One Call Away by Brenda Warner

One Call Away . . . An appropriate title. This is a memoir by Brenda Warner, wife of Super Bowl Champion Quarterback Kurt Warner. We’ve all either gotten “the call,” or will be at some point. The phone rings, we answer and BAM! life is no longer the same. Many times, the ringing of a phone brings news of death, loss, tragedy, and illness, all of which lead to pain. Brenda Warner has gotten several of such calls. And she invites us into her life to witness the aftermath of these calls. She also shows us how she has gotten through these crises – with strength, determination, and most-importantly, her faith. She leaned on and trusted in God through the tragedy, through the pain, through the anger.

The thing I liked so much about this book is the raw honesty with which Brenda shares her story. She is not a perfect woman and seems to share her flaws openly with both thought and regret. She admits that she hasn’t always handled everything well and she’s made mistakes – some that she’s still dealing with today. But it’s real and it’s fresh. Most of us can’t relate to the lifestyle that comes with being a sports celebrity and we often see it as a sort of fairytale. However, most of us can relate to the authentic struggles she faced throughout her life before, and even after, the “glamorous” life of NFL stardom arrived. With the blessings of life that have come their way, she and Kurt seem to truly live out the phrase “blessed to be a blessing.” I enjoyed this book very much and would recommend it to others.

This book was provided to me for review by Thomas Nelson Publishers.

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One Call Away: Answering Life’s Challenges with Unshakeable Faith

Brenda Warner

with Jennifer Schuchmann

Brenda’s life has taken twists and turns that are stranger than fiction. It always seemed as if she was just one phone call away from the next explosive change. Each time her plans fell apart, she had a choice: would she give up, or would she press forward and learn from the unexpected? One Call Away is the inspiring story of a woman who has prevailed through many of the circumstances that discourage women: tragedy, poverty, betrayal, and humiliation. But unlike most women, her life has been on display in the media.

Brenda’s faith and God’s strength enable her to face challenge after challenge: an accident that leaves her son blind and brain damaged, a crumbling marriage, a tornado that kills her parents, a new relationship with promising football player Kurt Warner, and the pressures his sudden success brings to their growing family.

Through food stamps and funerals, Super Bowls and serving others, Brenda’s strength is unwavering. Her determination to dream new dreams, willingness to learn from her mistakes, and commitment to giving back to her community make her a role model for women of all backgrounds.