The Fourth Fisherman by Joe Kissack
I found this book hard to get into at first because every
other chapter bounces between an autobiography of Joe Kissack and the adventure
of five Mexican fishermen lost at sea in 2005.
Their lives and stories do intersect later on in the book, and there is a
purpose for the way the book was written.
Joe Kissack starts telling his story recalling his success
of being executive vice president at a major television studio. That was in 1997. He was living high, yet deep inside he was
dying by inches. He could never achieve
enough to satisfy the little boy in him who wanted desperately to please his
father. He was married to a wonderful
woman and had two beautiful children, but the rat race to attain more was
pulling him into alcohol addiction, and later drug addictions. His life spiraled into darkness and
failures. Thankfully, he had a friend
who told him that God was the only answer for him. His life began to turn around after he
yielded it to Him, and God gave him a new purpose for living. Part of that purpose was to tell the story of
the fishermen lost at sea after a terrific storm.
There were five fishermen, at first, but because of the
storm, and the owner’s insistence that they try to find his expensive net which
was lost in the storm, they ran out of fuel and had no means of
navigation. There was no one to rescue
them, or to notice that they were not returning. Three of them learned to live by drinking the
blood of the raw turtles they caught and ate; two eventually died of
malnutrition and thirst. One thing of
value they had not lost was a Bible, which they read daily. They prayed and read that Bible to keep up
their courage. Day after day and month
after month passed before they were rescued near Australia nine months
later. Their families had given them up
for dead, except for one praying Grandma.
When Joe first heard about the rescue, he became intrigued
with their story, especially the report that the Bible had sustained them. He knew about being lost, and found, and knew
what a lifeline God’s Word was in his life.
He felt an inner urging to learn and tell their story, to give hope to
all who would hear. The Mexican media
was saying they were drug runners and cannibals, as those stories sell
better. Joe couldn’t rest until he got
the true story to share with the world.
This book reveals the emptiness of success, money, and
acclaim. Only God can fill the hole
inside of each one of us. It also shows
how important loving, accepting parenting is to children. The power of prayer and the Bible is displayed
in the miracles that took place in the lives of Joe and the fishermen.
Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers
provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes.
Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from the publisher through the Blogging for Books
program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have
expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade
Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and
Testimonials in Advertising.”
