Hometown Favorite by Bill Barton and Henry O. Arnold

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Hometown Favorite
Revell (September 1, 2008)
by
Bill Barton and Henry O. Arnold


ABOUT THE AUTHORS:



Bill Barton is a business partner with Compass Technologies. An active member and volunteer at his church, Hendersonville Chapel, Barton is a regular speaker at services and other events. He lives in Hendersonville, Tennessee, with his family.



Henry O. Arnold has been a professional actor, writer, and director in theatre, film, and television. He co-wrote and produced the film The Second Chance starring Michael W. Smith and wrote the screenplay for the first authorized film documentary on evangelist Billy Graham, God's Ambassador. Arnold lives in Portland, Tennessee.


ABOUT THE BOOK

Talented, handsome, and personable, Dewayne Jobe rose from humble beginnings in rural Mississippi to play college football in Southern California and beyond. One of the best wide receivers in college ball, Dewayne is assured a promising career in professional football as one of those rare athletes whose exceptional abilities place him in a league of his own.

He easily finds success both on and off the field. Dewayne's got a beautiful, intelligent wife running his lucrative endorsement business and carrying his child and the pristine white picket fence to boot. The only thing lacking is a road sign confirming his address on Easy Street.

But catastrophe looms right around the corner and ultimately strikes with a crushing vengeance. Will Dewayne's faith and character stand the test of such tragedy? Or will he lose everything--including the love of his life?

This modern retelling of the story of Job will capture readers with the age-old question of why bad things happen to good people--and how good people can survive.

Combining realistic sports action and a deadly serious challenge to faith, Hometown Favorite is a story that won't let you up off the turf until the game clock hits zero.

MY REVIEW:

“Jesse, a man is not defined by one event in his life.” (p. 96)

Coach Jake Hopper’s words, spoken to one of his former high school football stars, became almost prophetic in my mind by the time I reached the final pages of Hometown Favorite. Truly, Bill Barton and Henry O. Arnold understand that life indeed has many defining moments, and whether we lose a ballgame, lose a family member or lose a friend, we each must choose whether or not we will cling to God’s strength to see us through or whether we will cling to our own bitterness and become broken. Hometown Favorite is a story ripe with unconditional love, raw with human emotion and seasoned with sorrow and suffering that adds the depth needed to draw this story to a satisfying and thought-provoking conclusion. Your heart will never view life as anything less than a precious gift from God once you have read this story!

Hometown Favorite takes the reader on a journey through the life of Dewayne Jobe. Beginning in a small Mississippi town and reaching out as far as Los Angeles and Houston, this story is filled with richly textured, believable characters that range from Cheri Jobe, factory worker and sports mom, to Rosella Caldwell, daughter of wealthy L.A. parents and the love of Dewayne’s life. Jesse and Sly are Dewayne’s closest friends, and Coach Hopper is the man that loves each of the three men as his own sons. The story unfolds as easy-going and steady as Dewayne’s rock-solid faith and intensifies to a point that almost squeezes the reader’s heart in two. The changes that come to Dewayne Jobe take his faith beyond its breaking point to a place only God can reach.

Hometown Favorite is much more than just a football hero’s tale. This is a story about God’s grace and mercy – about His sovereignty in every detail of our lives. The details in this book may be fictional, but all readers will recognize many scenarios from their own life experiences. We will all recognize the fact that even when life is filled with unbearable pain and times of suffering that the thread of hope binds us to the heart of our Heavenly Father. It is this hope that brings us through our suffering and into a renewed place of joy and life.

Hometown Favorite is a book I highly recommend! It is a story you will remember for a very long time! Purchase your own copy today!

If you'd like to read the first chapter of Hometown Favorite, go HERE

"An amazing story of betrayal, forgiveness, redemption and hope. The characters are vibrant and alive. Barton and Arnold have a rare and keen understanding of human nature, making the spiritual truths of this story both profound and compelling."

~Michael W. Smith, recording artist

"Like a close game and a score that just won’t turn around, Dewayne’s true fans and Hometown Favorite readers will appreciate the daunting odds fate doles out and this story’s hard-won outcome."

~Darnell Arnoult, author of Sufficient Grace