Wednesday, November 14, 2012

The Reluctant Prophet by Nancy Rue (The Reluctant Prophet Trilogy)

Not only does this book have a story -- now there is a story about how I got these books!

In about two more posts you will see the book that I signed up for to review with my amazing CFBA book reviewing group. Imagine my surprise when I get a box delivered, and open it up and not ONE, but ALL THREE books in series have been sent to me! WOW!!!! David Cook Publishing, you impressed me with that move! After checking with Bonnie about how I wound up with all three books, I started working to add the first two books in this series into my reading schedule. I am not at all sorry I have, in fact, I am inspired and want a few others I know to read these books also!

Allison Chamberlain is about a real as a person can be. She became a Christian seven years prior to this story of her life. As Allison says, she "found Jesus but didn't know what to do with Him." Church is, well church. She has her group of friends, and life is a bit hard, but over all rather status-quo in sunny Florida. Then that changes. Allison starts getting Nudges, aka to the rest of us, Words of Knowledge or just plain hearing from God. The first thing he tells her to do is to get a Harley! She is 42, never been married, not in love and now she is going to start riding a Hog.

{Let me go ahead and tell you. I can't drive a Harley, but I have ridden on them. I was a member of a Christian Motorcycle Ministry and I know a good bit about Harley's.} Allison's task of learning to ride her own bike is not any easy thing! But with God "nudging" her this hard she is going to follow Him. This soon puts her at odds with her church friends, her neighborhood, and her Pastor. Regardless - God is calling and lives are suddenly changing because of Allison's obedience. In making a promise to a man who is dying, Allison is quite suddenly involved helping a woman change her life from that of a prostitute and drug user, into a clean, free woman working to figure out how to raise her son and follow God daily. Oh but it is NOT that cut and dried, it never is in real life, and this book is interwoven with REAL life. While Genevieve is recovering "Big Al", Allison is basically raising her son, Desmond. The Nudges just keep coming, and before Allison has time to sort through it all, she now has THREE women working to turn their lives around. They can't all keep living in her house, because the neighbors aren't happy, the house is getting crowded and issues just keep popping up. Not the least of them are issues of safety and Allison dealing with some things in her own past that could threaten the women she has sworn to protect.

This book is gripping, it is amazing. It is hard core, beautiful, and it shows so clearly what happens if people step up and answer when they hear God calling them. This book is about love, forgiveness, healing, and what it means to really be a Christian. This is a highly recommended read! As soon as I finished it I launched into reading the second book in this series.

Carol

ABOUT THE BOOK:



At age forty-two, Allison Chamberlain is still making a half-hearted attempt to figure out what she wants to be when she grows up. Although she has been a pew-sitting member of a church for seven years, “prophet” has never been on the short list of possible careers.
Then one Sunday Allison senses a divine nudge to buy a Harley motorcycle and go wherever it takes her. Soon she is wondering if she is called to present the reality of Christ to one of society’s darkest corners—and challenge her own church to look beyond their fears.
The first in a brave trilogy from seasoned writer Nancy Rue, The Reluctant Prophet shows how one person’s response to God’s call can change a community forever.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

In 1980, Rue took a leave of absence from teaching and took on writing as a nine-to-five job. Although it quickly became apparent that she could starve to death that way, that didn’t stop her: she spent fifteen years getting up at 4:00 a.m. to write before going off to teach school, until she was finally able to pursue freelance writing full-time in 1995.

“I am living a God-directed life,” says the author: “doing what I was meant to do, what I love to, what allows me to give what I’ve been given. I spend as much of my time teaching, filling my well, hanging out with the people I love, as I do writing, and that has made all the difference."

Rue has become a successful, best-selling author of books for ‘tweens and adults. Over her career she’s written more than 100 books. For a complete list of adult fiction, click here. For ‘tween books, click here.

Nancy travels the country speaking and teaching at schools, churches, home school groups, and for groups of ‘tween girls and their moms. She lives in Tennessee with her husband, Jim. Their daughter, Marijean, son-in-law, Brian, and baby granddaughter Maeryn, live in nearby Nashville. The Rues’ two yellow Labs share (and eat) Jim and Nancy’s home.

Book Link: http://www.amazon.com/The-Reluctant-Prophet-Novel-Series/dp/B004IEA2T8

I got this entire series through CFBA, sent by David Cook, and I am thrilled that they did this for us!

2 comments:

Nancy Rue said...

Can I just say how much I appreciate your review, Carol? I am so grateful to Cook for sending you all three books and even more grateful that you "get" what they have to say. Just -- thank you. Thank you.

Nancy Rue

Carol E. Keen said...

Dear Mrs. Rue,
Thank you *so much* for your comment! I too am very grateful for Cook sending all three books! I had not read any of your books prior. What an inspirational treat to get to read these particular ones at this time in my life. Yes, I do "get" it and I am thrilled you wrote them!
Carol :)