Mark Stuart’s Losing My Voice to Find It is such a great book! I picked it up a couple weeks ago at Youth Specialties NYWC conference; I actually got to meet Mark at the Interlinc booth and get my copy signed.

I should probably preface this review with the fact that Audio Adrenaline has long been my favorite Christian rock band. I’ve always enjoyed their music; when I was a student at Gordon College in the late 90’s their tour came to my school. I was dirt broke so I volunteered to be one of the security people so I could get in the show. I did my job while All Star United opened, however, there is a slight chance that I forgot about it when Audio Adrenaline hit the stage. I also may have abused my position to sneak backstage and meet the band. If you’re ever in my office, I have a shelf that is dedicated to things that make me love student ministry – 99% of it is gifts from students. The other 1% is a beat up copy of Audio Adrenaline’s “Bloom” cd with all their autographs – I got their signatures that night at Gordon. I’ve seen them other times since, but that night was amazing; they brought it big time. One of my all time favorite concert experiences!

So I’m biased.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I loved discovering how the band came together, the struggles, the process behind the music I’ve listened to for decades. An unexpected bonus was an inside look at the Christian music scene in general; of course their story crossed with the major bands of the 90’s and early 2000’s, and it was fun to see those stories play out.

Reading about Mark’s personal story; the challenges of being a pastor’s kid and missionary kid (something I personally related to), his struggle with confidence, his first marriage’s struggles – and the pressure to hide his imperfections from the Christian community, all of this was both fascinating, gut wrenching, and beautiful to see the thread of God’s hand in his life and calling. To see his frustration with losing his voice and the breakup of the band as a result, to his joy in finding a bigger mission through the Hands and Feet project in Haiti, was beautiful.

The book is so good. I thought it would be a fun exploration of my favorite band’s story, but it’s much more than that. There is a deeper message about our desire for control and the power that comes from letting go and letting God take the lead. You don’t need to a fan of the band to be moved by Stuart’s story. The writing is strong, the book flows well – I couldn’t put it down. It’s definitely worth grabbing, especially if you’ve ever enjoyed Christian rock.