Christian Fiction Book Club Presents The Preacher's Bride by Jody Hedlund

The Preacher's Bride by Jody Hedlund

My rating: 5 of 5 stars





View all my reviews

*WARNING* This discussion may contain spoilers that someone who has not read this book yet may not want to have spoiled for them! 


Today, Lydia over at The Overweight Bookshelf is hosting the Christian Fiction Book Club featuring Jody Hedlund's The Preacher's Bride. I'm not an overly huge fan of "bonnet" books but this one really grabbed me from chapter 1. I did not know until the very end of this book that it was written on the life of John Bunyon.

This book is full of tragedy, love (sometimes pretty sensuous!), and determination! I was amazed at John's inability to accept Elizabeth's help after the passing of his wife. How did he think that his children would receive the care they needed from their elder sibling, Mary, who is at the tender age of 8 and blind? I'm not saying she couldn't have done it but it would have been nearly impossible for her to care for the newborn in need of milk. Elizabeth steps in and finds the baby a wet nurse against Mrs. Grew's desires and wishes. For me, Mrs. Grew represented the old aunt (played by Angela Lansbury) in Nanny McPhee! I really admired Elizabeth for standing up to Mrs. Grew and for keeping her faith throughout the story.

I was disturbed by the lack of caring John gave to his children, especially his newborn child. While I can see where his heart was (and that is not a crime!) I felt that he was being somewhat hypocritical by caring so little for his family.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for lots of suspense, determination, and love!

Discussion Question: 

When Elizabeth lost her baby, she felt abandoned by God and by John. Have you ever felt abandoned by God or someone you love? How did you recover? What do you think of Sister Norton's statement "Hardships are the Lord's greatest blessings to a believer. Without them we would love the Lord only for what He does for us. Our troubles teach us to love Him for who He is"?

This scene in the book was incredibly difficult for me to read. I have lost a baby and I have gone through the emotions that Elizabeth expressed. I was so angry at God for a very long time. I was also angry at myself for "allowing it to happen." I have now grown to realize that this wasn't my fault and that God needed my baby more than I did. It took many months for me to overcome my hurt, grief, anger, and feelings of guilt. I was even more angry when I became extremely ill after the miscarriage and had to endure painful medical tests for many months following. I kept asking God why He was continuing to punish me. Hadn't I given Him enough? Today, I do not feel that God punished me or my husband and the entire situation has brought me closer to God. After all, He gave His ONLY Son...why should I complain? I had two healthy children already. 
I don't know that anyone ever "recovers" from a loss, you learn to live and function while that hole in your heart is always there. Going through all of this has made me a stronger person. I have a greater appreciation for my Lord and everything He endured. I appreciate my family and friends more. While the hole is still there in my heart, I know I'll meet my baby in the most glorious place ever created...HEAVEN! God has taken much better care of that baby then I ever could and for that, I simply cannot complain. 

Next Christian Fiction Book Club!!!

I had such a great time hosting the Christian Fiction Book Club this past weekend. We featured Ronie Kendig's Digitalis and had a blast! You can still participate in the event if you'd like. We'd love to hear your feedback!

Coming up next, Lydia will be hosting The Preacher's Bride by Jody Hedlund on September 24. Check out the official announcement on Joy's blog!

I look forward to seeing you join the next book club. I have just ordered The Preacher's Bride and will dive into it as soon as I receive it!

Would you like to host a book club of the month event? Let Joy know when you check out her blog!

Christian Fiction Book Club: Digitalis by Ronie Kendig

I'm so excited that you are able to join me today to discuss this fantastic book by Ronie Kendig! Digitalis is the second book in the Discarded Heroes series. I read this book back in Feb. 2011 and would love it if you would take a minute while you're here to read my review! Many thanks to Ronie for writing a superior novel for us to read and enjoy! Thank you also to Joy for creating this book club for us to fellowship with each other. Please be sure to show these lovely ladies some blog love!

I am going to take a minute to answer a couple of the discussion questions about this book. Feel free to sign Mr. Linky at the bottom of this page so that anyone stopping by here can read your responses on your blog. I'll make it around to each person's blog as I am able to! I am pretty sure Ronie will be checking this out too!




Discussion Question: 
Have you or a loved one ever endured something painful (an illness, injury, broken relationship) and you wondered why God didn’t supernaturally intervene? Why do you think He does not eradicate our problems or pains?


As a nurse, I've seen more than my fair share of people in pain in some form or fashion. However, on a very personal level, I grew up knowing I would never see my mom run. I was fortunate enough to see her walk (although most of the time it required assistance such as holding onto a wall that progressed to using a walker to now being completely wheelchair dependent). Many, many nights I have prayed that one day my mom could walk again, that he would rid her body of the muscular dystrophy that was robbing her of her physical abilities. I have been through all facets of grief with God, everything from denial and bargaining to outright anger and finally, acceptance. I believe that God gives us all problems (physical or not, visible or not) to remind us that we are human. God intended to have the perfect race of humans when he placed Adam and Eve in the Garden. However, we all know of the fall of man and since then, have had many issues. These issues arose because God gave us free will to make our own decisions as humans. Otherwise, we'd be a bunch of robots! I also strongly believe that if there were no trials in life, we would not appreciate the sacrifice that Christ made for us, because it wouldn't necessarily be required of us to live Godly lives since we would already be perfect. God is a just God and He's a God of peace. While I'm not excited knowing that my mom will never walk again (or be able to care for herself), I appreciate the beauty of my mother, her spirit, and the lessons that I have learned (PATIENCE, love, determination, perseverance, meekness, etc) by being a part of her life. 


Discussion Question:
It’s a fact that many soldiers returning from a war theater will experience combat-related PTSD or traumatic brain injury (TBI). Many will never seek treatment, instead trying to push through and “get over it.” Do you know anyone who has experienced PTSD or TBI, combat-related or otherwise? How can you show this person your support?


I have been around many suffering from PTSD and TBI through my nursing career. I also have family members with documented cases. It's a sad reality in this day and time that so many people are affected by these horrible conditions. A person does not have to go to war to experience these either. I myself, have suffered a mild form of PTSD about 8 years ago while working at the hospital. It is not a condition to "blow off" or ignore. IT IS REAL! It saddens me that so many are ashamed to receive help in dealing with the traumatic life experiences that they have had. There are some fantastic professionals out there who will do anything and everything to help that person recover and that's with or without medication! The best thing, in my opinion, that a person could do to show support is to LISTEN. Many times we think we are listening to someone else when we are really just hearing them. There is a pretty significant difference in the two techniques. Listening requires some action and it's not always appropriate to give advice. A listening ear, lots of love, and supporting and encouraging the progress of a victim of these conditions is truly the best gift you could give someone. 


Discussion Question:
The end of Digitalis introduces two new Nightshade team members. Which of these two men intrigues you the most and would you like to see a story about? Why?


I love this question!!!!! The one that intrigues me the most is Aladdin. He is such an enigma to me and I would love to know more about him (you will learn a *little* more about him by reading Wolfsbane, which is the next book in this series!) I would love to see him featured in his own story to hear more about his time before joining Nightshade. MOST of the guys seem to like him...we'll have to work on those others!




I hope you have enjoyed your time here today! For more about Ronie and these fabulous men, you can follow them on Twitter (@roniekendig, @discardedheroes) or check them out on their websites! 


I have read Wolfsbane and I HIGHLY recommend it!! I'm looking forward to the release of Firethorn, due out in Jan. 2012! 


Please leave comments concerning the discussion questions and then post answers to the ones of your choosing on your blog. Let us know how to find you by filling in the McLinky below! I look forward to your thoughts and discussion! 

Save the Date: August 13 is Ronie Kendig's DIGITALIS Day!!

***This will be a sticky post for awhile. Be sure to scroll down for more book reviews!***

I am super excited to announce that I'll be hosting the Christian Fiction Book Club on August 13. We will be examining one of my favorite authors, Ronie Kendig! Ronie has written a great series, The Discarded Heroes, and we will be reading her second book in the seriesDigitalis (Discarded Heroes, Book 2), Digitalis.

You might want to read the first book, Nightshade, first in order to get some background history on this phenomenal guys.

If you're never participated in one of these meetings before (and I confess that I'm not too familiar with them yet, either!), here's the scoop from Joy at Edgy Inspirational Romance:

Want to participate?

1. Secure a copy of the book club pick and read it before the discussion date.

2. Find the reading group guide in the back of the book or on the publisher's website. Choose one or more of the discussion questions to address in a blog post. You might also want to include a short review of the book. *Click HERE for a link to discussion questions for Digitalis on the Christianbook.com retailer website.*

3. Schedule your blog post to run on the discussion date. You may copy and use the book club logo above if you'd like.

4. On the discussion date, the host will run his/her review and answer a few discussion questions. The host will also include a MckLinky at the bottom so bloggers can link their posts.

5. On the discussion date, we all hop around reading and commenting on the reviews and opinions of participating bloggers.

6. If you do not have a blog of your own, you can share your opinions about the book club pick in the comment sections of other blogs.

7. Have you already read our book club picks? Great, participate anyway! You'll have a head start answering some of the questions!

I have enjoyed everything that Ronie Kendig has written so far. You won't be disappointed in Digitalis so grab a copy today and be ready to talk about it on August 13! See you then if not before! :)