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reneesmith 's review for:
The Bridge
by Karen Kingsbury
What Women Want is a hot topic today. Women's issues drive advertising pitches, TV programming, the stock on store shelves, and even presidential campaign platforms.
But the messages we're receiving from popular culture ring false. New furniture, trendy clothes, over-activitied kids, the perfect house, and shallow (or inappropriate!) "romance" books fail to satisfy.
In contrast to these empty messages, the rich romantic fiction of Karen Kingsbury shines. I love that her books explore how What Women Want can only be found in What God Provides. Her inspirational stories illuminate the theme that "a woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ that a man has to seek Him to find her."
When I see a Karen Kingsbury book in the hands of my teenage students, I smile inside. I know they'll be reading about characters just like themselves--young women with real-life problems and pressures. They'll see God speak to and work in the hearts and lives of those folks. And whether the person in the story accepts or rejects God's way, my girls will be soaking in the truth that God seeks to shape and satisfy our hearts' desires.
Karen's Christmas novella is no exception. The Bridge celebrates the many kinds of love that make our lives complete. The story focuses on Molly Allen and Ryan Kelly, former college sweethearts who seemingly missed their chance at a happily-ever-after, and Charlie and Donna Barton, a long-married couple now facing a crisis of faith. The four lives intersect in a way that highlights the everyday miracles and gracious second chances God so liberally shares with all who call Him Father. And the whole thing plays out as they try to save a bookstore. Yay!
Here's a snippet from the book to pique your interest . . .
"Father, what am I supposed to do? There has to be an answer. My dad said this would happen, and I never believed it, so You can't let me fail. Please, God . . .
[Charlie Barton] turned and faced the wall, spread his hands against the cool bricks. The Union soldiers had felt warm and safe and dry here, as if things might turn out okay after all. He squeezed his eyes shut, his hands, his arms trembling from the great sorrow crushing in and around him.
That's all I want, Lord . . . I'm begging You. Let me rebuild The Bridge so the flood doesn't win. Give me the second chance Edna talked about. Please, Lord, show me how.
A Scripture passage whispered in his mind, one he'd shared with customers on occasion. It was from Deuteronomy 20:1: `When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, will be with you.'
God had brought him out of Egypt, for sure, he and Donna both. Their own personal Egypt. A tragedy no one in Franklin knew anything about.
That horrific time had led them to move here, to open The Bridge and find solace in books . . . Painful memories tried to work their way to the forefront of his heart, but he refused them . . .
God had rescued them from that, Charlie had been completely convinced.
Now, he wasn't so sure."
You want to keep reading, right? And it only gets better from there! You should not only purchase a copy for yourself but also a few extra to give as gifts!
But the messages we're receiving from popular culture ring false. New furniture, trendy clothes, over-activitied kids, the perfect house, and shallow (or inappropriate!) "romance" books fail to satisfy.
In contrast to these empty messages, the rich romantic fiction of Karen Kingsbury shines. I love that her books explore how What Women Want can only be found in What God Provides. Her inspirational stories illuminate the theme that "a woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ that a man has to seek Him to find her."
When I see a Karen Kingsbury book in the hands of my teenage students, I smile inside. I know they'll be reading about characters just like themselves--young women with real-life problems and pressures. They'll see God speak to and work in the hearts and lives of those folks. And whether the person in the story accepts or rejects God's way, my girls will be soaking in the truth that God seeks to shape and satisfy our hearts' desires.
Karen's Christmas novella is no exception. The Bridge celebrates the many kinds of love that make our lives complete. The story focuses on Molly Allen and Ryan Kelly, former college sweethearts who seemingly missed their chance at a happily-ever-after, and Charlie and Donna Barton, a long-married couple now facing a crisis of faith. The four lives intersect in a way that highlights the everyday miracles and gracious second chances God so liberally shares with all who call Him Father. And the whole thing plays out as they try to save a bookstore. Yay!
Here's a snippet from the book to pique your interest . . .
"Father, what am I supposed to do? There has to be an answer. My dad said this would happen, and I never believed it, so You can't let me fail. Please, God . . .
[Charlie Barton] turned and faced the wall, spread his hands against the cool bricks. The Union soldiers had felt warm and safe and dry here, as if things might turn out okay after all. He squeezed his eyes shut, his hands, his arms trembling from the great sorrow crushing in and around him.
That's all I want, Lord . . . I'm begging You. Let me rebuild The Bridge so the flood doesn't win. Give me the second chance Edna talked about. Please, Lord, show me how.
A Scripture passage whispered in his mind, one he'd shared with customers on occasion. It was from Deuteronomy 20:1: `When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, will be with you.'
God had brought him out of Egypt, for sure, he and Donna both. Their own personal Egypt. A tragedy no one in Franklin knew anything about.
That horrific time had led them to move here, to open The Bridge and find solace in books . . . Painful memories tried to work their way to the forefront of his heart, but he refused them . . .
God had rescued them from that, Charlie had been completely convinced.
Now, he wasn't so sure."
You want to keep reading, right? And it only gets better from there! You should not only purchase a copy for yourself but also a few extra to give as gifts!