To Forgive, Divine [Kindle Edition]

Melissa Lea Leedom (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Characters face real struggles to live out their Christianity. I read til 4 A.M.--had to see how it ended! Wonderful! -- Barbara McNeir, former Minister of Single Adults, Columbia Baptist Church, Falls Church, Virginia

I didn't want to put it down! I hung on each chapter, eagerly anticipating what would happen next. Great read! -- Charlotte Watson, Minister of Missions/Member Assimilation, First Baptist Church, Georgetown, TX
Author of 100+ Ways to Be Involved in Missions

I pray that To Forgive, Divine gets a wide reading. It's well done--the message on forgiveness plus the wonderful tale. -- Frank Wells, Th.D. Former Missionary to Indonesia, Former Pastor, First Baptist Church, Enterprise, Alabama, Former Interim Pastor, First Baptist Church, Dothan, Alabama

Portrays Christians as normal people with normal problems who have a relationship with God to get them through. -- Cynthia Rankin, Technical Writer, Baltimore, MD

To Forgive, Divine is a fun read. Melissa really knows the dynamics of a congregation. I highly recommend it! -- Peggy Groseclose, Senior Associate Minister, Bel Air United Methodist Church, Bel Air, Maryland

Product Description

Bonnie Callaway Since the accident that killed her husband two years ago, Bonnie’s had no room in her heart for new love. She certainly didn’t plan to fall for her also-widowed pastor!

Jeff Wells can’t wait to see Bonnie again. But nosy neighbor Clara Adkinson informs him that he isn’t the only man in Bonnie’s life! Who is this other guy?

As their story unfolds in To Forgive, Divine, close friends (and closer enemies!) realize that things aren’t always as they appear. Even when they discover the truth, feelings of betrayal and distrust seem to destroy any hope of rekindling the love Bonnie and Jeff had started to feel for each other.

Enter a young boy who desperately needs help that only Bonnie and Jeff can give him, an embittered young woman who learns about forgiveness from these two people who can’t seem to forgive each other, and an estranged couple who need just a little push from reluctant lovers Bonnie and Jeff to re-write their own ill-fated love story. Bonnie and Jeff can’t avoid seeing each other even when they try!

As Bonnie and Jeff watch lives transformed all around them by the love and forgiveness of Jesus, they must confront their own failure to forgive. How can they recommend Christian love to everyone else and deny it to each other?

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 332 KB
• Publisher: iUniverse (October 27, 2003)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B00260GS0S
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #628,050 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars ...a grand effort..., May 19, 2005

By 

Jack W. Regan (Grand Rapids, Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: To Forgive, Divine: A Novel (Paperback)

Bonnie Callaway has had a difficult time dealing with the tragic death of her husband and, although the accident happened two years ago, she still has not given love a second chance. So, when things start happening between her and her single pastor, Jeff Wells, she isn't quite sure how to handle the transition.

Unfortunately, the attraction they were beginning to experience is shattered by distrust and betrayal. But as the compelling story of forgiveness continues, both Jeff and Bonnie are witness to lives around them being changed by forgiveness. Gradually, they are forced to recognize that, even as they urge others to love and forgive, they themselves neglect to do so.

"To Forgive, Divine" is a grand effort to illustrate the love and forgiveness of Jesus. Melissa Lea Leedom writes with both skill and sentiment. A recommended read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Glimpse into the Culture of a Church, December 14, 2003

By 

Cynthia Rankin (Bel Air, Maryland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: To Forgive, Divine: A Novel (Paperback)

Melissa Leedom's book is interesting for those who may have never entered into a church or been a part of its society. Sometimes we can have concepts of what life is like behind the stained glass windows, thinking that the members are either perfect or boring. They simply don't have mundane or deep personal problems as ordinary people--so we may think until we read Leedom's account.

She depicts the people honestly and objectively--warts and all. We see that no one, even those who go to church "religiously" are perfect--even the pastor. The story is weaved in such a way that it is easy to judge certain characters before we find the whole story about their lives.

To understand the pace of the love story in a church setting, Leedom lays the background of the cultural values in a clear manner. This is important for readers who don't go to church and may not be familiar with the moral standards of this society.

The story bravely gives an account of church politics, exposing its cancerous dangers of gossip. We see how innocent people can be the victims of leaders of the church. It makes you wonder how many "lost sheep" have actually been to church but were hurt instead of helped.

An interesting sub-plot concerns the church's outreach activities to the community. The church members are not patronizing, and learn to understand the needs of the underclass in America. The characters also grapple with problem that all people who want to do good have to deal with--their own need and motivation to help the "unfortunate".

Although Leedom takes the roof off of the church and let's us peak into their private lives, she is always gracious. For those of you who may sleep in on Sunday mornings, this is a great book to learn about your neighbors who may wake you up with slamming the car doors, and shouting "hurry up or we'll be late for church."

5.0 out of 5 stars A great read, August 20, 2004

By 

Michelle Bates "Editor, North Louisiana Good ... (Minden, Louisiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: To Forgive, Divine: A Novel (Paperback)

I normally do not write about books or do book reviews in the North Louisiana Good News, a supplement to the Minden Press-Herald, but a press release was recently published about a good Christian book, called "To Forgive, Divine," written by Melissa Leedom.

I won't go into all the details of the book and spoil it for you. It's a quick read, but the underlying lessons as well as the story line are absolutely wonderful.

The story begins with two people who have been going to the same church for years, one being the pastor of the church. He is a single widower with a teenage son, and she is a widow with two young children. The story line revolves around a romance between the two, and it revolves around the church.

I have to say, I was very impressed with the book because it was a good, clean story about two people who realize they love each other.

One of the biggest lessons I learned from the book was about the gossip that goes on in church. Not every church is like this, but many are. Gossip permeates just about every congregation to some extent or another. In this story, I learned just how gossip can almost ruin a congregation and a community - based on how things look on the outside.

Yes, the story has a villain, but this villain is a fine, upstanding churchgoer who is very bitter. But does she learn her lesson in the end? Well, you will just have to read the book to find out.

Another lesson I learned in the book is that although a pastor is always in the public eye of his congregation, he is human too. He has feelings just like anyone else. It was interesting to see in this story how this pastor dealt with the gossip in his congregation. I was absolutely amazed at how the author made this pastor so human. In the book, the reader gets to see the other side of a pastor's life - outside the church pulpit and outside the church activities.

And, I also got to see a person in the book come to know God. That was really cool. And the way this woman became saved is just like so many others who have a life-changing experience in their salvation. The author showed God's strength throughout the entire book, and she showed how God changes even the hardest of hearts.

Overall, I was very impressed with the book, and it is the type of book I like to read. Like I said before, it's a good, clean story. This fiction book is one that you would feel safe about your kids picking up, and you don't have to worry about them learning words they shouldn't hear or read, or even read about situations that they wouldn't understand. Although this book is meant for an older audience, like teens and older, you don't have to worry about what your kids will find in it.

I hope that you will contact the author for a copy, because I think it is well worth it.

You won't regret it.