Image by ::Aaron::After recently releasing our latest book, Breaking Through the Clouds, Dannie Gregg and I were asked, “Why should people read this book?”

Some could receive such a question as antagonistic, but there is a real opportunity woven into it.  Such a bold question demands a bold response.  Bold enough to look past tragedy and see hope.  Bold enough to look past loss and find gain.  Bold enough to peer through the vale of deception and encounter truth.  Even bold enough to see past the temporary notion of death, and realize the reality of eternal life. 

I would like to answer that question over the next few posts.  Why should a person read Breaking Through the Clouds?  In short, because Jesus wins!

But first, I think it’s best that you get to know a little bit about the people behind the story. 

Jordan and Dannie are members of our church, and in the summer of 2013 they lost their youngest son in a drowning accident at their home.  This couple had not known the Lord long at the time, but was so filled by the Holy Spirit that they were able to walk through such unimaginable heartbreak.  Simply taking another step after experiencing calamity like this is all but impossible for some.  As Jordan and Dannie tried to put one foot in front of the other, it became apparent to them the Lord was abiding in those moments, just as he had promised. 

Startled by how close the Holy Spirit was in those days, Dannie began to try to put into words the feeling of loss, and the assurance that God had not abandoned them.  Such a task is difficult in the best of circumstances, but is an almost impossible endeavor after losing a child.  Dannie put words to paper.  First on the internet as she told people how she and her family were coping with their loss, but then began to tell the story.  Connecting the dots of a tragedy can be an effective way to cope with loss, and Dannie was trying to get to the next dot. 

In the fall of 2013, I was teaching Dannie to play the piano.  It was something she had always wanted to do, and it helped her to focus her mind for a few minutes each day on something that didn’t remind her of her son.  I had recently published a book about spiritual growth, and tried to supply wisdom from my own publishing mistakes and successes whenever Dannie asked. 

I read the first draft of her story and made some suggestions, but Dannie continued to ask for more help, and more involvement from me.  After several conversations, and after praying for several weeks, I agreed to invest myself in the book as a co-author. 

We started from the beginning creating back-story, and filling in the blanks left by the previous drafts.  Our primary goal was to show how Jesus was enough for any circumstance.  Time and time again, Jesus was catapulted into a place of honor, simply by the way he supplied himself to Jordan and Dannie in their deepest need.  It was an amazing process of writing, but what was more amazing was the fact that the Lord was so evident throughout the story that we could not help but worship him.

What more amazing testimony could there be of a person’s life, than for every scene to direct the reader’s attention to Jesus?

Jesus is the star of the story.  He is the focus of the book.  Jesus was enough in the beginning, and he is enough today.  The realization of all of this compels me to worship him.  Even now as I reflect on the process of writing Breaking Through the Clouds, I am entreated to worship again. 

How lovely it is to be able to worship such a beautiful savior!