Trip to Everywhere Left Me Conflicted: A Review of Road Trip to Redemption

Road Trip to Redemption left me in a quandary. It was as if I were at a fork in the road with no certain way to go with this review. In some ways the book was good and in others not so much. Even as I write this, I wish not to go overboard in one direction or the other. Conflicted would be a good word for my reaction.

Let me start with the good. Brad Mathias tells a story that represents every Christian parent/spouse's fear. His family is in serious jeopardy and he shares enough of the blame to truly humble a guy. Brad recognizes the error of his ways, he is sensitive to the Spirit's leading and he makes some huge strides in the right direction. What grips the reader is the question that must have overwhelmed him: is it too little too late?

On the negative side, I think that what I shared above that made the book relevant was hurt by an expensive trip that is way beyond the budget of time and money of most Americans, especially in these economic times. To be honest, I'm not sure if it is bias from that or something altogether separate but I grated at the audacity of a trip of that magnitude, covered in such a blitzkrieg of travel time which brought them face-to-face with danger more than once. If Brad or a member of his family were given a limited time to live and the spurt of energy or timing was there before cancer took hold, I could understand, sympathize and even cheer on such an excursion. I even found myself on this point and quite a few others of shaking my head in disbelief at what he declared to be God's leading that coincidentally mirrored what Brad would do and would want to do.

I wondered what the purpose was to see so much in so little time. A week or two spent at Yellowstone or a similar time-frame spent in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado or perhaps in Canada alone made more sense to me. The spiritual aha moments for his children and the connection as a family could have occurred in the same time spent on a vacation to one specific spot of beauty rather than several. A journey that took perhaps a day or two longer to fewer places could have been adjusted to react to weather conditions rather than to drive seemingly recklessly through them because the self-imposed schedule dictated it.

I would give this book a "fair" rating of two out of five. It wasn't poorly done but it wasn't one that I would eagerly endorse. I hope that I gave you enough information in this review that if you would see things in another way, that my review was still helpful to you.

Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Call to be a Ragamuffin: A Review of the Movie on Rich Mullins' Life

Image
I thought this film was absolutely great.  The acting was good and the story was real.  Shocked and saddened at the ghosts of Rich's childhood, if I may use that terminology, I was drawn into the healthy and unhealthy ways he struggled with his raising.   Like the Bible does with its heroes, Ragamuffin doesn't sugarcoat Rich's life.  He struggled with smoking and with alcohol.  His language wasn't always church language, to put it mildly.  One sees someone seeking to be real.  Tired of the masks Christians often put on and the blindness to the call of Christ to provide for the least of these, Rich gives generously to Christian churches and charities while living humbly.  Seeing the poverty of others and the difference he could make in the lives of those with less, Rich Mullins pours himself wholly into ministry.   Just a few other thoughts in closing.  His tragic death is handled well.  In  the special features section, Dav e, Rich's brother, does a
Read more

What's In a Name?

Image
What’s in a Name?  In 1990, I graduated from Philadelphia College of Bible.  Over the years, PCB changed and with it, its name altered as well.  After achieving university status under President Babb, a new name was chosen, Philadelphia Biblical University, one that does not easily roll off the tongue.  Eventually, students, alumni, the community, etc., got used to it like will eventually happen with the new name change.  However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t reasons to wrestle with the proposal.   The rationale for the name change Dr. Williams, current president of PBU, argues that there is a perception of PBU being a Bible college with “university” in its name, leading people to believe that it has “limited offerings and a narrow vocational focus.”  My thought:  The word narrow sounds familiar to me.   Matthew 7:13-14 Furthermore, market research conducted via focus groups and a survey yielded data that was considered in favor of a name change in gene
Read more

Reproducible Pastoral Training - A Book Review

Image
Reproducible Pastoral Training: Church Planting Guidelines from the Teachings of George Patterson by Patrick O’Connor is a book about missions. However, its insights are also helpful to anyone who is either starting a church or seeking to see it grow. Patrick O’Connor dives into the wisdom of George Patterson and presents it in an intelligent way. Various topics are explained in the text. How does one reach a culture with the Gospel of Jesus Christ? What is better, door-to-door evangelism or another technique? Is it best to begin with a multi-cultural church or to start with one culture? How does one utilize contacts for the sake of the Gospel? Also, how does one prevent establishing a foreign church rather than a native one? Furthermore, the author goes into issues like how leaders are trained and when they should begin serving. I found myself revisiting preconceived notions of what is done in Western churches and thus is considered to be biblical. For instance, the d
Read more