The Way of the Father. Michael W. Smith 2021 [May] 208 pages. [Source: Review copy]
First sentence: My father was my hero. The kindest, gentlest man I have ever known. The person in my life who was always the most like Jesus to me and consistently reflected the qualities of my Abba Father.
The Way of the Father is a son's tribute to his father (Paul Smith). Readers should expect no more than that. Readers will find plenty of stories about Michael W. Smith--past and present--in his role as son, husband, musician, friend. Mainly son and musician if I'm being honest.
If reading about Michael W. Smith's experiences and relationships gives you a thrill, this book is for you. He does provide some background and context for the writing of several of his songs--newer songs mostly, I believe.
What you should not expect is the book to be more than that. For better or worse. Maybe for most readers what they are looking for is 90% of Michael W. Smith and 10% devotional with glimpses of God the Father, Son, and Spirit. But if you're looking for more balance--say 50/50--with ample space given to God, then you might be disappointed.
It's not that Michael W. Smith isn't giving due glory to God in his life. I wouldn't say the book is 100% self-promotion. It's just that he's writing what he knows--and what he knows is his experiences writing, recording, performing, touring, meeting famous people, hanging out with famous people, etc.
If you're looking for something that points you to Jesus Christ and keeps pointing you to Christ over and over and over again, then this isn't quite that. It throws in inspiration/motivation every now and then. But it's not a super-deep book.
But I will say this. I think this is a book he NEEDED to write as a son. I think writing this book helped him in the grieving process. And I think it would be a truly amazing gift for those in the family--Paul Smith's grandchildren, great-grandchilden. As a testament to a person, I think it's good.
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