John Wright’s book review:
“The narrative of Blue Sky reads like a true story. A loving Christian family endures a series of setbacks but due to their faith, they are able to work toward a resolution . This easy-to-read story inspires faith.” Click to check Blue Sky out on http://www.Amazon.ca
If you love family drama in a Christian setting then this book is for you. A pastoral couple, Ed and Janice Hird, who have led marriage and renewal conferences around the globe, write BLUE SKY. Ed and Janice understand family dynamics and bring their Blue Sky drama to life in this Spokane city setting. This book draws you into the family, but also into the redemptive and loving character of God during life’s difficult places. If you love Karen Kingsbury’s books, you’ll want to read about the ups and downs of the Brown clan.
Book Review by Violet Nesdoly of the Blue Sky novel.
“While Spokane, the setting of this contemporary Christian novel, may be known for its blue skies, Pastor Scott Brown and his family live through many stormy days under them. The challenges of raising their three teens ramps up for Scott and Sandy when troubled Billy Smith begins stalking their teenage daughter. As the situation becomes more tangled, the Smiths experience a roller coaster ride of fear, anger, guilt, confusion, even physical injury. Along the way, we see this real and often flawed family struggling, praying with and for each other, exercising spiritual gifts, and growing in maturity and unity.
The plot was compelling and the characters felt real. I enjoyed the story and appreciated the lessons it taught.
Discussion questions link this fictional work with principles explored in the Hirds’ earlier book about marriage and relationships, For Better, For Worse – Discovering the Keys to a Lasting Relationship.”
Violet Nesdoly lives in Langley with her husband Ernie. She is the mother of two adult children and works as a freelance writer, writing and blogging book reviews, articles, stories and poems. As a member of The Word Guild, she has won prizes for her poetry and has published the Destiny’s Hands book available on Amazon and two books of poetry.
Sandy Brown and her family have just moved to Spokane, Washington where her husband, Scott, is pastoring a new church. With a fresh start, Sandy is determined to devote more time to her four children. But, within weeks of settling in their new life, the Brown family is plunged into turmoil.
To purchase any of our six books in paperback or ebook on Amazon, just click on this link.
“Blue Sky by Ed and Janice Hird is a book that in its opening chapter has developed enough of an interesting plot to capture the reader’s attention.
Pastor Scott Brown and his wife Sandy, along with their four children ranging from ages 6 to 17, have just moved from Seattle to Spokane, Washington. In addition to the challenges that are customary for any pastor, Scott Brown and his wife Sandy also face family challenges of their own in adjusting to a new setting.
The above mentioned characters and their on-going activities, their relationship both among themselves and others of their social circles, are so vividly portrayed and with sufficient intrigue that it certainly held this reader’s interest.
As the older children, in particular, develop relationships with others not necessarily within the Christian community, it causes concern for Pastor and Mrs. Brown. At times, this is with justification.
Within the framework of the plot, happenings like accidents, sickness, adultery, theft and police intervention take place.
The themes of prayer, emotional trauma and forgiveness are prevalent throughout the on-going events of this story.
While the book does not necessarily end with everyone “living happily ever after,” it comes, nevertheless, to a satisfactory conclusion. In and through it all, it conveys the truth that, of ourselves we can only go so far, and then we must simply trust God and His divine providence in every situation.
Following the main text are “Discussion Questions.” These serve not only to give a skeletal review of the book, but also to make the events of the story and the lives of its characters relevant to every-day life in the here and now.”
Submitted by Dr. Les Johnson
Retired minister, Foursquare Gospel Church
Instructor at First Nations Bible College
Sandy Brown and her family have just moved to Spokane, Washington where her husband, Scott, is pastoring a new church. With a fresh start, Sandy is determined to devote more time to her four children. But, within weeks of settling in their new life, the Brown family is plunged into turmoil.To purchase any of our six books in paperback or ebook on Amazon, just click on this link.
Canon Dr Chris Sugden’s book review of Blue Sky:
“An intriguing and complex case study of family relationships explored through a fast-moving narrative of danger, tragedy and disappointment interwoven with prayer and Christian witness. The story sets up a series of discussion questions related to Family Systems Theory which will provide fertile ground for church home groups to wrestle with the need and guidelines for forgiveness. It will make those little grey cells work overtime. “
Canon Dr Chris Sugden, Co-Dean. Mission Studies and Ethics Read a graduate of Oxford in classics and theology, is married to Elaine, a retired cancer consultant. They have three married children and eight grandchildren. After six years in India, with his senior colleague, Canon Dr Vinay Samuel, he helped establish the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies from 1983. He has been an elected member of General Synod of the Church of England and was conference director for the 2008 Jerusalem Conference of GAFCON. His postgraduate research has covered Liberation Theology, Christianity and Violence, and Christian Social Ministries in India and Indonesia. He holds canonries in Nigeria and Ghana. He is co-dean of the OCRPL Graduate Programmes with Stellenbosch and Pretoria Universities.
https://www.ocrpl.org/about/staff/
Sandy Brown and her family have just moved to Spokane, Washington where her husband, Scott, is pastoring a new church. With a fresh start, Sandy is determined to devote more time to her four children. But, within weeks of settling in their new life, the Brown family is plunged into turmoil.
Heather Anne Kendall gave a great Amazon book review about our novel Blue Sky.
Sandy Brown and her family have just moved to Spokane, Washington where her husband, Scott, is pastoring a new church. With a fresh start, Sandy is determined to devote more time to her four children. But, within weeks of settling in their new life, the Brown family is plunged into turmoil.
“The recently published novel, Blue Sky communicates powerfully on at least five levels. Unlike many books, this novel set in Spokane, Washington, grows on you after reading it, somewhat like curry after a fine Indian meal.
First, The novel narrates the activities of an almost typical Christian family in the USA. Mother and father, three teens and a younger child, work their way through about five months of the school year. At each turn of the page, the drama grows. However, unlike most families, the suffering grows worse. Thankfully, the family members grow closer together.
Second, the unifying theme centers around forgiveness. There’s lots to forgive in this novel and not everyone ends up acting the way you as the reader might expect.
Third, prayer is a powerful, unseen force for good and the reader reluctantly puts the book down wondering if prayer could be a greater reality in his/her life.
Fourth, various family roles are played out with unexpected consequences. Different kinds of families display differing degrees of love, hatred, indifference and rejection. The book doesn’t end the way you might expect. You as a reader want to replay the story as you answer several very usual questions about family dynamics.
And amazingly, the novel even enters eternity, if ever so briefly. The authors have a great love for the spiritual nature of a person undergoing suffering, even to the point of hearing Jesus Christ speaking peace into the life of a person struggling through deep issues.
I read the book at one sitting, taking my Saturday afternoon to delve into the life of a family who will stay with me a long time. I encourage you to do the same thing. Read this book. Appreciate the care with which the authors share what must be a summary of many years of pastoral care. And wish, along with me, for a sequel to complete the unfinished stories that still stick in your mind.”
David Phillips
Sandy Brown and her family have just moved to Spokane, Washington where her husband, Scott, is pastoring a new church. With a fresh start, Sandy is determined to devote more time to her four children. But, within weeks of settling in their new life, the Brown family is plunged into turmoil.A book review by author Francis Etheredge
“Blue Sky” by Ed and Janice Hird is an unexpectedly good read. On beginning the book, it very quickly brings in the practice of prayer and, I have to say, almost produced a groan. However, the story itself rapidly captivated me to the point where, completing it in a day, it is a read that I am happy to recommend to all: the person who prays frequently or the person who has never prayed – but perhaps especially to parents and their children!
Instead, then, of the story unfolding in predictable ways, it twists and turns and, as it were, drills deep into the question of suffering, particularly the suffering of those who serve the suffering servant, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; but not as if their suffering is in isolation to that of others and, therefore, this story place a pastor and his wife and family in the midst of many lives. As regards the habit of prayer, I realized very quickly that the pattern of almost praying constantly in front of all the daily and extraordinary difficulties of life is, actually, very true to life; and, I am glad to say, the authors brought me to tears at times, making me think that this book is based on more than an imaginative scenario but has some real experience of life behind it. Indeed, there are enough “stories” still to be told to encourage the authors to write a sequel!
For those of us who are Catholic, which the book mentions importantly, but peripherally, or those who are more obviously of an evangelical background, there is a real sense of the married couple at the heart of the book really being discovered more and more deeply in the mystery of God’s reconciling love in their marriage; and, therefore, I recommend this book to all who need, like me, encouragement to persevere in prayer through all the ordinary and extraordinary difficulties of life. In the widest and best sense, then, this book draws on the development of a relationship to Jesus Christ and His Church which, without being in any way stereotypical, shows the ever rippling benefit of a love that expresses the unique love of the enemy. Read it!
Francis Etheredge of Gloucester, England, is married with 11 children, 3 of whom are in heaven; he is the author of numerous book including The Prayerful Kiss, The Family on Pilgrimage: God Leads Through Dead Ends and the forthcoming, also from En Route Books and Media, Mary and Bioethics: An Exploration.
He has earned a BA Div (Hons), MA in Catholic Theology, PGC in Biblical Studies, PGC in Higher Education, and an MA in Marriage and Family (Distinction). He is a co-founder of the Donum Vitae Institute.
Sandy Brown and her family have just moved to Spokane, Washington where her husband, Scott, is pastoring a new church. With a fresh start, Sandy is determined to devote more time to her four children. But, within weeks of settling in their new life, the Brown family is plunged into turmoil.
Sandy Brown and her family have just moved to Spokane, Washington where her husband, Scott, is pastoring a new church. With a fresh start, Sandy is determined to devote more time to her four children. But, within weeks of settling in their new life, the Brown family is plunged into turmoil.
Michael Donahoe: I am happily married with five adult children, thirteen grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. I am retired after 22 years as a firefighter/paramedic for the Columbus, Ohio Division of Fire. My wife is also happily retired.
Sandy Brown and her family have just moved to Spokane, Washington where her husband, Scott, is pastoring a new church. With a fresh start, Sandy is determined to devote more time to her four children. But, within weeks of settling in their new life, the Brown family is plunged into turmoil.Seek wisdom leading to life and peace.
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