Red Like Blood

Joe Coffey and Bob Bevington's book, Red Like Blood (Confrontations with Grace), was not what I expected. I'm not sure what I expected, but this wasn't it. And I'm glad.

It is a sometimes-gritty, always vulnerable, depiction of the Gospel, the story of God's grace as shown through the lives and experience of two men, the authors, as well as many others whose stories they tell in compelling fashion. The honesty and frankness of the book may offend some readers at times, but it shouldn't. The content is always to-the-point, and helpful in getting the message across to the reader.

One of my favorite parts of the book was in chapter twelve, where the authors talk about "the pleasure spectrum." They write:

When God created human beings he gave us a wide range of things that were intended for our pleasure. We have the capacity to get pleasure from viewing a sunset on a cloudless day. We can get goose bumps from listening to the beauty of music. Don't even get me started on taste and touch. Just today I held a bag of freshly ground coffee up close to my face and closed my eyes and inhaled like my life depended on it. The spectrum is very, very wide.

But something interesting happens as we get older...

You'll have to read the book to get the full benefit of that insight. But take my word for it: it's worth it.

The book has spawned a dynamic website, referred to late in the book, as a place to continue the experience.

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(Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher, for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”)