About the Book:
When your life is built around a father's wrath, how can you trust in the love of Father God?
Mercy Roller knows her name is a lie: there has never been any mercy in her young life. Raised by a twisted and abusive father who called himself the Pastor, she was abandoned by the church community that should have stood together to protect her from his evil. Her mother, consumed by her own fear and hate, won't stand her ground to save Mercy either.
The Pastor has robbed Mercy of innocence and love, a husband and her child. Not a single person seems capable of standing up to the Pastor's unrestrained evil. So Mercy takes matters into her own hands.
Her heart was hardened to love long before she took on the role of judge, jury, and executioner of the Pastor. She just didn't realize the retribution she thought would save her, might turn her into the very thing she hated most.
Sent away by her angry and grieving mother, Mercy's path is unclear until she meets a young preacher headed to counsel a pregnant couple. Sure that her calling is to protect the family, Mercy is drawn into a different life on the other side of the mountain where she slowly discovers true righteousness has nothing evil about it--and that there might be room for her own stained and shattered soul to find shelter. . . and even love.
Mercy's Rain is a remarkable historical novel set in 19th century Appalachia that traces the thorny path from bitterness to forgiveness and reveals the victory and strength that comes from simple faith.
My Thoughts:
About the Author:
Cindy K. Sproles is the author of devotions published in newspapers across the country and a teacher at Christian writers conferences. She spent her formative years showing off her beloved Appalachian Mountains to others, and she and her family still live in the mountains of East Tennessee. Visit Cindy at www.cindysproles.com
Mercy Roller knows her name is a lie: there has never been any mercy in her young life. Raised by a twisted and abusive father who called himself the Pastor, she was abandoned by the church community that should have stood together to protect her from his evil. Her mother, consumed by her own fear and hate, won't stand her ground to save Mercy either.
The Pastor has robbed Mercy of innocence and love, a husband and her child. Not a single person seems capable of standing up to the Pastor's unrestrained evil. So Mercy takes matters into her own hands.
Her heart was hardened to love long before she took on the role of judge, jury, and executioner of the Pastor. She just didn't realize the retribution she thought would save her, might turn her into the very thing she hated most.
Sent away by her angry and grieving mother, Mercy's path is unclear until she meets a young preacher headed to counsel a pregnant couple. Sure that her calling is to protect the family, Mercy is drawn into a different life on the other side of the mountain where she slowly discovers true righteousness has nothing evil about it--and that there might be room for her own stained and shattered soul to find shelter. . . and even love.
Mercy's Rain is a remarkable historical novel set in 19th century Appalachia that traces the thorny path from bitterness to forgiveness and reveals the victory and strength that comes from simple faith.
My Thoughts:
“But the caress of someone who loved me opened up a wound that bled for
days. What bled out of the wound wasn’t
blood, but anger and hate. What healed
it was love.” (p. 128)
Mercy’s Rain is the most
difficult, painful book I’ve ever read.
Yet, at the same time, it was the most compassionate, tender story of
grace – and yes, mercy – I’ve ever read!
I really can’t put into words the raw pain that this story evoked in my
heart. I won’t give anything away, but I
will say that I had a hard time understanding Mercy’s guilt over what she had
done. At the point that she made her
decision, I was ready to cheer.
But God….He convicted me right
along with Mercy. God alone is our
righteous judge. To find strength enough
to forgive those who wrong us, that is where we find mercy and grace enough to
heal our wounds.
This book deals with the harsh
realities of a fallen, sin-filled world.
I can’t say I fully understand all of it, because I did want to cheer when
the Pastor went his way. But God has
tender mercy toward my hard heart. Just
like He showed Mercy through the long-suffering and loving patience of those
God brought into her life after leaving her childhood home.
This book is necessary, but it’s
pretty brutal to read. You will be glad when you endure to the end, but it takes work to get there. Worth the effort, but it does take
effort. I recommend this book to those
who want to look full in the face of depravity and the glorious grace of our
Heavenly Father.
About the Author:
Cindy K. Sproles is the author of devotions published in newspapers across the country and a teacher at Christian writers conferences. She spent her formative years showing off her beloved Appalachian Mountains to others, and she and her family still live in the mountains of East Tennessee. Visit Cindy at www.cindysproles.com
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