Disclaimer: I received an eARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

In Finding God’s Life for My Will, Donehey takes the question, “how do I find God’s will for my life?” and flips it. The title is best described in Donehey in the “non-introduction” in which he explains his life changed when he stopped trying to know God’s exact plans and rather inviting God to be active in Donehey’s daily life and change him daily. (Due to the nature of eARC reviewing, I am unable to provide the exact quote for legal reasons, but this best sums up the explanation.)

Although the initial publisher blurb may lead you to believe that this book is purely a teaching book. I’d say it’s closer to about 50% Christian teaching and 50% memoir. Although some readers may be surprised by this, this works well for the practicalities of what Donehey is teaching.

For those familiar with Donehey’s band Tenth Avenue North, you will be familiar with several of Donehey’s personal stories as he has shared many of these stories on stage or in teaching videos over the last ten years. Coupled with the exact teaching (which has been heavily researched), these stories take on new life, and the reader will be able to see how exactly Donehey’s life experiences led him to experience Christ on a deeper level.

Additionally, several of Donehey’s teachings may be familiar to those who have attended a Tenth Avenue North concert over the past ten years. Instead of it being a three minute transition into a song, however, Donehey is able to expand on these teachings in addition to further explaining the research he has done in this.

For those unfamiliar with Donehey’s band, this should hold up very well with them. Personally, I have read a few memoirs/teaching books by other Christian artists, and most of them would not hold up well to a person unfamiliar with that Christian artist’s career. Donehey’s is an exception to this. While he does mention his band periodically, he does so primarily as either explanation or illustration before expounding on teaching principles.

Overall, if you are a person who reads a lot of Christian non-fiction, this will be right up your alley. If you are a person who seldom reads Christian non-fiction but are a Christian, this is also up your alley as well. Donehey uses very accessible language that’s sometimes missing in Christian non-fiction while never compromising the teaching.

Finding God’s Life for My Will comes out August 6.