In the conclusion of the book, Jaggard says that God's "favorite gift" that He gives us "is the opportunity to serve others" (p 193). Not so! His favorite gift that He gives us is restoration of the relationship with Him. If there is no redemption, then our service does not matter because it is empty and powerless. His favorite gift is the most expensive gift that has ever been given -- the sacrifice of His only Son on a cruel cross to pay the penalty for our sin. Not only that, but He conquered death meaning that we have nothing to fear IF we trust Him. Our choice of Him, not the world, is the difference that this world desperately needs: He is the Spark of change. We can do nothing long-lasting and meaningful for this world, of a redemptive and transformative purpose, until He has first changed us.
I could provide further examples of the point above (i.e. a gap between the final paragraph on page 204 and the first paragraph at the top of page 205 that totally omits the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus); however, I will turn to other matters. Jaggard redefines Biblical terminology in order to fit his book -- holiness becomes inspiration, faith becomes risk, love becomes compassion, and hope becomes optimism. While that is dangerous ground, a bigger issue is the focus on spiritual "balance or equilibrium" (p 108). These terms are not defined meaning that the reader can form their own opinion.
Having gone through rehabilitation for an ACL replacement, I had to to relearn balance; and those physical therapists did some rather interesting things to restore something that we take for granted. In that whole process, I learned that core strength is absolutely vital for balance. The same is true within the spiritual realm -- our core strength is developed through detailed study of God's Word. That admonition is lacking throughout Spark, meaning that the results are simply going to be smoke not the desperately needed fire. The game-show Survivor, at its regular tribal councils, has taught us that "fire represents life. Once your fire is gone, so are you." There is no true life without Jesus Christ (John 14:6).
Yes, I am not rating this book very highly, but I do want to offer this disclosure -- even with the worst book I have ever read (this is NOT it), I did glean some positives, and Spark is no different. There are some great one-liners in the book (p 201: "relationships die the moment one person stops believing that the other person can grow") but they do not counter-balance the sorely-lacking and necessary foundation.
In sum, this book falls short of truly igniting a fire. Jaggard does consistently plug his company and the methods they use to encourage healthy risk-taking through their "Spark Groups." If you want smoke, this book can help produce it; however, if you are truly looking for a vibrant fire, then you need to look elsewhere for assistance in that area.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing
Group for this review. I was not
required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR,
Part 25: “Guides Concerning the Use of
Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
