Customer Reviews

A Land of Sheltered Promise: Faith/Hope/Charity (Inspirational Novella Collection)

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Jane Kirkpatrick again has succeeded in bringing to life not only appealing, authentic characters but also portions of the early west itself. With the Big Muddy Ranch in southern Oregon as the setting, she presents three separate stories that span one hundred years, from 1897 to 1997. In each story a woman of faith demonstrates unique courage and strength that is rewarded with hope, miracles, redemption and love.

In Part One Eva Cora Thompson Bruner gets her first delighted glimpse of the Big Muddy Ranch when she is merely four years old. Eva's youthful joy is short-lived. Her father kills a man and gets life, and her mother relinquishes hers to despair. Soon Eva finds herself being raised by her aunt and uncle. But her love for them and the Big Muddy grows, and at age 17 she falls in love with D.L. Bruner and becomes his child bride. Yet, once again, her joy is snatched away as Dee is accused of murder and seems destined for the same fate as her father. Eva is determined, however, not to follow the steps of her mother and is blessed with an inner strength that carries her through betrayals and the ordeals of his trial. She demonstrates her faith by setting up a homestead near the Big Muddy and prays for a miracle that will return her husband to her and their baby girl.

Part Two brings Cora Swenson to the Big Muddy. She is the daughter of a woman who had been close friends with Eva's grandmother. The year is now 1984 and the Muddy has been taken over by the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and his followers. While purporting to be a mystic sect based on "oneness, obedience to the One, and the forsaking of individuality, including earthly goods," it is actually a cult designed by shrewd lawyers to bilk the rich and foolish out of enough money to support the Bhagwan, his 90 Rolls-Royces, and his team of fawning sycophants. Ultimately, a scandal caused by cult members who engineered a bio-terrorist attack ends the Bhagwan's reign, but many of the Sannyasins stay on and await his return, a testimony to the thoroughness of his indoctrination.

For those who remember the headlines during that time, Kirkpatrick provides a grim reminder of life on the Big Muddy under the Bhagwan's leadership. Where sexual freedom always trumped decorum. Where the faithful worked like slaves and their children were left to wander around, attended by all but cared for by no one. It is one of these children, her granddaughter Charity, whom Cora Swenson hopes to rescue from the ranch.

Part Three returns us to the Big Muddy Ranch in 1997 after it has been abandoned by the last of the Sannyasins and is now part of a land parcel that the Washington family wants to donate to Young Life, a non-denominational youth organization that serves teens. The conversion of this rugged, untamed land into a Camp for kids that promises them "the best week of your life" is both touching and telling as Kirkpatrick deftly parallels the conversion of the Big Muddy with the conversion of a skeptical sociology grad student. When Jill Hartley allows her love for husband Tom to nudge her toward faith, she begins to experience the love and miracles of God. Her questions and doubts are met with kindness and gentleness from those involved in this project of reclamation, and she soon finds herself caught up in the reality of a new life in Christ.

Just as there is a special place in Heaven for those who practice the tenets of God, I believe there is a special place in Hell for those who hurt their fellows in the name of God. Jane Kirkpatrick has an extraordinary talent for compelling us to explore our beliefs while telling a whopping good tale.

--- Reviewed by Maggie Harding

Once again Jane Kirkpatrick does not disappoint with her new book A Land of Sheltered promise.
What a beautiful picture of God's redemption! How He can make something bright and beautiful out of something so tarnished.
I wasn't too sure how much I wanted to read about the Rajneesh again. Living here in Oregon and reading about all their exploits in the newspaper at the time was enough to last a life time. Her story line of Cora, Razi and Charity made it palatable.
After reading about that period of time and then reading about the redemption of the land through all of God's miracles was like a welcome spring of cool water in a dry desert! Her book is truly a wonderful picture of God's fulfilling of prayer requests and making something good for His people out of something so broken and abandoned.
This is a book to add to your collection of books by this talented and caring author, Jane Kirkpatrick.

This is a wonderful book centered around a place in North- central Oregon where the Rashneesee were, that covers three generations of people who lived there. The author always does a lot of reserch before she writes a book, using diaries and any information she can get and it makes the books come alive for the reader. It is a wonderful story of faith, endurance, and determination.

This is somewhat of a change of pace for Kirkpatrick in that she is mixing characters from the early 1900's then jumping into characters we are all familiar with in more recent years. It is a fascinating book and as always, Kirkpatrick does a wonderful job. I did not want to put it down.

Part 1 Faith. In 1901 Oregon seventeen years old Eva Bruner is exhausted even before the outcome of the murder trial that her husband sheepherder Dee faces. He admits to killing Tom Reilly so the guilty verdict does not surprise her as he is sentenced to life in prison. Alone on their station on the Muddy Ranch to raise their infant son, everyday Eva prays for a miracle.

Part 2 Hope. In 1984 devout Episcopalian Aussie Cora Thompson arrives in Oregon planning to abduct her six years old granddaughter Charita nee Charity because Cora's daughter Rachel, now called Ma Razi, is an active leader in a cult. While Cora enters the communal compound on the site of the Muddy Ranch, the INS indicts leaders on violations and a new form of intimidation at least in America, salmonella bio-terrorism, shakes the area.

Part 3 Charity. In 1995 though she preferred staying in Portland, Jill Hartley accompanies her husband on a visit to the Bartletts who were like parents to her Tom. The Bartletts show Jill the abandoned despised Muddy Ranch where they dream of a place where the Young Life Christians from around the world can attend camp. Almost two years later a skeptical Jill makes the dream come true.

These three novellas connected by the Muddy Ranch in Oregon and based on real stories are terrific tales that star courageous women willing to sacrifice for the good of another while turning to God and Jesus to help them. The parable of using the land receiving a second chance ties together these well written stories that inspire the audience to believe in Jesus and that good deeds matter.

Harriet Klausner

My first experience with Young Life's camp properties was at the "Big Muddy", now Washington Family Ranch. We began the renovation of this site and facilities and the dedication to God and His promise to meet with thousands of youth and adults alike, now and in the future, in this place. The book I got because my granddaughter felt the awe of this place and was truly interested in what it might be like to experience living in this area for a time and the provision of God. It's a great read for a young girl with eyes on being involved and fulfilled through giving.

I enjoyed this book having followed some of this history as it happened and having grandchildren now attending the camp. I love reading about our local area histories.

For Jane Kirkpatrick fans, this book delivers more of what we like in her writing: good grasp of history, excellent character development, compelling story-telling. This book meant a lot to me as I am involved with Young Life and spend time at the camp she writes about. For anyone who hasn't yet read anything by Jane, get ready to be seduced into learning about history as you become engrossed in what really happened on this land in the distant and more recent past. It will change how you look at the landscape.

Jane Kirkpatrick knows how to tell a story. Her characters are alive, complex and current. As the story unfolds it becomes a learning experience not only historically but relationally. The characters become alive in the words of the book and the story begins to envelop the reader.

Having grown up in the Central Oregon area, I could relate to a lot of the images that the book conjured. I remember seeing the red-clothed followers on the streets of Bend as a teenager. I enjoy Jane Kirkpatrick's books and would recommend this to anyone who is a fan.