Mandy Baker Johnson

I think A Tailor-Made Bride by Karen Witemeyer is rather cleverly written, the story being anchored to the name of one of the main characters, Jericho ‘JT’ Tucker.  JT hates his name because it is associated with the mother who thought of nothing but her own vanity and wants, selfishly deserting him and his sister as children.  As a result, JT has cared for his younger sister Cordelia since the tender age of eleven, and has developed a passionate hatred for female frills and fashions, anything that might promote vanity.

Enter dressmaker Hannah Richards.  A modest, beauty-loving, God-honouring, caring young woman, Hannah finds herself up against JT’s narrow-minded views right from the very first day she moves to the small mid-West town where he lives.  As far as Hannah is concerned, Jericho lives right up to his name.  Like the biblical city, he is so sure of himself and his strength that he is unable to ‘acknowledge the possibility that someone else might succeed with methods that appear foolish and wrong’ in his sight.

Jericho struggles with Hannah’s growing friendship with his lonely little sister Cordelia.  But under Hannah’s womanly influence, frumpy Cordelia gradually blossoms into an attractive young lady; beautiful on the inside as well as outwardly.  How will Jericho react as Cordelia ceases to be invisible to the young man she desperately loves?  Will he be able to let her go?

Jericho has some tough lessons to learn on forgiveness, trust and love before the walls he has built around his heart can come crashing down.

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I loved reading It Happens Every Spring by Gary Chapman and Catherine Palmer.  The book is anchored around Patsy’s ‘Just As I Am’ tea rooms and beauty salon.  The people frequenting the salon are likened to the seasons; some, like Esther and Charlie, are enjoying the easy summer of a long, contented marriage.  Newly-married Ashley is in the blossoming spring of a marriage full of hope for the years ahead.  Brenda and Steve are in the winter of their marriage.  Since their children grew up and left home, Steve has become married to his job, causing Brenda to become bitter and cold towards him.  Feeling that she’s been forgotten by her children, by her husband and even by God, Brenda turns her back on what she once treasured – creating a happy home life, caring for her husband, and enjoying attending church – and is tempted into another man’s arms.  Steve won’t listen to Brenda; Brenda constantly freezes Steve out.  What will be the outcome for them?  Can they work together to salvage their marriage?  Is it possible they could find their first love again?  Or will it all end in the divorce that beckons them so alluringly?

As Patsy witnesses the alarming cracks visible in Brenda and Steve’s marriage and does what she can to try and help, Patsy is trying to cope with cracks of her own.  She has spent years building up her beauty salon and tea rooms, fulfilling her God-given ministry of providing a safe, cosy atmosphere for people to unburden themselves and receive prayer.  But now all of that is threatened by the arrival of Pete Roberts and his ‘Rods-and-Ends’ shop.  Loud, shaggy, big-hearted Pete has taken to repairing noisy lawn mowers and chain saws right next door to the tea rooms with devastating affects.  First, Patsy’s entire antique collection of cups and saucers is smashed from the heavy vibrations, then deep cracks begin appearing in the walls.  Patsy regularly races next door to yell at Pete, but finds it impossible to stay angry with him for too long.  Just this side of forty, Patsy has never married because the right man has never come along…. until now?

And then there’s Cody, the sweet homeless boy trapped in a man’s lean, unkempt body.  Learn to love Cody, with his constant refrain:  ‘My daddy told me that anyone might give you food, but only a Christian would give you chocolate cake, too’.  That’s chocolate cake in squares, not triangles, because you get more icing that way!

It Happens Every Spring is the first in a series of four.  I will definitely be buying the other three.

Thicker than Blood by C J Darlington is a gripping story of selfishness, cowardice, regrets, temptation, guilt, manipulation, violence, forgiveness, love and grace.  The main character is Christy, a rebellious and guilt-ridden older sister.  Strangely vulnerable, she is gifted at choosing the wrong kind of men and ending up emotionally-wounded and abused.  Alcohol offers temporary anaesthesia of her emotions and pain but ultimately leaves her empty.  Christy remains haunted by terrible mistakes in the past and struggles to cope with the demands of the present.

Then after many years, Christy reluctantly and hesitantly reconnects with May, the younger sister she abruptly deserted after their parents were killed.  May is gutsy, determined, follows her dreams and makes them happen.  Christy is astounded that May is now a follower of Christ, which adds to her strong feelings of guilt and worthlessness in May’s company.  As for May, she struggles with Christy’s selfish and cowardly desertion at at time when she needed her big sister the most.

Will Christy remain in May’s life this time?  Or will she run away for a second time, leaving irreparable damage behind her?  Can May learn to forgive Christy from the heart?

And what of the men in their lives?  There’s Hunter, Christy’s employer who constantly stands up for her in the workplace.  Is he right to believe in her?  Is she worthy of his trust?  Vince is another employee and is also Christy’s abusive ex-boyfriend.  He is manipulative and cruel, dishonest and violent.  Is there anything Vince won’t stop at to get Christy back?  And then there’s reliable, rough and ready Jim, May’s much-trusted ranch-hand.  An ex-alcoholic and follower of Christ; in Jim, Christy finds a friend who understands her battles at the deepest levels.

This is Christian fiction at its best, an excellent read.

Today I finished reading Derek Prime‘s The Ascension: The Shout of a King.  It is a book full of Jesus.  I was constantly drawn in by Derek’s writing style and by the subject matter.  Derek teaches the importance of Jesus’ ascension; the role He now plays in Heaven and the benefits He gives to His people because of that.  Again and again, I was in thankful awe of God for the wonderful blessing we have as believers by the Man in Heaven who joyfully represents us.

To remain spiritually healthy and able to serve God, we need to keep our eyes fixed on our ascended King.  To do less is to risk bringing Him dishonour, and disaster on ourselves.

Before I read this book, I had not appreciated all the blessings Christ’s ascension has brought to believers.  Until Jesus ascended, the Father could not send the Holy Spirit.  And if we did not have the Holy Spirit, how could we experience His daily power in our lives?  How could we enjoy fellowship with God?  When Jesus ascended, the promise was given that one day He will return in the same manner that He left:  in the clouds (Acts 1:1-11).

Right now in Heaven, Jesus has many roles in which He blesses us.  He is our Priest, our Intercessor, our Advocate (who will never lose a case!), the Great Shepherd of the sheep, His people’s Captain, our King and our Governor.  And something very important that He does for us is to prepare a place for us.  Isn’t it wonderful that He wants us to be with Him where He is?  As Derek writes:  ‘There is room for all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.  The Lord of the universe has no problem when it comes to space!’

I was blessed by this book.  I trust you will be too.