A Resilient Life

Starred review from December 20, 2004
MacDonald offers sage advice to Christians in middle age and beyond, asserting that the greatest contributions God has for believers come during the second half of life. The prolific author and pastor tells how a high school track coach instilled values that laid the foundations for effective adult living. This wizened man taught the teenage MacDonald principles that have stayed with him for a lifetime: run with vision, look backward only to learn from mistakes, cling to self-discipline while giving distance to self-indulgence and find satisfaction in joining with others to make great things happen. MacDonald (Ordering Your Private World
and The Life God Blesses
) listened well to his mentor and sadly realized that he had inherited a "quitter's gene" from his family. In this book, he characterizes resiliency as being committed to consistently finishing strong. Those who nurture a big-picture view of life, he says, leave the weight of the past behind, discipline themselves to go the distance and run with a "happy few" who best embody the truest expression of lasting friendship. MacDonald's guide to embracing resiliency is especially practical as he describes running the entire life race with gusto, urging fellow Christians to enlarge their minds, harness their emotions and trim their egos. With a passionate yet humble voice, MacDonald's self-help guide is a classic, riveting read.