Flight Path: A Biography of Frank Barker Jr. [Paperback]

Mary Lou Davis (Author), Janie Buck (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 26, 2004

A Fighter Pilot, A Pastor, A Founder of Briarwood Presbyterian Church, A Servant of Christ.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

For many years Mary Lou Davis worked with Campus Crusade and now works with Campus Outreach, a student work of Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Alabama.

Product Details

• Paperback: 185 pages
• Publisher: Christian Focus (May 26, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1857929187
• ISBN-13: 978-1857929188
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #677,267 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Biography, August 28, 2006

By 

Tim Challies (Oakville, Ontario) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Flight Path: A Biography of Frank Barker Jr. (Paperback)

A biography is an account of a person's life written by another person. An autobiography is an account of a person's life written by that person. We would assume that a biography would be written in the third-person and an autobiography would be written in the first-person. Through reading hundreds of books, that has been my experience. Or it has been until I read Flight Path, A Biography of Frank Barker Jr.. A biography of Frank Barker written by Janie Buck and Mary Lou Davis, it is written in the first person. In the final chapter the authors explain this innovation: "Writing the life story of Frank Barker has been a process of 'slash and burn.' So much material that could, and probably should, be included was left out. There is no way to record all the great things God has done in and through him. Therefore, I have written about the man and not his voluminous accomplishments. After two years of collecting information and praying, God led me to write as if Frank was telling his own story."

I had never heard of Frank Barker until I read this book. Yet it seems that I probably should have heard of him. Barker founded Briarwood Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Birmingham, Alabama--a megachurch long before America was littered with hundreds of them. It must surely still be one of the few Presbyterian megachurches. As surprising as it is that, what is more surprising is that a man like Frank Barker would be the one to begin and nurture such a church. Born into a believing home, Barker fled from the Lord. He lived hard during his teenage years and eventually joined the Navy, becoming a fighter pilot. He continued his hard living until he was radically saved by the Lord and felt called to the ministry.

In the summer of 1960, Frank Barker agreed to help the Birmingham Presbytery start a church in Cahaba Heights. Just a couple of months later, Briarwood Presbyterian Church was officially chartered. Barker led the church for four decades before retiring near the close of 1999. Flight Path is Barker's story, beginning with his childhood and ending with his post-"retirement" career as a speaker and leader.

John MacArthur says of this book: "The story of Frank Barker is an amazing account of how God uses the faithful and the humble. In a marvelous way Christ sought him, saved him, and made him an effective instrument for the building up of the church. What a remarkable and encouraging legacy!" I was struck as well by the way Christ sought Barker, how He saved him, and how God raised him up to begin such a great work. So often it seems that God chooses the most unlikely people to do great things for Him, whether it be in choosing Moses, who was terrified of public speaking, to be His mouthpiece; choosing Paul, who persecuted the church, to be the one who would relay the theology of the New Testament; or Frank Barker, a man who lived for his own pleasure and satisfaction, to be the man who built a church that God used to save so many.

An interesting book that tells a fascinating life-story, Flight Path was an enjoyable read and one I am glad to recommend.

5.0 out of 5 stars Very inspiring, June 17, 2011

By 

Modern Puritan "Pastor" (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Flight Path: A Biography of Frank Barker Jr. (Paperback)

This book is an account of Barker's conversion experience and ministry, including the planting of Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Alabama. Barker is one of the founders of the Presbyterian Church in America. Book includes a wealth of wisdom for anyone in the pastoral ministry, regardless of church size.

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Inspiring Story, May 17, 2009

By 

Donna T. Taylor (Alabama) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Flight Path: A Biography of Frank Barker Jr. (Paperback)

This book explains what salvation in Jesus Christ is all about and helps you understand what real trust and faith in Him means. I loved the honesty he expressed in telling his testimony.