Blessed Assurance: Inspirational Short Stories Full of Hope and Strength for Life's Journey

If you like S. James Guitard books, you'll love this one too. Why do good men end up with bad women? This short story explains some ideas why. I must read for Christians and others.

Blessed Assurance, a title that reminds me of the hymn entitled Blessed Assurance with a stanza in the hymn Jesus is mine. In this compilation of short stories, the authors used biblical stories as a template for modern renditions of joy, love, freedom, and the perfect peace that comes when a man honors God as first place in his life. From Patricia Haley's Baby Blues to Victoria Christopher Murray's The Best of Everything, each story is chock full of God's wisdom and its application to our daily lives.In Patricia Haley's short story, Baby Blues, the biblical story of Abraham and Sarah was used as a template. Would you even consider asking your best friend to be a surrogate mother for your child? Well...Without giving the plot away, the author Patricia Haley weaves a story full of the intricacies of human emotion.In Victoria Christopher Murray's story, The Best Of Everything, the biblical story of Hannah was used as a template. What would you do if your husband's ex-wife was always throwing their kids up in your face? Humm...Through Hannah's story we learn that when you release negative emotion over to God, then wonderful happiness will happen in your life. Be kind to your enemies and see what great things God will do in your life. I highly recommend this book and it's stories packed with themes full of Godly wisdom. The book includes study questions with each story, and is an excellent book for secular and Christian book clubs. I eagerly look forward to the next installation of Christian stories from these authors. HelenR.E. A. L. Reviewers

Stories from the Holy Bible have always provided inspiration, spiritual guidance, and comfort. BLESSED ASSURANCE: INSPIRATIONAL SHORT STORIES FULL OF HOPE & STRENGTH FOR LIFE'S JOURNEY, a Christian Fiction anthology tells some of these same stories with a contemporary twist. All the stories are exciting reads and are well written, and while all of them were inspiring,the one that touched me the most was "The Best of Everything" by Victoria Christopher Murray. The message in this story is that we should be happy with what God has given us rather than harping on what we don't have."The Best of Everything" is based on the story of Hannah. At a glance it appears that that Hannah Covington is content. She has financial security and is married to the man of her dreams, but Hannah is very unhappy, she yearns for a child. Unfortunately, pregnancy does not come easy for her and she allows this desire to consume her, which starts to affect other areas of her life. This story is just one example of the spiritual food for thought that you will get from this wonderful collection of stories. I higly recommend BLESSED ASSURANCE: INSPIRATIONAL SHORT STORIES FULL OF HOPE & STRENGTH FOR LIFE'S JOURNEY, it is full of stories that will give readers inner peace and joy.Reviewed by Simone A. Hawksof The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

When you are ready to experience sheer joy, uplifting messages and terrific writing by some of the best contemporary African-American Christian Fiction authors, read Blessed Assurance. This is a collection of short stories with a mix of men and women authors. I think short story writing is a different skill because the author has less time to engage us, move through the story and wrap it up. These authors mastered that art beautifully. The underlying theme throughout the book is to remind us that the path our life takes is divinely crafted and blessed. It is an encouraging experience to read story after story of the grace, power and love of God.

Blessed Assurance by Victoria Christopher Murray and friends gives a "Nu Flava" to favorite Bible Stories. By modernizing the stories and bringing them into the 21st century, they prove that God's word is long lasting and things just have not changed that much. The same lessons learned in biblical days are the same lessons learned today. If you remember, Sarah and Abraham were in their 90's when God promised that they would be blessed with a son. Sarah laughed at God and gave her handmaiden Hagar to Abraham to bear his son. Later, God fulfilled his promise to the couple and Sarah begat Isaac. In Baby Blues by Patricia Haley, Sarah Abraham is 50 years old and childless. Her desire is that her husband have an heir to his business enterprises, so she beseeches her best friend, Gayle, to have a child with her husband. Her husband, instead of believing and waiting on the promises of God, goes along with his wife's plan. Being out of the will of God's perfect plan can be problematic. The greatest commandment is to love the Lord with all your heart. The second is to love your neighbor as yourself, your neighbor being anyone you encounter. You remember the bible story about the man on the road to Jericho. He fell among thieves and was injured. People passed by without helping him until the Samaritan came along. In Traveling Mercies by Maurice Gray, Matt is beaten and robbed at a rest area while traveling home to North Carolina. Among the people at the rest area are a minister on his way home from a revival, a gospel choir with a schedule to keep and a prostitute. A crowd of people witnesses the attack, but only one person stops their journey to help Matt. This least likely stranger stays with him at the hospital and helps him get back on his feet. In I Samuel 1:10-18, the handmaiden Hannah prayed to the Lord for a manchild and the Lord heard her plea. Yes, God does answer prayers in His own time. In Victoria Christopher Murray's offering The Best of Everything, Hannah wants a child more than anything else in the world. She and her husband Brandon have been married for two years and she cannot figure out why she is not pregnant, after all, he has four other children from his former marriage. Hannah's obsession with having a child jeopardizes her marriage and her faith begins to waiver. Hannah learns she must appreciate all that she already has to be in the will of God. You can also read the modern day stories of Samson and Delilah by S. James Guitard, of Tamar by Jacqueline Thomas and of Jephthat by Terrance Johnson. You can be assured that Blessed Assurance will be a blessing to you. I highly recommend this book. Reviewed by JeanetteAPOOO BookClub