Sunday, April 22, 2012

By Faith Not By Sight

To say that Scott Macintyre is extraordinary is to say that grass is green or water is wet. He just is. As the book develops, his heart shows through and not at all in an arrogant or conceited way. Some people are simply gifted and live incredible lives. His heart is that of a man who desires to inspire people through music and give glory to God.


I had not heard of Scott prior to reading the book and have watched American Idol maybe once. But as a musician and songwriter myself, I closely identified with many of the experiences he described in the songwriting process and performance preparations.

Scott graduated college at the age of 19 and subsequently was a Marshall scholar during which time he obtained a masters degree at the Royal College of Music in London. A year after returning to the US, he and his family went on tour as a singing group. After becoming interested in American Idol on television, he eventually decided to audition. Over the course of the next few months, he went through audition after audition and advanced through round after round, eventually making it to the top 13 before being eliminated in the round of 8.

Simply on the merits of his accomplishments in music and academics, he would already be considered to have lived a remarkable life. But add to this the fact that he’s legally blind with only 2 percent tunnel vision, and the accomplishments take on a whole new dimension. Not only is he blind but while getting his masters degree, he was in end stage kidney failure and had to go through about a year of dialysis followed by a kidney transplant once returning to the US.

Scott is additionally deeply committed to His walk with God, which is apparent all throughout the book. In numerous medical challenges, musical performances, and other events he is constantly lifting up the scenario in prayer and seeking God’s will. His close ties with his family are apparent and the love they have for each other is a model for family life. It is clear that Scott believes both in working and praying very hard in all aspects of his life. Because of his faith, musical gifts, and personality, I think if we ever had the opportunity to interact that we would probably become good friends.

Scott’s story is inspirational to say the least and proves that a person can do so much even with a handicap. He doesn’t use his blindness as an excuse for not doing something but rather works that much harder to overcome challenges and truly lives a full life.

If you’ve already seen him on television or heard his music, the book provides excellent color into who he is and the back story behind his life. For those who’ve not heard of him, he provides great insight into the world of a blind person, what it’s like to live with kidney disease and get a transplant, not to mention the life of a professional pop musician. His faith and trust in God will encourage you to seek God in your life as well. I highly recommend the book.

2 comments:

Hutt-Write Voice said...

Great review! Have read and reviewed this myself - incredible story!

Andrew Allen said...

Thanks Linda. I agree; he's got an outstanding story.

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