Speaking of Faith

David E. Wright
Insight Publishing (2006)
ISBN 1900130267
Reviewed by Joanne Benham for Reader Views (2/07)

Many people struggle to find a way to integrate their faith in their daily lives.  Many of those same people even question if it is possible to live their faith in today’s world. They also question the purpose of their life, why they’re here and what, if anything, can one person do to affect mankind for the better.

To help people find the answers to these questions, David E. Wright, president of the International Speakers Network, conducted interviews with fourteen outstanding leaders of different faiths.  From Jana Alcorn, a humanitarian and founder of Dream Builders Network and Hayley’s House, an organization that cares for orphaned and abandoned children in Tanzania to Lonna Vopat, the founder of In His Grace Ministries and host of television talk show, Between Friends, each person answers probing questions about their faith, the trials and triumphs in their lives and how their deeply held faith helped them endure both the failures and the triumphs.

The following are short summaries of some of the interviews.

Nita Scoggan, who held weekly prayer sessions in the White House from 1984 through 1998, relates tales of redemption after cutting up and burning a kitchen witch at a friend’s house and exorcising demons from a young woman who was both a witch and a vampire.

Victoria McArthur talks about growing up in a strict Baptist family with a mother who, unknown to anyone, was bipolar and suffered from schizophrenia.  Victoria was not allowed to show any emotion in front of her parents, nor did she experience any of the small wonderful everyday things such as being tucked up in bed at night with a kiss.  Pushed into a marriage at seventeen, Victoria soon divorced her first husband and continued on with her life.

Dave Dravecky, former major-league pitcher for the San Francisco Giants, talks about the cancer that ended his career when his arm had to be amputated to save his life and how his faith got him through this tough time.  His faith was so inspiring to people facing similar and even worse changes in their lives that he founded the organization Outreach of Hope in 1991 that offers faith and encouragement to people battling cancer and other illnesses and even people who just need someone to talk to and, with God’s help, give them the strength and courage to continue on their life’s path.

“Speaking of Faith” is a wonderful book; you can feel each person’s commitment to God on every page.

 

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