I wasn't expecting to like this book as much as I did. A book about a middle-aged man on a self-destructive path having to face past wounds and in the process being met by God, sounded just a tad 'Shack-y' for my tastes. When the synopsis of the book online said:

The Encounter, the unique new book from best-selling author and counselor Stephen Arterburn, is a moving parable involving Jonathan Rush, a wealthy and famous entrepreneur, who is tortured by bitterness toward his mother who abandoned him when he was four. He travels to Alaska to find her but instead meets an enigmatic old woman known only as Mercy...

I just figured that this was a new twist on the same theme (meet God in your place of wounding and be healed). And that kind of was it, but not exactly. Actually the story doesn't just follow Jonathan as he searches; it also tells the story of Ada, the woman who gave him up for adoption when he was four. It tells of how she made the choice, the regret she had afterwards and the ways she still tried to love him even after giving him up for adoption and forfeiting her legal rights to be in her life.

This then is a story of forgiveness. Jonathan learns how to extend grace to his mother (SPOILER ALERT: The woman he meets named Mercy, is in fact his mother Ada). Ada also has been walking around in guilt and shame since abandoning her son 31 years later. She has to forgive herself.

This story while fictional, is based on two true stories. One of these stories is reenacted in the climactic scene of this book. That is the best part of the book and is a vivid picture of what it means to extend grace to others, and the ways in which God extends grace to us.

I appreciated this book and it certainly caused me to reflect on where I harbor unforgiveness in my heart and what it does to me. I think on that level, this story illustrates well the dangers of letting bitterness to take root, and the experience of grace.

I received this book from Thomas Nelson via Book Sneeze in exchange for my honest review. ( )

This story was written to be a parable, to illustrate a religious lesson. It is the story of Jonathan Rush, a wealthy CEO who has anger and resentment issues because he was abandoned by his mother when he was 4 years old. At the urging of his pastor, after 3 failed marriages and a suicide attempt, he has gone to Fairbanks, Alaska, where he lived as a child to try to find out something about his mother and put his anger and resentment issues to rest. He meets a good looking woman reporter who helps him to search for his mother and learns that he must forgive her in order to find her.
I found the story to be a bit too predictable and the characters to be too simplistic, but it was still a very good and well written story.
I really liked the author's notes at the end of the book about the truth behind the fiction, the real stories that this one is based on.
It shows a beautiful picture of the Lord's love and forgiveness towards us and how we should love and forgive others.
I received this book to review from booksneeze. ( )

Jonathan Rush was abandoned as a child in Alaska and later adopted by a family in Miami. As an adult, he realizes that he is angry at his birth mother and that his anger is ruining his life. His pastor pressures him to return to Fairbanks, Alaska and find out as much about her as he can. With the help of a reporter who befriends him, Jonathan finds more than he had bargained for and has to make difficult choices. There is a section at the end of the book explaining the author's inspiration and reasons for writing the book and also a study guide.

The Encounter is a short but interesting book. The theme of forgiveness, its necessity and difficulty, comes through quite well. The cover says, "sometimes, God has to intervene," but I'm not sure what the intervention was in the story; it didn't seem like anything unexpected happened. And there was a scene where Jonathan was rude to someone and the reporter took him up on it, but it was never resolved or even talked about again. I thought that was rather a loose thread. While this book might be helpful to people struggling with difficult situations, the author seems to expect more results than I would. So all in all, I would consider this a nice story but not really life-changing.

Disclaimer: I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. ( )

Wow! Every once in a while you come across a book that causes something inside you to transform. This book has done that for me.

In my opinion, the author, Stephen Arterburn, is exceptional at relaying a message and conveying emotions, and even displaying Christian principles, without sermonizing the story. What I mean by that is, while reading this book, I don’t feel like I’ve been preached too – yet I feel the internal warmness of a day at church.

That’s not to say I don’t enjoy a good sermon—on the contrary! But when I’m reading fiction, I want to be entertained. The Encounter is just that. Entertaining, moving, and even life-changing.

This story is told in two viewpoints:

The main viewpoint is that of Jonathan “Gold” Rush. Though a wealthy and famous business man, he has battled with inner-demons most of his life. After a recent suicide attempt, Jonathan agrees (with a little prodding from his counselor, Tim Moser) to revisits his birthplace, Fairbanks Alaska, to face the past that has haunted him for so long. He harbors so much anger and hurt toward his mother who abandoned him when he was four.

The second viewpoint is that of Ada Rose Guthrie, Jonathan’s birth-mother. She too was troubled by the past. Decisions she made long ago sent her life on a different course than she’d planned. Harboring years of regret and pain, she retreated into somewhat of a recluse.

I highly recommend this book. Although it is a fictional story, the author reveals it is based on two true stories combined into one. The characters are not saccharine or unrealistic. They have real problems, strong emotions, and life-long issues that feel authentic. This is a short read, but the message will stay with you for a long time.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Blogsneeze. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 ( )