Bart Millard is the lead singer for the Christian group MercyMe. They may be best known for the hit song the book is named after, but I tend to associate them with one of their more recent hits, "Greater." Still, "I Can Only Imagine" managed to hit the charts on secular radio stations as well as Christian ones and that is quite a feat. As the book proclaims, the song took only ten minutes to write but a lifetime to develop.
Bart's father suffered an injury and became an angry, abusive parent. The book tugs at your heart strings when you hear of various episodes of abuse Bart endured. But, it restores your faith as you listen to the story of how God got hold of Bart's father and transformed him into "a man after God's own heart." A terminal illness requiring Bart's constant care drew the father and son together in a way that one would never expect. Bart's story is full of inspiration and wonder.
The group chose its unique name from a phrase Bart's grandmother often uttered and the inspiration for this song came from four words she echoed after Bart's father's funeral. She articulated the wonder the song expresses so well. But, for me, the biggest take-away from this book was the idea that God is busily orchestrating all the pieces of my story for a purpose. He's in the bad, the good, the ugly and He has the power to not only transform our wounds into beautiful battle scars, but to use those very wounds to touch the lives around us. It is my humble prayer that God would use my story, just as He has used Bart Millard's.
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