Since I haven't had the pleasure of reading the O'Malley series of novels by author Dee Henderson, I got a rare opportunity to catch this latest prequel to her series, Jennifer: An O'Malley Love Story. Since Dee began her series of O'Malley novels back in 2005, she referred to Jennifer O'Malley but the reader never got to understand her side of coming into the O'Malley family. In fact, the O'Malley's are a rare treasure. Consisting of seven adopted brothers and sisters by one exceptional set of parents, each of the children made a personal decision to change their names because they wanted to be a real family even though they weren't united by blood. Each of the novels in the O'Malley series contained a separate story detailing each of the siblings but Jennifer was simply a backstory mentioned in them all.
In Jennifer: An O'Malley Love Story, we get a chance to see Jennifer's beginning and come to know just how she fell in love with Dr. Tom Peterson. At 160 pages, this is such a heartwarming and beautiful story that details not only the relationship and early proposal between Jennifer and Tom, but also Jennifer's acceptance in coming to terms with her personal relationship with Jesus Christ through Tom's patience. Jennifer wasn't a believer before she met Tom and through such love and patience, he guides Jennifer to discover in her own way and in her own time, that Jesus Christ is really who He claims He is and that the Bible is in fact true. I love Tom's explanation to Jennifer when she asks how he (Tom) knows the Bible is true.
"I wish I had a brilliant answer for you. I guess, as with most things, you start with common sense." Tom walked a bit, then bent to pick up a small branch on the path. He snapped the wood in two pieces and held them up.
"The Bible tells about how people would take a piece of wood, use part of it to start a fire, and use the other part to carve out an image of a god, then worship that image and pray to it for rain and good fortune. As if the works of their own hands could come alive and answer them. It's illogical and foolish. So common sense will knock down most religions." He tossed aside the sticks.
"Other religions sound good on the surface, but turn out to be impersonal systems based on grading what you do to determine your worth. Christianity is the only religion that promises not a system but a personal God you have a relationship with. At its core, Christianity is a relationship with a God who is listening, responding, and interacting with those who love Him. That's how you prove it, Jen. You test Christianity's claims by testing out the relationship on which it's built."
"Can you have a relationship with God if you don't believe in Him?" she asked. "That doesn't seem possible. Isn't Christianity something you have to take on faith first? Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus died for people's sins. Jesus rose from the dead. Those are hard facts to absorb and believe."
Tom weighed her question, then nodded. "Consider it this way. If you step off a tall building, it's immaterial whether you think gravity is true or not; it's still going to splat you on the ground a few seconds later. Right?"
"Thanks for that image."
He smiled. "It got the point across. In some ways it doesn't matter what you believe. Christianity is more like that gravity analogy than not. God is God right now, and He will still be God tomorrow, regardless of whether you choose to believe in Him today or not. That's a good thing. It means you can ask questions and search out answers and see for yourself what is true. God will still go on being God while you ponder the questions. He doesn't mind." (pg 80-81).
What an exceptional way to explain how to find God! I love it and have captured this little piece of divine wisdom to share with others that are still searching for God in the midst of this world. Thank you Dee for sharing this. I received Jennifer: An O'Malley Love Story by Dee Henderson compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance and Bethany House Publishers for my honest review and received no monetary compensation for a favorable one. With that being said, I can't wait to begin my journey into each of the O'Malley's and am sure to find such wonderful treasures along the way. This is the perfect beginning to wet your appetite and to further explore the relationship between Tom and Jennifer in the series. I give this one a 5 out of 5 stars and will be adding this one to my personal library.
For more information about Jennifer: An O'Malley Love Story, Dee Henderson or where to pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:
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To read more reviews on Jennifer: An O'Malley Love Story from the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance Book Tour, please click here.
- Hardcover: 160 pages
- Publisher: Bethany House Publishers (May 1, 2013)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0764211129
- ISBN-13: 978-0764211126
- Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.6 x 0.9 inches
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