Grounded In The Promises Of God

Stubborn Love by Jennifer Rodewald is a delightful contemporary Christian novel and the fifth book in the Murphy Brothers series. It can be read as a stand-alone but I enjoyed catching up with familiar faces.

This book reveals the importance of trusting God completely. In the good times we praise Him. In the bad times we praise Him because God is good and can be trusted even when life is bad.

God walks beside us in all the seasons of life. In our anger and our pain we may not see Him but that does not mean He left us alone for He promised to never leave us nor forsake us.

There is the theme of courage. Courage is often just doing it afraid.

There are some who seem fearless. Sometimes fearless equates to reckless with disastrous consequences.

We all have dreams. When life throws us curve balls, sometimes our dreams must change.

The theme of addiction to prescription drugs is sensitively portrayed. This is dangerous because when they control our lives, we find ourselves spinning out of control and becoming someone we do not want to be. In order to beat our addictions we must want to get better and seek help.

I loved the idea of battle cards. These are cards where we write portions of scripture. At times of hardship or crossroads, we need to remind ourselves of God’s faithfulness and promises as we read His Word.

The characters were well drawn and realistic. I loved three year old Fiona whose mannerisms were perfectly captured by Jennifer Rodewald.

Stubborn Love was a charming read and very powerful as it was grounded in the promises of God. I love this Murphy Brothers series.

I will leave you with my favourite quote:

“He {God} is an expert with turning ugly into beautiful.”

I received a free book from the author. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

JULIA WILSON