The Pastor's Wife by Jennifer AlLee

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

The Pastor's Wife
(Abingdon Press - February 2010)
by

Jennifer AlLee

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jennifer AlLee was born in Hollywood, California and for the first 10 years of her life lived over a mortuary one block from Hollywood and Vine. An avid reader and writer, she completed her first novel in high school. That manuscript is now safely tucked away, never again to see the light of day. Her first inspirational romance, The Love of His Brother, was released in November 2007 by Five Star Publisher.

Besides being a writer, she is a wife and mom. Living in Las Vegas, Nevada, her husband and teenage son have learned how to enjoy the fabulous buffets there without severely impacting their waistlines. God is good!

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Maura Sullivan never intended to set foot in Granger, Ohio, again. But when circumstances force her to return, she must face all the disappointments she tried so hard to leave behind: a husband who ignored her, a congregation she couldn't please, and a God who took away everything she ever loved.

Nick Shepherd thought he had put the past behind him, until the day his estranged wife walked back into town. Intending only to help Maura through her crisis of faith, Nick finds his feelings for her never died. Now, he must admit the mistakes he made, how he hurt his wife, and find a way to give and receive forgiveness.

As God works in both of their lives, Nick and Maura start to believe they can repair their broken relationship and reunite as man and wife. But Maura has one more secret to tell Nick before they can move forward. It's what ultimately drove her to leave him three years earlier, and the one thing that can destroy the fragile trust they've built.

If you would like to read the first Chapter of The Pastor's Wife , go HERE.

My thoughts:

Maura Shepherd has been hurt...and hurt badly, so she runs. While I can't specifically relate to Maura's need to run when she was feeling neglected by her husbands focus on his job and all it entailed, I do understand that neglect and/or rejection can make people do seemingly irrational things.

I really enjoyed reading of the budding friendship with youth leader Lainie, and how that friendship allowed Maura to step outside of the hurts associated with the church to become actively involved again but at her own pace and in areas she felt comfortable with.

So many times church people (and sometimes the pastor himself) take the wife of the pastor for granted - expecting her to serve alongside her husband without pay or a say in what ministries she wants to be involved in, or if she even wants to be involved at all. I think this message in fiction form can truly open the eyes of readers about how we treat the wife of our pastor. Are we allowing them to flourish in the areas that God has called them to? Are we remembering them in prayer as we do our pastor? This book is definitely an insightful book that will have your examining your heart in how you relate to your pastor's wife. I highly recommend it.