Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

The Weekly Read

Worth the wait: Review of Stealing the Preacher by Karen Witemeyer

In late April, I met Karen Witemeyer at a writing conference. I’d read two of her books in preparation for the writing conference so I could be familiar with her work, and I enjoyed the books, our conversation and her writing expertise so much, I bought another of her books and eagerly awaited the release of her newest, Stealing the Preacher. I entered giveaways aplenty to try to win myself a copy but no such luck. In the end, I received a free digital copy from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my review. Not a bad deal.

stealing preacherAnd let me tell you, this book was worth the wait, which is also part of the theme I took away from it.

Crockett Archer (who is one of the brothers from Short-Straw Bride, a story that reminded me of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers) is on his way to audition for a preaching job when the train he’s riding on is stopped by bandits who aren’t out for material possessions. They’re looking for a preacher. Him. Ex-outlaw Silas Robbins will do anything for his only daughter  Joanna, including holding up a train and kidnapping a preacher. Joanna’s church has set empty for two years and what she wants more than anything is a preacher to fill the pulpit and to revive the church. When her father arrives home with a preacher in tow–one he kidnapped–Joanna is both outraged and hopeful. Is Crockett Archer the man she prayed for?

Witemeyer sets her stories in 19th century Texas and I love the setting. Her characters are vivid, as well, and I find myself smiling when I read her books. They’re fun, first of all, and full of wholesome romance. Crockett is dreamy–maybe I’m biased because I married a preacher!–and Joanna is relatable because she doesn’t see the beauty in herself that others see. I get that.

At the start of the story, Crockett has a plan for his life, and he’s disappointed when it doesn’t turn out the way he expected. I’ve been there, too. Our ministry journey hasn’t been what I expected, and it’s easy to be bitter about that. But Crockett submits to the Lord’s leading and catches a vision for his purpose elsewhere. It’s an inspiring story of seeing the good in a situation even when it’s not what you thought it would be.

And this is the other thing I love about Witemeyer’s stories: they’re not just historical and romantic–they’re spiritual. And not just surfacey stuff. Woven throughout her stories are deeper issues of calling, trust, submission, forgiveness and truth, but they aren’t forced themes.

Witemeyer is a skilled storyteller and encouraging writer. If you’ve yet to pick up one of her books, now is the time.

P.S. I don’t always watch book trailers, but this one is worth a look!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALw1yauYcxI]

St. Francis 101: Review of Chasing Francis by Ian Morgan Cron

Everything I knew about St. Francis of Assisi before reading Chasing Francis can be summed up in these words:

I may be an evangelical Protestant, but I know that Francis is a Catholic saint from the thirteenth century who’s famous for holding up concrete birdbaths in people’s backyards. (38)

And with that, Ian Morgan Cron captured my heart with his wit, writing style and cleverly convicting observations about the church today. (Disclaimer: I received a free copy of Chasing Francis from Zondervan through the Booksneeze program in exchange for my honest review.)

chasing francis coverChasing Francis is fiction but it reads like a memoir. Chase Falson is an evangelical pastor of a New England church he started, and his faith is crumbling. When he makes some controversial remarks in a sermon, he’s asked to take a leave of absence. Not knowing where else to turn, he calls his Uncle Kenny, a Franciscan priest living in Italy, who encourages him to travel to Italy to meet someone who can help him through his time of doubting.

He’s surprised to learn that the person his uncle had in mind was St. Francis of Assisi. The rest of the book is an account of Chase’s pilgrimage to sites important in Francis’ life and the life of the Church.

How much did I love this book? I recommended it to three people before I was halfway through it. It’s that good. I’ve heard good things about Cron’s memoir, Jesus, My Father, the CIA and Me, but I haven’t read it yet. “Yet” being the key word. It’ll be on my list now.

Not only is Chasing Francis a convicting look at the state of the Church today, it’s also a primer on the life of St. Francis. The book includes a study guide at the end with extra snippets of information about Francis’ life and thought-provoking discussion questions. I would love to read this book in a group and discuss the study at the end. I dog-eared dozens of pages, sometimes two per page, to record the wisdom written there.

Two of my favorite lines that relate to the setting of the story and give you an idea of Cron’s genius:

Gelato is what heaven would taste like if someone froze it and crammed it into a paper cup. (124)

When God created language, he neglected to include words that could do justice to the dazzling beauty of the old city of Florence. (36)

A warning: Chasing Francis will create a longing in you. A longing for authenticity, for beauty, for encountering God outside of the walls of your local church. Be prepared to desire a pilgrimage of your own. But don’t let that scare you. Chasing Francis is a must-read for the Church today. Surprisingly (or maybe not) we can learn a lot from a long-dead Catholic saint.