Peruse the Kindle on my iPhone and you’ll see a lot of technical reads that support my work as a coach of church leaders. Look a little longer and you’ll discover a wide variety of titles related by the genre of biographies.
Brantt Myhres’ “PainKiller,” Glennon Doyle’s, “Love Warrior,” Eugene Peterson’s, “The Pastor,” Michael Korda’s “The Life and Legend of Robert E. Lee,” Theo Fleury’s “Playing With Fire,” and Vahen King’s, “Going Further” to name a few.
BIOGRAPHIES
Biographies are an easy read. They are made for some of the best summer reading. And there is richness in a biography.
Biographies teach us valuable life lessons.
Biographies inspire readers to believe and achieve.
Biographies help us better understand the past and the values that influenced moments and movements in history.
Biographies are a mirror to envision your self through other people’s character, strengths and weaknesses.
Biographies help us come to grips with our own failures and show us how to bounce back from setbacks. We learn that success isn’t guaranteed and failure isn't fatal.
UNBROKEN
Our eldest son is a high school teacher, a long distance runner, and a lover of books. He’ll tell you that one of his most influential reads, next to the Bible, is Laura Hillenbrand's “Unbroken,” the biography of Louis Zamperini. Louis was an American Olympian. He joined the US Air Force during WWII. His plane was shot down over the Pacific. After horrific weeks adrift in a life raft, he was captured by the Japanese, imprisoned, and singled out for torture because of his Olympic achievements.
At one point, Zamperini was ordered to hold a railway tie over his head on the threat of death if he let it down. He held the tie over his head for hours. His endurance defied imagination. No matter what his captors did to him, he found a way to carry on. He would not be broken.
Cory found inspiration in Zamperini’s story. When he needed inspiration for running endurance races. When he wanted to inspire the athletes he coached. When his own will was flagging, he turned to Zamperini’s example and found his own way forward.
Are you inspired by biographies? What is your favorite life story?
I write to grow hope, inspire people to be real, forge an authentic faith in Jesus, and discover their life purpose.
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Biographies and autobiographies from other lands fascinate me. We often hear news stories but it adds an extra dimension to read how people went through tragedies or historic events.
ReplyDeleteLife is in the details, isn't it? A biography lets you pause and allow another person's experience settle in on you.
DeleteOne of my all time favourite biographies still has to be that of Corrie Ten Boom. Such powerful stories!
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorites as well.
DeleteBob, I couldn't agree more that "Readers are leaders."
ReplyDeleteThe more we read, the more empathy and understanding we gain to win the trust of readers.
Catherine Marshall was the first writer to gain my trust because she shared from her heart in a humble way that won my admiration and respect. She made readers feel less alone in their struggles against their old selves.
Blessings - Wendy Mac 🕊️
Thank you, Wendy. For me it was Isobel Kuhn, "Green Leaves in Drought Time." She wrote about God's call to missions as a teenager. Her writing influenced my thinking on purpose, dating and diligence.
DeleteI love biographies and memoirs. They let us know we're not alone the world and often inspire us to persevere.
ReplyDeleteYou'll have to write and share your own biography.
DeleteBooks have touched my heart since I was a girl. I'm grateful, grateful for the gift of books and being able to read. Biographies and memoirs are some of my favourites. Thanks, Bob.
ReplyDeleteWe share a love for biographies and memoirs. That's all I have ever written. All 4 of my published books are that genre.
DeleteThanks for sharing your love of biographies, Bob. I read missionary biographies as a child, and that in part influenced my desire to be involved in mission work--first as a short-term teacher of missionary kids, and then later as a member of two-week mission teams to various countries.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite missionary bio was of Isobel Kuhn - Green Leaf in Drought Time. Bios do influence our lives. Thank you for commenting Sandi.
ReplyDeleteLove stories that inspire and encourage. Especially those of ordinary people accomplishing extraordinary things. One of the most encouraging things that sparked a new perspective for me was the realization that the ‘heroes’ of the Bible had faults and foibles just like the rest of us. It was long ago but was very much an ‘aha’ moment for me. I keep this in mind when reading biographies.
ReplyDeleteSo true, Sharon. All heroes are ordinary people who rise to an occasion and act in ways even they thought were surprised by.
ReplyDeleteUnbroken was made into a pretty incredible movie as well, Bob. I appreciate biography and memoir so much for the way they show us how other people handle life's trials and challenges. They encourage us to persevere and overcome our own circumstances.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed that movie, Susan. An incredible story. I think about how resolved he was to hold up that rail way tie but when it came time to surrender to Jesus he was able to let go and trust and find new life. I hope his faith was influential on Angelina Jolie.
ReplyDelete