One Holy Fire: Let the Spirit Ignite Your Soul

I came to this book about a month after reading Run Baby Run, the classic insirational story of the authour's early life and conversion to Christianity. The publishers clearly intended to capitalise on this association and the cover of the two books are very similair.
Unforunatey this book has none of the narrative flow or charm of Run Bay Run.
To be frank; this book is a mess.
Having finished it and reflected on it for some time I still haven't got a clue what it's supposed to be about. The title and back cover claim that it's a statement about God's Holy Spirit. But as a reader I felt this book was a directionless collection of anecdotes. The stories Nicky Cruz tells here span the decades he has been involved in Christian ministry but aren't related in any kind of order, either thematically or chronologically. Each chapter felt to me like a free association exercise.

I don't wish to be disrespectful to Nicky Cruz, or the organisation that he leads. Some of the stories that he tells here are interesting and insiteful, some are inspiring. But other episodes read as arrogant and some seem designed to make readers feel guiltly for a lack of faith on their own part. Still others make little sense at all. Here's my favourite example from the book:
"Have you ever wondered why a pig won't look you in the face?
It's because it knows that it's mother is a fat ugly pig.
Now satan too is a fat pig because of Jesus Christ"
Ehhh?????
I would like to applaud Nicky Cruz and his team for the work they do and I am prepared to believe that this book may have suffered in the move from the USA to the UK and perhaps the American audience was able to make better sense of it. But I advise other British readers to avoid this book.

There are plenty of coherent and inspirational books on Christianity, but for me this isn't one of them.
If you're looking for something that will put a spring in your step I recommend Rob Bell's Sex God or Neil Anderson's Victory Over the Darkness.

Re-ignites passion for God! (12/12 people found this helpful)

A long-time admirer of Nicky Cruz's servant heart , yet again this book demonstrates how God can work powerfully through anyone who invites Him in. Nicky writes from 30 years' experience of trying to put God first, and each of these testimonies make you stop and think 'Wow, if only I could do that for God'. But in fact, this is the whole point of the book: God can and will do amazing works through those who yield to the Holy Spirit living inside each on of us. The power inside you is immense and potentially explosive. It's tempting to think Nicky Cruz is in a league of his own, but with his searingly honest words, we are encouraged to accept the fact that such power is within our own grasp too! Read this book and be prepared to re-discover the passion you had when you first realised the true joy of having a living relationship with Christ!

A Challenging look at the awesome power of God's Holy Spirit (14/14 people found this helpful)

One Holy Fire is an incredible testament to the amazing power of the Holy Spirit. Nicky Cruz talks about the many miraculous ways the Spirit has moved in his life and the lives of those around him in the forty years since becoming a Christian. If you enjoyed Run Baby Run (the story of Nicky's life before Christ and his dramatic conversion) you will love this. Many times while reading this book I found myself shivering with excitement at the wonderful ways God shows himself and works in people's lives. This book isn't just stories, it is a challenge to the individual and to the church as a whole to draw upon the limitless power of the Holy spirit and it's a calling to all to lead the lost to Jesus.
A definite 'must read'

One Holy Fire: Let the Spirit Ignite Your Soul

Nicky Cruz, Frank Martin

Reader Reviews:

Failure to ignite (0/0 people found this helpful)

Re-ignites passion for God! (12/12 people found this helpful)

A Challenging look at the awesome power of God's Holy Spirit (14/14 people found this helpful)

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