Few Christian living books have a premise as unique as Lori G. Melton’s Journey with a Giant. The Allegan, Mich.-based spiritual director shares her formative journey with Mister (Fred) Rogers as she guides readers in choosing their own “giant” of the faith.
Drawing from Hebrews 12 and the “cloud of witnesses” described there, Melton demonstrates how everyday Christians can be more deeply formed in Christlikeness as they are discipled and mentored by believers, both famous and obscure, who have gone before us. It’s iron sharpening iron across time and space, and it’s exhilarating.
One of the features I relished in the book is the mini profiles of various giants whom current-day believers have chosen. Take Hadewijch of Antwerp, born in 1200; Rembrandt van Rijn; and a woman who was on the Mayflower, chosen as a giant by her 14th-generation descendant. An Assemblies of God minister chose John Calvin as her giant, lauding his love for Scripture and his social justice work in his church community. (This last example proves that theological diversity is acceptable and even welcome when choosing a giant with whom to walk.)
Jackie Robinson, Desmond Tutu, Harriet Tubman, Origen, and many others are profiled here by those who have grown in their faith thanks to these giants and their examples. Of course, it helps if there is quite a bit written about or by the giants themselves.
Melton, who attends a Bible church, chose Mister Rogers, whom she calls “Fred” throughout the book. Rogers was a devout believer, a Presbyterian minister who felt called to show compassion and kindness to children through his beloved TV program Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. Readers will be encouraged and moved by Rogers’ faith life, a life of acceptance and love fueled by a steady practice of spiritual silence. Once Melton read everything she could get her hands on about “Fred,” she moved on to his spiritual mentor, Henri Nouwen, finding a golden thread of meaning between Nouwen’s Christian walk and Rogers’, a thread that now winds its way through her life.
Readers might consider going through the book twice: once to understand the concept of journeying with a giant and again to guide their journey.
“I had grown accustomed to sharing life with spiritual companions, taking them my questions and fears, and letting their lives speak into mine,” Melton writes. These companions don’t replace Christ, but rather instruct and encourage believers to discover new insights about him through their lives and writings.
As I read through the book, I wondered whom I might choose as my own giant. I was drawn to women writers I admired, including Jane Austen and Madeleine L’Engle, but could not pick which one to “journey” with. Upon cleaning out my bookshelf, I found two unread books about L’Engle, including one about her faith journey. Aha, I thought. I had found my giant, a voice that would call me deeper as I journeyed on the way of Jesus. (Waterbrook)