Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Any Minute by Joyce Meyer and Deborah Bedford - REVIEWED


This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Any Minute

FaithWords (June 30, 2009)

by

Joyce Meyer and Deborah Bedford



ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Joyce Meyer is one of the world's leading practical Bible teachers. A #1 New York Times bestselling author, she has written more than seventy inspirational books, including The Confident Woman, I Dare You, the entire Battlefield of the Mind family of books, her first venture into fiction with The Penny, and many others. She has also released thousands of audio teachings as well as a complete video library. Joyce's Enjoying Everyday Life® radio and television programs are broadcast around the world, and she travels extensively conducting conferences. Joyce and her husband, Dave, are the parents of four grown children and make their home in St. Louis, Missouri.


Deborah Bedford is a career fiction writer who began her professional life as a journalist in a Colorado mountain town.

A Rose By The Door, Deborah's first with Warner Book (name changed to FaithWords in 2006), hit bookstores in November 2001. A Morning Like This was released by Warner Books in 2002. Deborah's short story, “Connor Sapp's Baseball Summer,” is included in Multnomah Publisher's The Storytellers' Collection, Tales From Home, alongside stories by Chuck Colson, Terri Blackstock, Randy Alcorn and Karen Kingsbury.

Deborah and Jack have two children, Jeff and Avery. When she isn't writing, Deborah spends her time fly-fishing, cheering at American Legion baseball games, shopping with her daughter, singing praise songs while she walks along the banks of Flat Creek, and taking her dachshund Annie for hikes in the Tetons where they live.


ABOUT THE BOOK


Sarah Harper is driven to achieve success no matter what the cost. She wants to do good and not hurt the people she loves--especially children and her husband, Joe--but her desire to succeed in her career too often leaves little time for family.

One cold, autumn afternoon, all of that changes when Sarah's car plunges off a bridge and into a river. She is presumed dead by those on the "outside," but Sarah's spirit is still very much alive. What she discovers on the other side transforms everything about Sarah's view of life--past, present, and future.

When Sarah is revived, she is a changed woman. And the unsuspecting world around her will never be the same again.


If you would like to read the first chapter of Any Minute, go here!


MY THOUGHTS:

“If we don’t forgive those who have hurt us, then we end up hurting other people who are not responsible for our pain at all.” (p. 245)


Any Minute is what I would consider a modern day parable of sorts. Sara and Joe represent every modern family, racing from one job commitment to the next all the while trying to squeeze memorable moments in with their family and then anesthetizing their guilt with more work when they fail to keep their promises. The circumstances that have brought them to this frantic place were built one decision at a time, but have trapped them into a bondage that robs them of everything meaningful. Problem is, only Joe is wise to the situation. Sarah…well, Sarah has her own agenda.


There are some supernatural elements to this story that I wasn’t expecting, and the authors use the characters themselves to point out the “Christmas Carolish” approach to the plot development. However, the truth contained within the story itself is powerful. I know, because I’ve been to that frenzied place and the Lord has had to put the brakes on in my life – albeit in a very different way. It is natural for all of us to get caught up in our own little worlds and fail to reach out to others around us. The Lord alone knows how many opportunities have been missed to bless someone simply because we weren’t paying attention to anyone else’s needs but our own. It’s a sad state of affairs.


Any Minute is a poignant and bittersweet reminder of the need to live for others rather than unto ourselves. This novel also trumpets the power of forgiveness, grace and mercy. I pray it reminds each not to miss one minute of an opportunity to bless someone, whether with a smile, a word of encouragement or by meeting a physical need. The minutes of life are racing by – don’t waste them.


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