Josh Fortune
Day One Publications
224, £8.00
ISBN: 978-1-84625-372-0
Star Rating: 3
Invalided out of the army, Josh Fortune, a pastor’s son, became depressed and found himself far from God. Trying to forget that the mates he knew in Iraq are now heading out for Afghanistan, he goes out and gets drunk. Although he attends church and goes through the motions of his Christian life, he knows his life is empty.
Unexpectedly, he is offered a job as a video journalist employed by NATO in Afghanistan. In diary form he tells of the events of three years in Afghanistan and of his spiritual growth during those three years. The question he asks at the beginning of the book is, ‘Can God be trusted?’ By the end of his time there he has proved, beyond doubt, that God can indeed be trusted.
On his birthday, a year into his contract, he reflects on the life he has been living, and humbly asks forgiveness. All he can say is, ‘Lord, I am so, so sorry’. From then on, his life is in the Lord’s hands. He often fears for his safety and Psalm 27:3 becomes his watchword.
The book includes comradeship and compassion, confusion and fear, boredom, and even romance, when he meets and falls in love with his future wife. Fears for his own safety become bound up with his concern for his loved one.
To those who love all things military, this book will be a treat. Others may find the military detail a little tedious. A glossary of abbreviations is provided.
Gladys Nash
Greens Norton
