Book in Review

Page 8 Happy New Year! January 2022

Hurt Road

The Music, The Memories, and the Miles Between

Book by: Mark Lee; Foreword by: Mac Powell

Written by: Lynne Wood

Ireally enjoyed reading Hurt Road by Mark Lee, The music, the memories and the miles between. Mark Lee and Mac Powell started one of the greatest Christian bands, "Third Day." Mark is also a wonderful story teller. He begins his story where he grew up, thirty minutes outside Atlanta, Georgia with his mom, dad and older brother. His dad worked on planes at Lockheed during the week and served in the National Guard on weekends, as he had been a Drill Sargeant in the military before Mark was born. His dad was his hero, though he'll tell you he had more in common with his mom.

Mark's mom was an english teacher and later she was a librarian. She taught her children to read at a very early age. Mark was three when he started reading and still loves reading books.

Every Sunday, the family would go to church, Mark loved going; he also had a passion for music.

When Mark was four, they were at a church outing. The kids were all playing in the swimming pool; Mark was totally mesmerized by the water. He kept walking till he was completely under water, then terror when he realized he couldn't breath. He then began to sense someone was with him and their presence was very calming. He knew it was a person and this person let him know he would be okay. What seemed like forever was only minutes, when someone pulled him safely out of the water.

Mark had many accidents growing up. Once, when selling donuts for the church youth group, he was hit by a truck at the intersection of Powder Springs Rd. and Hurt Rd. He suffered a bad break to his leg and needed surgeries. He was in and out of hospital; he was out of school for quite awhile. There wasn't much to do but watch TV. His dad was watching and thought with his love of music he should play a guitar. On his fifteenth birthday, his dad bought him a guitar; he wasn't interested in playing one. Soon he started playing a few chords.

His dad was right; Mark never looked back. He rocked playing guitar. Early the next year,

Mark's dad was getting forgetful and his personality changed. He was diagnosed with brain cancer that began a year of surgeries and chemo. Mark's dad died a year later; as you can imagine, he went through a very hard time after that. He began to pour everything into his music. He found a way to escape problems in his life with music. He learned to let go of the way he thought his life should be, and let God take control, because through everything, God has our back. Mac Powell and Mark Lee became very good friends when they met in junior high school in 1989; they're still very close. In 1991, they formed the band, "Third Day."

Mark has been through so much, yet he has a very strong faith and love for God. You can't possibly know what's coming next in your life, but you can follow your Creator. He knows where your life is going and He will lead and strengthen you on your journey.

Romans 8:28: "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."