Customer Reviews

Refined in the Furnace of Affliction

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Refined in the Furnace of Affliction by John McCulloch is the story of the McCulloch family's rising above adversity and tragedy in their lives. John McCulloch fell in love with a nurse and the two married while he was still in the Navy. Upon the birth of their first child Johnny, John received a telegram where he was stationed in Guam with word that the baby had been injured during the delivery and might not survive. This is just the first of many troubles the McCulloch family faces. John works as a forest ranger in different areas throughout the West as they raise their four children, and faith is the foundation of every aspect of their lives, giving them the strength to face whatever came their way. McCulloch is not a professional writer, so it's not fair to judge his writing style the way I would other authors, but his writing is very conversational and his faith overflows on every page. This is the kind of book that everyone wishes that their grandfather would write. It's the story of his life, how he fell in love with his wife, funny stories about friends and family, the life-changing events that make up the history of the McCulloch family. I'm sure it will be treasured by his friends and family, but it also has a message of hope and trusting in God for everyone.

This book is a memoir of John Mc Culloch that focuses on his son who was born with a rare condition called hydrocephalus. The book gives background information on his tour with the Navy during this time period. All the while, his son became sicker and sicker. His son Johnny had to have surgery and it would last for a little while and then he would become sicker again. One of the surgeries, they had to put a shunt into his sons kidney cavity. The hydrocephalus problem went away but blindness took over.
The book follows John from his "release from active duty" and into the U.S. Forest Service. During this time, John went back to school. John and his wife Sylvia had three other children after the birth of Johnny. He and his wife become active with other people of the community. Some of the people helped John and introduced him to Jesus Christ. This is carried over to the rest of the family and John further expanded his relationship with God.
I like that the author gets more involved with the church and how it helps him to deal with the trials and tribulations in dealing with his son. I can see how the other children were affected by this and how his son Bruce took it hardest. I am pleased that Bruce was able to get thru that time period and turn out o.k. I can only imagine going thru what John and his family endured. This book is not a quick read and I found myself having to set it down for a bit. It is hard to digest what he went thru and as a 911 Operator, I have heard my share of horror stories and sometimes it is hard to hear when bad things happen to people .This book really makes you consider to think twice if you are having a bad day. In spite all this, I am glad that it seemed to make John stronger.
After reading about Johnny's accident, it really made me value life and how precious it is. For the Author to go through what he and his family went thru is amazing. In spite of it all, John does not hold any bad feelings and does not lose sight of his faith and religion. The power of prayer is so great and I am grateful that John and his family were able to get thru this.
In conclusion, I highly recommend this book. It is an excellent Religious biography and is well written. I urge all people young and old to read this book. Thank you for letting me be a part of this!

Refined in the Furnace of Affliction is the personal memoir, by John McCulloch. the book is supposed to be about one family's struggle to overcome obstacles of their child suffering from an accident that leaves him blind. The books claim is "Unforeseen tragedies lead to a more meaningful life".

So I thought that the book would be about the various trials and tribulations of a family trying to deal with the disability of their son through faith in God. I found that this was not the case. The beginning of the book is several broken moment after another, with disconnecting themes. Mr. McCulloch talks about his experiences in the military and his moving from one park to another.

Then towards the end Mr. McCulloch makes a personal judgment about homosexuality and how we allow such things to take place. How can the author write tolerance, redemption and grace but his tolerance and acceptance is very short. While throughout the book the family seemed very giving, and very generous, but the final expressions of intolerance crackeded that view.

Missy

I loved John McCulloch first book Refined in the Furnace of Affliction.
I have known John and his family for over 30 years, and I'm also a member of the same church. John is a walking and breathing testimony. His life is a witness of the Lord's grace in the trails of life. He faithfully keeps walking with the Lord no matter what he is going through, he never waivers or complains against the Lord. His faith has truly been tested and proven, his faith & life is as pure as gold. I really enjoyed reading his book I cried
laughed, and learned even more about my good friend. I believe John McCulloch has more to tell and this is just the tip of the iceberg. --Claudia LeCoure, (Vicki's sister)Belgrade, MT

It is clear from the title, that affliction is going to be a part of John McCulloch's life. From the beginning chapter, he leads us along his journey of his first son's birth. John's son, Johnny, is born while he's away in the Philippines so he has only a distressing message to tell him something is wrong. Already at that moment in a narrative, we are hooked. We need to know what happened to Johnny. Especially knowing this is a work of non-fiction, we are drawn into John McCulloch's world and begin to hear the news he heard and experience the difficulties with him. The tempting question to ask is, "Why?" From the man who knows these strong emotions, we get to feel it with him; frustration, insecurity, sadness, disappointment, loneliness, helplessness, and on.......
Then in Chapter 5, John starts to make sense of it all and dedicates his life, money, family, job, etc. to Jesus Christ. He had "... a strange feeling of complete lack of control for a moment, and then a warm feeling of peace..." (pg.45) After this point, already knowing John and Sylvia, and their children, we are sure that he's making the right decision and we want again to know, "What will happen now?" Despite this comfort, the afflictions keep coming.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book! It is a very engaging story. It is written at a level which anyone over the age of 10 can understand (thus the speed with which I read it, in one sitting). The overall message is positive despite the harsh realities. The message of this biography is that sufferings can be converted into joy.

This was a very good read. I found myself relating to many of the stories as he walked through his life experiances. I did enjoy it very much. Thank you John McCulloh for a good book.
Keep up the good work.
Jerry Honkanen

Refiner's Fire

Refined in the Furnace of Affliction is the story John McCulloch's son, John, who suffers an injury at birth that results in blindness and another later on in life that confines John to a nursing home for the rest of his life.

"Father" John takes through the trials that he and his family (he and his wife were to have three other children) lived through and overcame, and shows us that it is possible to find the positives in every situation.

I'm sure you will enjoy this candidate look into this family's life.

John's emotions jumped to joyous excitement as he read the telegram, "You are the father of a baby boy..." his heart skipped a beat as he continued "...however, there is something wrong and he is not expected to live. Please come home immediately."

John McCulloch has written "Refined in the Furnace of Affliction" to encourage readers who are going through trials to put their trust in God. The book is an autobiographical memoir demonstrating how devastating heart breaking afflictions can be turned around to produce positive character and faith building experiences.

Baby Johnny sustained a head injury at birth. Within months it was discovered that he had hydrocephalus. Johnny was taken to the University of California Medical School in San Francisco, where Dr. John Adams, neurosurgeon, performed surgery to absorb the pressure causing the problem.

A few months later Johnny was sick again. After two more surgeries the Hydrocephalus problem was resolved, however, the pressure had damaged his optic nerve. Johnny was legally blind before he was two years old.

I found John's story particularly interesting as I identified with parallels in my own life as John relates his family experiences and service in the Navy in the 1950s. He tells of his college years at the University of Montana with a major in foresting, of summer jobs in the forestry service, and details of the arrival of each the four children, Johnny, Bryan, Bruce, and Beverly. I also enjoyed the family photo album included at the end of the book.

John shares stories of his spiritual journey as he relates the trials of Johnny's early schooling and of his successes in high school. He relates the interaction of the other siblings and the impact Johnny's blindness had on their emotional and spiritual development.

As Bryan, Bruce, and Beverly moved into their early adult years, Johnny, at age 28, was stuck by a car and thrown 60 feet. This resulted in a traumatic brain injury. Johnny has been confined to nursing care facilities since his accident.

In early March of 2000, it was discovered that Sylvia was a victim of Lou Gehrig's disease. Church and family members rallied around, John, and Sylvia offering comfort and support. In April the following year Sylvia went to be with the Lord.

McCulloch writes with conviction and openness, conveys a love for his family, with a positive message of a living Christ, sustaining and strengthening us in our every need.

"Refined in the Furnace of Affliction" is the story of how one family met and faced their suffering, difficulty, and hardships. It is a story of faith being tested, perseverance being developed, and trust being strengthened.

I felt like I was having "coffee" with John as he writes in a very "conversational way". It made it all the more fun for me to read recognizing names of people and places I knew!!

On a spiritual level, it was a great reminder of God's faithfulness and that life is precious... I came away from it with a great sense of gratitude. So thank you.

I am the author's nephew, and I can attest to the strength of character and the persistent faith in Christ exemplified in this book. John has a strong gift of prayer. Because of his strong faith, and because he lives his life biblically, his prayers are very powerful. When I was a little boy, Uncle John came to our house whenever I got sick to pray over me physically. He could have prayed from his home, but he drove over to do it in my presence. I always knew that once Uncle John came over and prayed, it would not be long before I got well. I highly recommend that you read this book, and take his advice, because I can attest that his life has been lived exactly as he discusses in this book. I don't think I have ever met anyone that is as consistently faithful as Uncle John.