God Loves Messy People: Finding Hope When Things Go Wrong

I have very mixed feelings about the Christian music scene and some of the people in it. While there are a few artists who I feel are genuine to the core (Rich Mullins, Sara Groves), there are a lot who I would question the motivations and sincerity of. Just as Christians should be on guard like sheep among wolves, they should also be wary of who they listen to and support with their time and dollars.I kept this uppermost in my mind while reading Bonnie Keen's "God Loves Messy People". I'd like to say I read it impartially, but like the Bereans, I felt like I had to test everything to make sure it was sound.What did I find? I found some truly valuable words of wisdom, especially concerning fear and faith. It is clear Ms. Keen has had to deal with these issues, or she would be unable to write about them as she has. Facing issues of fear of my own, I am able to relate to both her feelings and the difficulty we face in putting our faith to work. In this sense, the words ring true.Then there are the sections of the book I loathe. Specifically the chapters where Ms. Keen takes on the personality of a Biblical character (Moses, Martha, the Roman Soldier with great faith, etc.) and describes what "they" saw and felt from a first-person perspective. She takes great liberties in both the historical realities of the people as well as the scriptures. I have always found this practice repulsive, from the many "And I was there" songs popular in Christian circles to this sort of fictional narrative. Conjecture is perfectly acceptable. Making a puppet out of a historical biblical character and putting words to suit my worldview in their mouths? Never.So, I have some hesitation about recommending this book. Why is it necessary to bulk up a book on messy lives by pretending to channel the personalities of biblical characters? The Bible is full of people with messy lives, so much so you could write a book on them alone without once having to take the "first-person" perspective. The testimonies of modern people, from their own mouths, carry much more impact. As I said, there are nuggets of wisdom here; just do not get polluted by the ore.