The Reason- William Sirls- 3 Book Giveaway

William Sirls, the author of The Reason, has provided 3 signed copies of his book for a giveaway here. Please leave a comment thanking him.

William Sirls Biography: Over the course of his life, William Sirls has experienced both great highs and tremendous lows--some born of chance, some born of choice. Once a senior vice president at a major investment firm, he was incarcerated in 2007 for wire fraud and money laundering, where he learned a great deal more than he ever bargained for. Life lessons involving faith, grace, patience, and forgiveness are evident in his writing. He is the father of two and makes his home in southern Michigan.

 

Description: When facing the impossible, will you believe?

Storm clouds gather over a small Michigan town. As thunder shakes the sky, the lights inside St. Thomas Church flicker . . . and then go out.

All is black until a thick bolt of lightning slices the sky, striking the church's large wooden cross--leaving it ablaze and splintered in two. When the storm ends--the search for answers begins.

James Lindy, the church's blind minister, wonders how his small congregation can repair the cross and keep their faith in the midst of adversity. And he hears the words "only believe."

Macey Lewis, the town's brilliant young oncologist, is drawn to Alex, a young boy who's recently been diagnosed with an aggressive leukemia. She puts her hope in modern medicine--yet is challenged to "only believe."

And Alex's single mom, who has given everything she can to her boy, is pleading with God to know the reason this is happening . . . to save her son. But she only hears silence and wonders how she can possibly "only believe."

My Rating:  4.5 Stars

My Thoughts: Only Believe. Can you do that?

I know that I often have moments in life that I struggle with only believing, with faith even the size of a mustard seed. And I have not suffered as the characters in this novel or gone through trials such as the author, William Sirls has. 

At first, I will admit, that I thought this book came across as preachy. I started to get angry through the first chapters, feeling that Sirls was judging me, that he needed to step back. And then I realized that it was I who needed to do so. I had become offended because he wrote the truth, and it upsets me that I was. I was about a fourth of the way through when I realized this, and I am glad that God did not let me stay in my bad opinion.

Sirls is a truly great writer. Once I got over my anger, I realized that a lot of what I had been upset about, I had heard before. I kept telling myself that Sirls was exaggerating peoples' opinions and assertions, until I actually thought about it and realized that I know people in my own life who feel this way. I have felt this way and that was why I had reacted negatively to this story, a mirror of my own heart.

I also loved Sirls portrayal of Alex. He actually acts like a kid. So often I read novels where children act and think like adults with more energy. They don't. They see the world so much differently than we do and they exaggerate everything they see. Alex was a true child.

The only reason I do not give this book 5 stars is because there were scenes that were slow. It was mostly because of the amount of description. I tend to prefer stories with minimal description, so that I can paint my own picture and the scenes move faster. So it was a personal preference, not a true weakness.

Interview:  Go to this link to read the interview I did with William Sirls last month. You will enjoy it.

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