One of my favorite books

This is really and truly one of my favorite books. I read this while on the road, traveling back and forth to Cincinnati with the monkeys. Life was in one of those totally crazy times and I was worn out--physically, mentally and emotionally. I only meant to read the first hundred pages because time was so tight, but after a few paragraphs there was NO way I could stop before hitting the end of the book.

I laughed enough to make my husband ask what was so funny. I cried enough he asked what was wrong. And I laughed and cried at the same time. I love Kirstie Donovan. I love all the characters and hated to see the last paragraph come to an end.

Karla Akins, the author of The Pastor's Wife Wears Biker Boots put us in Kirstie's head and heart. We got to experience life with her--the good, the bad, and the ugly, all laced with a generous dose of humor. I don't have an autistic child, but thanks to Kirstie, I have a glimmer of what a mother's life must be like with one. It's given me compassion for families with autistic children.

The Pastor's Wife Wears Biker Boots

Pastor’s wife, Kirstie Donovan, lives life in a fishbowl, so when she hops on the back of a bright pink motorcycle, tongues start to wag at the conservative, century-old First Independent Christian Community Church of Eels Falls.

Kirstie loves roaring down a road less traveled by most women over forty, but she’s not just riding her bike for the fun of it. Kirstie has a ministry. However, certain church members have secrets to hide, and when God uses Kirstie’s ministry to fill the pews with leather-clad, tattooed bikers, those secrets could be exposed…and some will stop at nothing to hide the truth.

Join Kirstie and her motorcycle “gang”—two church matrons and a mouthy, gum-smacking non-church member—as they discover that road-toughened bikers are quite capable of ministering to others, and faith is fortified in the most unexpected ways.


Let's listen in on a few questions Karla answered...

How did your book come to life?
I learned to ride a motorcycle at the tender age of 47. And so many funny things happened to me, I thought the same concept would make a good book. I also wanted to give a little insight into what it’s like being a pastor’s family, what it’s like to live with autism, and how it feels to go through some of the things Kirstie goes through.

Who is your favorite character in the book and why?
This is a tough one! There are many quirky characters in the book. Of course Kirstie is my first favorite because she’s a pastor’s wife like me. I guess my second favorites would be Opal and Atticus. Opal is someone in her 60s who’s never married and scared of her own shadow. You’ll have to read the book to find out who Atticus is.

Why will readers enjoy your book?
If they like reading about how people relate to one another in hilarious and unexpected ways, they’ll love it.
(Patty here: This is so very, VERY true!!)

Is anything in the book based on your own life?
The fact that I’m a pastor’s wife who rides a motorcycle, of course, is something like me, but Kirstie isn’t like me at all. She has a lot more energy! Ironically, when I wrote the book, a couple of things that are in the book did happen to me later. I write about Alzheimer’s and had no idea at the time that my mother-in-law with Alzheimer’s would come to live with us. I write about the preacher’s son’s trouble with the law, and had no idea we, too, would be experiencing some of the same heartbreak. You can read about that on my Prison Ministry page on my website. It’s almost as if the Lord was preparing me well for what we were to go through. Sort of a foreshadowing. God is so good that way.

What is your favorite scene in the book?
Oh my goodness, that’s so hard because there are so many that I love. I love the scene with the pastor’s family’s pet bull mastiff when he interrupts a church meeting after a swim in the pond. I also love the part where the women get locked in a Harley Davidson dealership after hours. But perhaps the best part is when they all go to jail. Then again there is that love scene…




Purchase The Pastor's Wife Wears Biker Boots here.

Here's what readers are saying:
Pastor Aaron Donovan isn't perfect, but his wife is--perfectly hilarious. Kirsten Donovan is not what some of the congregation think she should be, but she's exactly what others need to keep their spirits charged and their engines revved. With three sons, an oversized dog, crazy friends, and a hankering for the rush of the wind in her face, Kirsten meets life with a gentle grace--and big black leather biker boots.

With unpredictable hilarity, author Karla Akins captures the trials and triumphs of life as a pastor's wife, complete with autistic kids, dogs, grumpy congregants, motorcycle gangs and all. I'm getting a copy for my pastor's wife! ~Davalynn Spencer.

I love to read a good book. And boy did I get my hands on a good one this time!

The Pastor's Wife Wears Biker Boots! is a zany, exciting, and hilarious story of Kirstie Donovan, a pastor's wife from Eels Falls, Indiana, who decides (with the help of a few friends of hers) to get her very own Harley and start riding motorcycles. This, much to the chagrin and of course disdain, of a few not-so-supportive members of her rural little church, the First Independent Christian Community Church of Eels Falls.

Kirstie has a lovely knack for getting herself into trouble. Between wearing leathers to ride her bubble gum pink Harley, and trying to minister to rough around the edges bikers, Kirstie and her "gang" of Lady Eels on Wheels, find themselves in many adventures and a bit of trouble throughout the entire book.
And of course, every pastor's wife has that one person (or more) who does their level best to make the pastor's job more difficult, and Kirstie and her husband, Aaron are no different. But they continue to show the love of God even to these people, while ministering to and drawing in bikers to their little 100-year-old church. As the Harley's rumble in, things start jumping, and Kirstie finds that she has a motorcycle ministry!

If you love a story that is full of adventure, laughter, and excitement, The Pastor's Wife Wears Biker Boots! will meet all your requirements and then some. From the moment I started reading, I laughed, I cried, I got mad (hey, sometimes people just make me mad - real OR fictitious), and I laughed some more. Along with that I found myself watching and cheering as one person after another either came to know the Lord or grew in their faith in Him.

This book is a definite must-read! ~Shelley Wilburn

I'm not the only one loving and talking about The Pastor's Wife Wears Biker Boots.
This is a fantastic book!!

Karla Akins is a pastor's wife who rides her own motorcycle. She is the mother of four boys and one step-daughter, and grandmother of five. She lives in North Manchester with her husband who is the pastor of Christian Fellowship Church, her twin teenage boys with autism, mother-in-law with Alzheimer's and three rambunctious dogs. Karla and her husband have been in ministry together for 30 years. You can contact Karla for speaking engagements via her website at KarlaAkins.com. A more detailed bio can be found here: Biography

You can connect with Karla online here...
Twitter: @KarlaAkins

Website: KarlaAkins.com

Blog: KarlaAkins.com/blog

Facebook author page: facebook.com/karlakakins

This is one of those books that I can highly recommend. You do not want to miss this one. 
Really.

In case you missed it earlier, you can purchase The Pastor's Wife Wears Biker Boots here.

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B is for Book Love

Welcome to this week's a2z: Take 2 and

the letter B.

What can I say, B is Books and here are some GREAT Books we've been reading recently here at my house...

Cooking the Books

by Bonnie Calhoun

After her mother dies from a heart attack, Sloane Templeton goes from Cyber Crimes Unit to bookstore owner before she can blink. She also "inherits" a half-batty store manager; a strange bunch of little old people from the neighborhood who meet at the store once a week, but never read books, called the Granny Oakleys Book Club; and Aunt Verline, who fancies herself an Iron Chef when in reality you need a cast iron stomach to partake of her culinary disasters. And with a group like this you should never ask, “What else can go wrong?”

A lot! Sloane begins to receive cyber threats. While Sloane uses her computer forensic skills to uncover the source of the threats, it is discovered someone is out to kill her. Can her life get more crazy?

Patty says: I totally loved Cooking the Books. Bonnie's sense of humor cracks me up and I could not keep from laughing. I planned to read a little every day so I didn't fall behind with everything else in life, but that idea didn't last long before I settled in for duration. So glad I did. I needed the laughs and Cooking the Books was a recipe for fun. Don't miss this one!!

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Where Wildflowers Bloom

Book 1 in the new Sisters at Heart series by Ann Shorey

How far will she go to follow her dreams?

The War Between the States stole a father and brother from Faith Lindberg--as well as Royal Baxter, the man she wanted to marry. With only her grandfather left, she dreams of leaving Noble Springs, Missouri, and traveling west to Oregon to start a new life, away from the memories that haunt her. But first she must convince her grandfather to sell the family's mercantile and leave a town their family has called home for generations.

When Royal Baxter suddenly returns, Faith allows herself to hope that she and Royal will finally wed. But does he truly love her? Or will another man claim her heart?

Esther says: I really like Where the Wildflowers Bloom!! Curt and Faith drew me in from the start and made me wish I could be there and meet them.

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When the Smoke Clears

by Lynette Eason

As a member of the North Cascades Smokejumpers, Alexia Allen always takes care of the equipment that keeps her safe. So when she nearly dies in a fire due to equipment failure, she knows something is up. Ordered to take time off while the investigation continues, Alexia makes a last-minute decision to recuperate at her mother's home and attend her high school reunion. Yet trouble seems to be following her, and within hours of arriving home she's involved with murder, arson--and a handsome detective. But the conflicts ahead are nothing compared to the ghosts of her past. As she strives to remember and forgive her family history, she must also decide if the secret she's been guarding for the last ten years must finally come to light.

Chock-full of the suspense and romantic tension readers have come to expect from Lynette Eason, When the Smoke Clears is the explosive first book in the Deadly Reunions series.

Abby says: When The Smoke Clears is definitely a book that keeps you on your toes! I've been reading as fast as I could to find out what happens next.

~*~*~*~*~*~

And, next on my list to read...

The Next Target

by Nikki Arana
Would You Share Your Faith If It Would Cost You Your Life?

It only took one bullet. Austia's friend and student fell dead. And with a glimpse of a newspaper headline, the young and recently widowed Austia knows more about what happened than the police. From that fatal night, Austia's secret outreach to the U.S. Muslim community-in the guise of English language classes-becomes a target. Local Muslim extremists set their sights on ending her ministry and even her life. And the women she ministers to will be next.

A thick web of deceit closes in around Austia, and her circle of friends becomes smaller by the day, even as she finally opens herself to the idea of falling in love again. But who can she trust? Facing a spiritual battle that proves more treacherous than it at first seemed, Austia's convictions are tested to their limits and her heart becomes primed for breaking. She must ask herself: how much she will risk to stay true to her herself, her faith, and to the lives of the women she serves?

Patty says: I've not read The Next Target yet, but I've been anxious to read it since Niki told me about it many months ago, when she was working on it. Can't wait to jump into in, even though it's not my usual reading fare. The girls and I might wrestle over who gets to read this one first!

~*~*~*~*~*~

So tell me, read any good books lately?

If you're joining us for the a2z: Take 2 meme by posting on your blog this week about the letter B, be sure to add your name and the link to that particular post in the linky gadget here.

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A Great Catch is a Great Read

A Great Catch by Lorna Seilstad

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I was hooked in under 50 words. 

Lorna Seilstad had me smiling and turning pages from beginning to end. Little bits of humor are sprinkled throughout the book, making for a very enjoyable and relaxing read.

The main characters, Emily and Carter, are easy to relate to, fun to be with. They made me evaluate the things I believe about myself, my tactics to avoid things I don't want to deal, and how much time I'm spending with God. Very valuable things all dealt with in a gentle, fun-loving way.

The secondary characters are charming and full of their own life and color, without stealing the show. Lake Manawa brings to life a by-gone era, making me wish I could visit and stay awhile. Women's rights and baseball made for a great combination and I loved the details included in A Great Catch.

Over all, I found this to be a truly delightful read that I hated coming to the end of, and I highly recommend.

Interested in some other thoughts on A Great Catch? Check out The Hang of Humor in my (new) Reading to Write Right series.


View all my reviews on GoodReads

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Holiday Giveaway

I couldn't resist. So I gave in to temptation and I'm joining the Internet Cafe's Holiday Expo and doing another giveaway. This time I have a cute little knit purse and a CD of classical music—Handel to be exact. The CD includes 'The Hallelujah Chorus', 'Glory to God and 'And the Glory of the Lord' –all from The Messiah, as well as other pieces.


Leave me a comment with your favorite verse(s), or the ones that you keep returning to at this point in your life. And yes, I'll ship overseas! You have until next Friday morning, December 12th, to enter, when I'll randomly draw and post the winner. (The Cafe will also be posting a list of the winners over there! Neat, huh?!)

On a different note:

Something that I DID say 'No' to was to giving away my copy of Andrea Boeshaar's novel Love Finds You in Miracle, Kentucky. Sorry, but I just could not be parted with my copy of that. Here's why: IT'S A GREAT BOOK and I collect good books. This is one that's definitely good enough to keep and read again, and my two girls will greatly enjoy it, not to mention my mother and my sister(s). My copy will see a lot of miles before it's retired to the book shelf—that's just how it goes for the good ones.

In Love Finds You in Miracle, Kentucky, Meg Jorgenson breaks free from a bad relationship and steps into a life she's only dreamed of. A life of family, belonging, and love. She didn't intend to fall in love, in fact, that was one of the last things she wanted, but God had other plans for her. A wheelchair bound student captures Meg's heart with her sweet spirit and vivacious personality, and her widowed father is interested in Meg, but they must work through their pasts before they can move into a future together.

The characters are real and wonderful to get to know and I really wish that I had a grandmother just like Meg's. I'll be looking for more of Andrea Boeshaar's books! So, if you need a gift idea, Andrea's Book, Love Finds You in Miracle, Kentucky is a great idea!

Dont forget to enter the drawing for the purse and CD giveaway by leaving me a comment!

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Joyously Abandoned

A Missions Matter! blog giveaway post about Isobel Kuhn's book, Green Leaf in Drought, one of the books to be given away.

In my post 'Face the If and Say...' I mentioned how Wilda Mathews was caught in the trap of 'if onlys' on Easter Sunday 1952, deep in the heart of Communist China. A year later, as Easter rolled around again, she was determined that it wouldn't be another black day for her. She started studying the resurrection story and resurrection life, and when she came to Peter's part she felt condemned.

She had not said, 'I know Him not' but she had no joy. She was not bitter, but she was frustrated and restless. Her opportunity to witness to the Chinese eyes around them that she did know the Lord and that He was satisfying her drought—had she shown that? If not, wasn't that denying the Lord before man?

As I've read that many times now (I keep turning back to this chapter!), I'm constantly convicted by it. Am I joyfully living? Like Wilda, I'm not bitter, but I've certainly been frustrated and restless at times. Can others see that Christ is not just meeting my needs, but fulfilling me, too? That His Life is flowing through me? Would others see my green leaves even though my life might be in the biggest drought yet to face me?

Two months later, Wilda's husband, Arthur, came to a similar conclusion. He had been reading Ephesians 5:10 and asked her what she thought was “well-pleasing to the Lord in these our experiences?” As they talked it over, Wilda was able to share with him her Easter lesson:

Not to receive it joyfully was to deny the Lord before men...A few nights later it came to Arthur like a flash: the Son had left Heaven, not submitting to the will of God, but delighting in it. Up to now they had been submitting; rather feverishly submitting...

The Son had left Heaven, not submitting to the will of God, but delighting in it.

In a letter home, Arthur wrote this about all they had learned:
Just to say submission to the will of God did not seem to go deep enough, for we had been trying for a long time to do just that. If you had a servant you would expect submission from him, just as you would from an old bullock with a yoke on its neck. But as sons surely there was something more than that.

...So as we uncovered the earth we could see that our prayers had selfishly centered around the shortening of the days...There was none of the recklessness of faith such as the three friends of Daniel showed. Nor was there the spirit of joyous abandonment which the widow displayed in giving her two mites.

So we came to see that God wanted us to will with Him to stay put; not to desire to run away as quickly as we could persuade Him to let us...The great chords that sounded through our hearts as we touched the Joyously Abandoned keys were really thrilling...

So we are no longer stupid bullocks being driven or dragged unwillingly along a distasteful road; but sons, co-operating wholeheartedly with our Father...

The yoke is LIGHT only as it is TAKEN, and not as it is suffered.

Simple submission is not enough. Delighting in doing God's will, in living out the will of God for your life, is where the great joy is.

I haven't mentioned here all the things the Mathews lived with, and without during their years of waiting to be released from China, but their living conditions were such that the Chinese Christians pitied them. But was there a purpose for all that God asked of this missionary couple? Yes, there was a tremendous purpose! Here's how Isobel Kuhn wrote it:

The message above all others which the Chinese church needed was to see that truth lived out under circumstances equally harrowing as their own.

Arthur and Wilda had longed to serve Him; but humanlike they had put their own interpretation on what service is. They thought it meant preaching with their lips. Amy Carmichael once replied to a Tamil Christian who took this meaning of service: 'God didn't make you all mouth.' The most potent way to preach is by life, by living it. This was the service which the Mathews family were to render to Him.

The message of this chapter has been running through my mind for two weeks, now, and the affect it's had on me is deep. Being joyously abandoned to God's will is where I want to be.


******
Italicized parts of this post are direct quotations from Green Leaf in Drought by Isobel Kuhn, chapter 8.

Missions Matter! ~Blog Giveaway coming November 12th!

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Face the If and Say...

A Missions Matter! blog giveaway post!

I've been rereading Green Leaf in Drought by Isobel Kuhn since it's one of those books that greatly impacted my life. I first read it in college, 20 years ago, after my older sister sent me a copy. (She also gave me several other books by Isobel Kuhn, and they are on my favorite books shelf. Thank you, C! You've done a great job leading the charge for me—love you!)

Green Leaf in Drought is about Arthur and Wilda Matthews, who were missionaries to China. They were the last of the China Inland Mission members to leave Communist China in 1953, after spending 2-3 years caught in the grip of the Red Regime—but this is NOT a book about the regime nor even of China. This little gem is about how Arthur and Wilda's faith flourished while under great pressure. Not just moments of pressure, but 2 ½ years of constant pressure.

Late in 1950, while others were leaving the country, the Matthews went deeper into China so they could reach out to the Mongols. Expecting a welcome and a home to live in, they were hit with immediate disappointment and discomfort. Every time they turned around their circle was downsized until they were confined to the compound and not allowed to minister to even the Chinese church that met at the compound. I'll tell more about them in future posts, but something that is standing out to me is Wilda's struggle with doubt. Was this God's doing, or were they the victims of a mistake?

View Larger MapShe was caught up in the “If only...” game and it was eating at her. That's something many of us can relate to! On Easter Sunday of 1951, Wilda found herself thinking, “If He really lives today, as the song says, why had He allowed this?” As she worked she remembered two tracts she had, “The 'If' in Your Life” by A.B. Simpson and 'Second Causes' by Hudson Taylor.

The glory of God is to come out of the 'if' in your life...Do not be thinking of your 'if.' Make a power out of your 'if' for God...Do you know that a light is to fall on your 'if' some day? Then take in the possibilities and say, 'Nothing has ever come to me, nothing has ever gone from me, that I shall not be better for God by it...' Face the 'if' in your life and say, For this I have Jesus. ~The 'If' In Your Life

The second tract said, “The secret of Hudson Taylor's rest of heart amid such tempests of hate was his refusal to look at second causes...He believed it was with God, and God alone, he to do.”

Wilda accepted that her circumstances were not a mistake, they were directly from God. She held on to this scripture:
You need not fight in this battle;
station yourselves, stand and see
the salvation of the Lord on your behalf.
~2 Chronicles 20:17 (NAS)

In a letter home, Arthur wrote, “These trials of faith are to give us patience, for patience can only be worked as faith goes into the Pressure Chamber. To pull out because the pressure is laid on, and to start fretting would be to lose all the good He has in this for us.”

There have been times in my life that 'if only' had the center stage, and I was miserable. We can not focus on those if's. We need to see that all that comes into our lives is for God's glory to shine through us, and that it comes from His hand—it's not a mistake.

The meaning of all that God does with us—joys and sorrows, light and darkness...is that our wills may be made plastic and flexible. ~Alexander MacLaren

There's more from this little gem of a book, but I'll save it for another day.

Missions Matter! ~Blog Giveaway coming November 12th!

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