Have a Little Faith

Mitch Albom had me in tears on an airplane last night.

It’s hard to look manly in an aisle seat in coach when your eyeballs are sweating and you gasp to catch your breath as your heart reads the words on the pages, not your head.

Albom’s Have a Little Faith is his retelling of being asked by the rabbi from his home synagogue – Albert Lewis – to write and deliver the man’s eulogy. It’s incredibly compelling as a story in itself. And the time it must have taken Albom to invest in learning all he could from Lewis is amazing, as is the wisdom of Lewis that gets passed along.

But Albom’s decision to also tell the story in Have a Little Faith about a reformed pastor in Detroit – Henry Covington – who ministers out of an old church with a hole in the roof carries a moving message of its own. Again, Albom clearly invested an extraordinary amount of time and energy to get to know Covington and the people he ministers to. And Covington will simply change the way you think about people with a “past.”

I highly recommend this book. No matter your own faith or lack thereof, or denomination.

So, where to begin?

I’ll keep it short and focus on some key takeaways for me.

One, it got me thinking of my own spiritual upbringing and the pastor in my home church in East Bethel, Minnesota. I’m pushing 40, and still remember the weekly rituals of Sunday School, then confirmation classes, serving on the Altar Guard, playing drums, etc… My pastor baptized me, confirmed me and officiated my wedding. Like Lewis, he was an important part of a lot of people’s lives through the good and the bad. His sermons weren’t flashy but always opened with a story or a funny anecdote. And always had a point.

Secondly, I came away from Have a Little Faith with an even deeper respect for clergy who devote their lives to their flock. The ones who truly don’t do the “job” for themselves. Covington says, “Lord, regardless of what life holds for me, let me give something back to you. I know it don’t even no scorecard. But let me make something of my life before I go…” And Lewis tells Albom one of the reasons he became a rabbi was that “it allows me to fulfill the message of our tradition; to live good, to do good, and to be blessed.”

Third, Albom’s eulogy for Lewis is a work of art. I wish there was video of it. Quoting from it here would ruin the moment if you haven’t yet read the book.

Finally, the fact that Albom is putting his money where his words are is priceless. Covington’s church roof got repaired thanks to awareness of his situation. (Watch video of a ceremony to celebrate that here). And some of the proceeds from Have a Little Faith are also going to the churches and homeless shelter featured in the book for other needs.

And Albom started “A Hole in the Roof Foundation” to help faith groups make repairs and renovations on their buildings.

It’s a great way to give back.

Albom learned well.

Hebrews 11:1 says “…faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” It’s so much to so many people.

For more on Have a Little Faith, you can visit Albom’s website. And watch him talk about the book on Good Morning America.