DR MARC SIEGEL: What I admire most about Shannon Bream’s inspiring new book on faith
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In his new bestselling book, “Nothing is Impossible in the Sight of Allah” Fox News host, attorney and author Shannon Bream tells the stories of 11 heroes of the Bible, including everyone’s two favorites: Joseph and Moses.
But he begins the book with his own story, overcoming severe, persistent eye pain that caused him to become quite depressed when he was 39 years old. With hope fading, message boards sent him to one last cornea specialist, Dr. of Washington Ophthalmologists. This led him to call Thomas Clinch.
It was another sign from God that he came to see her right away because it was cancelled. In fact, Clinch himself was one of God’s messengers, and he diagnosed her with a condition that other doctors had overlooked: map-dot-fingerprint dystrophy, also known as Cogan’s dystrophy. This condition involves small abrasive scratches on the surface of the cornea. The outer cornea adheres to the lower layers and begins to rub, especially during deep sleep. Clinch’s treatment consisted of Muro 128 ointment to use at night, eye drops, and tear duct plugs to help her eyes retain moisture.
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Shannon Bream is one of the kindest, most genuine, humble yet intelligent hosts, writers and advocates you will ever meet. His gratitude to God for his restoration after successful treatment is evident. This also leads directly into the stories of this important book; here his strong faith motivates him to seek out and discover the biblical heroes who most inspire him.
Shannon Bream hosts “FOX News Sunday” on Fox News Channel. (Paul Morigi/Getty Images)
He has an important take on Moses, a story that begins “when a brave and courageous mother defied the law of the day to order all Hebrew male babies to be thrown into the Nile River – meaning certain death.”
Of course, Moses’ mother and midwives did not comply. He was hidden and placed in a famous basket that was later found by the Pharaoh’s daughter, and he later became her adopted son. But as Bream points out, he never lost touch with his own people by killing an Egyptian for beating a Hebrew.
When Pharaoh learned of this, he tried to kill Moses, who was a fugitive. Shannon’s analysis of Moses’ life is full of insight: “Moses was faithful, working as a shepherd for his father-in-law. We see no grumbling about how wonderful life was at court, no fantasies of returning to the life of a prince; it’s just the methodical work of a dutiful man. Whether or not you think anyone else is aware of your effort, God can and will show up whenever you work.”
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Here Bream talks about the burning bush and quotes the Bible, as he does throughout the book: “God called to him out of the bush: ‘Moses! Moses!’ And Moses said, ‘Here I am.'” (Exodus 3:1-4)
“I am almost 100 percent certain that I would not have reacted so calmly,” Bream writes, combining personal irony with his reverence for scripture as he does throughout the book. He does this again in Exodus, writing, “But God had a plan for a rebellion unlike any other in history. It would begin with what any strategist will tell you was a terrible mistake: letting your enemy know you had arrived.”
Indeed, as God said to Moses: “Go now. I am sending you to Pharaoh to lead my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” (Exodus 3:10)
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When it comes to the chapter about Joseph in Genesis, Bream again personalizes a chapter of the Bible. His brothers, who kidnapped him and sold him into slavery during the legendary famine, did not recognize him when they came to Egypt to buy grain.
Bream describes Joseph crying because, of course, he understood what his brothers were saying in Hebrew, even though he used a translator and spoke Egyptian as his native language to protect his disguise. And despite Joseph’s mistrust and hurt, he still treated them with compassion (loving kindness). But their own guilty consciences made Joseph’s kindness seem bad to them.
And quoting Genesis 42:28: “Their hearts were heavy, and they turned to one another, trembling, and said, ‘What is this that God has done to us?'”
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Above all, Shannon Bream maintains the sense that the Bible is a grand narrative filled with inspiring heroes, leaders, and prophets.
His own life of overcoming makes him the perfect person to write this compelling book.
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