The Reluctant Prophet

Title: THE RELUCTANT PROPHET
Author: Nancy Rue
Publisher: David C. Cook
October 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4347-6496-6
Genre: Inspirational/contemporary

Allison Chamberlain is forty-two, but she’s semi-content in her life driving a horse-drawn carriage around the streets to entertain tourists. But that Sunday morning, everything changed. Allison is sitting in church paying only a tiny bit of attention to the minister when everything changed. God told her to get a Harley.

Allison was pretty sure she hadn’t heard right. After all, she’d never wanted a Harley, never rode a Harley, and didn’t intend to start anytime soon. But that still small voice wouldn’t relent. Go buy a Harley.

And even though she’s been a pew warmer for seven years, the word prophet would have never made it to the short list of possible career choices…

THE RELUCTANT PROPHET is the first adult book I’ve read by Nancy Rue. I was a bit put off at first by the thickness of it, really, five hundred pages? So it took a bit of courage to pick up the book and open it to chapter one. This wouldn’t be a read that took a matter of hours. But I opened it up and plunged in.

Written in first person, I was instantly put into Allison’s point of view. And while some of the things she witnessed was—um, gross—some of it was pretty funny. I enjoyed Ms. Rue’s word pictures, descriptions, and the sense of humor.

THE RELUCTANT PROPHET is still a thick book, and it does start a bit slow, but it packs a message that every reader should hear—that one person’s response to God’s call can change a community forever. I also enjoyed the Afterwards portion at the end of the book which includes discussion questions and “about Magdalene.” This book will stay with you for a long time. And possibly spur you to listen to what God might be saying to you. $14.99. 500 pages.