Facing The Blitz: Three Strategies For Turning Trials Into Triumphs, by Jeff Kemp

[Note: This book was provided free of charge by Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.]

There are a lot of things to like about this book, especially if you are a part of its target audience. This book assumes that its readers are married and have children, and wish to live life well so as not only to be successful at a given small part of life, but successful at the biggest parts of life relating to God and other people, showing love, giving encouragement, and providing a legacy to be remembered by those who were touched by the lives that we lived. Not all of these assumptions may be true, but enough of them are likely to be true that even if a reader is not married and does not have children, it is likely to be seen as an encouraging read nonetheless, even given its assumptions, and that is no mean feat. This is probably helped by the fact that the author writes in an incredibly personal way, giving plenty of praise to others who greatly helped and encouraged him, showing himself observant as to good examples to praise in those around him, and the fact that this story is filled with a lot of amusing and sometimes deeply vulnerable personal stories. The fact that the author has a great deal of kind words to say for his father, ex-teammates, former coaches, wife, and children, among others, also helps a great deal in fostering goodwill towards the author himself.

In terms of its content, this book sits within the realm of self-help coming from a very masculine perspective (namely, that of a former NFL quarterback and son of a noted NFL athlete and politician) that has a lot to say about sports, business, and family, and a little bit to say about God that is thoughtful and well-spoken. Throughout the book, the author uses the sports term “blitz,” wherein a defense trades its pass protection in order to provide extra pressure to the quarterback, as a metaphor for life’s trials, including the death of close family members, economic pressures, and relationship issue (including the lack of desired relationships, as well as the unfaithfulness and abandonment by spouses). The book offers three grand strategies for dealing with trials: taking a long-term view, being willing to change, and reaching out to others, and then breaks these grand strategies down into smaller ones, including such useful techniques as finding opportunities, being an investor and not a consumer in looking to serve and not be served, and looking to the team around you, whose strengths can help provide a balance to one’s weaknesses, and vice versa. At the end of the book there is a deep concern with leaving a legacy, including a really touching story about the author’s own father. The book even includes a thoughtful and personal foreword by Tony Dungy [1], which adds the right touch of genuine but heartfelt manhood to the book.

In life, we all face a great deal of trouble, and sometimes more than our fair share. One unexpected and deeply touching way this book shows a surprising amount of sensitivity is in its vocal refusal to blame those who read this book with a background of child abuse, over and over again urging readers in such a position to find help from a pastor or a licensed counselor. What separates this book from many attempts to write books about trouble is the way in which the author combines deeply personal stories with larger and even universal concerns, and combines a deep expertise in sports with a larger interest in business and a godly life lived according to the Bible as the author understands it. This is not a book about theology, per see, but about orthopraxy, and the right way to approach the trials of life so that we are able to make the most out of them and prepare ourselves for the success that can come from difficulties if we are able to handle them successfully. And so we shall, as best as we are able.

[1] https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2014/11/24/book-review-the-uncommon-marriage-adventure/