Confessions, Reviewed…

Almost two months ago, I received an invitation to review Patty Kirk’s book, “Confessions of an Amateur Believer”. When I accepted the invitation and received the book, I thought this would be a piece of cake… two weeks, tops. After a blazing start, reading the first few chapters in a couple nights… I hit a wall of conflicting priorities, and the book review dropped toward the bottom of my nightly to-do list.

Now, some might consider this experience and conclude that the problem must have resided with the book, but I must tell you… that’s about as far from the truth as one can get.

To be completely honest, I was captivated by Ms. Kirk’s intensely personal writings. Her life experience, as communicated in her book, was something I could relate to… as a former Catholic… as one who simply stopped believing in God for a portion of my life… as one who wrestled with God before coming back(?) to faith… as one who still wrestles with how faith plays out in life… as one who eventually discovered the peace and rest that is enabled by truly trusting Christ. Simply put… it’s powerfully written.

Be aware, however, that this book certainly isn’t perfect. It’s a bit hard to follow at times… being somewhat random as it’s basically a collection of journal-like devotions grouped according to four phases of Ms. Kirk’s faith journey: “Meeting God”, “Struggling”, “Progress”, and “Rest”. But there’s an important message that continually shines through… a message that, as far as I’m concerned, makes this a very good read. That message, as put by Ms. Kirk, is this:

… it is all right to doubt — that to doubt is to seek, and to seek is to hope, and to hope urgently, insistently, with certainty, is to have all the faith we need in order to survive whatever lies ahead.

Basically? It’s alright to be an amateur believer.

Here’s the deal. If you’re one that’s been a believer for as long as you can remember… one that’s always been in church, always believed in God, never really struggled with your faith… this is a must read for insight into the lives of those for whom faith has not come easily. If, on the other hand, you’d count yourself with Patty Kirk as an amateur believer… you’ll almost undoubtedly find something here with which you’ll relate.

All said from this amateur book reviewer? It makes my recommended reading list!