The Heart Reader [Paperback]

Terri Blackstock (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 19, 2002

Lukewarm believer Sam Bennett awakens from a dream to discover that he can hear the deepest spiritual needs of those around him. Frightened at first, he begins to embrace his gift and follow the Spirit's leading, with the result that many lives are touched and led to faith in Christ. In the end, Bennett's life is radically transformed, and his friends, family, and church are forever changed as they begin to "hear" the needs of others as God hears. The Heart Reader is a moving evangelistic challenge for all believers.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This anonymous novella attempts to teach a lesson about evangelism by telling the story of Sam, a middle-aged advertising executive who is also a Milquetoast Christian. One night, the Holy Spirit gives Sam the ability to hear the inmost thoughts of all around him, a power that makes him aware of how desperately they all need Jesus. With a little help from his pastor, Sam starts using his gift to begin evangelistic conversations with strangers. When he hears a man wishing that "someone bigger was in control," Sam introduces himself and tells the stranger "who [is] really in control." Though we see Sam rebuffed once, the author concocts a fantasy in which not only Sam, but also his family and friends, win souls by the dozens, simply by having short conversations with people about the idea that Jesus can meet their needs. More miraculously, all these new converts show up at Sam's church ready to grow as Christians and to "bear fruit" by going on soul-winning expeditions themselves. At one point, one of Sam's Promise Keepers "accountability partners" objects to Sam's evangelism spree by asking, "Don't you think you're selling them an easy-believism? A repeat-after-me kind of faith?" While Sam assures his friend that he is not, the novella itself offers no such assurances. It is rather a treacly fairy tale that ignores the complexity of suffering, genuine conversion and, perhaps most disappointingly, good storytelling. (June)

Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (August 19, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0849943701
• ISBN-13: 978-0849943706
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #115,214 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Terri Blackstock is a New York Times best-seller, with over six million copies sold worldwide. She has had over twenty-five years of success as a novelist. Terri spent the first twelve years of her life traveling in an Air Force family. She lived in nine states and attended the first four years of school in The Netherlands. Because she was a perpetual "new kid," her imagination became her closest friend. That, she believes, was the biggest factor in her becoming a novelist. She sold her first novel at the age of twenty-five, and has had a successful career ever since.

In 1994 Terri was writing for publishers such as HarperCollins, Harlequin, Dell and Silhouette, when a spiritual awakening drew her into the Christian market. As she was praying about her transition, she went on a cruise and noticed that almost everyone on the boat (including her) had a John Grisham novel. It occurred to her that some of Grisham's readers were Christians, and that if she wrote a fast-paced thriller with an added faith element, she might just find her niche. As God would have it, Christian publishers were showing interest in the suspense genre, so she quickly sold a four-book series to Zondervan. Since that time, she's written over thirty Christian titles, most of them suspense novels.

Besides entertaining her readers, Terri tackles issues that she hopes will change lives. Her recent book, Predator, was inspired by her experiences on Facebook and Twitter, and her concern that people posted too much personal information about themselves. The book deals with an online predator who uses social networks as his playground. She hopes the book will change readers' online habits. Her New York Times best-seller, Intervention, was inspired by her own personal struggles with a daughter on drugs. In the book, a mother hires an interventionist for her drug-addicted daughter. But on the way to treatment, the interventionist is murdered, and the daughter disappears. Barbara, the mother, sets out to search for her daughter. Terri modeled Barbara after herself, and poured many of her own emotions and experiences into that character. As a result, many families experiencing drug addiction have written to thank her for telling their story and giving them hope.

Other recent books include her stand-alone novel Shadow in Serenity, and Vicious Cycle (Book 2 in her Intervention Series). She's also known for popular series such as the Restoration Series, the Cape Refuge Series, the Newpointe 911 Series, and the SunCoast Chronicles series.

Terri has appeared on national television programs such as "The 700 Club" and "Home Life," and has been a guest on numerous radio programs across the country. The story of her personal journey appears in books such as Touched By the Savior by Mike Yorkey, True Stories of Answered Prayer by Mike Nappa, Faces of Faith by John Hanna, and I Saw Him In Your Eyes by Ace Collins.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Convicting, August 8, 2000

By 

Barb Bacon (Bridgeport, MI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Heart Reader (Paperback)

I could not put this book down. I read it in one afternoon. It made me realize how many opportunities I had missed to tell people about Jesus, and I was filled with new purpose and compassion for the hurting people in this world. No one could read this book without feeling convicted and challenged.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars life-changing, July 25, 2000

By 

Chris Doughty (Peachtree City, Ga United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Heart Reader (Paperback)

This book could change our world if really taken to heart and applied. It is probably the greatest book on evangelism and the heart of our Lord I have ever read!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful!, March 23, 2001

By 

Donna Rizos - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Heart Reader (Paperback)

We need more books like this! Although it is a work of fiction, this could be any of us. How often do we look at someone (in passing, or someone we know) and wonder if they know Jesus? Do we dare take the next step and talk to them about Jesus? Yes, we all should. There is a wonderful boldness to this story that I know I could use. After reading this book, I continue to ponder the story. God is moving and our hearts need to be ready. I thank the author for this wonderful book.