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Rodeo star, singer, evangelist, and author Lyons has drawn on her unique, adventure-filled memories to entertain, educate, and encourage in this action-packed collection. Each short episode is a mini-parable from a wide subject range, starting in personal recollection and gradually branching out into practical advice and simple, lively “morals.” The opening story concerns a very enthusiastic pitbull puppy, J.J., that her family acquired when the author was a child. Her father urged J.J. to herd the cow into the barn for milking each morning. Then one day, he saw to his horror that his command to J.J. had caused the dog’s energetic attack on the cow’s udder. Words, Lyons concludes, like her father’s words to J.J., are powerful and have consequences. Lyons utilizes a variety of fascinating lore from rodeo and ranching life to illustrate spiritual points: broncos buck, horses obey, people stray, kittens become a barnyard congregation, and some near-miracles occur in her sometimes amusing, sometimes scary, often inspirational offerings of homespun wisdom.
Adding to her other notable abilities, Lyons displays talent as a raconteur as she employs thought-provoking aphorisms, such as “Sometimes truth faith is spelled r-i-s-k” and “Clean the dead things out of your life.” She also constructs almost 200 mini-sermons and recounts autobiographical snippets combined in a refreshing, buoyant style. Without overtly teaching or preaching, she opens the door for readers to absorb everything from religious experiences to rodeo romps, all well-drawn. Each story includes color photos of family, friends, horses, and riders, making this an engaging volume for younger readers. It is easy to imagine that Lyons’ deftly conceived, metaphorical memories could provide a vibrant reading resource for Christian families since there are stories for all ages among them, any one of which could easily lead to a creative discussion on many levels.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review