Recommended Reads… 7 Men And the Secret of Their Greatness

Anyone reading this book must wonder why I chose these seven men. Of course this is not a definitive list… There are many, many more whom I would have liked to include and whom I hope to include in future volumes. But in this first volume I was looking for seven men who had all evinced one particular quality: that of surrendering themselves to a higher purpose, of giving something away that they might have kept. All of them did this in one way or another. Doing this is noble and admirable, and it takes courage and it usually takes faith. Each of the seven men in this book have that quality. Eric Metaxas 7 Men And the Secret of Their Greatness

7 Men And the Secret of Their Greatness by Eric Metaxas

After I finished reading Metaxas’ last book, Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy, I decided to read through his next book 7 Men as well. I must say that I enjoyed this one too. I really liked the concept of the book, 7 mini biographies that can be read in any order but still have an overlying theme that can be drawn from each story of these 7 men. It is almost equivalent to reading 7 books in one.

The 7 men listed are:

	George Washington (1732-1799) He voluntarily gave up extraordinary power for the best interest of a new nation. If he had not done this, the country may not have lasted very long. If you live in the United States, his decision has directly affected you.
	William Wilberforce (1759-1833) He gave up the opportunity to become prime minister of England for the sake of abolishing the slave trade, changing the way we think about helping others. This man’s conversion to the Christian faith changed him forever.
	Eric Liddell (1902-1945) He gave up the acclaim of becoming an Olympic Gold Medalist in his signature event because of his Christian faith but that is only half the story.
	Dietrich Bonheoffer (1906-1945) He courageously defied the Nazi regime, ultimately giving up his life for what he believed God had called him to do, inspiring countless numbers of others to stand up for what is right.
	Jackie Robinson (1919-1972) He was chosen to be the man to break the existing color barrier in professional baseball. With faith in God, he gave up his right to fight back against racial ridicule for the benefit of those who would one day follow in his footsteps.
	Karol Wojtyla, Pope John Paul II (1920-2005) He surrendered his entire life to the ministry. He was a picture of courage and heroic consistency to a secular world.
	Chuck Colson (1931-2012) He began his life as a ruthlessly ambitious lawyer that eventually ended up in the White House. When the scandal of Watergate broke however, his world came crashing down. His new found faith in God during that time though set him on a new path into ministry.

From Washington to Coulson you will learn things that you may have never known before, I know I did. This book will keep you engaged and may give you inspiration to do something great. It should all start though with direction from God.

I believe I got the most out of Coulson’s story. He was a man consumed by pride and politics only to have it stripped away, exposing a weak man in need of a Savior. Sometimes we have to be broken before we can be healed by the One who created us for His will and purpose.

This book is again, like his other books, well researched and well written. I hope he is able to continue this format because it definitely works well in my opinion. This is a solid piece and merits additional volumes. On a side note, this would also make a great gift someone else, especially a father. These men are great examples of leaving a lasting legacy. Even though the Pope and I see things a little differently theologically in some areas…