Faith Under Fire 9/29/2000

I was asked to write this book reveiw for an LDS website back in 2000. A year or so after writing it we became close friends with the Wren family. They are amazingly great people. I wish I still had a copy of this book. It really is a great story.


Faith Under Fire
A True Story of Love, War, Faith and Miracles
By Michael S. Wren (ISBN 1-930980-00-0)

There have been many books written about the atonement, but this book teaches it from the inside out! I felt the Spirit from the first chapter to the last. This is a wonderful story about the life of Robert Wren. His oldest son Michael writes it. Robert and Barbara Wren reside in Orem, Utah. They are valuable employees of the Town of Eagle Mountain, Utah.

This story illustrates the sharp contrast between the darkness and ugliness of war and the light and beauty of love. Robert is a Green Beret and member of Delta Force during the Vietnam War. He has left behind his beautiful wife, Barbara, and their three young sons. During his time as a highly trained soldier he has many horrible experiences that leave him lonely, depressed, and hopeless.

We can learn many lessons from this book. One is a greater sense of patriotism, and love of freedom. A monument to the Special Forces says, “ War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things; The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight; nothing he cares about more than his own personal safety; is a miserable creature who has no chance of being free unless he is made free, and kept free, by the valiant exertions of men better than himself, for freedom is not free.”

Robert sacrificed much to serve the cause of freedom. He gave up precious time with his wife and young sons. His physical safety and health were compromised many times. By the end of his second tour of duty his mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being were at rock bottom. He still bears many scars from the horrors of war.

How many people have had similar thoughts as these at some time in their life? “I wanted happiness, I wanted peace, and I wanted hope. …I was always afraid to ask the question about forgiveness. … I felt that I was beyond hope of forgiveness and dared not ask to find out for sure.” I am thankful that Robert shared the deeply personal answers he received. Through the faith of his son, Michael, he is shown a way to find hope. Michael shared with him several verses in Alma 32. These verses describe how a person could develop faith from only a desire to have faith. Robert pondered these words and a miracle began to happen in his life.
I would recommend this book to everyone. I couldn’t put it down. It is a testimony builder of the most effective kind. This book shares a powerful message of hope, and assures us of the power of God’s infinite love for each of us, His children. With God, anything is possible