The Reason by William Sirls

"The Reason" is William Sirls' first book....and it's an amazing read.  After lightning strikes the cross in front of a little country church, some amazing things begin happening to many of the inhabitants of this small Michigan town.  The story weaves around the lives of Pastor Jim, his wife Shirley, their mute son Charlie, their "foster/adopted" daughter Brooke, her son Alex and several of the doctors and nurses at the local hospital, as well as others in the town and, probably the most interesting character of all...the Carpenter.  The main theme of this story is that all things are possible if you will "Only Believe".

It was refreshing to see the characters response to God's call and how they each realized that they are never alone - God is always there.  The way he created each character was wonderful as well - they each had a great depth about them.  I was intrigued by the 'stories' of each of the characters as well and of course my heart sank as little Alex was diagnosed with leukemia -  I've walked alongside many cancer patients, supporting and encouraging them on their journeys and by far the hardest ones are the ones that involve kids...but the interesting thing is, that's where you often find the deepest faith and the greatest life lessons.

Reading about the author, William Sirls' idea for this book came several years before he was sentenced to jail for fraud and money laundering and with this being his first book, a couple of things are very obvious - he's a great writer with amazing ideas, but he's also a man who really understands God's grace, mercy and how lives are drastically changed when they encounter the true, living God.  

I would highly recommend this book.  You'll be moved by it and you'll truly see what can happen when you....'Only Believe'.

Thanks to the people of Booksneeze for the complimentary copy of this book.