The Sacred Acre: The Ed Thomas Story is written by Mark Tabb with the Ed Thomas Family. Ed Thomas was a man who love the Lord Jesus Christ and his family. Ed was a man who lived what he believed and made an incredibly impact on his family, his community and in his career as both an athletic director and high school football coach. Early one morning while helping out his football team with weight training Ed was gunned down by one of his former players who had mental issues and who apparently had issues with Ed.
As I read this story I was struck with the forthrightness of the authors about Ed’s life and the impact his life made on authors. Many people wonder why bad things happen to good people, and what purpose they serve. The Ed Thomas story does not seek to answer these questions but to demonstrate what a life lived well on mission for God looks like, and the impact such a life can have on others.
As I finished the book, I prayed the Lord would raise up more men like Ed. Sacred Acre is a story that will pull at your heart strings. It is the story not only of a man who loved God, but also loved Christ’s Church. Ed faithfully served as an elder at his local church for thirty plus years. The key to Ed making an impact in his community was his being grounded in the Word of God and prayer, which the family notes he did everyday. Ed modeled what he believed in and proclaimed it without fear or trembling.
The message of Ed’s life should be the message of every believer’s life that adversity in life reveals our character. Adversity Ed taught gives us the opportunity like nothing else to show what kind of person we are. I believe Ed’s story will resonate with many as it did with me. Everyone goes through hard times but it is how we face those hard times that reveal who we are and what we stand for. I encourage you to pick up Sacred Acre and be challenged by the life of Ed Thomas who lived his life on mission, for God, His kingdom, and His Gospel.
Title: The Sacred Acre: The Ed Thomas Story
Author: Mark Tabb and the Ed Thomas Family
Publisher: Zondervan (2011)
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Zondervan as part of their Blogger Review 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 Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Dave Jenkins is happily married to his wife, Sarah. He is a writer, editor, and speaker living in beautiful Southern Oregon. Dave is a lover of Christ, His people, the Church, and sound theology. He serves as the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries, the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine, the Host and Producer of Equipping You in Grace Podcast, and is a contributor to and producer of Contending for the Word. He is the author of The Word Explored: The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy and What To Do About It (House to House, 2021), The Word Matters: Defending Biblical Authority Against the Spirit of the Age (G3 Press, 2022), and Contentment: The Journey of a Lifetime (Theology for Life, 2024). You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, or read his newsletter. Dave loves to spend time with his wife, going to movies, eating at a nice restaurant, or going out for a round of golf with a good friend. He is also a voracious reader, in particular of Reformed theology, and the Puritans. You will often find him when he’s not busy with ministry reading a pile of the latest books from a wide variety of Christian publishers. Dave received his M.A.R. and M.Div through Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.
