Something That Lasts: A Novel (Paperback)

~ James David Jordan (Author) "The Reverend David Parst sat in the long, narrow boardroom of the O'Fallon Bible Church and studied a finger-sized tear in the wallpaper at the..." (more)
Key Phrases: Challenger Express, Ted Balik, David Parst (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

When Ted Balik rises from his pew to speak, no one in the crowded sanctuary of the O'Fallon Bible Church can imagine that their peaceful community will be shattered by his shocking disclosure: Reverend David Parst, beloved husband and father and pastor, committed the unthinkable crime. He had an affair with Mrs. Balik. As the church members explode into an uproar, Ted silently grabs a gun out of his pocket, raises it to his temple and pulls the trigger. These few moments of horror plunge the reverend, his wife and their twelve-year-old son into a struggle with God and one another that will span generations - a struggle to find something that lasts beyond the rage, lies and fear.

Product Details

• Paperback: 324 pages
• Publisher: Integrity Publishers (May 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159145428X
• ISBN-13: 978-1591454281
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #672,389 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Very Personal Reality, July 17, 2006

By	Eric Wilson "novelist" (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

I picked up this book with mixed emotion. I want so badly to see reality portrayed through Christian fiction. I don't mind happy endings, and I love to see God's hand shown in people's lives, but I want all this to be shown alongside the heartache and questions that most of us experience in our lives.

That said, my opinion of this book was filtered through a very personal reality: my own father did the same thing as Pastor Parst, losing his marriage and church due to an adulterous relationship. I was 18 at the time, while my brother and sister were closer to Jack's age. Perhaps my own experiences make a fair judgment of this book impossible. I'll admit that. On the other hand, I loved Francine Rivers' portrayal of a similar subject in "And the Shofar Blew."

This book just didn't work for me, on a number of levels. The writing is decent, and the characters seem credible enough, even if the dialogue isn't always believable. (I especially tripped over the mother's insistence early on that her son not say "freaks me out." What?! This is the type of stuff that really causes problems for pastor's kids.) I appreciated that Jordan tackled difficult issues, from sin and disease, to unforgiveness and death, but I needed to see a few hurdles overcome along the way. For example, the pastor's simple move into continued ministry came with no show of repentance to his previously betrayed congregation.

All in all, if the idea of this book interests you, I believe you'll find it worth your time. For those of us who have struggled through the darkest hours of such things, it comes off without enough grit to seem fully credible. But like I said, I'm coming from a skewed perspective.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A compelling portrayal of grace and forgiveness!, May 8, 2005

By	Mike Graham (Plano, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Something That Lasts (Paperback)

I don't read much fiction. Somehow I tend to feel that I need to "learn a lesson" to make reading worth while. If I had held to that silly idea, it would have been my loss. This is an enormously compelling book! Mr. Jordan's realistic portrayal of deep struggles of the heart will give all but the most casual reader reason to take a penetrating look inside. This is a story of the invisible but, very real and protracted war for people's hearts; it is about the battle for a heart willing to both give and receive grace and forgiveness, something that for me seems to come by the inch rather than by the mile.

Although some of the characters' circumstances were more spectacular than I have experienced, their struggles of dealing with deep pain took me to places in my own heart I often prefer to avoid. Ultimately, however, it is both a book about the grace and forgiveness found only in God and, a reminder that only as we receive those gifts from Him we can give them to others and ourselves.

If you are looking for some light entertainment, this is not the book for you. But if you start it, you'll not want to put it down until you're finished. Unless it's to probe your own heart with God's light.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A healing book for me., April 18, 2005

By	Rachael Montoya - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Something That Lasts (Paperback)

In the beginning, I found myself staying up till the wee hours in the morning unable to put the book down. It became a movie in my mind and the writing brought me through the emotions of anger, disappointments, tears, and ultimately joy. If you have experienced the devastation caused by adultery (the bitterness) and its effect upon the children, read this book. At times, the emotional anguish was recreated in me and I had to put the book down; still I felt compelled to find out what would happen next. The writer helps you heal though the actions of the characters in the book. It opened my mind and gave me a new perspective. This book changed me. My thanks to the author for being brave enough to remind us that Christians make mistakes and forgiveness is the answer and Christ will never leave or forsake us. In a hurting world, we need more books like this one.