Your Great Name, by Michael Neale

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

BOOK DESCRIPTION:  Based on "Your Great Name", the powerful and popular song written by Michael Neale, this book explores what God is like, name by name. The lyrics from the song make each name of God come alive: Using each line of the song and the name it represents, Your Great Name illustrates to modern-day listeners how God has revealed Himself. Corresponding quotes and verses add harmony to the inspiring lyrics, and personal stories from Michael's life give an everyday context for the meaning of God's names.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  Gifted writer, performer, and masterful storyteller are all phrases used to describe Michael Neale.

With the highly anticipated September 2012 release of his first novel The River, as well as a second book, Your Great Name, which released in October 2012, Michael is finding more and more ways to share his gift of storytelling as an author.

Michael divides his time among leading worship in churches, songwriting, and being a featured leader and teacher at conferences around the country. In between his travels, Michael serves on the team of Worship Leaders at Christ Fellowship Church in Palm Beach Gardens, FL, where he lives with his wife Leah, and their three children Micah, Maisie, and Wyatt.

MY THOUGHTS:  In this audiobook, the author of a popular Christian worship song narrates the book he wrote to elaborate on the lyrics.  Taking phrases out of the song about the many things that God is to His people, Neale goes into detail about what each of those things mean.

For example, the first line of the song is

Lost are saved, find their way, at the sound of Your great name.

The first chapter is entitled "Lost Are Saved," which corresponds to God's name Hosanna, meaning "Lord, save us."

Eighteen chapters make their way through the phrases in the song, teaching us the Hebrew names of God that fit each phrase, and the literal meaning of each name.

Using stories from his own life, from the Bible, or from modern people, the author illustrates how each of God's names, and hereby characteristics, can be seen in the real world.

The chapters are only 5-8 minutes long, so each is just the right size to coincide with a daily devotion or as the beginning of an in-depth study on who God is.  The narration is passionate and pleasant, and the book itself is a great reminder of what a powerful, loving God we serve.

I would definitely recommend this for new Christians, as well as those who may be going through difficult times.  I'd imagine this would be very encouraging for someone in the hospital, or excellent for drive-time listening on days when the pressures of life seem to scream more loudly than God's voice.  An excellent book to accompany a powerful song.

**I received this book free from christianaudio.com in exchange for an honest review.