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- “A well-written story dealing with the complexities of our world and our need to guard and maintain our first priority, which is to strengthen our own personal faith and be ready to share it with lost neighbors and friends.” --JANETTE OKE
- Contemporary Fiction with a heartfelt message from first time authors Rebecca Sundberg and Elizabeth Wiens
The story paints a clear picture of Jesus as a personal God, His interaction in our lives and the reality of eternity.
BOOK REVIEW: DESTINED FOR ETERNITY
by Joyce Handzo-Dancing Word Reviewer
Title: Destined for Eternity
Author: Rebecca Sundberg and Elizabeth Wiens
Publisher: PublishAmerica
ISBN: 1-4137-0755-6
Genre: Inspirational/Contemporary Fiction
Based on one of the most powerful verses in the Bible, Romans 14:12, Destined for Eternity creatively reminds readers that one day we will all stand before the Lord to give an account of ourselves.
Niki Bowers was a Christian. Yet, she unwittingly made decisions that weakened her spiritually. The Lord was grieved and called her guardian angel, Romuel, to His side. Jesus had decided on a course of action that would call Niki and her family to a deeper walk with Him. Romuel must be ready to escort her Home at any moment.
What follows next is a car crash, a coma, and a fascinating replay of those times in Niki’s life when she chose the path of least resistance over the road to righteousness.
Well-written with realistic characters and dialogue, this story convicts as well as encourages Christians. The authors were careful not to be heavy-handed or preachy, but placed their characters in contemporary settings which showed the results of seemingly “innocent” day-to-day decisions. Niki’s spiritual slide was not obvious to her until Romuel replayed certain events in her life, and pointed out how her thinking ran contrary to God’s Will. Readers will see how small steps away from the Lord eventually lead to a gap that can only be bridged by repentance and restoration.
This reviewer was especially impressed with the way the Lord was shown to be an integral part of our daily lives. Although Niki was oblivious to the protection of her guardian angel, Romuel served the Lord with his faithful care of her, and intervened in her life in many real ways.
The story shifts between flashbacks of Niki’s life and the scenes at the hospital where her grieving family waits and hopes for her recovery. These changes in settings and time further impress upon the reader the reality of the unseen spiritual realm affecting and influencing our physical world. Even though Christians live in “today”, life continues for eternity.
The authors close this wonderful book with the best possible ending! Perhaps this was a gentle reminder that we should have complete confidence in our Lord to bring all things to a satisfying conclusion.
Destined for Eternity deserves the praise, “Well done!”
About the Authors:
ELIZABETH WIENS and REBECCA SUNDBERG are identical twins and are originally from Ohio. They both graduated from Mountain View Bible College in Didsbury, Alberta Canada. They now reside in Didsbury with their families.
Contact
Elizabeth Wiens
at
gbwiens@shaw.ca
Retail $15.00 (CAD)
Destined For Eternity deals with the fact that one day we as Christians are going to meet Jesus face-to-face. Will we be ready when that time comes? Or will we have regrets about how we lived our life here on earth?
The story opens with a car crash involving a young mother, Niki Bowers. Niki survives the crash only to slip into a coma shortly after undergoing extensive surgery. As her grasp on life starts to slip away, Niki meets Romuel, her guardian angel, who is waiting to bring her on her final journey. Niki suddenly realizes that she is not ready to meet her Savior. Her life had become consumed with other things, things which had slowly taken priority over her relationship with God. How had she allowed herself to drift so far?
Although Niki longs to hear the words well done my good and faithful servant, she realizes these are not the words she will hear, not now. Not only had Niki fallen short in her relationship with God and her family, she had failed her friends, friends who were lost without Christ. There would be no more opportunities to witness; no more time to make things right. Desperately, Niki begs Romuel to ask Jesus for a second chance. Although Romuel is hesitant to question God’s timing, he does agree to take some time to show Niki how Satan succeeded in subtly pulling her astray.
The story rotates between Niki and her guardian angel, and the scene at the hospital where Niki’s husband has to deal with his own shortcomings and face the possibility of losing his wife. Through his suffering, Jonathan Bowers has to bridge the gap that has grown between himself and his Lord and ask forgiveness for allowing his life to become too busy for God and his family.
This is a book about how Satan uses materialism, busyness, and other seemingly innocent things to pull Christians away from God and make them ineffective. It is a reminder that we need to live our lives with the knowledge that one day we will be destined for eternity.