November 2003

and the Shofar Blew by Francine Rivers

The shofar is a trumpet, usually a ram's horn. In the old Testament, Joshua, Gideon and Joab used the shofar to lead the children of Israel. It was used to warn of danger or call to action and battle. The shofar is still used in Judaism to call the people to accountability on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). Today the Holy Spirit and God's word alerts us to danger and calls us to accountability. Francine Rivers has a wonderful way of telling a story with characters we can all identify with and truths that we need to learn.

This book is about a church that was dying because the town was drying up and the only people left were getting old. A small group of Elders who had been there since the beginning of this church kept it together with their prayers and the little bit of money that they had. They gave it their best efforts because they loved the Lord and His ministry.

When their elderly minister had a heart attack and needed to retire, they decided to look for a young minister. They chose young Paul Hudson. He had been praying for a church to pastor. Paul, his wife, Eunice and their 3 yr. old son, Timmy moved to the small town of Centerville, California and set about pouring their energy into Centerville Christian Church. The church thrived and in just a few years attracted large groups of people from nearby farms and towns. It seemed that God was really blessing Centerville Christian.

Then things began to happen. Numbers became more important than truth. Paul was so ambitious for the church to grow that he made a lot of compromises. Some people tried to warn him but he was so driven by success that he didn't listen.

This is a story about relationships between people and with God. God always gives us warnings but we don't always hear. Zechariah 9:14 tells us that the Lord Himself will blow the shofar to warn us of end times and Christ's return. Will we hear it and respond? This is a great book by one of the best Christian fiction writers of our time.

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