Tyndale, 2007, 256 pp., $13.99, www.tyndale.com
Beware of dog. That sign on the cover of Greg Stier’s You’re Next is the least of the dangers found in the “outrageous stories” Stier uses to illustrate the book’s 30 chapters, each which confront a core truth of Christianity. Teen guys especially will connect with Stier’s gritty voice.
Stier, founder of Dare2Share Ministries, grew up in a inner-city Denver neighborhood. He tells wild tales from his tough childhood surrounded by a family “filled with bodybuilders, brawlers, and storytellers.” They include his bare-knuckled Ma who took a baseball bat to a deadbeat husband, and gun-toting grandparents who never missed church.
Each study includes The Big Q (the chapter’s key question); Go Figure!, fill-in questions around a specific scripture passage; and You’re Next!, a challenge to respond to the chapter. But it’s the stories that stick with you. Outrageous.
Review by Anita K. Palmer
