Grace Given, Touch of Grace Series #2
4.8
5
5
5
Texan Amish Life
Elsie Yoder and her family have settled in Texas, having left their Amish Virginia Settlement. There is lot more land available here, and her Dad has three sons.
When the story opens Elsie and her sister Katie are being harassed by some local hooligans. Strange things have been happening here, and maybe these teens are the answers. Elsie is very afraid, but Katie just shakes it off. They do not tell their folks!
Then her sister leaves and betrays her! Elsie is strong in her faith, and spends her time helping her Mom, and Dad. She has two adorable five year old twin brothers, whom she adores.
Gideon has admired Elsie for quite awhile, and he seems to appear just when an emergency happened. Gid has a real heart for the Lord and may be being led into the Ministry.
I loved how the Community rally around anyone in need. Where their is an illness, new baby, fire, the food and gifts begin to appear. How awesome, made me wish I were living there.
We still find that there is a big struggle with forgiveness, they follow their faith, but have to turn to prayer in all circumstances.
A wonderful read, and I read this one very quickly, because I could not put it down!
I received this book from the Author, and was not required to give a positive review.
March 12, 2013
wonderful amazing grace
What a wonderful look at grace and forgiveness Beth Shriver presents in Grace Given. I am a Virginian so found it interesting that the story focuses on a group of Amish who have moved from Virginia to Texas. I also lived in Texas for several years and there are definitely many differences in climate and with planting for the Amish to deal with. They also must deal with prejudice and bullying from local young people as well as forgiving within their own families. I loved this book and highly recommend it. For a healthy dose of grace and mercy, read this book!
February 25, 2013
Touch of Grace
Elsie Yoder can't seem to pull herself out of a depression caused by her sister Katie. Katie has betrayed her sister and left the community. Will Elsie be able to forgive her sister? No matter the turn of events Elsie misses her sister and wants her to come home. Their father does not wish to even talk about Katie, it pains him too much.
Gideon Lapp wants Elsie to be able to open up to him because he holds a special place in his heart for Elsie. He encourages her to interact with the rest of the community. She becomes interested in studying Martyrs Mirror with Gideon.
Elsie has many secrets that is eating her alive, one of which is some local men, not of the Amish community, have been harassing her even before her sister left. She finally confides in Gideon and reveals her secrets of the harassment not only toward her but to the Amish community. The young men have no fear of retaliation because they know the Amish will not use means of violence or by pressing charges against them.
Can Elsie forgive herself therefore humble herself to the community and to accept God's Grace? In doing so she will be free of the fear that grows within her. How will they deal with the local men?
In book two the author writes of the necessity of community support spiritually and physically. It reminds me of the verse. Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
The author also write of humbling oneself and accepting Grace which is a gift from God! Beth also reminds us that we must put on the Armor of God. He gives us so much to fight the evil that tries to oppress us because of our belief in a loving God.
Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from Charisma Media for review. I was in no way compensated for this review. It is my honest opinion.
March 16, 2013
A perfect example to define grace!!
If you understand the Amish people at all, you know that they don't like conflict and will avoid all acts of vengeance or involving the police to deal with any issues they have. They are a peaceful people and prefer to let God deal out the judgements if laws are broken. However when a group of Amish people settle in Texas, a group of English teens are about to make sure they get the message that they are not wanted. Knowing that the Amish will not retaliate, they first come across Elsie and her sister Katie Yoder, walking home one day. They begin to verbally assault them with all kinds of derogatory comments and proceed to leer at them. Katie and Elsie both run for their farm and agree not to tell anyone about what just happened.
Yet once a lie begins it becomes harder and harder to keep it a secret. Now that Katie has left her family along with Jake, the boy Elsie had believed had feelings for her to live among the English. Elsie is left not only to deal with her hurt feelings of being betrayed by her sister and Jake and now has to face continued harassment from the group of English teens that have found an easy mark with Elsie. She finds solace in studying the Martyrs Mirror, an old book that takes about the persecution of the Amish people with her friend Gideon Lapp. Only Gideon wishes his friendship with Elsie may in fact turn into love at some point. However dealing with her heartache with Jake, puts those plans on the back burner and creates a door for Jake's brother Mose to enter with Elsie as they have a common ground for conversation.
In the second book of the Touch of Grace series by Beth Shriver, Grace Given teaches us all how to deal with situations in life that prove difficult. Whether it's a broken heart, a betrayal from a family member or even being harassed, the grace God provides never comes back empty handed. This was such a different Amish novel to read, in that dealing with the harassment from the English teens was something you often wonder about when the Amish community moves into a new location and can create animosity among the residents that live there especially when the Amish start new business opportunities that create a need for their products and services over the English ones. A well written novel that completely captivated me from start to finish and can't wait to read the next one, Healing Grace which the reader is given a glimpse into at the conclusion of this novel.
I received Grace Given by Beth Shriver compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance and Realm Publishers for my honest review and have to rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars. The story was a lot different that your typical Amish novels and dealt with a lot of issues facing the world today in our own communities. It just shows how the Amish would likely have handled it with a touch of grace instead of retaliation like most would.
January 22, 2013
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