Book Write-Up: Wheels of Wisdom

Tim and Debbie Bishop.  Wheels of Wisdom: Life Lessons for the Restless Spirit.  Open Road Press, 2016.  See here to purchase the book.

Tim and Debbie Bishop married each other when they were in their early fifties, and that was the first time that either of them was ever married.  Both of them have bicycled across the country together, and this book is a collection of spiritual insights that they have gained through this experience.  They also work for the Hope Line, which offers help to teens and young adults who are suicidal, addicts, or coping with other problems.  Their cross-country bicycling has promoted this cause.

There are fifty-two reflections in this book, some of them written by Tim, and some written by Debbie.  They are written from an evangelical Christian perspective, which maintains that one receives forgiveness of sins by accepting the free gift of salvation that was made possible through Jesus’ death on the cross.  Each reflection ends with a Bible verse and a series of questions to inspire reflection.  The substitutionary atonement appears twice in this book: once in a chapter about hell, and another time in the epilogue, which is a Gospel invitation.  Most of the book focuses on other themes of Christian living, such as God’s providence and provision and finding God’s calling on one’s life.  There are lessons in the book that can resonate with secular-minded people, about facing worry, getting along with people, and moving on from the past.  Debbie brings in her experience in twelve-step recovery.  In some cases, their bicycling journey serves as an allegory for a life or spiritual truth concerning life’s journey.  At other points, people they meet along the way inspire them to consider a spiritual lesson.

One can probably read or hear the sorts of reflections that the book presents elsewhere.  While the book is not incredibly deep, it is still edifying.  It is evangelical Christian, but it has a friendly, inviting tone towards those who may believe differently.  The book has a positive, uplifting quality, but it still acknowledges the challenges and struggles of life.  Both Tim and Debbie talk about their challenges in being married, in light of their different backgrounds and temperaments, and all of the previous years that they were single and did what they wanted.  They also discuss medical injuries that they faced on their itinerary.  The book gave a taste of the challenges that cross-country cycling can present, including the threat of inclement weather, hills, wild animals, and nightfall.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Bookcrash.  My review is honest.