Death By Living by N.D. Wilson - REVIEWED

About the Book:  (from Thomas Nelson)

A poetic portrait of faith, futility, and the joy of this mortal life.

In this astoundingly unique book, bestselling author N.D. Wilson reminds each of us that to truly live we must recognize that we are dying. Every second we create more of our past—more decisions, more breathing, more love and more loathing, all of it slides by into the gone as we race to grab at more moments, at more memories made and already fading.

We are all authors, creators of our own pasts, of the books that will be our lives. We stare at the future or obsess about the present, but only the past has been set in stone, and we are the ones setting it. When we race across the wet concrete of time without purpose, without goals, without laughter and love and sacrifice, then we fail in our mortal moment. We race toward our inevitable ends without artistry and without beauty. 

All of us must pause and breathe. See the past, see your life as the fruit of providence and thousands of personal narratives. What led to you? You did not choose where to set your feet in time. You choose where to set them next.

Then, we must see the future, not just to stare into the fog of distant years but to see the crystal choices as they race toward us in this sharp foreground we call the present. We stand in the now.  God says create. Live. Choose. Shape the past. Etch your life in stone, and what you make will be forever. 

My Thoughts:

 “Take up your life and follow Him.  Face trouble. Pursue it.  Climb it.  Smile at its roar like a tree planted by cool water even when your branches groan, when your golden leaves are stripped and the frost bites deep, every when your grip on this earth is torn loose and you fall among mourning saplings.” (p. 83)

“Don’t resent the moments simply because they cannot be frozen.  Taste them. Savor them.  Give thanks for that daily bread.  Manna doesn’t keep overnight.  More will come in the morning.” 

(p. 107)

Death by Living is prose at its finest and life recorded in its sweetest and most painful moments.  It’s like nothing I’ve ever read.  It’s bold, blunt, funny and tragic.  It’s poignant, philosophical and spiritually challenging.  It is a book to be read and savored.  Not to be rushed. To be experienced.

This is a book written by someone who paints word pictures with clarity and emotional impact. If you take the time to ponder and consider the truth of this book, you will better understand how much you are loved and cherished by your Creator.  A beautiful book!! Thank you N.D. Wilson!

About the Author:

N. D. Wilson is the author of Leepike Ridge, a children's adventure story, and 100 Cupboards, the first installment in a multi-world fantasy series. He enjoys high winds, milk, and night-time. He received his Masters degree from Saint John's College in Annapolis, Maryland, is the managing editor of Credenda/Agenda magazine and is also a Fellow of Literature at New Saint Andrews College. His writing has appeared in Books & Culture, The Chattahoochee Review, and Esquire