Author Archives: Janet Sketchley

About Janet Sketchley

Janet Sketchley is an Atlantic Canadian writer whose Redemption’s Edge Christian suspense novels have each been finalists in The Word Awards. She's also the author of the devotional collection, A Year of Tenacity. Janet blogs about faith and books. She loves Jesus and her family, and enjoys reading, worship music, and tea. Fans of Christian suspense are invited to join her writing journey through her monthly newsletter: bit.ly/JanetSketchleyNews.

Character Interview: Ainsley Meadows

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Jennifer Slattery

Ainsley Meadows is the heroine of Jennifer Slattery‘s new novel, Beyond I Do, and she’s here to chat with us before the story begins.

Janet: Welcome, Ainsley, and thanks for taking time to join us. Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! Would you tell us how you met your fiancé?

Ainsley: Thanks! It is pretty exciting, and more than a little stressful, as I’m sure you can imagine. Well, Richard and I have been dating for five years. We met at a mental health conference, actually. I wasn’t sure what to think of him at first, but he was smart, attractive. (Nervous laugh) Then one date led to another…

Janet: How did you know Richard was “the one”?

Ainsley: Yeah, um… That’s kind of an interesting question. You know how they say you should pray before making big decisions? Let’s just say, I’m doing a lot of praying now. This whole, “Til death do you part” thing totally freaks me out. Of course, it doesn’t help that my mom has fallen in love more times than… If my best friend were here, she’d have a witty analogy for that one, but I don’t. Let me put it this way, my mom falls in and out of love a lot! Needless to say, before I say my vows, I want to make sure God’s behind it. Not that I’m worried or anything.

Okay, maybe I am. A little.

Janet: Are you enjoying the preparations, or is wedding planning stressful for you?

Ainsley: Wow, yeah. I’m stressed, nervous, frustrated. Of course, it doesn’t help that Richard’s mom thinks she has to have her high-society hands into everything. There must be some sort of social rules regarding these things—who you invite, how many people you invite, what floral company you use, where you book the reception. Funny, and I thought it was about celebrating two people’s love for one another. (sigh) I’m sorry. I’m normally not this negative. I’m just a little stressed. Oh, right. I already said that, didn’t I?

Janet: It’s natural to be a bit nervous. What does your family think of Richard? Of you two getting married?

Ainsley: My mom loves him, though I’m a little worried she mostly likes his savings account. You see, she’s never been too good with money. In fact, she’s quite a bit in debt, which wouldn’t bother me if I hadn’t co-signed on her Visa account. I know, I know, the Bible says never co-sign. That was another area I really should’ve prayed about—before signing my name in legal ink.

As for my dad, honestly, we don’t talk much.

Janet: Could you tell us a bit about your background, and what you do for a living?

Ainsley: Sure! Like I said, I’m a pharmaceutical representative for a company that sells medication for schizophrenic patients. Although I hope to go back to school to get a pharmacy D degree, if I can save up enough money. Or win a few scholarships. Last recession left so many unemployed, some who’d been with the same company for decades. Others who were fresh out of college with scads of educational debt. I figured I needed to try and find a recession proof career, and well, people will also get sick, so…

Janet: How about some of your likes and dislikes?

Ainsley: I love music. I always have. Back when I was a kid and things got crazy, I’d go into my room or onto the back porch, and I’d bring my Walkman. You know what those were right? (laughs) I could listen for hours, and if no one was around, I’d usually sing. That’s when I feel closest to God, actually.

I also love anything chocolate and very sweet, very creamy coffee drinks. Oh, and soft, fuzzy slippers, old blue jeans, and t-shirts.

I’ll fit right in to Richard’s high-society lifestyle, huh? (laughs) But what do they say about opposites attracting?

Janet: Being opposites may bring some challenges, but that’s what deepens your relationship. You’ll be fine. Is faith a part of your life? Why or why not?

Ainsley: Absolutely! I wasn’t raised in a Christian home. Far from it, actually. My mom’s one of those new-agers who sort of mixes and matches her beliefs to her mood of the day. When I hit third grade, things got really ugly around my house, and I felt swallowed up by it all. Sort of like I’d turned invisible. But I had a teacher, her name was Mrs. Eldridge. She reached out to me. Over time, we formed a friendship, and she began to tell me about Christ. She even started bringing me to events at her church, and soon, she started taking me with her every Sunday. Of course, this was before there were so many rules regarding student-teacher relationships. Anyway, I accepted Christ, and she’s remained my spiritual mentor ever since. 🙂

Janet: What a wonderful gift from God! If you could do one thing to change the world, what would it be?

Ainsley: Make sure every child had enough to eat and a safe and loving place to call home.

Janet: What makes you happy? And what scares you?

Ainsley: I’m afraid of the dark and becoming like my mother. Or more accurately, of following in her footsteps and reaching the end of my life with nothing to show for it but debt and a bunch of broken relationships.

Janet: What do you like to do to recharge?

Ainsley: Listen to music while sipping hot tea. Or reading Scripture. Both, actually. 🙂

Janet: I’m with you on that! Tell us something you appreciate about where you live.

Ainsley: I love the Midwest with its distinct seasons and close-knit neighborhoods. I especially love how my neighborhood looks in the fall. We’ve got a bunch of old growth trees, and around October, their leaves turn the most beautiful oranges, yellows, and reds. But I love winter, too, especially after a new snow that blankets the ground, undisturbed. Or seeing cardinals flitter through the barren tree limbs.

Janet: If you could say one thing to your author, Jennifer Slattery, what would it be?

Ainsley: Thank you for continually moving me toward full surrender. That’s the best place I could ever be.

Janet: What do you think will be the biggest change when you’re married?

Ainsley: If, you mean? Oh, oh, oh! Um, wait… You’re interviewing Richard next, aren’t you? Please don’t mention my, uh, cold feet. That’d only stress him out more, and he has enough going on already, with his upcoming book launch and everything.

Janet: I won’t say a word. It’s been great getting to know you, Ainsley, and all the best to you and Richard in your marriage.

[Here’s the link to Richard’s interview.]

===

Jennifer Slattery writes Missional Romance for New Hope Publishers, a publishing house passionate about bringing God’s healing grace and truth to the hopeless. Her debut novel, Beyond I Do, is currently available for preorder at a 26% off discount. Purchase link: Amazon.com

Visit with Jennifer online at Jennifer Slattery Lives Out Loud and Faith Filled Friends, on Facebook and Twitter.

Marriage . . . it’s more than a happily ever after. Eternally more.

Ainsley Meadows, raised by a hedonist mother who cycles through jobs and relationships like wrapping paper on Christmas morning, falls into a predictable and safe relationship with Richard, a self-absorbed socialite psychiatrist. But as her wedding nears, a battered woman and her child spark a long-forgotten dream and ignites a hidden passion. One that threatens to change everything, including her fiancé.

To embrace God’s best and find true love, this security-seeking bride must follow God with reckless abandon and realize that marriage goes Beyond I Do.

Beyond I Do releases August, 2014 from New Hope Publishers.

The Desires of Our Hearts

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For the Lord has chosen Jerusalem;
he has desired it for his home.
Psalm 132:13, NLT*

Remember King David’s plan to build a place of worship for God? This psalm starts there, reminds the people how excited they were to come into God’s presence in celebration, and then it finishes with God.

God chose Israel out of the nations, and He chose where he wanted to “dwell” among them. God, who needs nothing that we can make for Him, wanted to establish His presence with His people.

It makes me think of the verse that says God gives us the desires of our hearts. He planted the desire in David, and in Solomon who actually built the Temple. It was their desire, but it was God’s first.

That reminds me how important it is to listen to God, to take time alone with Him in quiet. What dream or vision might He want to plant?

It also means we need to remember that any desire He may give us is ultimately His. We don’t dare re-shape it or get possessive over it. David’s role wasn’t to build the Temple but to gather the resources and prepare his son Solomon to be the builder.

Knowing a longing like this comes from God releases us to trust that He’ll accomplish it as He fully envisions. This may be different from what we expect, since we may see only a portion of the whole.

Do you have a longing that wells up from such a deep place inside that sometimes it hurts? Stay close to God, listen to Him and wait for His timing. He knows what He’s doing.

Our God, Your ways and thoughts are beyond what we can comprehend, and yet You choose to involve us in accomplishing Your purposes. Thank You for the desires You plant in our hearts, the ways You draw us into Your work. Help us to listen and to follow You, not turning aside and not running ahead. Help us remember that this is for Your glory, and not our own.

∞

As we listen to God’s heart, we can echo this song from Jonny Diaz: “Use Me Too.”

*New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Review: Miranda Warning, by Heather Day Gilbert

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Miranda Warning, by Heather Day Gilbert (Heather Day Gilbert, 2014)

After the depth of character, plot and setting of Heather Day Gilbert’s Viking historical novel, God’s Daughter, I had high expectations for her new novel, Miranda Warning. This one’s a contemporary suspense set in the mountains of West Virginia. Different characters, different issues, different voice. Same skill that drew me to keep reading.

Miranda Warning tells two stories in one, tying them into one satisfying ending. Tess is a young woman whose best friend, Miranda, is in her 70’s. When Miranda gets a letter in a dead woman’s handwriting, Tess starts asking questions.

The bulk of each chapter is in the first person, as told by Tess. However, each chapter opens with a third-person, past tense segment from 40 years earlier, narrated by Rose, the dead woman.

The warnings turn into threats, but Tess is determined to protect her elderly friend. Tess is a strong yet vulnerable character. She and her husband, Thomas, live in a cottage behind his family home. Tess loves her in-laws; they’re the family she never had. But she hasn’t been able to find work, and now she’s pregnant. And she doesn’t measure up to her mother-in-law’s talent of baking and decorating.

Although the suspense is the main plot, I found it interesting to see hints of how Tess’ self-comparisons kept her from realizing her true worth. How often do we, as real people, fall into this trap? It was also fun to watch her as a young bride under the combined stresses of the mystery, her husband’s long hours on the job, and pregnancy hormones. Tess didn’t see a positive example of marriage as a child, so she’s figuring this out as she goes along, with her in-laws as proof that a marriage can last.

Some of my favourite lines:

His piercing gaze reminds me of those hawks I see staring at small birds from the fence posts. [Kindle location 250]

I love the tactile experience of walking in the woods. Its muted browns, grays, and greens comfort me. The moss and leaves give softly under my boots. Large, scattered rocks feel permanent and unshakable. The pull of the mountain is like gravity for my soul. [Kindle location 1196]

This must be how you make your marriage work for years: you fix things and move on. [Kindle location 3234]

Heather Day Gilbert plans to release another Viking novel, Forest Child, as well as to continue her A Murder in the Mountains series. For more about the author and her books, visit her website: heatherdaygilbert.com. If you missed it, here’s a link to my interview with the character of Nikki Jo, Tess’ mother-in-law.

[Review copy provided by the author.]

Character Interview: Nikki Jo Spencer

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Heather Day Gilbert

Regular readers of my blog may recognize Heather Day Gilbert as the author of the epic Viking historical, God’s Daughter. Heather also writes mysteries, including the recently-released Miranda Warning, a contemporary Appalachian suspense novel set in West Virginia.

Today, one of the characters from Miranda Warning joins us for an interview. Meet Nikki Jo Spencer. Nikki Jo, welcome. I hear the mountains of West Virginia are beautiful. Could you help us imagine being there?

Nikki Jo: Oh honey, it’s hard to capture it, but I’ll give it a shot. I live in the town of Buckneck… there’s a story behind that name, but my husband tells it better than I do. Anyway, our house is snugged down in a little valley just outside town. Our roads are crooked as a dog’s hind leg. Everyone loves our mountains in the fall, but I think the spring is even more impressive. It’s green just about everywhere you turn your head.

Janet: It sounds beautiful. Is there a down side? Anything you wish would change?

Nikki Jo: Not one blessed thing. I’ve always loved living in West Virginia—my family goes way back here, and so does my husband’s. My church family is wonderful, my son and daughter-in-law live nearby, my youngest has a great school… all in all I’m just pleased as punch.

Janet: What’s your biggest challenge right now?

Nikki Jo: Well now, it might be time management. I have lots to keep me busy around the house but I’m also really active at church. I like to keep my yard up and I have a bunch of bulbs I need to plant, but just no time to get around to it. My boys keep me hopping, too.

Janet: Tell us a bit about your family.

Nikki Jo: My husband, Roger, has a great sense of humor. That’s partly why I married him. I have three sons: Petey’s the youngest, and he somehow got red hair. Andrew is our middle boy, and he’s in college studying to be a doctor. He… well, he goes through girlfriends pretty fast. No idea why, but I’m hoping that will slow down someday. Like I said, my oldest, Thomas, lives in our cottage behind the main house. Thomas married Tess. She’s a West Virginia girl, like me.

Janet: Ah, yes, Tess. Is she a good match for Thomas?

Nikki Jo: They haven’t been married long, but I’d have to say yes. Thomas has always been pretty serious—he’s a lawyer now, so that’ll tell you something. Tess sort of lightens him up. She’s pregnant, you know. I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you I’m hoping it’s another girl to balance things out in our family. I want to teach my grandbabies to cook and sew… all those things my boys didn’t care about.

Janet: What about that mysterious letter? How do you think she should handle it?

Nikki Jo: I don’t know what letter you’re talking about… and what do you mean, handle it?

Janet: Oops! I assumed you knew. What will you do now, ask Tess about it, or wait for her to ask for advice?

Nikki Jo: Oh, I don’t pry. No ma’am, I don’t. But maybe you can tell me a little more about what you know when we’re done talking….

Janet: Do you know a woman named Rose?

Nikki Jo: Rose Campbell? Only Rose in these parts. She was the prettiest woman ever born around here… but honey, Rose died forty years ago. What does she have to do with anything? She was best friends with Miranda Michaels—Tess’ good friend over at the Haven. That’s an assisted living home.

Janet: Oh… and it’s Miranda who showed the letter to Tess. She said it looked like Rose’s handwriting. I wonder what’s going on.

Nikki Jo: Rose’s poor husband, Paul, still lives in that house where she died. Don’t think he ever got over her. But then again, you never know. He’s a quiet one.

Janet: Are you a woman of faith? If so, is there a particular song or Scripture verse that’s made a difference for you?

Nikki Jo: Yes, I’m a Christian. I love to sing in the choir—the old hymns are my favorite. I know it’s not popular to sing about blood these days, but I do love Alas and did my Savior Bleed. I don’t like watered-down gospel. Jesus died and bled for me and that’s something I’m always going to be grateful for.

Janet: Grateful indeed! I understand you love to cook for a crowd. What are some of the dishes your family looks forward to?

Nikki Jo: My boys each have their favorites. For Roger, it’s meatball subs. For Thomas, it’s a good ol’ southern pork barbeque. Andrew likes my cabbage rolls. And Petey… right now he’s happiest when I fix plain old sloppy joes.

Janet: It all sounds good to me! Are you a morning person or a night owl?

Nikki Jo: Morning. Why not get up and greet the day head-on?

Janet: What’s your favourite season?

Nikki Jo: Oh, I love Christmas. Every year I have a special theme for my tree. I think this year will be my most unforgettable yet.

Janet: That gives us something to look forward to! I’m sorry to come back to Tess, but I’m concerned about this letter she hasn’t told you about. If there’s trouble, do you think she might try the lone ranger route?

Nikki Jo: I wouldn’t put it past her. That girl has been through more than she’d ever say out loud and she’s tough in her own ways. Still, if she is in any kind of trouble, we all need to know. With her being pregnant, well… maybe they’d better move up into the big house with us if there’s anything dangerous around… I think I need to go find my phone….

Janet: I guess I’ll have to read Tess’ story and find out what happens. Thanks for visiting today, Nikki Jo, and introducing us to your world.

===

Miranda Warning, by Heather Day Gilbert

Miranda Warning, Book One in A Murder in the Mountains Series

Child of the Appalachian mountains, Tess Spencer has experienced more than her share of heartache. The Glock-wielding, knife-carrying housewife knows how to survive whatever life throws at her.

But when an anonymous warning note shows up in her best friend Miranda’s mailbox—a note written in a dead woman’s handwriting—Tess quickly discovers that ghosts are alive and well in Buckneck, West Virginia. Hot on a cold trail, she must use limited clues and her keen insight into human nature to unmask the killer…or the next victim might be Tess herself.

Tinged with the supernatural and overshadowed by the mountains’ lush, protective presence, this twisting psychological mystery is the first in A Murder in the Mountains series.

Heather Day Gilbert enjoys writing stories about authentic, believable marriages. Seventeen years of marriage to her sweet Yankee husband have given her some perspective, as well as ten years spent homeschooling. Heather regularly posts on Novel Rocket about self-publishing.

You can find Heather at her website, Heather Day Gilbert–Author, and at her Facebook Author Page, as well as Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, and Goodreads. Her Viking novel, God’s Daughter, is an Amazon bestseller. You can find it on Amazon and Audible.com. Her Appalachian mystery, Miranda Warning, released June 20th.

In Stress, Remember God

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God’s strong name is our help,
the same God who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 124:8, MSG*

This psalm is a celebration of God rescuing Israel from their enemies. They had no other hope, no chance. Without God, they’d have been destroyed.

We have life-or-death crises too. More often, we have lesser struggles that can still overwhelm us. This verse offers two strategies to help us hold onto God by faith.

Remember God’s strong name. His name reveals His character. It’s who He is. Healer. Provider. Ruler. Deliverer.

Remember God’s acts. He made heaven and earth. He parted the Red Sea and the Jordan River. He sent His Son to die for us and break the power of sin and death.

God is, and has done, so much more than this. And He hasn’t aged or gotten tired. He’s the same now, and He’ll be the same tomorrow.

Our God, we find confidence in Your unchanging nature. We praise You for who You are and what You’ve done, and for what You will do. Please strengthen our faith and help us to rely on Your unfailing love.

∞

Listen to Chris Tomlin sing “Our God” and be encouraged today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlEIUgU3ePI

Review: Perilous Cove, by Rich Bullock

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Perilous Cove, by Rich Bullock (RichWords Press, 2014)

The night after her husband’s funeral, 39-year-old Natalie Clayton barely survives an arsonist’s fire only to discover she’s the target of a killer. Her bank account is empty, there’s a new life insurance policy in effect for her—all the evidence points to her deceased husband, Jack.

Jack’s controlling ways have cut Natalie off from friends, and her family is dead. And he changed his life insurance policy to benefit his mother, leaving his wife with nothing.

Investigating detective Addison Conner takes Natalie into his home, but when that puts his daughter Mandy in danger, Natalie flees Missouri.

A cross-country drive brings Natalie to the secluded coastal village of Perilous Cove, California. She changes her name to Samantha Riley, takes a job on a whale-watching boat, and begins to rebuild her life. Natalie/Sam misses Addison and Mandy, wishing for the family she’s never had, but the killer is still after her.

Perilous Cove is explosive from the opening scene with arsonist and murderer Tarz Broderick at work, and achieves thriller-level intensity in places as Natalie/Sam fights for her life. The nature of the story allows a lull in the action once Sam is settled in Perilous Cove, but the danger never truly fades.

Natalie/Sam, Addison and Mandy, and later Millie and Star, are believable characters worth spending time with, and the greater the danger, the more we care about them. I enjoyed watching Sam begin to think for herself and to build a new life and relationships.

You can find author Rich Bullock, and learn more about his Perilous Safety series, at Perilous Fiction.

[Review copy from my personal library.]

What I Brought Home from Write Canada 2014

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I love going to Write Canada because it’s like three events in one: professional development, a getaway with friends, and a spiritual renewal.

Here are some of the highlights:

The Word Awards Gala: Heaven’s Prey was a finalist in the suspense category, and while it didn’t win, being chosen as a finalist is good affirmation. And I got to cheer for a number of my friends when their work won. (Winners’ list here)

Writing: R.J. Anderson gave me a broader understanding of the ways my individual roots and experiences give a unique flavour to what I write. I’m looking forward to more intentionally discovering my “singular storytelling voice.”

Marketing: Sherry Stahl and a round-table discussion led by Lisa Hall-Wilson gave me some specific tips to help more readers of Christian suspense discover Heaven’s Prey and the rest of the Redemption’s Edge series as those novels are released. Definite homework here.

Friends: It was so good to reunite with old friends and to meet new ones. Some faces were conspicuously absent, since life does interrupt us, and they were missed.

Spiritual: Or is it writing? Or life? Mark Buchanan and Ted Dekker are widely different individuals whose messages overlapped in some key areas. I feel liberated to more fully embrace the gift and calling of writing, to write from a deeper sense of who I am (and Whose), and yet to not tie my identity to writing or to any other aspect of my life.

This and that: I also came home with Aimee Reid‘s new picture book, Mama’s Day with Little Gray (autographed “To Janet’s grandchildren” – not that I’m rushing that event!), a knitting pattern for the little sleeves you put around cups of take-out tea, a little teapot with knitted cozy, and two jars of rhubarb chutney from a friend of a friend.

I am blessed, indeed. For more snippets from the conference, check out my friends’ blogs below. And, in case you’re wondering, a sheep did make an appearance on the final day. Eowyn joined me for a photo-op.

Janet and Eowyn the sheep at Write Canada

Janet with Eowyn the sheep. Photo credit: Susan Stewart.

What other Write Canada attendees are saying:

My Surreal Life Continues

Strawberries and Sandcastles

When is Tension a Good Thing?

The 10 Best Things About Write Canada 2014

Rediscovering the Joy of Writing

Following Up: Victory on the Road to Recovery

Tears

A Glimpse Into the Writers’ Life

Memories of My Involvement with Write Canada…

Helper AND Ruler

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You who fear God, trust in God!
—trust your Helper! trust your Ruler!
Psalm 115:11, MSG*

You’re likely more familiar with this verse in other versions of the Bible. The NIV, NLT and KJV all use the words “help/helper” and “shield”.

Usually I gravitate to descriptions of God as our refuge, fortress, shield. That may say something about fear and a need for security, who knows? But when I found this verse in The Message, the names “Helper” and “Ruler” stopped me. Prompted a question.

Do we focus too much on God as our helper—to the point where we think of Him as a co-labourer or even an assistant—and forget that He is also our ruler and King?

As I said in last week’s devotional post, Jesus is rightfully Lord of our lives and has a claim on our behaviour. That claim extends to our hearts and attitudes as well.

Holy and all-powerful God, we could never please You on our own, never be who You want or do what You ask. Thank You for the Holy Spirit within us as our Helper and Comforter. Forgive us for those times we forget that You are the Boss. You are our Ruler, our King. Under Your authority, we thrive.

∞

Third Day‘s song, “Everlasting,” is a good reminder of who God is.

Review: Moon over Maalaea Bay, by H.L. Wegley

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Moon Over Maalaea Bay, by H.L. Wegley (Harbourlight Books, 2014)

Moon over Maalaea Bay is book 3 in the Pure Genius series, and it picks up hours after the end of book 2 (On the Pineapple Express). If you plan to read this series from the beginning, stop here or you’ll find out more than you want to know about plot points from the earlier books.

Still with me? Okay. Brilliant and beautiful Jennifer Akihara and her fiancé, Lee Brandt, were instrumental in breaking open one arm of an international human trafficking ring and rescuing teenage girls who would have been sold into terrible situations.

The couple has earned a break, and how better to spend it than honeymooning in Hawaii? Except now there’s not just one group of villains wanting revenge on Jennifer, there are two. Thanks to the publicity surrounding the captured girls’ rescue, both groups know where to find her.

One takes her. Frantic with worry, Lee doesn’t trust the local police (and the FBI who quickly swarm the area) to move fast enough. He, Jennifer’s grandfather, and Katie, who will be the Brandts’ adopted daughter as soon as the paperwork is finished, set out to find Jenn before it’s too late.

The novel alternates between Jenn’s and Lee’s points of view, and the pace doesn’t let up. I’m glad I read the previous book and developed a trust for H.L. Wegley’s writing. Jennifer’s enemies have an extremely bad ending planned for her, and I wouldn’t have wanted to risk what a new-to-me author might include in the text. Mr. Wegley conveys the danger without anything graphic or gratuitous.

The entire novel spans roughly 24 hours as Lee races to save his wife and Jennifer uses all her wits to find a way to escape. This is a Christian novel, and one of the things Lee grapples with is how much harder it is to trust God to look after the woman he loves than it is to trust Him with his own life or death.

As well as the action (including some impressive Karate from Katie) I enjoyed the chance to vicariously swim with the giant sea turtles off the Maalaea Bay beach. An end note from H.L. Wegley reveals that Hawaii is his favourite vacation spot, and I’m sure that has a lot to do with how authentic the setting feels.

There will be one more book in the Pure Genius series, releasing later this year. H.L. Wegley blogs at The Weather Scribe, and his novels offer “A climate of suspense and a forecast of stormy weather.”

[Review copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.]

He Can Do it Again

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He stands motionless in the dim light, his back to the door. The fashionable linen shirt droops from his tired shoulders, heavy with grime. We can almost taste the air that he breathes: dank and foul… steeped in the aroma of unwashed bodies, mouldy walls and accumulated filth… heavily spiced with fear and hopelessness.

This time, it looks like the end. Have his enemies finally triumphed?

Tension mounts, but we’re sure he’ll come up with a plan. He’s the Scarlet Pimpernel, nemesis of all that is evil within Revolutionary France. We’ve already seen him achieve the impossible. Of course he can do it again; the thrill for the audience is to see just how. (I’m thinking of the 1982 version of The Scarlet Pimpernel. See the 8-minute mark in this YouTube clip.)

He faces his peril coolly. And why shouldn’t he—he’s a fictional character. The writer protects him. It’s different for us. The threats in our lives are real, and we stand to lose.

We’re on our own.

Or are we? There was once a king named Jehoshaphat who thought otherwise. He believed his Author was responsible for making a way out at his crucial hour. Second Chronicles 20 tells the story, and it ranks alongside Hollywood’s most edge-of-the-seat thrillers.

An overwhelming army was marching on Jerusalem. Jehoshaphat was helpless to stop the slaughter of his people. In desperation, he proclaimed a national fast. And he prayed.

Unlike many of our prayers, Jehoshaphat’s wasn’t full of suggestions for how God might solve the problem. He praised God, reminding himself and the people of God’s omnipotence. He reviewed the facts: the attackers were only alive to fight because God had earlier forbidden their destruction.

Facing annihilation, Jehoshaphat concluded simply, “O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.” (2 Chronicles 20:12, NLT*) And he waited.

God’s answer sounded too good to be true. Israel wouldn’t even have to fight. They were to meet the advancing army, then stand and watch God do battle on their behalf.

For Israel, hearing was receiving. Jehoshaphat led the people in worship of this God who would take care of them. They worshiped and they praised. They were still praising the next day when they saw God rout their enemies.

Jehoshaphat’s case was special. Most times, God’s deliverance involved more than “watch and see.” His people had—we have today—a role to play in the solution. God empowered Israel’s armies, but they usually had to fight.

The Old Testament view of God pictured, among other things, a strong deliverer. He watched over His chosen people, essentially requiring only two things: they were to love Him wholeheartedly, and to obey Him. As long as they did, He took care of them. When they drifted away from loving Him, discipline brought them back.

Both the protection and the discipline had a dual purpose. Israel was helped, while at the same time other nations saw the character and power of Almighty God.

Our own experiences tell us God still looks after His people. It’s vital that we remember what He has done (in our lives and throughout history) and expect the same level of care now. He hasn’t changed. This gives our faith the necessary springboard to launch us into each day.

Nothing is too hard or too insignificant to bring to God: failing health, crumbling finances, or a sobbing child’s lost soother. We are significant to Him, and so He hears our prayers.

He will care for us His way, though, not ours. We may endure some things we’d rather escape. But He will always be with us, making a way. Whatever the day holds, will we love Him, and willingly follow His lead? Look to Him in childlike and expectant trust? Let others know we’re depending on His promise to care for us?

Then, like with Israel long ago, the people around us will see God’s love and power in action. The word will go out: God is relevant to our lives. He does make a difference.

Our God is the God of Jehoshaphat—Nemesis of all that is evil within our world. He is the Author and Sustainer of the universe. We’ve already seen Him achieve the impossible. Of course He can do it again; the thrill for the believer is to see just how.

*New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

This post was originally printed in Evangel, February 2003.