How Firm a Foundation

As anyone who has spent any time reading Christian based fiction can attest to, you often have to let go of the idea of great writing to get a Christian view in a novel.  The book How Firm a Foundation by Marcus Grodi is a welcome exception to that idea.

How Firm a Foundation follows the life of Stephen LaPointe, a Congregationalist minister, through seminary, early ministry assignments, raising a family, and eventually dealing with a major crisis of faith.  This book clearly deals with a religious struggle but does so while still allowing the characters to live in a world many of us can recognize.

This fast paced book is chock-full of actual quotes from numerous religious books.  This means while I was being drawn into the characters lives, I was also finding that my own faith was being bolstered and supported.

All of the characters in the book felt very real to me.  I could find myself relating to the struggle many of these people experienced.  The real struggle ministers experience as they attempt to balance family life with tending to their church community was clearly demonstrated.  Whether you relate best to the teenager struggling to find a place in a new community, the spouse attempting to keep a family close while dealing with demanding work schedules, the married couple finding their bond tested by a difference of faith, or the father attempting to determine how best to provide for his family without ignoring his own beliefs, I guarantee there will be someone in this book who touches your heart.  Personally, I am looking forward to reading the second book in this story.

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on How Firm a Foundation. They are also a great source for a baptism gifts or first communion gifts.