I heard Mike Cope present one of his lessons on Megan’s Secrets while at the Pepperdine lectures and I knew right away that I needed a copy of this book. I didn’t get one while I was there and regretted not buying it. But then a few weeks ago I got an opportunity to get a copy to review here on the blog and I am very glad that I did. This book is about lesson’s Mike learned from his mentally disabled daughter over the short years of her life. He says she was the greatest teacher about life and God that he ever had. The stories in this book are touching…Missy and I started reading this book together and we didn’t make it 20 pages before the tears started. Around page 20 Mike tells the story of his daughter’s death. He tells how he sang over her the words to her favorite song, The Lord’s Army, and then how he recited “The Lord bless you and keep you…” over her. Now the Lord’s Army was especially appropriate because like the song says there are many things she just wouldn’t be able to do in life but that in her passing she was a full fledged member of the Lord’s army…what a wonderful blessing. Now the blessing was especially moving to Missy and I as we have started saying blessings over Jonah at various times during the day. The one we use just about exclusively is the Lord bless you and keep you. As I read those words and looked at Missy I could see she had already been crying. She was looking over my shoulder as I read aloud and saw it coming before I got to it. This is just one of many examples from this book that will impact you for the better. This book will move you and help you understand life’s obstacles a little better.
What is also great about this book is that Mike does more than tell touching stories. Now, the book is driven by story and especially stories about his little girl. But what makes the whole book fit together is how Mike takes those stories and interweaves them with the story of scripture, the teachings of Jesus, and other biblical principles to teach the rest of us things that he could only learn through experience. I had a man come by the church office today who was really in bad shape. He was nearly homeless, broke, on many medications. But he had hope and peace and told me how much God had done for him. He said he doesn’t worry and that he had learned how to trust God both from the scriptures and from experience. Mike combines both of those as well to help us learn about everything from patience to trust to hope to what true strength really looks like.
Thanks Mike for writing such a touching and inspirational book. I look forward to reading the rest of it.
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