Emily is Smiling

Day 3: A favorite book

One of my favorite books of all times is Blessed Child by Ted Dekker and Bill Bright.  I've read it at least five times and as I write about it, I feel the need to give it a sixth read. 

Publishers Weekly gives this review:

"Jason Marker, an embittered Peace Corps representative, must spirit the 10-year-old wunderkind Caleb out of Ethiopia with the help of Leiah, a Red Cross nurse who is covered with disfiguring scars.  Upon their arrival in the U.S., Caleb is put in the care of the nefarious Father Nikolous at the rather stereotypically cruel Sunnyside Orphanage.  Caleb's extraordinary powers manifest themselves early in the tale: raising a man from the dead, restoring sight to a blind boy, healing a paraplegic.  Even as religious authorities are thrown into turmoil about the source of Caleb's amazing abilities, Father Nikolous loses no time in exploiting those powers for his own financial gain.  When a powerful politician realizes that Caleb holds the key to the destruction of his presidential ambitions, he contracts for the boy's murder.... Caleb is satisfactorily presented as an uncorrupted innocent who finds the world a stumbling block to his childlike faith."

What I liked-
My favorite scene in the entire book is when Jason and Leiah decide to try praying to God for the first time.  In this specific scene, God decided to show them His love with bright, beautiful lights.  At a loss of what to pray for, Jason and Leiah simply said, "God, please bless the orphans in India."  Suddenly, a bright and beautiful flash of blue covered the entire horizon in the direction of India, and Jason and Leiah realized how much God loves us and responds to our prayers.  Beautiful.  I get chills even as I type this.

What I didn't like-
There is honestly nothing I didn't like about this book.  That's why it's one of my very favorites!

I recommend this book for-
I would call it PG-13 because I think it is too deep and a little too violent for children under the age of thirteen or fourteen.  Anyone else who wants to read an intense novel that will deepen their faith in the Lord should love this book.

You can purchase Blessed Child at this link.  It also has a sequel, A Man Called Blessed.