Dan Schaeffer

I received this as an advanced copy for review from NetGalley. I am not obligated to review this favorably, but do have to be open about how I received this book. This was also a pre-release and may not be the same as the completed version.

This is a hard review for me. The book is pretty well written in the style of an evangelical Bible based novel. What I mean by that is the point is made and then supported by Bible quotes/narratives, sometimes taken out of context of the narrative. This is an attractive style to many readers, but I am not particularly drawn toward it as it has become almost cliche. So, those that will like this style, it will be a great read.

The other difficulty was there was really one point in the book- God's power comes to us through our weakness.

While there is nothing wrong with this statement theologically, it was introduced as new to the author. I am a Lutheran pastor and one of the major theological teachings is something called- The Theology of the Cross. In short, this means that God's glory shines in the unlikeliest of places, especially in places of weakness. This new idea is actually an old one for lots of studiers of theology, especially in the mainline churches. If one focuses on a theology of glory, this would be a new revelation. For someone like me, this is old and built into the theological system.

The final word is I have just finished Brene Brown's books on vulnerability. Why this is important is that some of the points the author makes have been covered in many of her books and done a bit better. If this idea of sharing vulnerabilities is new, this will be a revelation. If you have read some of her books, this would not be new.

So, this is why I rated it 3 stars. It would be a good book for those where this idea is new, but my own experience and journey have brought me through places where what is being introduced is older and not new.… (mer)