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Christian Novel Review

Having always been an avid reader, since becoming a Christian I have found a wealth of reading material in Christian bookshops and in various second hand bookshops. I have found that in Christian novels one often finds truths that help in one’s Christian walk. I enjoy reading about how the various characters deal with life, and I also find I am the richer for reading a really good Christian novel. Certain authors, through their books, give you a real insight into their joys and struggles, which I find very interesting. The books which I am going to review are those which I have really enjoyed, and have read at least twice – some books, for example the “Mark of the Lion “ series by Francine Rivers, I have read at least five times each. The first books that I am going to talk about are the latest two novels by Francine Rivers,


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Thursday 16 February 2012

APPOINTMENT IN JERUSALEM BY DEREK PRINCE

APPOINTMENT IN JERUSALEM BY DEREK PRINCE is the story of his first wife Lydia's search for the truth.  It is a wonderful story, all the more wonderful because it is true, and I can't tell you how many times I have read it!  It is so encouraging as it shows how the Lord draws a young woman to Himself, saves her, fills her with His Holy Spirit and leads her to a life of fulfillment and ministry in Jerusalem.  He reveals Himself to her as not only her Saviour but also her Healer, Protector and loving Friend.  
Lydia is a successful school teacher in Korsor, Denmark, with the prospect of marrying a colleague who seems perfect for her, but she is determined to search for what is lacking in her life.  She is very self conscious as she prays and asks the Lord to show her if He is real, and promises to follow Him if He is truly God. Jesus reveals Himself to her and her life changes from that moment.  She comes to love Him and His Word and spends hours in prayer as He leads her every step of the way.  Hers is a childlike faith.  We see how her obedience leads to her being shunned by most of her colleagues and even the Lutheran church, but her joy in her newfound faith sustains her.  As she yields to the Lord, the Holy Spirit becomes her constant companion.
She leaves Denmark and her family and her comfortable life to move to Jerusalem, which was not a particularly attractive place at the time, nor was it at all safe, especially for a young woman on her own.  She comes to love the great City and her people, and it is there that she experiences the Lord's protection, His leading and miracle power in great measure.  It is in Jerusalem that she rescues a sick Jewish baby called Tikva, who becomes everything to her.  She has given up the chance for a teaching career in Lebanon, which seems ideal, and then the Lord asks her give Tikva back to Him.  She feels like Abraham on Mount Moriah, but her obedience and faith are well rewarded.
This book shows that it is possible for anyone who is willing to search for the truth to come to know Him who is all Truth, and for those who are obedient to know His fullness in their lives.  I cannot recommend this book enough!!




Friday 10 February 2012

THE GREAT DIVIDE BY DAVIS BUNN

THE GREAT DIVIDE is the first of Davis Bunn's novels that I ever read, and I have read it several times with great enjoyment.  It is a really good courtroom drama and very exciting.  The characters are well portrayed and the issues raised give one much food for thought.  We feel for Marcus Glenwood, once a lawyer in a huge firm with a wife and two children, who has now returned to his grandparents' Victorian manor on the "wrong side" of town after a devastating family tragedy.  He is restoring the house and working from there, and it is through Deacon Wilbur, an African-American pastor who is working for him that he hears of the plight of Gloria Hall who has disappeared in China. He also comes to know her parents and her best friend Kirsten and he is lovingly drawn in to the congregation of the church which he has been instrumental in saving.  He takes on New Horizons, who were after the church and cemetery land, and whose factories are selling sports clothes made in the sweatshops of China - Factory 101 being one of the most infamous.
Marcus' life is in danger from those who have no desire for their illegal and inhuman business practices to be brought out into the open.  The opposing lawyers hate him because he used to work for their firm and they take great delight in trying to destroy him. They attack his personal life. They use the fact that his wife divorced him after  their children were killed in an accident when he was driving, and the fact that, although he hadn't been drinking at the time, he definitely used to have a drinking problem.  Although the accident wasn't his fault, he blames himself.
We see how Marcus relates to the Halls, having recently lost his own precious children.  We see the contrast between his sophisticated, moneyed, wife, who can't  bring herself to forgive him when he goes to say how sorry he is, and the down to earth, compassionate and loving people that have become his friends.  He is gradually restored as he puts his life on the line to help these grieving people, who others were too scared to help because of the power and brutality of the opposition.
We are held in suspense throughout, and we meet many colourful characters as the story unfolds.  I can highly recommend this book.