Review of Developing a personal relationship with God
Posted: 02 Dec 2024, 17:12
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Developing a personal relationship with God" by Gary L Anderson.]
Developing a Personal Relationship With God, by Pastor Gary L. Anderson, is a memoir about the author's family, career, and ministry. He begins the story by describing his father, his personal hero, and how he and his family grew up on a farm. His father led him to be saved by Christ. Sadly, shortly after, the author's father passed away. The author describes how he did a variety of odd jobs, became a Sunday School teacher at 16, and decided to join the Navy at 17. He began as a Navy supply clerk and served tours in Vietnam. Unfortunately, he was exposed to Agent Orange, which would cause him several health issues. From here on, the book covers a variety of subjects, like the author's family, encounters with racism, places lived, and his work as a police officer, youth counselor, pen repairman, and parking meter servicer, among other jobs.
I was horrified by the fact that the author was not allowed to participate in swim competitions in Kansas due to his skin color. This, along with the other descriptions of the author encountering racism, was eye-opening for me. I found the story of how the author traveled all the way from Kansas to Alaska to meet his wife, Theresa, for the first time endearing. What dedication! I also was fascinated by the stories of healing and how God used the author to bring a child back from death and repair a broken bone. It is clear the author naturally gravitates to teaching and serving others.
I was not a fan of the way the book was written. It meandered, had lots of repetition, was unclear on the timeline, and had several errors. It is not organized logically. I found it difficult to keep track of locations, years, and jobs, even with note-taking. I also disliked the chronological jumps back and forth. This added an unneeded layer of confusion. For example, the author mentions his swimming experience growing up at the beginning of the book, then devotes a section to it again near the end. While he does add some new information about discrimination in the repeated section, the repetition was unnecessary. Also, the chapters are very unfocused. It would have been nice to have each one cover a particular set of years or a specific topic.
The prose is quite basic. I would have liked more evocative descriptions. The book took little time to read but left me with many questions and a desire for more details. The author is not very clear on his current endeavors and ministry. I wonder if more healings happened besides the two described. The front cover gives him the title "Pastor," but the book does not describe how he became one.
In addition, the pictures included are quite small. It is hard to see what is in each one. There is also a picture-less caption right before Chapter 7.
The book ends very abruptly. It feels unfinished. I would have liked to see a conclusion that wraps everything up.
Overall, I rate the book two out of five stars. While it covers interesting experiences, it was difficult to get through. The repetition, errors, disorganization, and abrupt ending severely hindered my reading experience.
******
Developing a personal relationship with God
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Developing a Personal Relationship With God, by Pastor Gary L. Anderson, is a memoir about the author's family, career, and ministry. He begins the story by describing his father, his personal hero, and how he and his family grew up on a farm. His father led him to be saved by Christ. Sadly, shortly after, the author's father passed away. The author describes how he did a variety of odd jobs, became a Sunday School teacher at 16, and decided to join the Navy at 17. He began as a Navy supply clerk and served tours in Vietnam. Unfortunately, he was exposed to Agent Orange, which would cause him several health issues. From here on, the book covers a variety of subjects, like the author's family, encounters with racism, places lived, and his work as a police officer, youth counselor, pen repairman, and parking meter servicer, among other jobs.
I was horrified by the fact that the author was not allowed to participate in swim competitions in Kansas due to his skin color. This, along with the other descriptions of the author encountering racism, was eye-opening for me. I found the story of how the author traveled all the way from Kansas to Alaska to meet his wife, Theresa, for the first time endearing. What dedication! I also was fascinated by the stories of healing and how God used the author to bring a child back from death and repair a broken bone. It is clear the author naturally gravitates to teaching and serving others.
I was not a fan of the way the book was written. It meandered, had lots of repetition, was unclear on the timeline, and had several errors. It is not organized logically. I found it difficult to keep track of locations, years, and jobs, even with note-taking. I also disliked the chronological jumps back and forth. This added an unneeded layer of confusion. For example, the author mentions his swimming experience growing up at the beginning of the book, then devotes a section to it again near the end. While he does add some new information about discrimination in the repeated section, the repetition was unnecessary. Also, the chapters are very unfocused. It would have been nice to have each one cover a particular set of years or a specific topic.
The prose is quite basic. I would have liked more evocative descriptions. The book took little time to read but left me with many questions and a desire for more details. The author is not very clear on his current endeavors and ministry. I wonder if more healings happened besides the two described. The front cover gives him the title "Pastor," but the book does not describe how he became one.
In addition, the pictures included are quite small. It is hard to see what is in each one. There is also a picture-less caption right before Chapter 7.
The book ends very abruptly. It feels unfinished. I would have liked to see a conclusion that wraps everything up.
Overall, I rate the book two out of five stars. While it covers interesting experiences, it was difficult to get through. The repetition, errors, disorganization, and abrupt ending severely hindered my reading experience.
******
Developing a personal relationship with God
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon