I Can Only Imagine is the first-hand narrative of a young daydreaming tyke growing up in Greenville, Texas who goes on to become a multi-platinum award winning songwriter and performer with the Contemporary Christian Music group MercyMe.
Bart’s story is not your typical boy grows up surrounded by family strong in the faith and therefore knows his purpose from a young age and proceeds to live it out. No, Bart’s story can be hard to read at times, due to the sometimes “unimaginable” abuse and loss he suffered as a child growing up.
What Bart saw and experienced would have easily broken so many for life, yet with the support of extended family, friends, church, and musician allies, Bart used the adversity he experienced in life not only to become an inspiration for many all over the world with his music, but ultimately God used his gift to transform those very same people who abused and left him as a child.
The reality is that Bart’s childhood story is more prevalent than we would like to believe, yet it is a glowing example of how God can turn around even the hardest heart, and how He can take the hard times we experience in life and use them to provide hope and healing.

I just finished reading this book and WOW! The song I Can Only Imagine has held so much meaning to me since first hearing it live in concert before MercyMe was well-known. To read all that Bart endured at the hands of his father, someone who is supposed to be looked up to and admired for boys, to read about the transformation and the meaning the song holds to him personally, it certainly brings a new depth. To understand that all their songs are birthed out of events in his life that he has navigated with the Lord's help, brings a deeper spiritual and personal connection.
"My identity is wrapped up in the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead and now lives inside of me. I can rest in the balance of knowing I live in a love that can never be broken." May everyone who reads this book, or watches the movie, be able to identify with this statement and come to truly understand the love of Christ.

Being a Christian and a big fan of MercyMe, I found this book, "I Can Only Imagine" put me on a more personal lever with Bart Millard and MercyMe and closer to God and seeing how God worked through their lives! From What Bart dealt with growing up, the forming and naming MercyMe, to the fact that just because negative things are happening in Bart's life, his faith remained strong and God was working with him by his side. I have already recommended it to many friends and can not wait to my actual book to come in to continue to share the story. I can also not wait for the movie to come out as well. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review of it.

Not the fault of the author or the subject matter, but this was not a book for me.

Uplifting and real, this book does not disappointment. To know that after you've been horribly hurt as a child that you can forgive with God's help. Loved the back story of MercyMe. Great positive book.