus on the Family | Buy the Book 

Publisher: David C. Cook | Published: September 1, 2010
Paperback | 240 pages | ISBN 9781434764461