Customer Reviews

Blessed Child

5 star:		(57)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

BLESSED CHILD is an excellent novel that both inspires and thrills. Teaming with Bill Bright for inspiration, Ted Dekker shows that he's the real deal (in this, his third book) and should he continue to put out work like this I expect to see him around for a long time.

BLESSED CHILD is basically a thriller with supernatural elements and romantic overtones. It takes you on a journey from the wilderness of Ethiopia all the way to Pasadena, California. In the process we meet and begin to love a little boy who exudes innocence, the love of God, and great manifestations of His power. We never question that this power comes from God (as some in the story do) because we are allowed glimpses of his heart, so the real conflict lies in how this power is accepted by the world around him. The road is an exciting one and Dekker does an admirable job of making sure that he paints the trip in vivid spiritual colors.

This is another one of those rare novels that works on two levels -- it's a good read and it will challenge you in your Christian walk. Bill Bright's afterward notes that he believes a good novel on biblical themes can reach many more people than a normal theological work (similar to how Jesus' use of parables was so outstanding). BLESSED CHILD is a good example of how that can be true. FOUR STARS.

but not necessarily for the story. It wasn't the miracles, the bright lights or even Caleb's powers that impacted me, but rather the words of the dying leader,"Who says that a straightened hand is more powerful than a healed heart?"

Little Caleb's battle with the "brine" in the oil of his heart and his struggle to "walk in the kingdom" reminded me of my first days as a Christian and how much I earnestly desired Christ and His kingdom as the pearl of great price, worthy of surrendering everything in my life for.

That the book caused me to evaluate my desire for Christ and whether He was still my first love was this book's success for me, not the fiction. The story dragged in places for me and the constant use of the phrase "The Greek" to describe the priest threw me for some reason. In some ways, all the good characters seemed the same and all the bad characters seemed the same. Only Caleb and the dying man really stood out, but perhaps that was intentional. After the last page, I was on my knees, so the book did its job. :)This is my second Dekker title. It won't be the last.

I'm going to keep it short and sweet. I went on a little bit about When Heaven Weeps, but I couldn't help it--it just really got to me. So did Blessed Child, but in a different way. Blessed Child is unique. All of Ted Dekker's novels give us a wonderful picture of the love of God in action, but Blessed Child has this tranquility in the face of extreme danger that is really compelling. I felt like a totally refreshing shower had washed over me after reading this book--an absolutely unique experience, something I've never encountered in any other book I've read. The only thing that comes close is Leif Enger's Peace Like a River, though the two books are very different. I truly felt like a blessed child of God after reading this book. And so will you, I predict.

There are few words to describe the power of this book. One can more easily assess its power through feelings. While reading this book, I felt myself going through a myriad of emotions: sadness, happiness, insightfulness, an uplifting of the spirit, and a greater consciousness. It really does open the eyes of the heart.

One of the strongest messages that I received from this book is to be aware of what and who we surround ourselves with. After reading this book, I felt really good inside. It made me think of another book also, "Redeeming Love," by Francine Rivers and the other three books by Ted Dekker. When we surround ourselves with good things, loving and spiritual things, they lift our spirits and make us more whole. When we surround ourselves with bad things, they have a way of penetrating our spirit and bringing us down...We must surround ourselves with goodness and light, love and life. These things in turn will fill our heart and our soul.

. . . but Ted Dekker's Blessed Child is, as they say in the jazz world, beyond category.

Take one part supernatural thriller, one part poignant love story, one part slam-bang action tale and you've got the most addictive cocktail of a book to come along in many a moon.

I don't want to go too much into the story; it's always better to encounter a great book with fresh eyes. But let me just say that it involves a kid with miraculous powers, a black-hearted priest, a clueless Peace Corps worker, a beautiful but emotionally and physically scarred nurse, and a ruthless politician who'll stop at nothing--including murder and mayhem--to keep his dirty past under lock and key. The action's cranked nearly beyond the breaking point, there's a killer love story, it plants a big wet spiritual kiss smack on your heart--what more could you want?

Having just finished BLESSED CHILD, I find myself in a whirlwind of emotion. Though a spiritual person, I found myself touched in unexpected ways and to unexpected awareness.
Midway into the novel I realized that Bright and Dekker had written a parable and that I was reading words were obviously inspired beyond the norm. While the plot is fictional, I found the message in BLESSED CHILD clear and personally direct.
The plot and dialogue are somewhat weak in spots, but I found myself dismissing these faults as of little consequence. The Joy and Spirit developed in Caleb's character more than made up for any literary inadequacies. Leiah and Jason's characters are more shallowly developed, but as the protagonist is obviously young Caleb, the adults are but background for his story of Love and Belief.
Without giving the entire work a complete reading, it would be too easy to dismiss its value. The plot is a good read without the message. Give it a chance.
This book was an experience in literature and personal reaction with which I am still dealing.

Man, I went into major panic mode after When Heaven Weeps--when was I gonna get my next Dekker installment?

Fortunately, I wandered into my local (book store) and--voila!--there it was, on a front table, no less. I almost screamed out "Eureka!"--but I really and truly had found it.

What did I find? Something I really didn't expect: a story more gripping, more powerful, more mind-blowing than When Heaven Weeps. After reading the first two Dekker novels, I was absolutely convinced he had the goods, but, hey, how on earth could he top When Heaven Weeps, maybe the most mind-blowing story I've ever read? But--and trust me on this, all you who've devoured the first two--he did it!

There's talk of a movie. Please, please, PLEASE MAKE IT. Don't let it get derailed like film version of This Present Darkness. Don't let it be so naive as Left Behind (bless its soul). Nothing less than a huge blowout of a movie, a veritable breakout film, would do this book justice. But why wait? The book's out now. Jump on it.

I find it quite amazing that Ted Dekker's first book did not come out until just last year, but already he has three of the best selling Christian novels on the market. Ted is a writing machine, I tell you-- call him the Christian Stephen King, but wait--Ted is better than King. If you haven't read any of his books, you've got to. I mean it, absolutely GOT to. Like "Heaven's Wager" and "When Heaven Weeps," "Blessed Child" is a masterpiece of fiction that will make you cry, laugh, tremble, etc. It just doesn't get any better than this.

First of all, I am NOT a Ted Dekker fanatic. Besides this book, I have only read 3/4 of his book Thr3e. His books are generally not my type!

However, Blessed Child is a rare find in the Christian fiction industry! If you want to be encouraged in your walk with the Lord, this is the book to read! I have never read a book (besides the Bible) that left me with such a hunger to go deeper in my walk with the Lord.

The story is one that keeps the reader turning the pages! The book is a beautiful love story, that is filled with exciting adventures so both men and women will be glued to the pages.

This is a one of a kind!

Ted Dekker and Bill Bright's collaborative effort on this book, the first of two, is awesome, from a writer's point of view. Here we learn of a "blessed child" from Ethiopia named Caleb, and from the beginning, the story is set up to reveal the coming conflict between the dark (Charles Crandal) and the light (Caleb, and Jason and Leiah). There are great characters throughout, including the Greek bishop who holds Caleb in the US because the boy is under the auspices of the State Department. Then there is the maid ("the witch") who keeps watch over him, and the other villains - Banks, Roberts, et al.

This is a marvelous testimony to the spirit of Christ - The Holy Spirit - and its message is clear. The church of Christ, who are everyday types, has forgotten the power of the Spirit of God, and by repentance and acceptance, God can powerfully indwell and cause miracles of healing, character, and love - the fruits of the Spirit - to be a normal experience for the one who names the name of Christ.

A beautiful book, and highly recommended!!!!