Skip to main content

Cross Roads


Wm. Paul Young has done it again. Depending on how you felt about his book The Shack, it could very well determine if you are glad it has happened again. His new book, Cross Roads, follows Anthony Spencer through his less than perfect life.

If you liked the playful depictions of God from Young's previous bestseller, you're likely to enjoy this view as well. Some of this felt familiar, but that is far from a complaint. When a good reminder is given, it often is needed to be given again.

You shouldn't fear that this is simply The Shack 2.0, for new characters are introduced in unconventional ways, including an Irishman named Jack, who will feel like a welcome friend to many.

Young does a good job of keeping the story moving, bouncing between several stories. I must admit there was at least one point where the story line felt forced in order to give Young a chance to stand on a soapbox. Readers can be sure that assumptions will be questioned and beliefs challenged. But what else is reading for, if not for an opportunity for growth?

In the end, I was left with a few questions, but I believe that marks a good book, just like a good movie. If I want everything wrapped up neat and tidy, I'll rent a rom-com for my wife. This was a good story with lots of room for thought, both during the read and after the book is done.

I was given this book for free by my good friends at SpeakEasy. They ask me to say something, but don't tell me what to say.

Paul's website
Paul's old blog
Paul on Facebook
Paul on Twitter
Crossroads chat on Amazon


"This is my first novel on purpose." Jim Henderson (of Off-the-Map fame) interviews Paul Young aboutCrossroads

#SpeakeasyCrossroads

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Accountable

I recently officiated a wedding. The ceremony was simple, lovely, and ended with another couple professing to keep the covenant of marriage. But it all started with a clarification...from me. At our first premarital counseling session, as I have done with every couple I have agreed to marry, I clarified a couple of matters. First, I officiate Christian weddings, where both spouses-to-be are professing Christians. I firmly believe that marriage is difficult enough, without adding disagreements about God into the mix. Second, as a minister of Jesus Christ, I believe the pastor’s role in a wedding is to represent the blessing of God on that union. So we have several sessions of premarital counseling where we discuss married life. It’s not that I have this imaginary card in my head, with a picture of me on the front and my stats on the back. (You know, like a baseball card.) Ok, I do picture cards. Pastor cards! And being a competitive guy, I want my stats to look good. The number of coupl

Patience

I am more than halfway through the last year of dropping one of my children off at school. It's my eighth grade daughter, for anyone keeping track of my family.  See, next year she will be at the high school, and her brother will drive her. He says that it's not cool for seniors to drive their freshman sister to school, but I bet it's cooler than being dropped off by your mom in a minivan.  So rather than groan about this daily responsibility, I've been reminiscing about what the drop-off line used to look like, way back in elementary school. Once our children were about halfway through their elementary years, the drop-off line became a test of patience.  Do you know which group you do not want to get caught behind in the parent drop-off line at an elementary school? The kindergartners. These little ones are barely able to walk, but now we put them in the high-pressure situation of trying to unbuckle their seat-belt, grab their backpack (which might be as tall as they a

Jury Duty

I was recently summoned to jury duty. I know, groan. Except I didn't. I had never experienced it before and was curious to see what it was like.   When the day to report arrives, they separate you into groups, asking various questions to decide if you will be selected to serve. Do you know the accused? Do you have conflicts that would keep you from serving? Can you stay focused?  I wanted to answer well, if only because my kids kept wishing me luck the day before, telling me they hoped I made the team. After all, who wants to be rejected? It occurred to me that there are things you probably shouldn’t say right away if you’re wanting to serve on a jury. I know, I know, people don’t typically want to serve on a jury. But that list didn’t seem nearly as humorous to me. Here are the things you probably shouldn’t say if you want to be selected for jury. I hold myself in contempt. You can’t handle the truth. We find the defendant guilty. I believe the judge looks pretty in his robe. I’d