After I read the first chapter of Born to Deliver, I closed the book and stared at the back in wonderment, re-reading Kathy Brace's bio and studying her picture. Was this scared, misguided, pregnant teenager whom the book opened with really the same as the peaceful, talented, godly woman who greeted me on the book cover?
The well-written true story caught my interest immediately, and I read it quickly--in one evening--because I couldn't possibly stop reading and leave Kathy in the severely dire circumstances that she finds herself for the first half of the book.
Kathy Brace and Natalie Wickham don't flinch from sharing Kathy's mistakes and sins, from out-of-wedlock pregnancies, to failed relationships and marriages, to cover-ups and lies. In honestly relating the story, they remain tasteful. Nevertheless, this is definitely an adult book, and one which I do not recommend for children and most teenagers.
All of the trauma and tragedy of Kathy's life culminates in a horrible accident halfway through the book, and from there, the tale blossoms into a precious story of redemption as God exchanges beauty for ashes and is faithful to allow Kathy to continue a generational legacy of midwifery, and to halt a generational legacy of immorality and drunkeness.
The theme of generational vision is powerful as the book quotes Exodus 20:5-6: "For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments."
Kathy writes, "In my quest for happiness and fulfillment, I was led by my own heart, pressure from the people around me, and the negative example of my parents--in short, everything but God. And yet, God mercifully 'ransomed [me] from the futile ways inherited from my forefathers (I Peter 1:18a)...' And now, by the grace of God, I wanted to pass a new heritage down to my children and their children after them someday--a heritage of those who love God and keep His commandments. A vision for something much bigger than myself was beginning to formulate in my mind."
I finished the book praising God for His goodness. As I read about God's miraculous provision in Kathy's life, I remenisced about those same times in my life. As I rejoiced to see her daughters making wise decisions and learning from their mother's mistakes, I renewed my resolve to learn from my parents' life experience and wisdom. And as I marvelled at Kathy's honesty, I realized the importance of transparency in all of our lives and what a ministry that honesty can be.
You can read the first chapter here. And if you decide to buy the book for yourself or for a Christmas present for that certain someone, then click below to buy it from Amazon--paperback for $17.60 or Kindle edition for $9.99
We're giving away our copy of the book to give more people a chance to read it, so why not enter?
a Rafflecopter giveawayWe're giving away our copy of the book to give more people a chance to read it, so why not enter?
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved
Great giveaway you're hosting! The book sounds very intriguing. :)
ReplyDeleteBtw, I hope it's alright that I entered the link to your blog, rather than the button. If not, just let me know! :)
Take care
Wow, this sounds like a great read! If I don't win it, I plan to get the Kindle version so I can take it back to Uganda. :) Thanks for the recommendation!
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