Some Kind of Crazy by Terry Wardle

An Unforgettable Story of Profound Brokenness and Breathtaking Grace

Wow!!  I'm not really sure what else to say about this book. I want to talk about it, but the concepts are a little hard to explain, so I kind of want to just say, read the book. And yet, I know that not everyone is going to like it, but I just thought it was so good and healing even for me to read. I know that might sound weird, but let me see if I can explain a bit without totally messing up the storyline.

Terry had a tough, tough childhood. Raised by parents who carried a boatload of hurt and brokenness into their marriage and parenting, Terry never knew if he was going to be loved or beaten. The stories he told of his childhood are heartbreaking. I don't want to give a lot of details, because I don't want to give away the story, but here's one example: enemas whenever he was sick. It didn't matter what kind of illness, an enema with the bathroom door wide open was the consequence. Ridicule, shame, rejection, all these emotions were heaped on Terry by the bushel load in his childhood.

Growing into adulthood, he struggled with fear and anxiety. Trying to be a preacher, he felt no relationship with God even though he could quote Scripture with the best. He longed for an experience with God even though some said that wasn't necessary. And this is where I am not sure how to explain it or even how much I should say, but finally through the Scripture and the Holy Spirit he was able to, through imagination, relive some of his painful memories and this time to imagine Jesus being there with him. I think this was powerful for me because I recognize the power of emotions and I can imagine how to relive those experiences with Jesus beside me would be so healing.

Another thing that really struck me was the idea of little faith and big faith. Terry was asking God to take away his anxiety, but then he felt like God said there are two options: He could remove the fear or He could walk with Terry through the anxiety. "'Little faith' insists that Jesus always calm the storm, heal the disease, eliminate all the fear from life. This is good faith, necessary faith, even miracle-working faith. But Jesus seemed to be saying the 'big faith' takes trust to an entirely new level. Big faith recognizes that two options are present in every trial. There is the possibility of complete deliverance as Jesus calms the sea. But there is also the option of trusting him even when the storm doesn't subside....Big faith is when I look to Christ and say, 'Jesus, you choose.' Big faith is the ability to relinquish my desire and submit to what the Lord deems necessary, knowing that his love always chooses what's best whether or not I understand what he's doing."

This was a really good interesting story with an underlying message of going to God in our brokenness and we are all broken people.

I received this book from Waterbrook via NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.