A Decade of ON FIRE

Reminding us that ordinary people can change lives through extraordinary love.

Ten years ago this week, ON FIRE was released.

When the book first went out into the world, I wasn’t planning on it landing on bestseller lists, being translated into a dozen languages, or becoming the inspiration for a feature film. The idea was far simpler: honor the people who saved my life and remind others that they have the power to change lives, too.

I wanted to thank my siblings who ran toward their burning brother and risked their lives for mine. I wanted to celebrate my incredible parents who chose radical love through two house fires, decades of Parkinson’s disease, and more challenges than most families ever face. I wanted to thank the Mercy caregivers who rallied around a little boy so faithfully that the impossible became reality. And I wanted to celebrate the teachers, coaches, friends, neighbors, and strangers who showed up with encouragement and carried hope for me when I didn’t have enough of my own.

In sharing their stories, my hope was simple: to remind readers that they, too, could be part of someone else’s miracle.

What made the heroes in the book so remarkable wasn’t some supernatural power they possessed. It was their decision to use their lives to elevate someone else’s.

A superpower available to all of us.

My hope was that readers might recognize the heroes in their own story—and then choose to become one in someone else’s.

And yet, something remarkable happened.

Over the last decade, the story traveled farther than I ever imagined. It has been shared in classrooms and boardrooms. In hospitals and prisons. In churches, locker rooms, and living rooms around the world.

Along the way, thousands of people have written with a similar message:

“Your story reminded me that my life still matters.”

They weren’t writing about the fire, the scars, the baseballs or the struggle. Because the real story has never been about those things.

The real story has always been the reminder that our lives matter. How we live them matters. And how we choose to love and serve the people around us matters.

Ten years later, I’m more convinced than ever that the world rarely changes because of one dramatic moment. More often, the world changes when ordinary people quietly show up for one another with faithful love.

That’s how my life was saved.

And it’s still how the world is changed.

My friends, ten years after the book first came out, the invitation remains the same:

Live with courage. Love the people in front of you. And remember that even the smallest act of kindness can positively change a life.

Because ten years later, I’m more convinced than ever that the real miracle isn’t my story.

It’s what happens when someone reads it and decides to become the miracle for someone else.

A decade ago, I never imagined the impact ON FIRE would have. The response has been incredible and I'm still amazed by the lives this little book has touched. As a small celebration, enjoy 10% off with coupon code "ONFIRE10" to grab a copy for yourself or to share with others. Let's celebrate a decade of courage, love and impact together!