Even Me, Even You
People who lead double lives are usually the ones you would least suspect. My life reflects that truth, and my story illuminates just how powerful God’s mercy is.
Editorial Review by Layne Prince
Ken Burkhalter’s Even Me, Even You is a memoir, the testimony of someone who has seen and experienced the goodness and mercy of God in a way that will captivate believers and non-believers alike. As someone who looked the part but was internally tormented by self-hatred and a darkness of which he would not realize the extent until much later in his life, Burkhalter is chased down and shown God’s goodness, and that is what leads him, as it has led many, to repentance.
The story begins with a hard-hitting conversation wherein the speaker admits to his wife and friends one of the many habitual sins he’s partaken in over the years. We imagine how emotional that moment must be, and the heaviness draping itself in the room over everyone present. From there, we are caught up on the events leading to that horrible yet weirdly glorious instant: “I made it my life goal to escape the pain of rejection by turning inward and living life alone. I might have to feel the pain, but I could hide it, as well” (p. 9). Indubitably, many readers will relate.
From there, Burkhalter sequences his story in an intriguing way. The wisdom accrued on the path of darkness into marvelous light is refreshing, encouraging, advantageous. The weaving between the pieces comprising the story of his self-perception, marriage, and relationships and the nuggets gained from them is brilliant. There is no pure storytelling here, and yet no book-long sermon. Rather, you’ll find the sometimes-dirty truth, and the always-beautiful, relentless love of God and the love of those He places in Burkhalter’s life to speak to him.
I won’t spoil specifically what happens from there, but as the subheading and the book description reveal, the author is nowhere near where he was. He lives in the glory, and you can, too. And, as you can tell by the very title, that’s what he wants readers to grasp. Perhaps you’re in the darkness searching for a glimmer of hope. Or maybe you’re just looking for a gripping testament to the goodness and mercy of our God. Either way, He can reach you through this story. This is why Burkhalter wrote Even Me, Even You and decided to share it with the world, for both those searching and those who have yet to realize their innate need and desire to walk with God in the cool of the day, as we have been created to do. We can never, try as we may, outrun Him.
Amazon - Even Me, Even You
Email - EMEYwalktofreedom@gmail.com