God in the Ordinary Parts of Life

This review of GP Taylor: Sin, Salvation, and Shadowmancer, ran in the recent issue of the Covenant Companion, by Daniel deRoulet, a fine writer who teaches at Vanguard University.

The section, I think, really gets to the heart of the book:


In our fifteen-minutes-of-fame society, we put people on pedestals. But
who can’t be perfect for fifteen minutes? And then we find ourselves
disappointed and disillusioned when the sports star, politician, or
even Christian celebrity is only made of dust.

Sin, Salvation and Shadowmancer reminds us of how the whole journey
goes.


Here's the whole thing:


What in the world could be considered “ordinary” about the life of G.P.
Taylor, priest and fantasy writer, policeman and rock-and-roll groupie,
who almost drowned as a child and as an adult was nearly beaten to
death by a mob? The answer is in the way that Taylor and Bob Smietana
collaborate to tell the story, and in the surprising effect on the
reader.

One of the difficulties of reading about the lives of people of faith
is that we tend to encounter a series of highlights—a saint’s “greatest
hits” if you will. We see a condensed life of Jacob, Joseph, or Paul’s
encounters with God, but we don’t see the vast majority of ordinary
time that makes up any human life. Oftentimes when I read Christian
biographies, I am left with the thought that I live too ordinary a
life. This can spur me on to good works, but it can also leave me
feeling a little inadequate.

The beauty of Taylor and Smietana’s presentation of an exemplary
Christian life is that the truly extraordinary moments are always
grounded in the ordinary. At the end of the book, Taylor assesses his
life this way:

“Am I perfect? No. Better than you? No. More valued in God’s sight? No.
I am just a child of Adam in need of God’s love....I still lie, cheat,
murder and fall—every day. I am still bad-tempered, moody and
depressed. But God’s grace picks me up and helps me try to be the man
he created. There is still a long way to go.

“Even in the darkest night of the soul, I am enjoying the journey.”
In our fifteen-minutes-of-fame society, we put people on pedestals. But
who can’t be perfect for fifteen minutes? And then we find ourselves
disappointed and disillusioned when the sports star, politician, or
even Christian celebrity is only made of dust.

Sin, Salvation and Shadowmancer reminds us of how the whole journey
goes. And despite the extraordinary moments of Taylor’s life, I relate
to him as an ordinary brother—someone I understand and am drawn to pray
for.