Looking for a quick way to bring some encouragement? We have been reviewing God's Mail Volume 3 from God's Mail written by Ron Hardin.
I love to know more about the author, don't you? Ron Hardin has a interesting testimony of having walked away from God during his teenage years - getting involved in desperate activities like drugs, gangs and alcohol. He was reunited to faith by "supernatural experiences" and the "Hand of God". I can relate... my own testimony has similar themes.
Ron began writing poetry to communicate God's truths. Since he began, he has penned over 500 poems. He considers himself a "prophet and voice for God to his people". Pretty large assignment...don't you agree.
God's Mail Volume 3 is a large 8x11, softcover book. It contains 221 pages of original poetry combined with pages of Scripture references for each poem.
It is lightly illustrated with back and white faded images behind the poems and Scripture. Personally, I found it harder to read because of this. I would suggest a different style altogether that doesn't make the text hard to read.
The format is the same throughout the book. A poem on one page - Scripture on the other. You could use this as a devotional to guide you to Scripture. The Scripture is quoted in a variety of versions. I actually enjoy this - reading familiar passages in new translations often gives me new insight.
Reading just a poem or two a day could be a great way to spark discussions with your family. Many of the poems deal with issues that would be more appropriate for adults (or late teens) than for children. So this is decidedly for them.
Overall, my teens were not impressed with the poetry. They found many of the poems confusing and hard to follow the meaning. It seems quite forced at time, and we found many grammatical errors. It could definitely use another proofreading.
Ron shares his messages with rhyming couplet poetry. Not the most "academic" approach, but I like the pure honesty he expresses. His poetry covers a variety of experiences that Christians in our modern world are facing or will be facing. Topics like trust, abortion, divorce, recovery, forgiveness and many more. I'm not sure who the target audience is...probably not the average home school family.
Overall, I'm not sure that this is a book I would highly recommend - it's not quite my style. However, it may appeal to some. The beginning has a long list of endorsements from people that appreciate this style. You'll want to make up your own mind.
I pray that each of us will use our gifts to glorify the Lord - that's what Ron Hardin trying to do.
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