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Trailblazers
Robert Murray McCheyne: Life Is An Adventure
Robert Murray McCheyne was the minister of St Peter's Church Dundee from 1836 to 1843.
144 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2004
1 person is currently reading
43 people want to read
About the author
Irene Howat
93 books35 followersIrene Howat is an award-winning author who has many titles, for adults and children, to her name. She is married to a retired minister and they have a grown up family. She is also a talented artist and now stays in Ayrshire, Scotland. She especially enjoys letters from children and replies to all of them!
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 21, 2025
Great content. The writing style is like a report, and could have been much better with a different style.
May 16, 2012
Points for intent and content, but not for writing style.
The intent is to uphold missionaries and evangelists as good examples for our children to read about and emulate.
The content is the biography of Robert Murray McCheyne, about whom I knew nothing, and still know little.
The style leaves a lot to be desired. Uneven pacing, abrupt transitions exits and entrances, these impinge on conveying well the events of McCheyne's life. His famous reading plan gets 1/3 of a page and isn't really described clearly.
On the plus side, his earnest desire to share the life and work of Jesus Christ with his parishioners regardless of his ailing health (he died at 29) comes through well.
If you need something for your children to read, give them this. But there has to be a better children's biography of McCheyne out there. Come to think of it, there doesn't /have/ to be, but there should be.
The intent is to uphold missionaries and evangelists as good examples for our children to read about and emulate.
The content is the biography of Robert Murray McCheyne, about whom I knew nothing, and still know little.
The style leaves a lot to be desired. Uneven pacing, abrupt transitions exits and entrances, these impinge on conveying well the events of McCheyne's life. His famous reading plan gets 1/3 of a page and isn't really described clearly.
On the plus side, his earnest desire to share the life and work of Jesus Christ with his parishioners regardless of his ailing health (he died at 29) comes through well.
If you need something for your children to read, give them this. But there has to be a better children's biography of McCheyne out there. Come to think of it, there doesn't /have/ to be, but there should be.
January 18, 2023
This was okay . . .
I don't know much of anything about McCheyne, but it didn't seem like this did much to change that. I'm still not sure why I should know about him or what made him necessarily unique or different.
I feel bad saying that. He was clearly a godly man, clearly loved by his people, a servant for God, and lived a life dedicated to God. He is what I would someday love to be remembered as, but as far as testimonies go . . . his was weak. George Muller had an amazing testimony about the power of prayer, Corrie Ten Boom about godly perseverance, D.L. Moody evangelized millions, Gladys Aylward saved orphans in China, and McCheyne . . . preached 35 minute sermons so his people could stay awake.
He really didn't fight slavery or child labor laws, he really didn't travel the world, evangelize, or anything that would seemingly warrant a book being written about him. That surprises me . . . seeing as I just read a book about him.
Again, a godly man. I have no doubt about that. If we could all be so lucky as to be the tree planted beside the waters and cared for and fed abundantly. He performed his work faithfully and admirably, but it seemed like I was waiting the entire time for him to do something to warrant a book, and that something never really came.
I don't know much of anything about McCheyne, but it didn't seem like this did much to change that. I'm still not sure why I should know about him or what made him necessarily unique or different.
I feel bad saying that. He was clearly a godly man, clearly loved by his people, a servant for God, and lived a life dedicated to God. He is what I would someday love to be remembered as, but as far as testimonies go . . . his was weak. George Muller had an amazing testimony about the power of prayer, Corrie Ten Boom about godly perseverance, D.L. Moody evangelized millions, Gladys Aylward saved orphans in China, and McCheyne . . . preached 35 minute sermons so his people could stay awake.
He really didn't fight slavery or child labor laws, he really didn't travel the world, evangelize, or anything that would seemingly warrant a book being written about him. That surprises me . . . seeing as I just read a book about him.
Again, a godly man. I have no doubt about that. If we could all be so lucky as to be the tree planted beside the waters and cared for and fed abundantly. He performed his work faithfully and admirably, but it seemed like I was waiting the entire time for him to do something to warrant a book, and that something never really came.
January 28, 2023
inspiring book for young people
Robert McCheyne's life story is told here in a very accessible way for young readers. They will relate to his fun times as well as the seriousness of his call to tell others about Jesus and salvation. He was a talented preacher, poetry writer and artist - all that God gave him for his ministry. It was hard to read about the poverty and sickness in those he ministered to. Hard to read about his own illness worsening. But he had such joy.
After the main story there are thinking points on each of the chapters with scripture and questions. That will be helpful to make what readers learned to sink in.
Robert McCheyne's life story is told here in a very accessible way for young readers. They will relate to his fun times as well as the seriousness of his call to tell others about Jesus and salvation. He was a talented preacher, poetry writer and artist - all that God gave him for his ministry. It was hard to read about the poverty and sickness in those he ministered to. Hard to read about his own illness worsening. But he had such joy.
After the main story there are thinking points on each of the chapters with scripture and questions. That will be helpful to make what readers learned to sink in.
March 4, 2023
This is an overview of the life of Robert Murray McCheyne. I read this to my children as part of their history. We learned about how Robert came to know Jesus as his Savoir and how he shared Jesus with people he came in contact with. His heart was for people to know Jesus.
February 14, 2023
I liked that he got to be a preacher for God's word.
I didn't like that he got caught with all his diseases.
I didn't like that he got caught with all his diseases.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews