Book Reviews — It Had to be God! Volumes 1 and 2

It Had to be God!
Volumes 1 and 2

Jack R. Smith. Cathedral City, CA: AquaZebra Book Publishing, 2017. 306  pp. (Paperback).

I often groan when I see yet another memoir — just being honest here — because they are often not that interesting and frequently not well written or well edited. Not all of them are like that, but too many are. When I got a two-volume set from Jack Smith I was not excited. 

Surprise! “It Had to be God!” is a well written (and well edited), entertaining set of books that chronicles a 60-year ministry. As you may have guessed the author points upward to explain things that have happened in his life and ministry, humbly refusing to accept credit for his success in the ministry. Instead Smith ends most of his delightful anecdotes with the proclamation “It had to be God!” and you know he means it. In the preface he declares, “After reading this book, if you are impressed with me instead of God, I have failed to communicate my heart’s intention.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: Martine Bates Fairbanks, Ed.D., reviews books and movies for The Alabama Baptist. She is a university professor and retired principal. She is a member of Central Baptist Church, Decatur.