A Million Ways to Die: The Only Way to Live

Rick James
David C. Cook (2010)
ISBN 9781434702043
Reviewed by Chad Feight for Reader Views (1/11)


I recently received a free copy of “A Million Ways to Die: The Only Way to Live” by Rick James from Reader Views in exchange for this review.  I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the power and the depth of this book.

When I initially received the book, I was intrigued by the subject matter to be covered.  There’s not a lot of talk about death in positive terms these days, even though it is mentioned significantly throughout the Bible.  Death is mentioned in some books and messages as a part of a larger message, but this is the first real study I’ve seen just on death, and I was impressed.  James asserts, and I believe adequately supports, the notion that death, in a spiritual sense, is really the only pathway to true life.

James also seeks to not only show that death leads to life, but also how we can make death a regular part of our lives today.  This is more than just a Bible commentary, but really a call to live a lifestyle of death.  James seeks to serve as a catalyst to push us to take up our own crosses and receive the full life that Jesus offers.

Rick James is clearly a scholar as anyone who reads the book will quickly notice.  Just in the tone of his voice and vocabulary, I felt like I was listening to a professor of death.  Not to mention the actual content contained within the pages of this book.  James studies scripture, breaks it down, then studies it some more, revealing deep-hidden truths within the context of Jesus’ world.

The only drawback that I see in this book is that James intelligence occasionally gets in the way of his communication.  While I enjoy some higher-level learning, I don’t always want it explained like a text book.  Not to say that this entire reading is bland and boring.  However, there are moments when I felt more like I needed to study the book for an exam rather than study it for its relevance to my life.

All of that being said, I would highly recommend “A Million Ways to Die: The Only Way to Live” to readers who want a deeper understanding of death as Jesus described it as well as a way to incorporate death into their everyday life.

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