Ninth Reason I Wrote “Someone They Can Trust”
“Someone They Can Trust”, my new novel, is available on Amazon. To receive news about what I’m writing, please subscribe to the author email at the bottom of this post.
I watched a fantastic movie last night, “The Guernsey Potato Peel Pie Society”, but one of its characters made me flinch with a familiar irritation.
She was a Christian who read her Bible all the time. She was also mean, judgemental, self-righteous, prim, petty and vindictive – basically the antithesis of how Jesus acted. You just don’t often see a sane, appealing Christian character who can speak in whole sentences on mainstream media produced this century.
Often people who follow Jesus are depicted as villains or fools, on screen and in contemporary books.
I just finished writing a novel, Someone They Can Trust, that depicts real people who say they’re following Jesus, and almost all of them are really following Jesus. They’re likable, authentic and say amusing things. They show how a relationship with God is fleshed out in real situations.
There’s Maya, an art school graduate who seems kind of perfect except that it’s hard to get close to her. There’s Matt, the music minister who makes people laugh almost every time they see him. There’s Janice, a woman who’s been through long term suffering but retained kindness, caring and hope. Laura is a deeply spiritual woman losing memory to Anzheimer’s. Charise, a recovering addict who inherited a B&B, is dressed to kill even on cleaning days. Her cousin Darnell, a big stoic guy who keeps to himself, only came to a Bible study for the food, but then this thing happened…
And so it goes. A diverse group of people who may have very little in common other than Jesus. But He’s more than enough to make them a vibrant community.
I’m not saying there aren’t some ignorant and hateful people who say they’re Christians. I just know from experience that there are many authentic and loving people in our churches. That’s important to know for people who are seeking out truth. That’s why I wrote this book.
I grew up in the church and never left. Over the decades I’ve been a member of ten churches as my parents moved our family, and then during the years my husband pastored six churches in six different communities. I too have had the privilege of knowing well a number of people who exemplified the qualities you’ve mentioned–likeable, authentic, funny, and mature–as well as a few more qualities: creative, highly intelligent, caring, generous, and positive. (I’m sure there are more!) That’s one of the reasons I loved your book–your characters reminded me of people I’ve known.
Thanks so much for telling me that Nancy! You are definitely an authority!