This beautiful hardback book of approximately 225 pages is written by Toby Mac, one of my favorite contemporary Christian artists and songwriters. Reading this book has given me a glimpse of the heart of this man, and it is beautiful. This book is a collection of stories of people who have put feet to their Christian convictions and reached out to their world for Christ.

Some of the stories are simple ones, like the girl who didn't retaliate against an aggressor in her school, and that simple act of restraint led to the bully later accepting Christ. Some are stories we are already familiar with, like the story of Michael Oher (made famous by the movie The Blind Side) and the story of Michele Perry, a missionary in Africa whose book I recently reviewed for Bethany House. Some are stories from history, such as the story of St. Patrick and a story about the Welsh revival. There is the story of a little girl with cancer who raised money for cancer research to help other sick children. There is the story of Daniel Nash, who provided prayer coverage for Charles Finney's revivals in the early 1800s. There are more stories of famous preachers of the past, such as John and Charles Wesley and Charles Spurgeon, and the familiar story of William Wilberforce as well as some current ministers. There are stories of people who were in foreign lands and saw a need and went about finding ways to meet the need. Like the song by Toby Mac, "City on Our Knees," these stories inspire us to see that change can come as the result of one person stepping out and doing what they can do.

This would be a great read for the homeschooled teen, the homeschool parent, and indeed anyone who wants to take a short break and be inspired.

Product review by Christine Hindle, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, December 2010