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Christie's Journey: The Beat Goes On
Christie's Journey The Beat Goes On will show you the love of a family and the love of God. Through this medical journey you will witness a true story of medical drama and God's grace in action. God lined up people to help Christie throughout her journey, and this story will show how God is in our lives and loves us. Sometimes we just have to ask.
210 pages, Paperback
Published January 11, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 15, 2021
“Christie’s Journey” follows the daughter of John Bain, who experiences a life-threatening medical emergency in 2019. Christie was a new mother, headed back to her job at the Red River Credit Union. She was looking forward to getting back to work, but like all new mothers, she was going to miss her time with Westin, her baby boy.
Her story begins in 2012 when she is working at Honeywell. She applies for another position because she feared her current position was ending. After receiving her new position, she begins living and working in Kuwait and meets her future husband, Brian. After returning from Kuwait, Christie marries Brian, and they settle in Texas. Life is going well until Christie becomes unresponsive at her desk. Her friends and family are not sure what has happened, they just know it isn’t good.
Christie’s episode was a reaction involving a birth defect that was never detected. It was actually a miracle she was still alive and had had a child. Her journey included EKGs, numerous tests, and surgeries. Ultimately, Christie recovers but not without the love and actions of a village, and all the credit is given to God.
There are many aspects of this story that are beautiful reminders of what God can do amid trials. Christie was facing a long recovery from her illness. She was facing surgery and she would experience the natural agitation that comes from wanting to be a wife and mother and unable to do just that. God provided all her needs. Her family rallied around her. Her husband was by her side. Her friend stepped up to take care of Christie’s baby boy. Blessings were abundant in this story.
While I did enjoy reading about Christie’s journey, there were a couple issues I had with the writing that took away from my reading experience. First, the author referred to himself in the third person. I was expecting him to use ‘I’ when referring to himself and therefore I became a little confused. I thought that using first person would have made the story more personal. Also, the inclusion of the doctor reports was not appealing to me.
Overall, Christie’s Journey is a precious story. It is a reminder that miracles do happen, and prayers are answered. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a reminder that nothing is impossible with God.
Her story begins in 2012 when she is working at Honeywell. She applies for another position because she feared her current position was ending. After receiving her new position, she begins living and working in Kuwait and meets her future husband, Brian. After returning from Kuwait, Christie marries Brian, and they settle in Texas. Life is going well until Christie becomes unresponsive at her desk. Her friends and family are not sure what has happened, they just know it isn’t good.
Christie’s episode was a reaction involving a birth defect that was never detected. It was actually a miracle she was still alive and had had a child. Her journey included EKGs, numerous tests, and surgeries. Ultimately, Christie recovers but not without the love and actions of a village, and all the credit is given to God.
There are many aspects of this story that are beautiful reminders of what God can do amid trials. Christie was facing a long recovery from her illness. She was facing surgery and she would experience the natural agitation that comes from wanting to be a wife and mother and unable to do just that. God provided all her needs. Her family rallied around her. Her husband was by her side. Her friend stepped up to take care of Christie’s baby boy. Blessings were abundant in this story.
While I did enjoy reading about Christie’s journey, there were a couple issues I had with the writing that took away from my reading experience. First, the author referred to himself in the third person. I was expecting him to use ‘I’ when referring to himself and therefore I became a little confused. I thought that using first person would have made the story more personal. Also, the inclusion of the doctor reports was not appealing to me.
Overall, Christie’s Journey is a precious story. It is a reminder that miracles do happen, and prayers are answered. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a reminder that nothing is impossible with God.
April 6, 2025
This is a wonderful story about God’s grace and providence.
However, the writing leaves SO much to be desired that I found myself skimming certain parts of the book and rolling my eyes at other parts.
For one, the author switches between tenses constantly.
Example:
"John asked, "What's the catch?"
Christie responds sheepishly and says, "I will have to live in Kuwait."
Ok, so in the first sentence, John "asked" (past tense) and in the second Christie "responds" (present tense). MASSIVE RED FLAG.
This happens in every chapter. I understand not everyone can afford an editor, but perhaps more self-editing should have been done? I’m shaking my head at these five star reviews. I don’t understand. This would have received a C in an English course.
Furthermore, the above excerpt was from Chapter 2. I could tell the writing was poor as soon as I opened the book. In the first paragraph, the author writes, "John and Andrea Bain had a great week with their granddaughter, Natalie Firth, a seven-year-old going on fourteen, at their home just north of Wayland, Iowa." How old is she??? Had to reread this sentence multiple times to figure out what was being said. So she was seven, and now she's fourteen? How about: "They had a great week with their granddaughter, who was seven at the time, and now is fourteen." At least the sentence makes sense!
Second, the organization of the timeline is terrible. I understand Christie’s overall story but often the writer jumps from one event to another without linking them well. There’s a new paragraph and suddenly a new thought, without any transition sentences.
Check out this:
"Sean sat down next to Christie and held his little nephew. Westin seemed happy in Uncle Sean's arms. John's alarm went off at 5:15 am on Saturday morning."
There is not a chapter break. There is not even a line dividing the first sentence from the second sentence, impllying a time skip.
There is a new paragraph and that's it. No transition sentences, no hint that I should be prepared for the next thought!
Third, the author writes about himself in first-person and uses the simplest sentences. I don’t read many biographies/real stories, but this book has no idea what it wants to be. It tries to read like a textbook. Everything is very dry. I can pick up any chapter in this book and it all reads very dry.
John goes outside to greet Larry Fred Gerling. "Hi, Larry!" Larry waves at him. "Hello, John!"
I mean, I'm sure people actually greet people like this in real life ... but this is SO on-the-nose I couldn't help but laugh. The author throws in dialogue to make it seem more organic. But it only makes things worse. As you can see above, the dialogue is extremely cringy. Additionally, sometimes the conversations are just boring and don't contribute to the overall plot of the story at all.
"Gary looked at his great-nephew and said, "Russell smoked?"
John interjected, "Yes he did."
Gary seemed surprised to hear that about his brother. "I guess I didn't know that."
I don't know who Gary is or why he's relevant (spoiler: he's not). But I bet if I was talking to someone in real life, THAT conversation would feel more interesting than whatever is happening here.
Fourth, there are too many “characters” who don’t do anything. I understand these are real people but don’t mention them unless they contribute to the plot significantly. Like I know they are all the author's friends and yay! they're "famous" because they're in a book! But that doesn’t mean they deserve a mention unless they do something that drives the plot forward. They're not as interesting as they think. Put them in the credits.
Like, if you're going to tell a story, you've got to cut the fluff! Look, just because you wrote it into a book doesn't make every single thought you have important. The president doesn't get onstage and talk about what he ate for breakfast. Why do you care what he ate for breakfast? Sorry, I don't particularly care for what Christie ate either unless it's relevant to the plot. And I'm not inclined to be incredibly amazed at the multiples of lines with their entire substance being: "I'm driving your way!" "Cool!"
In some ways the author doesn't cut the fluff at all, and others the author leaves everything so dry it's a textbook. It's all facts, facts, facts. And if you think about it, the "fluff" is actually just more facts, disguised to be important (but it's not!)
I've even read textbooks that are written better. Multiple biographies/real stories that I’ve read that were much better include: Heart Matters: A Memoir of a Female Heart Surgeon, When Breath becomes Air, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. These were all excellent. These stories even managed to jump around chronologically and everything was still explained really well. This book doesn’t do that. I’m just astounded at how poor the writing is. Im not a published author, but I’ve read many fanfics that were better written than this.
Again, not meaning to diss the author at all. This is a great story but it needs to be rewritten. It needs a different writing style than what it has, or at the very least it needs its tenses fixed. If I were to re-edit it, it could be more dramatic. If he had dramaticized his feelings and what the experience was like (while possibly putting in some more details to draw us into the environment, like how the hospital smelled, if he felt the doctors were arrogant, and WHY he thought these things, it could have been a lot more engaging.
Instead of: John was confused. He responded, "You don't make sense!"
What if it was: "I didn't understand. Open heart? Wasn't that one of the most serious surgeries ever? Christie? His little girl, splayed open on the cold OR table?
I texted back as fast as possible. "You don't make sense!" Do you see how much more dramatic it could be?
TLDR; wonderful story, horribly written. Not memorable at all. Needs focus and better pacing.
However, the writing leaves SO much to be desired that I found myself skimming certain parts of the book and rolling my eyes at other parts.
For one, the author switches between tenses constantly.
Example:
"John asked, "What's the catch?"
Christie responds sheepishly and says, "I will have to live in Kuwait."
Ok, so in the first sentence, John "asked" (past tense) and in the second Christie "responds" (present tense). MASSIVE RED FLAG.
This happens in every chapter. I understand not everyone can afford an editor, but perhaps more self-editing should have been done? I’m shaking my head at these five star reviews. I don’t understand. This would have received a C in an English course.
Furthermore, the above excerpt was from Chapter 2. I could tell the writing was poor as soon as I opened the book. In the first paragraph, the author writes, "John and Andrea Bain had a great week with their granddaughter, Natalie Firth, a seven-year-old going on fourteen, at their home just north of Wayland, Iowa." How old is she??? Had to reread this sentence multiple times to figure out what was being said. So she was seven, and now she's fourteen? How about: "They had a great week with their granddaughter, who was seven at the time, and now is fourteen." At least the sentence makes sense!
Second, the organization of the timeline is terrible. I understand Christie’s overall story but often the writer jumps from one event to another without linking them well. There’s a new paragraph and suddenly a new thought, without any transition sentences.
Check out this:
"Sean sat down next to Christie and held his little nephew. Westin seemed happy in Uncle Sean's arms. John's alarm went off at 5:15 am on Saturday morning."
There is not a chapter break. There is not even a line dividing the first sentence from the second sentence, impllying a time skip.
There is a new paragraph and that's it. No transition sentences, no hint that I should be prepared for the next thought!
Third, the author writes about himself in first-person and uses the simplest sentences. I don’t read many biographies/real stories, but this book has no idea what it wants to be. It tries to read like a textbook. Everything is very dry. I can pick up any chapter in this book and it all reads very dry.
John goes outside to greet Larry Fred Gerling. "Hi, Larry!" Larry waves at him. "Hello, John!"
I mean, I'm sure people actually greet people like this in real life ... but this is SO on-the-nose I couldn't help but laugh. The author throws in dialogue to make it seem more organic. But it only makes things worse. As you can see above, the dialogue is extremely cringy. Additionally, sometimes the conversations are just boring and don't contribute to the overall plot of the story at all.
"Gary looked at his great-nephew and said, "Russell smoked?"
John interjected, "Yes he did."
Gary seemed surprised to hear that about his brother. "I guess I didn't know that."
I don't know who Gary is or why he's relevant (spoiler: he's not). But I bet if I was talking to someone in real life, THAT conversation would feel more interesting than whatever is happening here.
Fourth, there are too many “characters” who don’t do anything. I understand these are real people but don’t mention them unless they contribute to the plot significantly. Like I know they are all the author's friends and yay! they're "famous" because they're in a book! But that doesn’t mean they deserve a mention unless they do something that drives the plot forward. They're not as interesting as they think. Put them in the credits.
Like, if you're going to tell a story, you've got to cut the fluff! Look, just because you wrote it into a book doesn't make every single thought you have important. The president doesn't get onstage and talk about what he ate for breakfast. Why do you care what he ate for breakfast? Sorry, I don't particularly care for what Christie ate either unless it's relevant to the plot. And I'm not inclined to be incredibly amazed at the multiples of lines with their entire substance being: "I'm driving your way!" "Cool!"
In some ways the author doesn't cut the fluff at all, and others the author leaves everything so dry it's a textbook. It's all facts, facts, facts. And if you think about it, the "fluff" is actually just more facts, disguised to be important (but it's not!)
I've even read textbooks that are written better. Multiple biographies/real stories that I’ve read that were much better include: Heart Matters: A Memoir of a Female Heart Surgeon, When Breath becomes Air, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. These were all excellent. These stories even managed to jump around chronologically and everything was still explained really well. This book doesn’t do that. I’m just astounded at how poor the writing is. Im not a published author, but I’ve read many fanfics that were better written than this.
Again, not meaning to diss the author at all. This is a great story but it needs to be rewritten. It needs a different writing style than what it has, or at the very least it needs its tenses fixed. If I were to re-edit it, it could be more dramatic. If he had dramaticized his feelings and what the experience was like (while possibly putting in some more details to draw us into the environment, like how the hospital smelled, if he felt the doctors were arrogant, and WHY he thought these things, it could have been a lot more engaging.
Instead of: John was confused. He responded, "You don't make sense!"
What if it was: "I didn't understand. Open heart? Wasn't that one of the most serious surgeries ever? Christie? His little girl, splayed open on the cold OR table?
I texted back as fast as possible. "You don't make sense!" Do you see how much more dramatic it could be?
TLDR; wonderful story, horribly written. Not memorable at all. Needs focus and better pacing.
January 30, 2024
This is my second time reading Christie's Journey: The Beat Goes On. I'm a terrific reader, lousy reviewer. I want to qualify my review and state that John is a friend of mine.
Christie's Journey is about John's daughter who had an undiagnosed birth defect that wasn't discovered until she had an incident at work. John tells the story in the third person. I had a chance to talk to him about the book and he says it's too keep the focus on the people who were involved.
The story has moments of medical reports - the first time I read this I wasn't a big fan. The second time I read it however I realized that this is what families face every day when there is a loved one, especially a loved one that the cause of the illness is unknown. Terminology and acronyms become almost like a second language. These, and the prayers and Facebook posts help keep the perspective of someone living the moments as John Deere.
John's family is inspiring and an example of how to live through a medical emergency with grace, faith, belief, hope, trust, and love. I definitely recommend.
Christie's Journey is about John's daughter who had an undiagnosed birth defect that wasn't discovered until she had an incident at work. John tells the story in the third person. I had a chance to talk to him about the book and he says it's too keep the focus on the people who were involved.
The story has moments of medical reports - the first time I read this I wasn't a big fan. The second time I read it however I realized that this is what families face every day when there is a loved one, especially a loved one that the cause of the illness is unknown. Terminology and acronyms become almost like a second language. These, and the prayers and Facebook posts help keep the perspective of someone living the moments as John Deere.
John's family is inspiring and an example of how to live through a medical emergency with grace, faith, belief, hope, trust, and love. I definitely recommend.
June 29, 2021
IDK
I am happy for this family and their story. But I can’t help but wonder-what about all the ones who don’t get the outcome they want. I’m a Believer and am sure of God’s love for us but sometimes healing isn’t what happens. Does that mean we are less blessed? I found the story to get a little tedious but I truly am happy that the doctors (with His help) were able to save her.
I am happy for this family and their story. But I can’t help but wonder-what about all the ones who don’t get the outcome they want. I’m a Believer and am sure of God’s love for us but sometimes healing isn’t what happens. Does that mean we are less blessed? I found the story to get a little tedious but I truly am happy that the doctors (with His help) were able to save her.
March 10, 2024
I've known John Bain for 40 years; over time, as most people do, we lost track of each other, so I was excited to read his book, to learn of his life and Christy's saga. This is an exceptional read, especially for those with a serious illness, while given the Truth of the Lord!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews