Mosaic: Pieces of My Life So Far [Audiobook] [Englisch] [MP3 CD]

I was offered the opportunity to read and review Amy Grant's new biography, Mosaic. Had it been in the bookstore, I might have picked it up, glanced through it and come away with a very different impression than I've developed from reading it cover to cover.

I haven't been a rabid Amy fan. As a matter of fact, I've seen her in concert once and that was because I went to see Mercy Me and Amy opened for them. I purchased her Christmas CD at a garage sale. This information is not a slam in any way. I'm just sharing where I am coming from where Amy is concerned.

Driven to curiosity by the talk before, during and after her divorce from Gary Chapman I purchased Amy's Behind the Eyes CD. The lyrics from several songs haunted me. As a survivor of a rotten marriage gone good, I felt compelled to write to Amy. Crazy as that sounds...who does that? But I did. I don't remember what I wrote, other than to tell her it didn't have to end in divorce. I wondered like much of the rest of the world why she thought God wanted her to be happy at the expense of her children's pain.

I almost turned down Mosaic because of my thoughts and feelings. What if she showed no remorse, no awareness of the sanctity of marriage? What if she lightly dismissed the damage done to her children? How could I recommend this book? Then my daughter reminded me that I don't like to sit in judgment of others and I love people who screw up daily, and that I have to look into the mirror and see behind my own eyes. I needed to give Amy's book a fair reading.

I'm sorry, Amy.

Amy's divorce is as much a symptom of America's brand of diluted Christianity as it is a picture of our pathetic human weaknesses. Why should she, though in the public eye and ministering to thousands through her music, be held to a higher standard of holiness? A standard that a full half of professing Christian married couples can't meet? I, myself, am still married only because God held me in place. Everything in me wanted to be divorced and free of the pain that my husband and I inflicted on each other.

Mosaic starts like a feel-good anecdotal "Chicken Soup" style of book full of sweet stories inspiring song lyrics which end each chapter. A section of names and events details Amy's relationships with celebrities and treasured encounters with them.

Had the book been just this feel good celebrity stuff, I wouldn't recommend it. But as the book progresses Amy begins to dig deep. The promotional quotes from Mosaic have been light and chatty, friendly and homey. What dug under my skin and into my heart was the poetic poignancy with which Amy described the events and people that have shaped her through much pain and loss. Those are the entries that contain the lyrics from some of the songs that haunted me from Behind the Eyes. Amy shares her thoughts on depression, faithquakes and the death of innocence. She left me feeling like I hadn't been reading the words of a spoiled celebrity, but instead, hearing the confessions of a hurting friend.

Fame doesn't save us. A good spouse, wonderful children, great friends, history, and money can't save us. If we could each grasp how much we are loved by the Creator of the universe, maybe we wouldn't be so quick to run away from Him to find our own way. We all grab for worthless bandages. Most of us don't have the burden of the spotlight of fame to complicate our paths.

This wondrous book is a glimpse of a beautiful person.

Humility and authenticity are the hallmark of a truly spiritual person. Amy Grant is the Israelite in whom there is no guile. Her gentle spirit permeates this memoir. Her love for her parents, her sisters, her children, her friends, and her husband is visible, tangible and real. I read this book at one sitting, and by the time I finished, I felt she was a good friend.

The title and subtitle are apt. This is an unusual book, in that it does not attempt a narrative. Instead it is a collection of memories, interspersed with poems and lyrics. We learn a lot about Grant's interactions with her family and friends. We hear interesting moments she shared with people famous and not-so-famous. Occasionally, like a fawn peeking out amidst dark forest brambles, Grant exposes her deep pain over her first marriage, although she never addresses this directly.

If you believe in Jesus Christ, this book will provide you a vivid, welcome example of a person of faith. If you are uncertain about the reality of God, this book is well worth reading, because Grant is thoroughly human, approachable, non-dogmatic, and non-judgmental. She could provide non-believers a hint about how believers can believe, and why.

Mosaic by Amy Grant took me by surprise. The book itself is lovely with color photographs, but it was the text that moved me so many times. Amy takes the lyrics from several of her songs and offers the inspiration behind them as well as other short personal vignettes. The format flows beautifully and gives a deeper view of her life than even a memoir could have. She talks about growing up in her tight-knit family, the love she has for her children, the pain of her divorce, and the miraculous love she shares with husband Vince Gill. She offers herself completely exposed without polish or facade, and it's an amazing sight. Her writing is lyrical and poetic with scenic descriptions and occasionally knock-the-wind-out-of-you emotion. Reading how she struggles to keep her mind on God when praying, a spontaneous dance in the moonlight as prayer to the Lord, her wonder at finding herself in such a lofty place, all of it makes her very real and her faith profound. I found myself putting the book down to reflect on her words or to share sections with my husband. It's just too powerful to take in all in one sitting, and many times it brought me to tears. This would make a great present for a loved one or yourself!