How's Your Faith?

I have always been better at grasping things told to me, especially in story or narrative form. I have not read the hard copy yet to compare it to, but I intend to get it after listening to it so I can go back and study it and take notes. It was especially a treat to have Dave Gregory read his own book!

I read many books about religion, saints, and faith journeys, and I consider this book a worthy equal to them all. Believe it or not, I also just finished listening to The Shack by W.P. Young, and these two books could easily go hand-in-hand in a school course or series.

His voice was welcoming and he was easy to listen to. Because he was reading his own work, he was already very familiar and comfortable with the content, so he sounded more relaxed and connected to the text than someone who might have to read someone else's words with the same feeling.

"Just when you thought your faith was great....."

I had seen David being interviewed on CNN and he mentioned his new book. Since I am very much into spirituality and religion, the title appealed to my curiosity, so I went on Audible and purchased it. From the very first open lines, I was drawn in to his story and the way he described things made it easy for me to follow along and keep the information straight in my head. I think this is the first book I have read about interfaith relationships, especially marriages. I am Catholic, and at one time was married to a man who was Jewish after having converted in college to Judaism. There are so many facets of these relationships that lie below the surface of what people see and understand. What an interesting discussion it would be to explore interfaith and interracial relationships and how they are viewed by society and lived out by the experiencers.

David was not afraid to share his own biases, questions, and failings in his faith so that we could see how he is like anyone else in the struggle to make our own faith something we can be happy with and know that we are glorifying God's name, in whatever language or belief it is written. I plan to purchase several more copies and give them to my fellow Secular Franciscans and the Chaplains at my VA where I work. It is important for all of us to take time throughout our life to re-evaluate how we think our faith is going and how we can make it the best experience for ourselves and those around us. My doctoral dissertation topic was on religion and spirituality in therapy and I wish I had had this book when I was writing it. I think as a therapist, it is very important to make sure my own faith is checked out before I try to help someone with theirs.