The Long Journey to Jake Palmer - A Review

The Long Journey
to Jake Palmer

by

James L. Rubart

A Review

One of my first thoughts as I was reading was of C S Lewis’ Narnian Chronicles. I found as I continured reading that my thought was more than coincidental.  Though the book is not a rewrite of the Lewis’ famous heptalogy, it does draw from Lewis’ imaginary stories. It tells the story of one man, lost, for all intents and purposes, on his faith journey. Finding his way back would not be easy and it would take the intervention of God and the support of friends before the journey could be completed.

But the reader soon learns that is a journey that we all must take - a journey that will involve pain, healing, patience, forgiveness, and grace. For me, the book was a reminder of a journey that I had to take some 25 years ago. As for me, like Jake, the journey started at camp - a camp that I, and he,  would return to for many years.

Written in the style of John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, the reader is drawn into the center of Jake Palmer’s life and the struggles he had to face, some of his own making, some the result of circumstances over which he had no control. Though at times he did not think so, God was there to hold his hand and guide him through each step in the process. The journey would not be easy and lessons sometimes difficult to discern.

Of the three books I have read from this author, this title is the best one yet, probably because it touched me so deeply, bringing to the surface a reminder of the healing God offered that would evntually allow me to to serve Him in ways I would never expect. It was not just a mental reminder, but an emotional one as well.

For the Christian counselor or pastor, there are plenty of selfhelp books on the market. But sometimes a story can communicate better than the typican non-fiction work. For some, this book may help communicate a message that has been missed by the traditional tools.

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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are my own.