Sunday, April 28, 2013

Book Review: After the Fall by Craig DeMartino

I am not an adventurous, outdoorsy type of person.

My favorite leisure activities include reading a book, watching an enjoyable movie, and spending relaxed time with my husband and children. I have NO desire to shimmy up rock walls, ski to the North Pole, or climb Mt. Everest.

I mentioned books. I love reading, and I love reading adventurous books from the comfort of my Lazyboy couch.  I think one of the attractions is that reading about adventurous people helps me get into the minds of individuals who are very different from me.  What makes a person WANT to climb a 100 foot rock wall?  Why would anyone want to endure pain and turmoil to ski to the North Pole?  I have plenty of challenges in my life being mom of 8, but I have no desire to put myself into an uncomfortable situation for the sheer joy of living. But you know, some people do.  It is interesting to contemplate their personalities and worldviews.

After the Fall is about a rock climber who experienced a nearly fatal accident.  Craig DeMartino was a climber with 13 years experience and had successfully climbed many challenging routes.  One fateful day, he and his partner failed to communicate well and Craig fell 100 feet onto hard rock.  On the way down, he hit a tree which slowed him down just a little, and also helped him land on his feet.  The result was 2 nearly destroyed feet, a broken back, and a host of other damage.  By God's grace, he didn't have a serious head injury.

He survived to go home to his wife and 2 small children, but life was never the same again.  He experienced debilitating pain, depression, fear, and fatigue. After some time, he chose to have one leg amputated because it was so badly injured.

But in the middle of it all the agony and emotional trauma, he committed his life completely to the Lord Jesus.  He and his wife WERE Christians before the fall, but they had a rather lukewarm faith.  God was relegated to Sunday mornings and the occasional prayer at meals.  Both Craig and his wife had personal goals and looked on the Lord as more of a vending machine than their Master and Lord.

All that changed after the accident.  Both were thrown into a situation that was completely beyond them.  Both needed God's strength to walk through a new life of handicaps and money problems and disability.  Both needed God's power to forgive and be at peace with the bad choices of that fateful day.

The end result is that Craig DeMartino is a walking testimony to God's power and goodness.  Yes, he is still disabled.  He is almost always in pain, and sometimes it is debilitating.  BUT he has gone on to live a blessed life.  And amazingly, he is back to climbing!  He has become a champion disabled athlete.

This is a great book. 

Oh, and by the way, I got this book free on the Kindle from amazon.com.  It may still be free and if you have a Kindle or Kindle app, I encourage you to get it.



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