Customer Reviews

The Wind in the Wheat a Novel

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

 

 

This is a rare work of art in the modern American church: it's honest. It's a must-read for anyone entering the ministry and who seeks to live in true holiness. Holiness doesn't present itself as holy. It just is holy. It doesn't draw attention to itself. This work shows us the shame of trying to live an image of holiness instead of being holy. How to deal with our superficial faith. It's a work about God saying 'no' instead of being a short order cook always supplying us with what we consider to be the best of everything. Obviously, it's sobering. It's also enjoyable and hardly as critical or mean as this review sounds. Although there's alot of music industry info, the plot itself is compelling and the ending is rewarding and packs quite a twist! Happy reading, all.

Arvin does just an incredible job of writing a book that is solid from a literary standpoint but which also tackles a serious message in a very effective manner. Andrew Miracle has been given a musical gift from God. A visiting manager hears him perform and in a flash Andrew is signed out of obscurity to a major label and thrust into a whirlwind world that is totally foreign to him. Everything that was once important and clear to him is now hazy and hard questions arise. What is at the core of Christian music? What are its values? Is it a business? Is it a ministry? Is there such a thing as the "business of ministry?" As his star begins its rapid ascent, Andrew must face these questions head on and make some hard choices that are all too relevant to today's music scene. If you are a fan of CCM at all, or especially if you think you will be involved with CCM professionally, you really should pick up this book. It has a serious message, but it's not heavy-handed. It is fair, but bluntly honest. It will force you to re-examine how you view the music you are buying, your attitudes towards many aspects of the scene, and especially how you as a fan look at the artists you listen to. Read this along with Charlie Peacock's At the Crossroads. Five Stars.

This book takes a hard look at the music industry flying under the Christian flag. It shows a young man's struggle to keep his Christianity as he slowly watches it slide between his fingers, as everybody around him tells him it's "o.k." I enjoyed this book throughly, espcially from the marketing standpoint. It's very authentic and real to the struggles in trying to keep your trueself while everything around you is fabricated. A good read for anyone who questions where their spiritual gifts lie and how they should use them. I felt like I lost a good friend when I finished this book.

Reed Arvin portrays the struggle and perseverance of a talented, Christian artist to stand by his faith and love for the Lord, Jesus Christ. The choice of a humble Christian stewardship is hard to follow, when the applause of enthusiastic crowds and the fanfare of fame and fortune surround this young, aspiring musician.

I often questioned where I belonged in the vast spectrum of Christian Music and had the pleasure of meeting Reed Arvin at a seminar sponsored by the GMA. That is where I picked up this book. Mr. Arvin was open and honest in his seminars and his book helped me gain a better understanding as to where I belong. Thank you Reed.

Way back when, I learned of Reed Arvin. I actually never knew that he worked with Rich Mullins and played keyboard for Amy Grant.

But wouldn't you know it, the book I learned about was "The Will," not this book. And to boot, "The Will" was featured in a Christian Book Distributor catalogue. "The Wind in the Wheat" never was. But it was his debut, and it was a CBA release, and it was his only CBA release. After that, he parted ways with Thomas Nelson Publishers, and he stayed true to himself, moving onto ABA fiction and a different publisher altogether. With Thomas Nelson being on the shrewd side themselves anyway, they probably didn't like that too much, but oh well! This was Reed Arvin's debut.

Andrew Miracle is an unusual name, but in Rose Hill, Kansas, had quite the talent and ministry for his musical talents. And in his bed one night, he heard a Voice saying that he was Andrew, and that he was love. Oh, Andrew had an amazing talent when he played the piano, and his church was blessed to hear him play, and they were ministered to. The rest home loved hearing his musical melodies, and they even had requests for him.

But then one day, John van Grimes came into town. And upon hearing Andrew play, he was determined to make this young country boy the next big thing for the Christian music industry. It could be a ministry, yes. But it was also a business, where you play by the rules that are presented to you. So while Andrew finds success, he finds himself listening to what the big-shots want, and pushing God's voice away. But deep down inside, he knows he still has a message. And he knows what he has to do.

This just might be as obvious as it gets. You can probably see everything coming a mile away. But for me, that was ok. For me, it almost begged a question. I almost wonder if this was Reed Arvin's story as far as being a storyteller, and putting up with Thomas Nelson. You see, Reed Arvin left CBA for ABA, and there was a reason behind that. And despite the disapproval people might have had with him putting out mainstream work for a secular company, it was still quite obvious to me that Reed Arvin always had God in mind. But he doesn't owe me an explanation. All I wish is that he'd come out with a new title in the near future. I really do. Because I loved "The Wind in the Wheat," I loved "The Will," I loved "The Last Goodbye," and I loved "Blood of Angels." This might be a long review, but in short, I really miss the work of Reed Arvin. I hope to see his work again someday.

As a Christian (a disciple of Jesus) and as an Artist (someone who was designed to make and/or do something creative), one is presented with some very unique challenges. Jesus called us to be in the world, but we are not of the world. It is a fine line to walk and can only be done through temperance (which is balance). Reed Arvin should know a lot about temperance because for several years he was a musician and producer of Contemporary Christian Music. Arvin eventually left the CCM arena and became a writer. THE WIND IN THE WHEAT is, I believe, his first novel.

THE WIND IN THE WHEAT revolves around an extremely talented and gifted musician named Andrew Miracle. Miracle is a young Kansas farmer who works in the fields once owned by his father. His father is deceased and Andrew is attempting to save the farm for his mother. Andrew enjoys working in the fields and often hears the God speaking to him through the wind in the wheat. But, Andrew isn't like other people his age. Andrew doesn't have many close friends because most of the people Andrew's age are more concerned with drinking, cussing, etc. Andrew tries to hang around them, but he almost always ends up "preaching" to them. He doesn't do out of arrogance, but out of love. His peers don't understand this.

One night Andrew hears God. The voice is still and quiet and all it says is, "Andrew, you are love." Andrew doesn't know what to make of the message and wrestles with it for several days. Not long after a touring ministry group enters the town, the manager of the group meets with Andrew and offers him an opportunity to fly to Nashville to join the group. Andrew believes this might be why God was speaking to him and agrees. What starts out as the possibility of Andrew joining a touring musical ministry group turns into Andrew becoming the latest Christian and pop music sensation. Andrew skyrockets through both the CCM and pop charts and becomes an overnight superstar. Yet, Andrew senses something is missing. Andrew has to discover for himself how to reach the largest and best possible audience but without losing sight of his ministry.

THE WIND IN THE WHEAT does an excellent job of presenting some of the struggles that Christian artists, particularly Christian musicians, have to go through. It gives a behind the scenes look at some of the workings of the industry which many probably aren't familiar with at all. The novel is also a love story between Andrew and Carolyn, the woman he first meets in Nashville and whom he falls in love with. In short, this is a great novel about faith and the struggle to find temperance in the creative life.

I must admit that I am conflicted about this book. On one hand, Reed Arvin is a gifted writer whose background and experience in CCM qualifies him to write this book and provide the "insight" noted by Rich Mullins on the cover. On the other, it also follows a fairly predictable path which can be painfully slow at times, and somewhat forced at other times. Reed needed to make Andrew Miracle really struggle with his fame and the chaos caused by it, to be sure, but much of the transition from humble, lovable country boy to the prima donna who was rude to the crew and thoughtless of his girlfriend was done "off camera," so to speak. We were given an overview of some passage of time, and all of a sudden his relationship with Carolyn was diminishing along with his Christian testimony. Again, Andrew Miracle needed to go through this transition for the story's overall plot, but too much of it was simply told rather than shown. The novel would have been both more interesting and more authentic with a greater focus on this vital characterization.

The ending was disappointing. Generally speaking, despite its overall positive message told through Andrew's journey, which has been detailed well in prior reviews, it shows how absolutely nothing in CCM or mainstream culture was even touched by Andrew Miracle's actions and grande finale on the Rosenberg Show. I wasn't expecting Andrew Miracle to be the Martin Luther of CCM, but clearly *nothing* changed. Now I've been around CCM long enough to know that they're not all ministers, nor are they all that talented. For every Phil Keaggy, who is a world class guitar virtuoso, you have hundreds of CCM artists who are only capable at best. I've also met CCM artists who I wish I never met. I've even gotten to know siblings and children of some CCM stars, and those experiences have tarnished my view of CCM as well. It's not that I am expecting the CCM artist (or his family) to be a "Super Christian," per se, but they failed to live up to the basic expectations that anyone would have of *any* Christian. Naturally, I will not name any names.

Lastly, the Rosenberg Show appearance failed to live up to its hype and, in a sense, reality. Rosenberg was portrayed to be a combination of Johnny Carson and David Letterman, both of whom are master interviewers who have encountered numerous awkward situations that they were able to play out for a laugh or to capture a rare moment of sincerity on television. Andrew Miracle's decision to mention Jesus was described like someone dropping the "F-Bomb" on TV. Really? Bono mentions Jesus quite often in TV interviews, National Prayer Breakfasts, on stage, and at meetings with world leaders to discuss his ministry in Africa (AIDS and Third World Debt Relief). Carrie Underwood had a HUGE hit with "Jesus" in her song title and mentioned throughout the song. Bono and Carrie Underwood have not been banished from popular culture because of it, but embraced!

If anything, Reed may have served the story better by having him return to the farm as described, but then find out that his interview, although not well received or appreciated by Rosenberg, was very well received by many in Rosenberg's nationwide audience. Christians have a way of embracing and supporting public figures who are very upfront about their faith. Look at how Tim Tebow is revered and adored by so many people in an otherwise divided/partisan sport. Typically, unless you're a fan of a school's program, you don't follow or cheer for another school's star. Yet, college football fans around the nation, both serious and casual, have supported and rooted for Tim Tebow. His Super Bowl ad was endorsed and support by millions of Christians, even those who never watched him play! It's extremely realistic to think that there would be a groundswell of support for Andrew Miracle following his appearance on the Rosenberg show. Consequently, the book's ending came off as cynical and jaded, rather than inspirational. Naturally, and unfortunately, the record labels and agents in CCM are out for the buck often times more than the Gospel, and there's no reason to suggest that this still wouldn't be the case following Andrew's appearance on Rosenberg's show; but to suggest that all 17 million people who watched the show wouldn't be effected by Andrew's testimony is a bit much. Andrew could have easily followed in Rich Mullins's footsteps by being true to his music ministry in CCM while also leaving Nashville to live in Kansas. Rich Mullins is proof that Andrew Miracle could have stayed in Kansas and still had his music ministry.