As I write this review, I would
like to give a little background of my connection to David Wilkerson's materials. I became a follower of Jesus (i.e. Saved,
Born-again) in June 1975. Sadly, the
group of people around me did not guide me in the truths of the Bible, but some
time within the first year as a Christian I ended up reading "The Cross
and the Switchblade." It was the
reading of that book that made a huge and lasting impact on my life. It was also from reading that book that I
believe the Lord spoke to my heart, "that is what you are called to do"
(minister to people). It was then that I knew I had a call to ministry. So,
amazingly that book set the course of my life in serving Jesus. Then, in the early 1980's I came across his
newsletter from "World Challenge," which I still receive today. I
have a box full of these short teachings by David Wilkerson.
I also have many of his books, some out of
print, which I treasure knowing they are hard to find today (if not
impossible). As the years went by, I found myself going through some real hard
times spiritually (late 1980's) and found another book, "Have You Felt
Like Giving Up Lately" (still in print) by David Wilkerson. Again, I don't recall how this
book ended up in my hands, but it was most helpful during that trying time in
my life (I have given and recommended this book to many over the years).
Also, in 1987 I was able to visit his new
church, "
Times Square Church" in
Manhattan,
New York. There, again, the Lord touched me in a mighty
way through this then new church. So,
while I have never personally carried on a conversation with David Wilkerson, there
are over 35 years of my life being touched by this ministry and the man of God,
David Wilkerson. I believe my review is
qualified and not just a review with no background into David Wilkerson and his
ministry.
As I excitedly received a pre-release
(from Zondervan) of this book, "David Wilkerson" authored by his son
Gary Wilkerson, I couldn't wait to jump into these pages. I always feel it is good to know the man
behind the scene (so to speak), and over my 35 years of being touched by David
Wilkerson, I really didn't know the man behind this great ministry. As I picked
up this book and stated reading through its pages, I was so excited to learn
more about the man David Wilkerson. It
covers his entire life from his birth to his going home to Jesus. The childhood section was a little dry to me
and it didn't interest me much, but it did give me a good background on his
family and his childhood. The story covers
much of his younger years and middle-aged years in ministry, and also covers
his latter years, but not in as much detail, and then briefly mentions his
death (by car accident). I learned much
about this private "man of God" (a term I don't use loosely) and his
triumphs and his failures. It was good
to see what was going on behind the scenes.
I think we often can idolize people (even ministers), and in reality
they are people just like you and me. Gary
and other family members, as well as friends and fellow ministers who knew him
personally, share in this book and it's not all flattering. They show he was
human just like you and me. He had his own set of fears, failures, and
fame. Usually all we know about is a
man's fame. This book will show all
sides with due respect to this man of God. I feel through this book I have a
clearer understanding of David Wilkerson and saw how one can be used of God,
and what it takes to be a "man of God." One will see many things in this book, but
one that sticks out to me was that he was a man of "prayer." His son
Gary did a great job gathering information from family (especially Don, David's
brother) and from many others who have been involved in his life and ministry
over the years.
I give this book a well deserved
5 stars.
Note: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the words expressed here are my own.
