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Kelli Stuart’s ‘Like a River from Its Course’ Blog Tour and Kindle Prize Pack

by Jessica Van Roekel | Jul 11, 2016 | Christian Living

Like a River from Its Course Kelli StuartWelcome Grace is a place to explore brokenness in the light of grace. It’s also a place to be encouraged that our histories don’t have to determine or dictate our present or future. I am on the hunt for stories that portray that truth–whether they be fiction or non-fiction.

I was given the opportunity to participate in a book review and ‘Like a River From Its Course’ stole my breath away.

 

About the book:

Travel back in time in Kelli Stuart’s new novel, Like a River from Its Course, as the city of Kiev is bombed in Hitler’s blitzkrieg across the Soviet Union. This sweeping historical saga takes the reader on a captivating journey into the little-known history of Ukraine’s tragedies through the eyes of four compelling characters who experience the same story from different perspectives.

Maria Ivanovna is only fourteen when the bombing begins and not much older when she is forced into work at a German labor camp. She must fight to survive and to make her way back to her beloved Ukraine.

Ivan Kyrilovich is falsely mistaken for a Jew and lined up with 34,000 other men, women, and children who are to be shot at the edge of Babi Yar, the “killing ditch.” He survives, but not without devastating consequences.

Luda is sixteen when German soldiers rape her. Now pregnant with the child of the enemy, she is abandoned by her father, alone, and in pain. She must learn to trust family and friends again and find her own strength in order to discover the redemption that awaits.

Frederick Hermann is sure in his knowledge that the Führer’s plans for domination
are right and just. He is driven to succeed by a desire to please a demanding father and by his own blind faith in the ideals of Nazism.

Based on true stories gathered from fifteen years of research and interviews with Ukrainian World War II survivors, Like a River From Its Course is a story of love, war, heartache, forgiveness, and redemption.

REVIEW BY JESSICA VAN ROEKEL:

Like a River From Its Course is a heartbreakingly, beautiful, and well-researched tale of the horror, courage, and determination four people experienced as the Ukraine faced Nazi invasion in WWII. This book drew me in with its complex characters and the battles that raged within each one.

Ms. Stuart did a splendid job creating four distinct voices and I was able to seamlessly follow each character’s stories they intersected and affected each other while being hurtled into different directions.  My heart connected to each character in part due to the realism this work of fiction portrayed, but also due to the descriptive and emotive voices possessed by the characters.

Like a River From Its Course is not a light-weight read. It is a treatise on overcoming adversity. The theme—triumph over adversity– is well developed, however, if you are looking for a strong Christian theme of faith and reliance on God, you won’t find it here. You will find a well-crafted tale of the tragedy and bravery within the human condition realistically placed before you with a gentle discovery for God.

In the books I read, I look for ‘take-aways’, the lessons that imprint themselves onto my heart and ‘Like a River From Its Course’ does this well. Frederick reminds me that when I seek the pleasure of man or society I will be left cold and empty. My mother’s heart identified with Ivan as he felt the impotence of a father unable to protect his children. Luda and Maria reminded me of the possibility to make the hard choices to bravely face devastating, life-altering circumstances.

Sometimes life is about living the hard stuff and not letting it cripple your heart to the point that empathy is impossible. Maria, Ivan, and Luda show us how to live courageously in the face of heart-crippling loss and Frederick shows us the consequences of placing our hopes in an ideal that cannot survive.

I would recommend this book due to the well-researched plot line, the intriguing characters and the distinctive voices of the characters. Kelli Stuart has written a novel that encompasses a significant period of time in our collective history, one that is worth reading and passing along to friends.

http://litfusegroup.com/author/kstuart

(I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity Group in exchange for an honest review)

Celebrate the release of Like a River from Its Course with Kelli by entering to win a Kindle Fire Prize Pack.

like a river - 400

One grand prize winner will receive:

  • A copy of Like a River from Its Course
  • A Kindle Fire
  • A Kindle Fire case (winner’s choice)
  • A $30 Amazon gift card
like a river - prize collage (1)

Enter today by clicking the icon below, but hurry! The giveaway ends on July 18th. The winner will be announced July 19th on Kelli’s blog.

like a river - enterbanner
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When we struggle with doubt, we can have a couple of different responses. We can ignore them or look to the world’s wisdom to handle them. Both responses allow the doubt to grow.
 
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When we struggle with doubt, we can have a couple of different responses. We can ignore them or look to the world’s wisdom to handle them. Both responses allow the doubt to grow. 
 
But I’ve learned God is big enough to handle my toughest questions. Questions like, Did I hear you right? Why does my loved one have to suffer? Why are there so many divisions between people. Don’t you care? Doubt filtered through the power of God’s word leads us closer to him. 
 
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Who else struggles with perfectionism? I once thought being perfect would protect me from rejection, but it was like swatting at flies with a tennis racket. Perfectionism leads to under developing the ability to hear God’s approval and over developing an ear tuned to what others say or don’t say. 
 
Can we look at the woman in the mirror and speak kindly to her? Or do we run over the list of the failures and reiterate the old messages that say, “not good enough” and “unworthy?” Changing these thoughts feels insurmountable, but with God’s help, we can start small. 
 
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#christianwoman #Jesus #selftalk #livingwater #welcomegrace #reframingrejectionbook

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Mar 16

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We position ourselves near someone who can help us get ahead. We stroke the ego of the person in charge. We make their approval our number one goal. But we lose ourselves in the process. 
 
We lose our calling and identity because we grow warped trying to bend ourselves into a shape we can’t even identify. Chasing after man’s approval is like chasing the wind. We will not catch it. Wouldn’t it be better to stop and pursue God like we do people?

#reframingrejectionbook #Jesus #Christianwomen #approval

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Idols can take the form of entertainment, success, independence, people, beauty, and searching for approval. I’ve made idols out of my own comfort and missed ministry opportunities because I was more concerned about if it “felt” comfortable than about obeying God. 
 
Psalm 115 says that those who make idols will be like them: deaf, blind, mute, and unable to move. But those who tear them down find freedom to hear, see, speak, and find their purpose once again. Today, will you join me and take a bit of time to ask the Lord to reveal areas of our lives where we may have built idols. He is gentle with us and will help us tear it down.  

#reframingrejectionbook #christianwomen #discipleship #surrender #loveJesusChrist

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Rest coming because of brokenness seems upside down, but in God’s kingdom it’s right side up. When we strive and strive to hold ourselves together, we hold together our broken bits with effort and busyness. But there is a release that comes when we allow ourselves to sit broken before the Lord. 
 
Long waited for dreams and unmet expectations create cracks in our hearts and when they finally break, we can choose rest. It’s in resting in the Lord where we find the rejuvenation we long for, not in ignoring it. Sometimes breaking is the exact right thing for us because we have been carrying bitterness or resentment for too long. 

#christianwomen #loveGod #brokenness #discipleship #reframingrejectionbook

The day I burned my entire palm, I couldn’t focus on anything else. I tried to read but couldn’t. I tried watching a movie and all I could see was the air pulsating while pain throbbed through my hand. I came to a full stop. I treated my hand with salve. I rested. I changed bandages. I gave space and time to heal. This experience made me wonder if I give my heart the same kind of treatment. I realized I don’t. Do you?

The next time our hearts throb with disregard or disappointment, let’s agree to give it space and time for healing. This means we receive God’s comfort by coming to a full stop and share how betrayed we feel. Then, we apply his word as salve to our wounds. We read scriptures that remind us of his love for us and the healing power of forgiveness. And we give it time. Time for God to bind our wounds and time to heal

#believe #holyspirit #pray #bibleverse #inspiration #christianliving #prayer #womenoffaith #bibletime #jesuschrist #liveyourfaith #bibleinspiration #amazinggrace #trustgod #wordbeforeworld #devotional #reframingrejectionbook

View

Mar 7

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The day I burned my entire palm, I couldn’t focus on anything else. I tried to read but couldn’t. I tried watching a movie and all I could see was the air pulsating while pain throbbed through my hand. I came to a full stop. I treated my hand with salve. I rested. I changed bandages. I gave space and time to heal. This experience made me wonder if I give my heart the same kind of treatment. I realized I don’t. Do you?

The next time our hearts throb with disregard or disappointment, let’s agree to give it space and time for healing. This means we receive God’s comfort by coming to a full stop and share how betrayed we feel. Then, we apply his word as salve to our wounds. We read scriptures that remind us of his love for us and the healing power of forgiveness. And we give it time. Time for God to bind our wounds and time to heal

#believe #holyspirit #pray #bibleverse #inspiration #christianliving #prayer #womenoffaith #bibletime #jesuschrist #liveyourfaith #bibleinspiration #amazinggrace #trustgod #wordbeforeworld #devotional #reframingrejectionbook
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