In Lead Me, Matt Hammitt opened up about his personal story and how he was able to rediscover his courage and to fight for his marriage and be a leader. Matt Hammitt was the lead singer for Sanctus Real until 2015. They had a few hit songs such as, Lead Me, Forgiven, The Face of Love, and much more. In the book, he went into detail about his journey with the band and the life on the road. He felt God was calling in to let go and trust Him to still provide for him when he left the group. He wrote each member of the band a personal letter explaining why he was leaving after twenty years together. His marriage to Sarah had it’s up and downs and they would fight often. Readers will get to see a glimpse into their marriage and how Matt realized that he had to make a change. He explained how we can get so focused on our spouse failures that we miss seeing our own. A lot of the struggle on their marriage was the fact that he was always gone and she felt like he needed to be home more. He admits to most of the fights he can’t even remember what they were about. He is the father to four kids. One of his kids, Bowen had a battle of health challenges that tested his faith and direction for his future. He had congenital heart disease and a host of issues that shaken them.


In the book, he explained how he was named the barf king. He shared how he was called this because when he was in first grade, he was waiting at the water fountain. He threw up because he struggled with anxiety. The stress grew as he got older and he was diagnosis with irritable bowel syndrome. He covered how he experienced bullying and how this affected him. He shared how he attended church regularly and then it changed when his family was asked to leave the church. They found a new church but still encountered some challenges times.



I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Christian music and they are ready to discover helpful marriage advice. I was greatly touched by his story and reading the behind the scenes of Sanctus Real. It was interesting to read about the hit song, Lead Me and how it has changed lives and has helped men to lead their families. His wife was the one who called him to step up and lead their family. The book contained very beneficial advice for marriage and what they learned thru trial and error. He also did a blog during the time Bowen was born and it became very popular and even lead to a GMA interview. What was really surprising was how one of his daughters kept have a recurring dream that her brother would die and he was the same age as his parents on stage. I enjoyed reading about the life story of how Sanctus Real come to be and the message behind some of the songs. He also told the story about how the idea of the name of the band come to be.



“I received this book free from Multnomah for my honest review.”

As a lifelong fan of Sanctus Real and Matt Hammitt, I knew I had to pick up this book. Throughout Lead Me, Hammitt shares his personal story of how the band started, what his relationship with God was like, and why he left the band to fight for the family God gave him. This book was filled with raw truth and lessons learned. Hammitt was willing to be open in helpful ways to help the reader see how to best fight for family and faith and what it costs too. I enjoyed reading this book!

This is an authentic account of married life lived in dependence on God. A rich resource exploring topics of conflict, commitment, the importance of trust and communication, responsibility, and trust in God. Loved the heartfelt narration by Matt and Sara. The book is absorbing, thought-provoking and life changing!

Former Sanctus Real lead singer Matt Hammitt talks about the difficulties he faced for many years trying to balance life on the road with life at home. With a wife and eventually 4 kids, he wanted to be the husband and father they needed while also following God's calling on his life and providing for his family. In this book, he lays bare the doubts, anxieties, even depression he went through while his wife was at home simply wanting him to lead the family the way he was meant to.

This book really hit home to me in so many ways. My husband and I are at a good point in our 21-year marriage right now, but it hasn't always been so, and I know it won't always be so. When Sanctus Real's song "Lead Me" came out, it spoke to me every time I heard it, and I used the lyrics to explain to my husband where I felt our relationship was lacking at the time. I'm sure the song spoke to countless others as well, just as I'm sure this book will speak to many hearts. Hammitt's insights into what it means to be present in a marriage, even if you can't be physically present (though that certainly helps) come from a place of experience, all of which he shares in this book. That his marriage survived some of what he describes is a testament to what can happen if two people refuse to take the easy way out and instead determine to do life together, even when it gets rough (really rough, from the sound of it).

I also found some insight into an issue my extended family is dealing with right now, and highlighted some quotes that apply to that situation. Though we all have our own stories that we're writing as we go through life, we can certainly learn from each other along the way, even if circumstances don't match up perfectly. And though I can't fully connect with what Hammitt and his wife went through during and after the birth of their first son, my heart broke to read about the pain and uncertainty they went through.

My favorite thing about the book is that he points back to the Bible with every uncertainty he has, with every lesson he learns. It's all right there for us to discover, and Hammitt lays some of it out in a way that could be beneficial to so many people who are struggling with their own families, marriages, or other relationships, whether their issue is trying to balance work and home or a plethora of other possible things that can cause a divide. Also, fans of Matt Hammitt and/or Sanctus Real might appreciate this peek into his life and why he left the band in 2015. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has interest for any reason.

Thank you to the publisher for the free copy! I loved this book as much as I love the song. Matt is raw and honest and it sucked me in right away.

Love Matt's and his wife, Sarah, vulnerability and willingness in sharing their story! This book is going to bless the socks off everyone who reads it. Our God is indeed the One who leads us!

Awesome book it was hard to put it down! Definitely a must read for anyone out there - The book is a great resource to help and share with others.

The first few pages scared me a little bit. I felt there were too many memories, too much story, maybe even too many details, but they were beautifully exposed and I said I would give it a try.
GOOD CHOICE !
The book is very captivating. I read it in two days, but I had to be very careful. If you get too caught up in the story, you lose those memorable phrases that can become your motto. But if you follow those phrases too much, you risk losing the story which is absolutely wonderful.

Matt Hammitt writes books as well as he writes songs :)

I love the song Lead Me from Sanctus Real, so I was excited to learn the story behind the song. This is an honest book about Matt's struggles balancing life on the road and his family, and I enjoyed every page of it!
My only critique is the contributions of his wife Sarah. I would have loved them to be longer and hear more from her point of view, as her inputs were short and at random places, I felt like they didn't bring that much to the story.

Matt Hammitt has a gift for being real, raw, and honest in a way that's poetic and this book is no different. While it tells his own story, it speaks volumes to men regarding how they live their lives. And yet, it does it such a humble way that it doesn't come across as preachy, self-serving, or as hype. It comes across as the earnest yearning of a man, doing his best to follow God. I highly recommend it to men of all ages, both unmarried and married, from 18 to 118.

In a world where so much is permissible, where quitting on a marriage or a call to continue on a path God has given can be so understandably kicked aside for something that works better for you. This book gives the reader a pause, to rethink the fine line where balance is laid down. The balance between being a spiritual leader for your own family versus being among the whole world. This book reads like a memoir of a spiritual journey where the author lays bare so much. At times funny and at times sad but there are so many great messages in this man's story of life and marriage. A great book for husbands, fathers, and the wives who love them. I hope he writes more!

Awesome read, more than Sanctus Real. It's marriage, family, and life. I'm very impressed with how candid he is with his life. Very touching book. Much to learn.

Thanks to author,publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free,it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.