Book Review - Soul Print

I just finished reading Soul Print, written by Mark Batterson. I've heard wonderful things about all of his books, but had only read In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day prior to picking up his latest. Like In a Pit, I found Soul Print to be an easy read, full of biblical truth, anecdotal stories that keep the text personal and engaging, as well as a challenge for life application.

In the book, Batterson tries to point the reader towards understanding and embracing his identity in Christ. He uses five well known accounts from the life of David to show how memories and experiences (both positive and negative), integrity (or lack thereof), embarrassment and sin shape who we are and affect our souls. At first, I wondered how he would be able to share these truths without leaving a dismally hopeless feeling within the reader - as we all have skeletons in the closet we'd prefer to forget about. The good news that Batterson constantly reminds us of, however, is that God is in the business of redemption, and he can use each and every aspect of our lives to draw us to himself. He can and does redeem our past in order build a hopeful future and receive glory.

I found a great deal of truth in Batterson's book and kept a highlighter in hand to mark sections I know I'll want to reference again. Mark does an excellent job intertwining the stories of David with his own, and he brings new light on stories that have been told numerous times. I loved the chapters Holy Confidence and Lifesymbols where he shared the importance of remembering what God has done in the past when we look at our present and future obstacles. Like a manna jar for the Israelites who God led through the desert, and like the armor of Goliath that David kept in his tent, we should put reminders in our presence so that we don't forget God's faithfulness. I also appreciated the chapters Crags of the Wild Goats and Alter Ego, where he encouraged the reader to live with integrity and for an audience of One, rather than to seek the love of men and their approval. It is a high and difficult calling, and Batterson tells of his own failures in this area, which, to me, increases his credibility.

I greatly enjoyed Soul Print and will likely pick up another Batterson book sometime soon.

I received this book for free from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.