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Is There Anybody Out There? - Second Edition: A Journey from Despair to Hope (Biography) by Mez McConnell
Since the publication of 'A child called "it"' by Dave Pelzer there hasn't been a story like this. But this is not just another harrowing story about an excruciating childhood and the ravages on a life it produces. The difference is that Mez not only escaped from his 'trial by parent' but he discovered a hope that has transformed his life. He in turn has helped others find hope in their lives. Mez's story is told with a frankness and wit that hides much of the pain and despair that was his everyday experience. Nevertheless, although his story at times may sicken you, his first brushes with the faith that restored him will make you laugh out loud! Mez's life involved abuse, violence, drugs, thieving and prison but you don't have to fall as far as him in order to climb out of the traps in your life. Do you like happy endings? Mez still suffers from his experiences but you'll be amazed at how far you can be restored from such a beginning.
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First published January 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
December 20, 2025
‘I’ve clung to the cross, sometimes by my fingernails, and God has helped me to persevere through difficult times.’
May well be the best book I have read this year. Simply incredible. Honest. Raw. Beautifully points to the power of Christ. And Mez drives that home, really emphasising that Jesus can and does do incredible works in peoples lives. The book firstly gives hope to those labouring in ministry, keep going, keep being faithful, even just in treating people as friends rather than projects. However, it also brings a challenge to the church to consider how we view, support, and bring Jesus to those who are underprivileged, disadvantaged, poor, struggling, and lost, both close to our churches and further afield. It is a book that challenges and encourages, and is really hard to put down. It will make you want to get up and serve Jesus in the place he has put you.
May well be the best book I have read this year. Simply incredible. Honest. Raw. Beautifully points to the power of Christ. And Mez drives that home, really emphasising that Jesus can and does do incredible works in peoples lives. The book firstly gives hope to those labouring in ministry, keep going, keep being faithful, even just in treating people as friends rather than projects. However, it also brings a challenge to the church to consider how we view, support, and bring Jesus to those who are underprivileged, disadvantaged, poor, struggling, and lost, both close to our churches and further afield. It is a book that challenges and encourages, and is really hard to put down. It will make you want to get up and serve Jesus in the place he has put you.
January 23, 2013
I thoroughly enjoyed watching God's amazing grace change this very British, very drug-addicted burglar and all-around street tough. I listened to him give his testimony in an interview with Mark Dever some time ago. The book offered even more edifying and instructive detail.
Of course, it is also hilarious to watch someone from a totally different culture encounter conservative Christian culture for the first time.
Here's a vignette:
But, especially once Mez becomes a Christian, spiritual insights get included as well. Mez goes to Bible college as a brand-new baby Christian:
And then there's this comment, which hits me in the gut:
Of course, it is also hilarious to watch someone from a totally different culture encounter conservative Christian culture for the first time.
Here's a vignette:
I can’t believe that I’m going to church. But as there’s a big group of us, and I don’t feel so conspicuous, I figure that I’ll give it a go. See what all the fuss is about.
‘Good morning, brethren. If you are a visitor here, then we welcome you in the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ.’
‘Matt. What’s a brethren?’
‘It’s like people. Good morning, everyone.’
‘So why didn’t he just say that then?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Let us pray. Oh Lord, we know that thou art our heavenly Father and that we are thy humble servants. We beseech thee in the Name of thy precious Son to hear our supplications this morning.’
‘Matt. Why’s he talking like that?’
‘Shh. He’s praying to God.’
‘What? Does God understand him then?’
But, especially once Mez becomes a Christian, spiritual insights get included as well. Mez goes to Bible college as a brand-new baby Christian:
I found out today that I’m ‘Reformed’. Apparently I have a choice between being this and ‘charismatic’. I have absolutely no idea what they’re talking about, but I‘ve been put in the ‘Reformed’ camp anyway. One of my lecturers told me that I ‘take the Bible too seriously and ought to make more effort to discover the experiential side of my faith’. I told him I would follow his advice if we opened the Bible in his class once in a while! Sometimes I get the feeling that some of these people are only a few pages ahead of us in the textbook. ‘What you need, Mez, is the power of the Holy Spirit in your life.’ ‘Is that right?’ ‘Yes, your problem is that your faith is all intellectual and you’ve never had a real and powerful experience of the Holy Spirit.’ ‘Is that right?’ ‘Yes you need the power, Mez.’ ‘The power? What power?’ ‘The power to defeat sin, to rise up in the Name of the Holy Spirit and to witness to the glory of the gospel.’ ‘Tell you what, muppet, why don’t you and I take a walk around my old estate and we’ll see where your power is. You wouldn’t last two minutes in the real world.’
And then there's this comment, which hits me in the gut:
There are many ‘Christians’ who would like us to tone down what we do and be less ‘in your face’ with the truth. They want us to ‘love the poor’ and all that patronising nonsense. People here want the news straight up—end of story. There’s a lot of this ‘we have to earn the right to speak’ nonsense that does the rounds, particularly in middle class churches looking for reasons why they are so ineffective in areas like ours. We do not have to earn the right to do anything. Jesus Christ has earned the right for us! Our responsibility is to speak the truth in love. But we must not let the ‘in love’ bit come to mean that we should water it all down to acts of service. People need to hear truth proclaimed whatever their financial, social or political circumstances. End of rant!
January 14, 2019
Captivating
A page turner. Sometimes hard to follow as he wrote in present tense from memory, but that also made it more authentic. Such an important book...everything in it! Thank you for writing it!
A page turner. Sometimes hard to follow as he wrote in present tense from memory, but that also made it more authentic. Such an important book...everything in it! Thank you for writing it!
February 23, 2013
How do you get from a childhood like Mez McConnell full of extreme physical and emotional abuse and then as a rebel teenager abusing drugs and crime to be able to say and live.. All for Christ and because of Him. I have to say that reading and how he wrote it was very disconnect. It was not written in a emotional voice but pretty much black and white. However, after his conversion, the tone changed and was one of hope. I love this quote..."They just want to talk about their feelings all the time. I'm not interested in that psyco-babble, I just want to know more about God, Jesus and the bible. Apparently, that's not possible unless I understand myself. Well, I think I understand myself pretty well. I was a lair, manipulator, thief, fornicator and all the round scumbag. For some reason Jesus chose to die for me and that will do for me. I can't pretend to understand it all, but I accept it gratefully. So I am just not interested in revisiting the past. I can't do anything about it, but with Jesus I can do something about the future. That's about the only self understanding that I need...The story of his past is pretty honest and his conversion is just as honest. What I found that I contemplated was his calling to the children living in the streets of Sau Louis, Brazil. One of the largest cities there. Those children are living, breathing, and are without hope because of the sin and darkness that is so prevelant there and you contrast that to the western church that is living high on the hog. The message those children need to hear is one of hope, Jesus Christ. We need to hear Jesus Christ died for our sins that we have been blinded too. The power of the Gospel can and has changed and transformed lives.
September 26, 2020
Can a man who was severely abused as a child, suffered from drug addiction and served a year in a maximum security prison become converted to Christianity and serve in pulpit ministry? On a theoretical basis, the church would say "Yes!" In the case of Mez McConnell, the answer is "Yes" on a reality basis as well.
Wow! This book is quite a remarkable story of a boy abandoned by his parents and growing up in the most difficult circumstances. Mr. McConnell ought to be dead or a lifer in prison, but instead he is a Bible School graduate, former missionary to Brazil and current pastor in Scotland. This volume is his story of the harshness of a fallen world and the amazing grace of Jesus Christ. I could not put the book down. Please read it.
Wow! This book is quite a remarkable story of a boy abandoned by his parents and growing up in the most difficult circumstances. Mr. McConnell ought to be dead or a lifer in prison, but instead he is a Bible School graduate, former missionary to Brazil and current pastor in Scotland. This volume is his story of the harshness of a fallen world and the amazing grace of Jesus Christ. I could not put the book down. Please read it.
May 30, 2020
An incredible story showing so clearly "the true power of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the complete, unmerited grace of God, our heavenly Father." Mez's upbringing involved abuse, drugs, violence, sex, prison. Occasional questions about the meaning of it all didn't lead him to any answers. Until, by God's grace, he found hope in Jesus.
But this isn't a clean-cut "happily ever after" testimony. Mez is refreshingly honest about his early experiences as a Christian - his struggles, thoughts, questions, disappointments. And his utter bafflement at some of the weird things Christians said and did. And his intention in it all is for us to be amazed at Jesus, rather than just his own story. I was particularly struck by this memory (p104):
"I had to share my testimony at a meeting tonight. People seem to like hearing my testimony but it always makes me feel uncomfortable. Many of these people seem so bored with their own testimonies that they need to hear mind. But I'm no more saved than they are."
Mez's story also shows the important of generous Christian relationships - the Christians who visited him in prison, the people who stuck by him when he messed up, the people who saw Jesus at work and gave him opportunities to serve. And behind all of this, Mez points us to the hand of the generous God who is with him (p119):
"I don't know what surprises, what heartaches, what moments of happiness life has in store for me and my family. But I do know that it is all in the hands of God Almighty and that somehow it is all wrapped up within the immense cosmic story that was written in eternity past and will continue into eternity future. And I know one last thing: whatever happens in this life or the next one, I will never, for one moment, be alone again."
But this isn't a clean-cut "happily ever after" testimony. Mez is refreshingly honest about his early experiences as a Christian - his struggles, thoughts, questions, disappointments. And his utter bafflement at some of the weird things Christians said and did. And his intention in it all is for us to be amazed at Jesus, rather than just his own story. I was particularly struck by this memory (p104):
"I had to share my testimony at a meeting tonight. People seem to like hearing my testimony but it always makes me feel uncomfortable. Many of these people seem so bored with their own testimonies that they need to hear mind. But I'm no more saved than they are."
Mez's story also shows the important of generous Christian relationships - the Christians who visited him in prison, the people who stuck by him when he messed up, the people who saw Jesus at work and gave him opportunities to serve. And behind all of this, Mez points us to the hand of the generous God who is with him (p119):
"I don't know what surprises, what heartaches, what moments of happiness life has in store for me and my family. But I do know that it is all in the hands of God Almighty and that somehow it is all wrapped up within the immense cosmic story that was written in eternity past and will continue into eternity future. And I know one last thing: whatever happens in this life or the next one, I will never, for one moment, be alone again."
February 29, 2020
Highly recommend this book. It is not a light read as it deals with some difficult topics (including child abuse, drugs, crime, homelessness, prison, etc.) but it is a book that shows the redemption Christ offers to broken sinners.
It is helpful to see Christianity through the eyes of a non-believer in hard places. To see the sinful way some middle-class Christians and churches ignored Mez and treated him as a lesser Christian even after he came to faith is heartbreaking. But it is also beautiful to see those who opened their home to him so he could get out of prison, who shared the gospel with him when he did not want to hear it, who were persistent and just shared their life. There is much we can learn from both the good and the bad examples in this book.
The book also shows the desperate need for faithful discipleship of new believers. Mez was desperate for this and ended up going to bible college because he just wanted someone who would sit down and answer his questions and tell him more about God, Jesus, and the bible.
It helps to see why we can't just take middle-class methods and expect them to work in all different situations and cultures. This applies to both evangelism, church, discipleship, and even just the way we talk.
"That is the true power of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the complete, unmerited grace of God, our heavenly Father."
It is helpful to see Christianity through the eyes of a non-believer in hard places. To see the sinful way some middle-class Christians and churches ignored Mez and treated him as a lesser Christian even after he came to faith is heartbreaking. But it is also beautiful to see those who opened their home to him so he could get out of prison, who shared the gospel with him when he did not want to hear it, who were persistent and just shared their life. There is much we can learn from both the good and the bad examples in this book.
The book also shows the desperate need for faithful discipleship of new believers. Mez was desperate for this and ended up going to bible college because he just wanted someone who would sit down and answer his questions and tell him more about God, Jesus, and the bible.
It helps to see why we can't just take middle-class methods and expect them to work in all different situations and cultures. This applies to both evangelism, church, discipleship, and even just the way we talk.
November 29, 2019
I'm kicking myself for letting this book sit on my bookshelf for over a year. Someone at a 20 schemes booth gave me this book when I was at a conference and I decided to read it after a gal at my church talked about her prison ministry.
I can't speak to those from hard backgrounds but I would assume this book would bring you hope and be a great help in explaining the gospel. But I do think every "good" Christian that goes to church every Sunday and thinks you're doing mostly the "right things" needs to read this book. I feel like we think we are pleasing God by reading our Bibles and going to church. This book made me uncomfortable. God used it to convict me in how I think of unbelievers and those people we typically avoid. It makes me think about how I am showing Jesus to my community and about discipleship. I just want to join him in praising a good God and by sharing the good news of the gospel with everyone, even in hard places. He has much bigger plans than just making a nice club for "good" people. I'm so thankful someone gave me this book. It had made a big impact.
I can't speak to those from hard backgrounds but I would assume this book would bring you hope and be a great help in explaining the gospel. But I do think every "good" Christian that goes to church every Sunday and thinks you're doing mostly the "right things" needs to read this book. I feel like we think we are pleasing God by reading our Bibles and going to church. This book made me uncomfortable. God used it to convict me in how I think of unbelievers and those people we typically avoid. It makes me think about how I am showing Jesus to my community and about discipleship. I just want to join him in praising a good God and by sharing the good news of the gospel with everyone, even in hard places. He has much bigger plans than just making a nice club for "good" people. I'm so thankful someone gave me this book. It had made a big impact.
May 27, 2017
I've heard it said that God takes your misery and makes it your ministry. It would seem to be true in the life of this Author. An abused and abandoned child grew into an angry teen that quickly found himself trapped by addiction and in trouble with the law. He encounters the forgiveness of God in the gospel and the life transforming power of Jesus Christ. He soon finds a passion in his heart to share this gift with those who are living as he once lived.
The author is transparent about his pain, struggles and failures prior to his conversion as well as after.
A beautiful reminder of God's grace and what His love can do in a life surrendered to Him.
The author is transparent about his pain, struggles and failures prior to his conversion as well as after.
A beautiful reminder of God's grace and what His love can do in a life surrendered to Him.
August 1, 2019
This book is a short, easy-to-read memoir of a Scottish thief and drug user (and peddler) who became a Christian and a pastor. Much of the book is told in a stream-of-consciousness, present-tense style meant to recapture the author's thoughts as the events of his life unfolded. Annoyingly, this is all presented in italics. This style makes the book move quickly and I suspect it's what many find captivating. The book itself I think is overhyped. But the story is encouraging. God saved someone unlikely to be a Christian, someone who found a lot of Christians strange. McConnell was something of a reluctant convert. But God sought him and changed him.
March 15, 2020
Devastating, yet hopeful. The beginning was so hard to read, especially as one with a young child. The end was hopeful and encouraging. The middle, though, when Mez first begins to hang out with and then become a Christian, is my favorite. Wow he calls out how we are perceived by unbelievers. How weird our words and common phrases sound. How we present ourselves so clean and beautiful but don't always care well (or at all) for the "least of these" around us. Grateful that he was willing to share so much if himself with us.
May 26, 2025
Excellent little book. Mezs story is a roller coaster ride that I couldnt put down until I finished it. Hearing about his childhood dealing with severe abuse brought me to tears. Although surveying his dark past before Christ he does it in a way that doesn’t downplay his own sinfulness and doesn’t make himself out to be solely a victim. From an abused hopeless criminal and drug addict to a Christian missionary to street kids in Brazil, this is a story of heart wrenching brokenness and realistic hope of the redemption that can be found in Christ alone. Highly recommended.
March 18, 2022
Mez is the Director of 20 Schemes, a church planting and revitalization movement in Scotland. Reading his story about the way God moved in his life is remarkable and praise worthy. I can’t fathom all that he has been through, but I praise God for how He has redeemed such awful things and uses them for His ultimate good and glory! This was such a quick read, as it is written in a way that just moves so fast and is so compelling. Highly recommend.
October 22, 2023
A pretty amazing story of God’s rich grace. Mez tells his story with honesty and it is at times a harrowing tale. But one that shows Jesus truly came to save the poor, the lost, the unloved.. and this story shows how the author’s life was transformed in miraculous ways. Thanks be to God for saving Mez and for an honest tale of what it means to be loved and known by God. Not the recipe for a perfect life but the only way to live with true purpose and acceptance.
December 15, 2019
Bold and challenging
Don't read Mez's story if you belong to a safe church that doesn't challenge you.Do reading of you want honesty about a young man whose Jesus turned his life right around.....and whose rants are a challenge to unbold churches. As Christ renews you do be prepared to tell of Him as you serve others. Straight talking and challenging
Don't read Mez's story if you belong to a safe church that doesn't challenge you.Do reading of you want honesty about a young man whose Jesus turned his life right around.....and whose rants are a challenge to unbold churches. As Christ renews you do be prepared to tell of Him as you serve others. Straight talking and challenging
August 16, 2020
A wonderfully written, engaging conversion narrative. McConnell's almost stream-of-consciousness style creates a kind of transparency and honesty and relatability I've often found lacking in this kind of work. Above all, this short book is a tremendous encouragement and a powerful, moving reminder of the power of God's grace and the beauty of his mercy.
August 1, 2018
This was a refreshingly honest testimony book on Mez's conversion. Men's initial encounters with Christians and the Christian subculture are hilarious even though the tone of the book is serious and sad in the first chapters. Such an interesting juxtaposition.
January 11, 2019
Really enjoyed Mez's story of conversion. Though not graphic, he paints a clear picture of street life. This is a wonderful way for believers to "get inside" the mind of an unbeliever or new believer.
February 15, 2019
A good short read and a very personal story of seeking God from the very roughest of starts.
Mez's view of modern day middle class Christianity is refreshing to say the least. His experiences entertained, challenged and changed my thinking in different measure.
Mez's view of modern day middle class Christianity is refreshing to say the least. His experiences entertained, challenged and changed my thinking in different measure.
October 12, 2019
A compelling book about the power Jesus Christ has to transform lives - specifically the life of a young lad from Yorkshire who was abused as a child and fell into crime and drugs in his teenage years.
January 22, 2019
Nice
Nice Nice very very nice good story was very fun to read the story nice nice very nice nice nice
Nice Nice very very nice good story was very fun to read the story nice nice very nice nice nice
November 26, 2019
A very difficult read. This is no tragic-childhood-that-ends-all-happy-happy. Even though the gospel transforms, there are still lingering scars and healing. A difficult but necessary read.
January 13, 2020
Rated it 4 star, but I really can’t say that’s accurate. It’s more like somewhere between 3-4 stars. Still gathering my thoughts on it.
August 27, 2023
An interesting page turner on his life and road to becoming a Christian.
August 28, 2023
This book was a quick read. There was very raw and difficult parts, but a lot of beauty.
January 27, 2025
A challenging story, showing no matter the background God can still use him or her for His glory.
October 16, 2018
It’s no secret that the UK conservative evangelical church is largely middle-class and often very cosseted from serious deprivation and the issues that face families on tough council estates. Mez McConnell’s book is a powerful testimony to God’s power to save a childhood victim of neglect and violence from a destructive life. His prose is heavy with raw dialogue and honesty about how God saved him through the witness of faithful Christians and how joining a UK middle class church was a real culture shock and not without challenges. I found it an enjoyable, at times acerbic and constantly challenging read.
June 9, 2025
This is a gripping story of sin and redemption, written throughout with a frank honesty that is refreshing and very engaging. The chapters about his childhood and early adult life are grim and heartbreaking, and the pervading sense is of feeling alone and purposeless. Those chapters are all tinged with sadness and loss, yet are entirely devoid of self-pity. He even writes at times with a wry humour, and doesn't take himself too seriously.
One striking aspect of the book is its perspective on sin, which is seen as the dark, ugly and destructive reality that it is. The gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is also clearly presented as the only hope for lost men and women. One of the most moving passages of the book is when he reflects that the awful cycle of sin has been broken with him, and that his little girls will never know what it is to be beaten, neglected and unloved.
The two characteristics that strike me about Mez from his writing are his compassion for the hurting and his blunt honesty. The compassion can be seen in a brief description of his work with the homeless: "Each of them had a sad story to tell. Each was battered by life. All of them were trying to convince themselves that their life wasn't so bad and that somehow, someday, it would magically get better and it would all turn out alright in the end. Defiant, aggressive, hopelessly lost. Giving them soup and blankets just didn’t seem like it was enough."
Mez writes throughout with a directness that is quite refreshing, and two examples will illustrate it. One is from his recollections of his early Christian life: "Every day I learn something new about Jesus Christ, and every day I have to face up to the truth about my sinful life. It was easier on the streets. No hassles, no responsibilities, no guilt. This Christian stuff is harder than I thought."
The other is from a section on the outreach work his church is seeking to do in Niddrie: "There are many 'Christians' who would like us to tone down what we do and be less 'in your face' with the truth. They want us to 'love the poor' and all that patronising nonsense. People here want the news straight up - end of story. There’s a lot of this 'we have to earn the right to speak' nonsense that does the rounds, particularly in middle-class churches looking for reasons why they are so ineffective in areas like ours. We do not have to earn the right to do anything. Jesus Christ has earned the right for us! Our responsibility is to speak the truth in love. But we must not let the 'in love' bit come to mean that we should water it all down to acts of service. People need to hear truth proclaimed whatever their financial, social or political circumstances. End of rant!"
This was excellent, and I highly recommend it.
One striking aspect of the book is its perspective on sin, which is seen as the dark, ugly and destructive reality that it is. The gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is also clearly presented as the only hope for lost men and women. One of the most moving passages of the book is when he reflects that the awful cycle of sin has been broken with him, and that his little girls will never know what it is to be beaten, neglected and unloved.
The two characteristics that strike me about Mez from his writing are his compassion for the hurting and his blunt honesty. The compassion can be seen in a brief description of his work with the homeless: "Each of them had a sad story to tell. Each was battered by life. All of them were trying to convince themselves that their life wasn't so bad and that somehow, someday, it would magically get better and it would all turn out alright in the end. Defiant, aggressive, hopelessly lost. Giving them soup and blankets just didn’t seem like it was enough."
Mez writes throughout with a directness that is quite refreshing, and two examples will illustrate it. One is from his recollections of his early Christian life: "Every day I learn something new about Jesus Christ, and every day I have to face up to the truth about my sinful life. It was easier on the streets. No hassles, no responsibilities, no guilt. This Christian stuff is harder than I thought."
The other is from a section on the outreach work his church is seeking to do in Niddrie: "There are many 'Christians' who would like us to tone down what we do and be less 'in your face' with the truth. They want us to 'love the poor' and all that patronising nonsense. People here want the news straight up - end of story. There’s a lot of this 'we have to earn the right to speak' nonsense that does the rounds, particularly in middle-class churches looking for reasons why they are so ineffective in areas like ours. We do not have to earn the right to do anything. Jesus Christ has earned the right for us! Our responsibility is to speak the truth in love. But we must not let the 'in love' bit come to mean that we should water it all down to acts of service. People need to hear truth proclaimed whatever their financial, social or political circumstances. End of rant!"
This was excellent, and I highly recommend it.
December 29, 2015
Is There Anybody Out There? is the uplifting and poignant tale of a street-tough, drug-addicted thief who found Jesus. Or should I say, Jesus found him.
Mez's childhood was tough. Real tough. Terribly abusive. Unstable. Unforgiving. It shaped him and turned him into a hoodlum who only had prison or drug-fueled death to look forward to. Could anything break through? A group of young Christians did, and only by persistent love, care, and attentiveness.
I admit, though I had been looking forward to reading the book, I was at first put off by his writing style. Mez uses this conversational-but-not-quite-conversation mechanism that is very different. Combine this with significant Scottish and British slang, and you have verbiage that initially takes some getting used to. But persevere, and you'll be pulled in the awesome life story that is Mez McConnell.
Watching God use a group of Christian kids to break down the walls Mez had built and shine Jesus' love into his life was fascinating. It impacted me, and made me realize just how insulated and removed the Church can be. But at the same time, it is one of the most powerful forces on this earth. As Mez so aptly said, "Ironically, salvation from my battles within lay in the very place that I found most confusing and alien; it lay in the church."
Speaking of Mez's writing style, his honesty is refreshing, especially when it comes to the fish-out-0f-water scenarios that result from a street-wise thug trying to find his way in the established church. For instance, I loved this gem: "Sometimes I Just want to beat the living daylights out of some of these people. I seem to spend most of my time repenting at the moment. I’m supposed to love my brothers and sisters, am I not? I’ve been looking in the Bible to see if God makes exceptions in the case of idiots, but, sadly, I haven’t found anything yet." How can you not love that?
Highly recommended. It is good, especially for those of us who were born and raised in the church, to be reminded of why we exist, and re-evaluate our true purpose.
-----------
I think people tend to rate books higher than they should, so I try to rate books on a harder scale, while being consistent over time. Jerry Foster's book rating scale:
5 - Fantastic. Life-altering. Only 10-20 books in a lifetime.
4 - Very good.
3 - Worth your time.
2 - Not very good.
1 - Atrocious.
Mez's childhood was tough. Real tough. Terribly abusive. Unstable. Unforgiving. It shaped him and turned him into a hoodlum who only had prison or drug-fueled death to look forward to. Could anything break through? A group of young Christians did, and only by persistent love, care, and attentiveness.
I admit, though I had been looking forward to reading the book, I was at first put off by his writing style. Mez uses this conversational-but-not-quite-conversation mechanism that is very different. Combine this with significant Scottish and British slang, and you have verbiage that initially takes some getting used to. But persevere, and you'll be pulled in the awesome life story that is Mez McConnell.
Watching God use a group of Christian kids to break down the walls Mez had built and shine Jesus' love into his life was fascinating. It impacted me, and made me realize just how insulated and removed the Church can be. But at the same time, it is one of the most powerful forces on this earth. As Mez so aptly said, "Ironically, salvation from my battles within lay in the very place that I found most confusing and alien; it lay in the church."
Speaking of Mez's writing style, his honesty is refreshing, especially when it comes to the fish-out-0f-water scenarios that result from a street-wise thug trying to find his way in the established church. For instance, I loved this gem: "Sometimes I Just want to beat the living daylights out of some of these people. I seem to spend most of my time repenting at the moment. I’m supposed to love my brothers and sisters, am I not? I’ve been looking in the Bible to see if God makes exceptions in the case of idiots, but, sadly, I haven’t found anything yet." How can you not love that?
Highly recommended. It is good, especially for those of us who were born and raised in the church, to be reminded of why we exist, and re-evaluate our true purpose.
-----------
I think people tend to rate books higher than they should, so I try to rate books on a harder scale, while being consistent over time. Jerry Foster's book rating scale:
5 - Fantastic. Life-altering. Only 10-20 books in a lifetime.
4 - Very good.
3 - Worth your time.
2 - Not very good.
1 - Atrocious.
April 28, 2012
Grace. It wins again.
The bulk of this very quick read is made up of flashes of memory of events and conversations from McConnell's traumatic childhood through conversion and college and then into the beginnings of his career. I found myself taken fully into a moment only to suddenly fly off to the next. It wasn't frustrating; I felt like I was there, sympathizing, always hoping. Perhaps the brevity helped McConnell more easily share his story because his youth was certainly tragic, and (I imagine) would be difficult to revisit in any expansive detail. Some bits may be difficult to follow ('Wait, who's talking now?') and some English slang this Canadian didn't know (it's taking too long to find an example, so forget it), but that doesn't take away from the story. My only regret is that McConnell didn't wrap up the book in the same way he wrote the bulk so that I could have been along for the stories of his first preaching and pastoral experience in the same fashion I was taken into his youth. Instead, everything is wrapped up more with facts than anything.
If you like personal stories of grace, you'll enjoy this. It would make a great addition to any church library.
The bulk of this very quick read is made up of flashes of memory of events and conversations from McConnell's traumatic childhood through conversion and college and then into the beginnings of his career. I found myself taken fully into a moment only to suddenly fly off to the next. It wasn't frustrating; I felt like I was there, sympathizing, always hoping. Perhaps the brevity helped McConnell more easily share his story because his youth was certainly tragic, and (I imagine) would be difficult to revisit in any expansive detail. Some bits may be difficult to follow ('Wait, who's talking now?') and some English slang this Canadian didn't know (it's taking too long to find an example, so forget it), but that doesn't take away from the story. My only regret is that McConnell didn't wrap up the book in the same way he wrote the bulk so that I could have been along for the stories of his first preaching and pastoral experience in the same fashion I was taken into his youth. Instead, everything is wrapped up more with facts than anything.
If you like personal stories of grace, you'll enjoy this. It would make a great addition to any church library.
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