Musings of a reading addict

Keywords: Christian nonfiction, Christian literature, Trusting God, MercyMe

Genre: Christian nonfiction

Length: short medium long

Country: USA

Review

I received this book as an ARC, and I want to thank NetGalley for offering me the opportunity to read it. When I was browsing NetGalley in search of ARCs that might interest me, I genuinely did not expect to stumble upon this one.

I was in middle school when MercyMe became popular in Romania. Back then, it felt like Christian music meant MercyMe, TobyMac, and Casting Crowns. Even though I Can Only Imagine was the song that launched them into worldwide fame, the song that came later in 2017, Even If, was the one closest to my heart . That was almost ten (!) years ago. Coming across this book now, written by MercyMe’s lead singer together with his wife, felt strange in the best possible way. It was unexpected, nostalgic, and surprisingly heartwarming.

What I appreciated most about Even If is that it is an honest testimony of what it actually means to live as a Christian, not in theory, but in practice. It explores what it means to reach the point where you can say, sometimes through clenched teeth, “Even if He does not, even if He will not, my hope is still in Him.” That is a deeply uncomfortable statement for many believers, because it strips faith of guarantees and replaces them with trust.

One of the book’s strongest points is how clearly it addresses one of the hardest realities of faith. We are often taken to places of loss, mourning, panic, and uncertainty, and in those moments we are asked to trust God rather than our context, our resources, or even our relationships. For someone outside the faith, this might sound strange, even irresponsible. After all, God often works through relationships and resources. But there comes a moment in many lives, believer or not, when everything else fails. When your support system is exhausted, your strength is gone, and nothing seems capable of pulling you out of the pit. This book speaks directly to that place.

Importantly, Even If is not about finding God only in moments of panic. It is not about offering a quick prayer when things fall apart. Instead, it is about living a full life with God, learning to recognize His presence in seasons of peace so that faith is not foreign when the storm comes. Shannon’s reflections on growing up Christian were particularly striking. She talks about always knowing God, yet feeling like she never truly knew Him, because she lacked a dramatic turning point story. No addiction, no spectacular rescue, no clear “before and after.” Until life broke her open.

”It’s easy to sing
When there’s nothing to bring me down
But what will I say
When I’m held to the flame
Like I am right now”

lyrics from “Even If” by MercyMe

Bart and Shannon come from different experiences, but both are deeply familiar with hardship. The book openly discusses the death of Shannon’s brother, their eldest child’s diagnosis with diabetes at a very young age, the premature birth of their second child, serious strain on their marriage, and Bart’s loss of his voice, which directly threatened his career. They are tested individually, as a couple, and professionally. What makes this especially painful is that these trials come after years of abundance, success, and visible blessing. That contrast raises the hardest questions. Why now? Why us? Have we been abandoned? Was everything before just an illusion?

The book does not offer polished or sanitized answers. Instead, it allows doubt, anger, fear, and resistance to exist on the page. What emerges is not a story of perfect faith, but of real faith. Faith that stumbles, argues, resists, and slowly learns to surrender. One of the most powerful realizations they share is looking back and recognizing that the outcomes they once prayed for would have been disastrous. That what they thought was best would have led to chaos. And that God’s way, even when deeply unwanted at the time, proved to be wiser and more merciful.

I would recommend Even If first and foremost to believers. It is a necessary reminder of who God is and what faith looks like when life does not cooperate. But I would also strongly recommend it to non-believers who are curious about Christianity. Not as an argument, but as a window into how an authentic Christian approaches suffering, death, and loss. There is a widespread misconception, sometimes reinforced even within Christian circles, that faith guarantees a smooth life. This book quietly dismantles that illusion. Scripture itself promises hardship, not exemption from it.

Bart and Shannon’s story reflects what we also see in biblical figures and in ordinary people around us. Faith does not prevent stumbling. Processing pain takes time. Controlling fear and redirecting your thoughts toward God is difficult. Often painfully so. Even If does not deny that struggle. Instead, it affirms that even when we are not in control, God still is.

On a technical note, I did struggle with the ARC format itself, which was difficult to navigate and at times distracting. That aside, I am genuinely looking forward to the book’s official release and hope it reaches a wide audience.

If you want to understand the heart behind this book, I would encourage you to listen to MercyMe’s song Even If. It captures the spirit of this testimony beautifully.