The Last Honorable Gladiator

The Ledger by Steven Manchester is a gritty contemporary Christian novel that is powerfully written with a clear message at its’ heart – God is with us, always – even if we don’t feel His presence. Even if we don’t acknowledge Him. God will never leave us alone.

“It’s difficult to watch our children make horrible mistakes and not intervene” are words spoken by God in the novel. He is our heavenly Father. The same words can be true of earthly parents. We have to give our children space to grow. “I’m going to worry about my little girl for the rest of my days… It’s the price I have to pay for being a parent.”

The setting is within a state penitentiary in Mississippi. We follow three characters – a long-serving inmate; a long-serving officer; and an inspector of conditions – only one of them feels far from God and has a very black heart. The other two come to know God, realising “true pain is feeling distance from God.” Bodies may be imprisoned but souls can be free.

We all have free will. We all make choices and must live with the consequences. We see the pain caused to God when His children choose the wrong path but “I can’t give you free will and then force myself on you,” says God.

God longs for each of us to come to Him. Sometimes it is a dazzling Damascus-road experience, at other times it is a gentle Emmaus-road experience. “God don’t use a microwave when He’s cooking. He uses a crock-pot.” God never gives up on us.