Death By Living by N.D. Wilson

Death By Living by N.D. Wilson is a beautifully written book about life, death, and what is in-between. This is the type of book that gets us to look at our life right now and start cherishing the moments we are having right now.

Book Description

“A poetic portrait of faith, futility, and the joy of this mortal life.

In this astoundingly unique book, best-selling author N.D. Wilson reminds each of us that to truly live we must recognize that we are dying. Every second we create more of our past—more decisions, more breathing, more love, and more loathing. All of it slides by into the gone as we race to grab at more moments, at more memories made and already fading.

 We are all authors, creators of our own pasts, of the books that will be our lives. We stare at the future or obsess about the present, but only the past has been set in stone, and we are the ones setting it. When we race across the wet concrete of time without purpose, without goals, without laughter and love and sacrifice, then we fail in our mortal moment. We race toward our inevitable ends without artistry and without beauty.

 All of us must pause and breathe. See the past, see your life as the fruit of providence and thousands of personal narratives. What led to you? You did not choose where to set your feet in time. You choose where to set them next.

 Then we must see the future, not just to stare into the fog of distant years but to see the crystal choices as they race toward us in this sharp foreground we call the present. We stand in the now. God says create. Live. Choose. Shape the past. Etch your life in stone, and what you make will be forever.” – Death By Living

My Thoughts

Death By Living is a book with a deep vision that shows us that we are living and dying all at the same time. It is the one place we will all end up in the end, and something we cannot escape. What we do right now is what sets the pace for our life’s journey, and what happens in the future depends on right now.

The author excellently captures the past, present, and future in everyday situations and objects. He brings in humor to the book in unexpected ways that you will want to read out loud to others to share. It is an brilliant use of prose that is meant to be shared with others.

This book does reference the gospel, but not in the preachy annoying way that some books do. This one is able to be truly enjoyed, and I definitely recommend it.

* Thank you to the publisher of Death By Living, Thomas Nelson, for providing me with a copy of this book for review as part of their Booksneeze program. All opinions expressed are my own.