THE DAY I MET GOD: Extraordinary Stories of Life-Changing Miracles

This collection of conversion stories drawn from many walks of life will appeal to anyone fascinated by the variety of human and religious experience. However, it might better be titled "The Day I Accepted Christ," since it dwells exclusively on born-again Christian conversions. Of the 32 stories compiled here, the majority were contributed by individuals who eventually found their home in Hollywood (as have all three authorsat one time or another) and who have since become involved in public ministry. Within these parameters, however, a diversity of experiences is depicted. The first-person narratives describe the journeys that led individuals to the moment of embracing Christ and sometimes go on to explain how Christian faith sustained the converts through devastating crises. Contributors include celebrities such as all-star baseball pitcher Dave Dravecky, disco sensation Gloria Gaynor and country singer Randy Travis. The book also includes the dramatic turn-around stories of an ex-KKK lord, an ex-convict, a millionaire, a survivor of the Oklahoma City bombing, a Jew, a gay man, severe abuse survivors and many more. Several of the narratives suffer from the forced cramming of complex autobiographies into a few short pages, but the dramas of life-changing conversions are still compelling to read. The collection is more a comforting reassurance for the believer than a persuasive tract for the skeptic, but many Christian readers will warm to this hearty bowl of chicken soup. (Aug.)