Faith Like Potatoes - Book Review

Faith Like Potatoes is the story of Angus Buchan, a farmer in South Africa. One particularly bad year, when the land was in drought, and promised only to get worse, Angus decided to plant a crop of potatoes. His neighbours laughed, and thought he must have been out of his mind – Angus had never grown potatoes before, and this was not a good year to start. But Angus had something his neighbours didn't; faith. He had faith in a God who was bigger than any drought had ever been, and had the power to direct the weather however He chose. And those potatoes grew, and produced bountifully, in spite of the adverse conditions; it was a miracle. As Angus explained, “This is what Jesus has done. This is the way he has rewarded our faith. Our God is the God of the impossible”...

Angus' journey of faith grew from there, and before long, he was surprised to see himself, a simple unlearned farmer, traveling around the country sharing the good news of what faith can do. His farm became a home to orphans whose parents had died of AIDS, along with older widows, troubled youth, and farm workers, amongst others. God then called Angus to full-time ministry, and He used Angus' humble, willing heart to do a mighty work, both to his own neighbours, friends, family and abroad.

After reading Faith Like Potatoes, I was surprised at how much of a bestseller it is; because I wouldn't call the writing amazing or well set out. But the story itself, and the answers to prayer it chronicles, along with the descriptions of trials and heartaches we can all relate to, made this book real. And I think that's what make this book as well read as it is: it's real. God used a farmer who made mistakes, and messed up just like we do, to accomplish His purpose. And if He used Angus; he can use you and me.

As my Mum said: “It's inspiring that God can take a simple honest farmer and use him so much. Before he gave his life to the Lord, he'd made it, in terms of farming, but he didn't have peace in his heart, and he was losing his grip on life. But afterwards, he truly was a man who lived for the Lord, and took the Lord into all his experiences. It was also inspiring that when he felt called into the ministry he realized he couldn't run the farm as well, but God already had the answer. All His biddings are enablings. When God calls us, He already has the direction cleared.”

So, have you read (or seen) Faith Like Potatoes? How did it inspire you?