Christian books often avoid talking about real struggles. It’s time to change that.
Mountains is a devotional for men and women who want to hear real stories of faith, struggle, defeat, and wins but are tired of Christian cliches and platitudes. Follow Grammy-nominated musician, Jake Luhrs of August Burns Red, as he guides you through the mountains he's faced in life, and how he came out stronger in his relationship with God.
Along the way, he'll encourage you to face your demons, keep the faith, grow in love, and fight to reach the top with twenty-five handpicked Scriptures which encouraged him through his darkest valleys.
Gear up. It’s time to face your mountains.
— This book is part of the outreach programs of HeartSupport—an organization created by Grammy-nominated musician Jake Luhrs of the metal band August Burns Red. Proceeds from this book will continue to help fund further projects by HeartSupport in the realm of recovery. The author receives no royalties.
I LOVED this devotional! It is so real and heartfelt. Many "christians" might have issues with this book, but for someone like myself, with my upbringing and background... this one was perfect for me.
"Mountains" was a fantastic devotional. It was very real and authentic. Jake truly spoke in a genuine way that conveyed to the reader his trials and seasons where God worked great miracles in his life.
I have been a fan of August Burns Red for many years. Part of fandom in listening to ABR has been that they are a Christian band and Jake's lyrics resonate within my Christian identity. Hearing his own words and life story, I was very interested and moved to see how Christ has changed Jake.
For anyone who is a fan of ABR or interested to see how God can use someone's talents and personal story, I highly recommend this devotional. It was also very useful for Jake to share a quick story and then turn the devotional around to the reader - asking personal questions and calling for reflection.
Pros: interesting insight to the lead singer of a Christian metal band with daily devotionals that challenge the reader and provides uplifting perspective. Cons: there were a few curse words that I could have done without (though I know they were addressed in the forward and also added for emphasis) Bottom Line: one of the best and most authentic devotionals I've ever read and gone through.
Two caveats: I really like August Burns Red and have seen them live several times. Second, I don’t typically like devotionals, and this one is a good example of why.
While there is scripture to start each day the story does not always match up. Most of the time, I felt like I was reading an autobiography of Luhr, rather than a devotional that helped me delve into the meaning of the scripture being focused on. Often, I felt like the scripture and the stories didn’t match up at all. I appreciated the honesty in these stories. I’m sure it was not easy, but as a devotional this didn’t do much for me. I hope there are others who got a lot out of this, but to me it seemed like a misfire.
Really helped me address things that I tend to stuff inside. So many times things are sugarcoated to please the General population, but I feel that this was truly a heartfelt honest devotional. I highly recommend this for people who struggle with depression, heartbreak, or have been in abusive situations. I probably could’ve done without the foul language, but then again, I like the fact that he didn’t try to sugarcoat it and who he truly is.
Very raw and very real. Even with the small amount of cussing, I found great insights. Sometimes you have to get past all the cliche Christian stuff and just be real. Jake ha3d certainly done this.
If you're looking for an honest devotional that's interesting and thought-provoking, check those one out.
I'll be honest, I am not really a fan of most Christian devotions. Too often I have seen Christian devotions which, to me, feel shallow and disconnected with Christian experience. The difference here is that Jake writes from a truly raw and sincere place. He writes about life, and, as a follower of Jesus, that makes all the difference.
Going through the devotional will make you realize that all things can be healed through God. Sometimes we feel abandoned but we are truly not. Jake writes a beautiful story about his struggles and the lord. Excellent read.
3 stars simply because I’ve heard and wrestled with these truths and lessons before, so my mental hunger for the “new, intuitive idea” wasn’t satiated, but for those curious about the faith and have a passion for authenticity and vulnerability, 5 STARS