Holy Roller - A Book Review

My post for "Holy Roller" by Julie Lyons is a little late. Please read quickly, so I can catch up. :-)
I started this book with some misconceptions. I thought it was fiction. I just did. Within the first chapter, I figured out it was a true story, which helped make its introduction make more sense.

I still struggled with getting a grip on how the book was laid out. ie. What is the point? Where is this story going? Is there a plot? I really wanted to finish the book, before writing about it, so I would have a better handle on where the book was going.

What I discovered is that they told me on the back page. "It's all here in 'Holy Roller' - the stories of people desperate for God's help. And the actions of a God who doesn't forget the people who need His power." The stories are all set around personal recollections of Mrs. Lyons.

Julie, 27, was working as a crime reporter in black South Dallas in April 1990 when she first discovered The Body of Christ Assembly. She "set out to find a different kind of story for the 'Dallas Times Herald'." She heard about "drug addicts who had been supernaturally healed of their addictions. Was there a church in the most violent part of the city that prayed for addicts and got results?" She found that and more. (Want to know how she found the church? Get the book! :-) ) After publishing her article, She soon joined the church, and she and her husband traveled every week into the South Dallas ghetto to see and feel God at work. As the subtitle states, she found redemption and the Holy Ghost in a forgotten Texas church.

The book is set along the time line of her introduction to the church, her experiences while going, and where they are at as a church now.

Having participated in a semi-pentecostal church growing up, I enjoyed reading about the singing, praying, ministering in tongues, words of the Spirit, and good sermons that went long. Having been to an all black church, and one in Colorado which was definitely black styled, I could envision the spiritual atmosphere, and the 'amens' being bounced around the room. The worship definitely takes on an involved, active feel vs. watching and participating from the sidelines.

I really enjoy reading true stories about God at work, today, in the here and now. This is not a story of "Sha-zam! and the drug addict is healed. It is a story of prayer, the Holy Spirit working, and how people respond to Him. Julie talks about people who were healed, and those who were not. She shares about empty pews, empty hearts, lost people, an active God, alive people, demons, and the Holy Ghost. Her stories are about as random as that last sentence, but the theme is there.

Author Bio: Julie Lyons is an award-winning writer, editor and investigative reporter who for more than 11 years served as editor-in-chief of the Dallas Observer, an alternative weekly newspaper owned by Village Voice Media. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University and a B.A. in English from Seattle Pacific University. She and her husband, Larry Lyons Jr., live in Dallas with their son.

Looking forward to reading this story? To learn more about or purchase these books at RandomHouse.com go to: https://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780307457899

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