Customer Reviews

Learning My Name

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

So what name do you think God calls you when He's talking to you? Is it "My Child" or "Beloved" or something in a similar vein? What about "asshole," "loser," or "hopeless?" Does the Creator of the universe look at you and think "Wow, what was I THINKING when I made this creature?"

Pete Gall's second offering takes a different track than "My Beautiful Idol," looking at the events that shaped Gall into who he is and what he believes about God. Despite this change in focus, "Learning My Name" is no less brutally honest than what Gall revealed in his first book. There is no corner too dark for Gall to shine the light of truth and honesty into, and in doing so he opens the door for his reader to shine that same light on our own lives.

I recommend this book to both Christians and seekers, but also to anyone who suffers from an addiction of some type or knows someone who does. Gall refers frequently to his battle with over-eating and the causes that led him into it, but this isn't just an "addiction" book. Instead, as the title suggests, Gall talks about how this addiction and the events of his childhood led him to believe certain things about himself, to believe the titles that friends and family gave him, and ultimately about finding out his true identity from the Lord Himself.

Light on theology but heavily laden with what a relationship with the Creator looks, sounds, tastes and feels like, I highly recommend "Learning My Name" to Christian and seeker alike. 5 stars!

I liked Pete Gall's first book, the memoir entitled My Beautiful Idol enough to write and tell him so. His funny, messy journey from his job in the advertising industry to world-changer bound to set the world on fire to burned-out ex-superhero was well-written and honest. Gall is back with the next chapter of his story-in-progress: Learning My Name (Zondervan).

Story-in-progress most definitely captures the feel of this book. It does not have a neat resolution featuring the five alliterative steps he took to get fixed. Instead, Gall's quest for emotional, physical and spiritual health form the narrative of this extremely personal, confessional memoir. Gall is battling obesity, and he begins the journey toward wholeness as he faces down the why of his condition.

His father's introduction at the beginning of the book brought me to tears. It alone is worth the price of the book.

This was not an easy book to read. Part of me wanted to walk away from the book, to cover Gall somehow - the confessions are so intimate and his wounds so raw that I found myself worried for the very public way in which he is processing his pain in real time. The other part of me, however, felt welcomed into the naked mess of his story. I am broken, too.

Gall is not certain whether his story will have a happy ending. He hopes so, but that hope is not the Braveheart triumphalistic kind of hope that we tend to see in Christian books. It's small and uncertain, and it's a costly kind of offering that actually looks more like true worship than a lot of the bombast that passes for it in other circles.

If you or someone you know is battling an addiction or facing down their own brokenness, this book might be a helpful companion. Even without the certainty of a happy ending.

Or maybe, especially because of it.

First bought Gall's first book (My Beautiful Idol) used on Amazon and loved it. The author has a very unique storytelling style that made it easy to get into his life. Learning My Name has that same feel, only better! Clearly Gall is improving his craft and abilities but what I loved about this book is how he approached the relationship with his dad. I could not only relate to his perspective and questions regarding that relationship, and all the baggage that comes with being on the planet for 30+ years (how old is Pete?), but how God gives us such a clear path to loving our fathers (and being loved by them) through the storm. Overall, I loved the book for many reasons and expect we'll see lots more from Pete. If this is an example of how far he's come, I think God will continue to keep Pete busy.

This is one man's personal story of encountering God and realizing God loves him, no matter how poorly Gall views himself. I understand the point, but thought the writing was pretty bad, overall. In attempting to be a poetic writer (and succeeding in being an apoetic writer), Gall ignores most every biblical basis for his thoughts/beliefs. Just one example: in describing God's desire for intimacy with us, Gall writes that God desperately wants to run his little finger down our chest like a lover. Nevermind the fact the Bible never uses Erotic love to describe God's love for us (unless you are one of those folks who believes Song of Solomon is only about us and God rather than a description of how our relationships with others ought to be). There are many other books that do a better job of describing the father heart of God. Try one of them out.