James is sitting at a Ft. Worth intersection waiting for the light to change when he hears the roar of a truck engine speeding toward him. Before he can react, his motorcycle is crushed, and he is thrown fifty feet onto the median.
At that precise moment in Dallas, Elizabeth’s sleep is interrupted by a vivid dream in which she witnesses James’ accident. As she watches him begin to pass from life to death, she extends her hand and cries, “Don’t die if you don’t know Jesus!”
Although neither James nor Elizabeth is aware of the existence of the other, they begin a ten-year odyssey in which their lives are inexorably intertwined, changing their futures and the futures of those they love most.
“The Warrior” is a moving testimony to the power of prayer and God’s desire to redeem every life.
Joyce Swann has been a Christian since childhood and a prayer warrior for over forty years. She became nationally-known in the 1990's because of her work homeschooling her ten children from the first grade through masters’ degrees before their seventeenth birthdays. She has been featured on Paul Harvey's weekly radio program, CBN and the 1990's CBS series “How'd They Do That?” She has been interviewed by "Woman's World", "The National Enquirer", and numerous regional newspapers. The story of the Swann family has also been featured in "National Review" and several books about homeschooling success stories.
Joyce is author of "The Warrior", which has been downloaded over 100,000 times on Kindle, and co-author of five novels, including "The Fourth Kingdom", which was selected as a top four finalist in the "Christianity Today" 2011 fiction of the year awards, two children's books ("The McAloon" series) and a collection of holiday stories ("The Holiday Collection"). She was a popular columnist for "Practical Homeschooling" for nearly a decade, and she has retold her own story of homeschooling her ten children in "Looking Backward: My Twenty-Five Years as a Homeschooling Mother."
She is also author of the young adult series, "N". Book Two of the series, "N: The Shadow of the Cross" was published in the fall of 2016.
Joyce and her husband of over 50 years, John, live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Have you ever read a book where even before you started reading it, you told people about the book you were going to read? Or, once you started reading it, you told people you have to read this book? Once you start this book, you will be telling people about it and you won’t be able to put it down. This book will change your life one page at a time. You will laugh, cry, chuckle, laugh out loud, and have tears streaming down your face. Once you finish this book, you will sit there with all these emotions running through you and wonder what you can read next. Nothing else will compare. I received this book free from Alexandra Swann in exchange for a book review. When I read what the book was about, I had cold chills. I started telling my family what the book was about even before I received it. After I started reading the book, I told them again. Just like the woman in the book, I could tell they didn’t understand. I will try to explain what the book is about without giving too much away. Just make sure you go get this book! Elizabeth Anderson has a dream about a motorcycle accident. She wakes up and feels compelled to pray for the young man involved. She has no idea who the guy is, if the accident even happened, or why she feels like he needs prayer. By the time her husband wakes up, she has been up praying for him. Her women’s Bible study group meets that morning and she requests prayer for this young man after explaining what had happened that morning. Everyone is quiet. All Elizabeth detects is irritation and embarrassment from the other members—and she has known them for years. During dinner that night, Elizabeth tells her husband, Boomer, what happened that morning and about the cold reception at the Bible study. Her children look at her funny and her husband tells her that if she wants to pray for this man, she needs to do it quietly. No one will understand. Do you have cold chills yet, or am I the only one? I have had several dreams about people I don’t know and this book was like an answer. I’ve asked before, “Lord, what do I do with this name or this circumstance that I have dreamed about?” As the years go by for Elizabeth and “Timothy”, the name she has given to the man in the motorcycle accident, this book tells their stories. You find out exactly how powerful prayer can be and how faithful and just our God really is. Do you suffer from loneliness, drugs, anger, not knowing what God wants you to do, or feeling like no one could ever love you? This book is for you. Are you on the road to Heaven and need some encouragement? This book is for you. Once you start this book, you will not be able to put it down and it will change your life no matter where you are. I look forward to reading more books by this author!
The Warrior is about a prayer warrior named Elizabeth. She’s a mom of 2 daughters, married to an extremely successful husband in Texas. One night she has a dream about a young man in a terrible motorcycle crash and seeing him so close to death she tells him “Don’t die if you don’t know Jesus.” Waking up she feels compelled to pray for him, not knowing if he is a real person, she shares her strong feelings with her friends and family and they think she’s crazy. Not deterred, she starts praying for him giving him a name and noting the time and date of her dream. Through out the years she faithfully prays for him, and many others including her daughter Molly who is a wreck waiting to happen. Even though Molly grew up in a Christian home, given beauty, talent, and all that her father’s money could buy she still rebelled. Leaving home she moves to California to party and hang out at bars attracting boyfriends that use her as much as she uses them.
Joyce Swann’s story is like a female Prodigal Son; and parents with wayward children will find hope here. It’s also a good book for older teens and YA readers. I related to it, because I lived like Molly in my 20’s, and I wanted her to turn her life around. Joyce gets down to the grittiness with this book, and her characters are very real. I liked the concept of showing what intercessory prayer can do in people’s lives. Well written and well told it brought tears to my eyes.
this is a tremendous book about the power of prayer, it starts with a dream. Elizabeth has a dream that feels so real and in it she sees a young man in motorcycle accident as she drives the highway and her car is going so fast she cannot stop but looks back as she passes and sees the young man looking strangly like he might be transcending to heaven so she yells "Dont die if you dont know Jesus". then she awakens to feel that this is real and that she needs to pray for him. As time goes on she prays many times for this young man and even names him "Timothy" and starts a journal of her thoughts and prayers for him. Elizabeth has a wonderful husband and two little girls and they are living a good life with lot of material things but thier lives are touched by God and they live to help others. The girls Tracy & Molly are both beautiful girls but different as night and day in their personalities. Molly never seems to feel she is good enough and as she grows up she makes many wrong choices in life. James Goodwin almost dies from his motorcycle accident but still lives his life for himself doing what feels good. He returns home to recuperate but feels uncomfortable with his parents attitude about church and religon which he wants no part of.
Both the lives of Molly and James seem to spiral downward into darkness and evil as they move through life. They both seem to want to destroy any small part that they know is good. unbeknownst to them they both have a strong prayer warrior working for them. Elizabeth has a strong faith and she feels the need to pray at times when both of these young people seem to be going through some rough spots in their lives. James finally has a judge send him to rehab instead of jail and it is here where he reluctanly begins a change in his thinking. He gets a job and goes to a church Celebrate Recovery(CR) grp that meets on friday nights and meets many people that want to help him. He decides he doesnt want to go to jail so for 1 yr he will do this CR stuff and act like he is getting it, so everyone will leave him alone but little does he know that when you live something for so long it becomes a habit and It takes much time but he finally "gets" the program and becomes a part of it. He finally lives for Jesus and works in the CR program to help others. James works in construction field as a finisher and meets Boomer Anderson when he comes to Texas on a business trip and they like one another though they are miles apart, Boomer is rich and has everything and James is just a young man working for a living. The two seem to have things in comon though and Boomes "likes" this young man. He sends him a pr of expensive handmade boots as a thank you after his meetings are over and he leaves town. James is surprised but pleased with the gift. The lives of Molly and James finally collide and he tries to help her get off the merry-go-round life of destruction she is living after she lands in the hospital from a beating she was given by her then boyfriend. She is reluctant and enters the CR program at first because she is lonely and desperate. James and Molly are drawn together and in time realize they love one another and when they go to meet her parents James meets Elizabeth and soon realizes who Boomer and Elizabeth are and how he has met Boomer before. When Elizabeth realizes that James is her "Timothy" she is overcome and he too with the thought that for all these years she has been praying for HIM. Now they meet and both cannot believe how God has worked to bring them altogether.. Reading the story of James and Molly and their prayer warrior was a different type of book for me but I felt happy to turn the pages and see what would happen next in the lives of these people. I am sure you will get insight into how Prayer can and does help.
I was given this book by the author for an honest review and feel that I was blessed to have had the opportunity to read this story. Thank you....
I didn't realize this was a Christian book until I started reading. I was looking for something uplifting. The story bored me a bit at times but I kept reading. I enjoyed this book overall and it brought back some of the faith that slips out sometimes in our lives. I am really happy that I didn't stop reading. The story shows the power of faith and prayer.
This was a wonderful book. How do you want to be remembered? I would like to be remembered as Elizabeth was as being a great prayer warrior. The ending of this book blew me away! All I can say is "Wow"! This book has a powerful message. I highly recommend this great read.
Thank you "Goodreads-Giveaway!" for this very enjoyable free Kindle Book.
Encouraged me not to give up praying for family and friends that aren't saved. Just because we don't see immediate answer to prayer that docent mean that God doesn't hear, but in His timing he will bring fruition to all those prayers in His way.
Encouraged me not to give up praying for family and friends that aren't saved. Just because we don't see immediate answer to prayer that doesn't mean that God doesn't hear, but in His timing he will bring fruition to all those prayers in His way
This was very good. It grabbed you right away, and took you on a very memorable journey. A woman's dream that she prayed about for years and all that happens from that moment that she woke up in a cold sweat to the moment her "Timothy" shows up on her doorstep is very heart-warming, amazing, and really precious. It's also very humbling and encouraging in that it shows what putting God first will ALWAYS do for you in your life.
Have you ever awoken from a dream that was so vivid, you felt that God was commanding you to pray for the person you dreamt about? Or maybe someone is just on your mind all of the time, and feel the urge to pray or call them to make sure everything is ok.
How many times do you actually do it? Are you like me, and perhaps whisper a quick prayer and then forget about it?
What if the person you dreamt of wasn't someone you even knew? Would you still pray or would you just think to yourself, "that was a strange dream," and go on with your day?
After reading The Warrior by Joyce Swann, the way you think about these things just may change.
While this book is a work of fiction, it is a most inspirational lesson about the power of prayer. In it, the main character prays diligently for years for a man she's never met, because she dreamed about him. Because she believes God put his situation on her heart. Friends think it's a bit strange, and so does her family. But she is not deterred.
And it changes his life. And the lives of many others, too.
I am convicted of how many times I have been asked to pray for someone, a situation, and while I may have spoken a quick prayer at the time, I have not been a prayer warrior. I have not been diligent in praying when I don't really see results or know the outcome.
I have not been faithful in believing that God is working in the lives of those whom he has laid on my heart to pray. I have not always believed that my prayers make a difference.
This might be a fictional account, but it's affects are life-changing. You won't be able to read this book and not have your heart and mind changed about the power of dedicated, faithful, intercessory prayer.
Elizabeth had on the armor of god in it's entirety, so when god gave her a dream about a young man's accident and asked her to pray of him, she obeyed immediately. She was humiliated when her prayer group thought she had a screw loose, but she kept praying in obedience. She kept a journal of her prayers and noted the special times when the Spirit wanted extra or special prayer for this young man. It is a blessing to be a partner with the Holy spirit in times like these, but not everyone agreed that it was the right thing to do. This is a special story about trusting and obeying equipped with god's armor. I recommend it to anyone who loves to read and be blessed.
This was a captivating moving story. Life doesn't go as we plan yet God is always there looking to bring us into his fold. Strong headed obstinant youth going their own way in rebellion of their parents are actually in rebellion against God. One woman in their lives through prayer and, as revealed as the story concludes, a life of service dedicated to Christ makes all the difference. The story strikes real and earnest and revives one's faith in the spirit.
I have personally been hit by a sudden need to pray for someone and have not known who it was for. Sometimes I get the answer like the main character, Elizabeth, eventually did and sometimes I have to give it over to God knowing that I did as He requested of me and it is in His hands only to know the answer. I would absolutely recommend this book. It is both spirit-lifting and thought provoking.
A wonderful must read book! I could not put it down. And of course, cried at the end. In the opener, Elizabeth dreams about a young man who had a motorcycle accident. The dream is so real that she feels the burden in her heart to pray for him. She names him Timothy in her journal. And the novel begins. It is a heartfelt, warm novel that you will enjoy.
Story of a young and rebellious girl from a good family. Her choices lead her to near death by a boyfriend. Then another story of a you ng man broken by drugs and depression. Through circumstances they both are healed by faith and love. In the background is their mothers constant prayers.
We need more books like this. We need more authors who are unafraid to step up and step out to speak of God's unending and unconventional love for us. To reach those in fear and doubt. For those of us who have slipped and fallen. For He will never forsake us nor forget us.
Excellent Christian fiction --- story of a woman who loved and lived her relationship with Jesus .... a woman of gentleness, a prayer warrior, lover of lost souls.
the author weaves the story easily around two individuals and their families. She holds your attention A book that is hard to put down I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
This was a little too 'overtly Christian'! Also, the blurb is misleading as it leads one to expect a continuing interaction (at least through dreams) between James and Elizabeth. It's therefore a bit of a shock to discover that James is a young guy and Elizabeth is an older Christian lady—a mother—and her dreams about him are only intermittently referred to (in fact, Elizabeth drops out of HIS story early on, though we get a whole different storyline about her family).
And only at the end does it turn out that in fact the whole story has been about Elizabeth's prayer life! All the other storylines and events are merely intended as illustrations of this.
Sure, a great depiction of the power of prayer (which several reviews enthused about); but to me it failed as a coherent novel.
I don’t recall what motivated me to read this book, but I’m so happy I did. More than likely this is a work of fiction, but the way this book was written I was drawn into the lives of these characters. God has a plan for our life. It’s amazing the paths we take. The wrong decisions we make that takes us down a bumpy road. However somewhere, some how God can use our mistakes for His Glory. This book makes me ponder why do I continue on MY road and not follow GOD’s road. I wasn’t able to put this book down, I read it every chance I got. Wonderful book.
A fast moving story of the power of prayer for self and others. I couldn't put it down after the first half. The only thing that was disappointing: In the very beginning a woman feels led to pray for an unknown man she sees in a dream. She begins a journal to record her prayer journey in case she ever finds the truth. That's the last we ever hear of the journal until the very end with no real discussion of the contents. Knowing how the journey went, I think, would have added to the story. However, I still recommend the book for Christian prayer warriors.
Love this book, great story teller & it challenge & teaches me to pray for people with a new fresh way too. What an amazing way to live as a prayer warriors!! Makes me want to aeek out & read other books written by Joyce Swann.
Great story telling & it challenge & teaches me to pray for people with a new fresh way too. Since i get dreams about people too. What an amazing way to live as a prayer warriors!! Makes me want to seek out & read other books written by Joyce Swann
Elizabeth is a prayer warrior, praying for anyone for whom God has called her to pray, though no one in her family or church feels the same way. After dreaming of a young stranger’s terrible motorcycle accident, she feels as if she must pray. Over the next 10 years she prays for him, recording each prayer encounter in notebooks. Read the rest of the review on my blog: https://shouldireaditornot.wordpress....
What can I say to accurately describe this work of fiction? I absolutely loved this story, the characters, and the artful way the author put it together. The editing and writing was excellent. There was no distractions to take away from the story line of its message. I love Christian writings, but this one went beyond my expectations. I will be reading more by this author. Blessings abound in this book.
I read this book straight through in about 6 or 7 hours, always wanting to find out what happened next. The characters were so realistic, and I really cared about them. The descriptions were just right -- enabling the reader to "see" the scene without being too lengthy. The story was heart-wrenching in so many places, but was a beautiful story of all things working together for good in the end. I absolutely loved it, and would love to read more from Joyce Swann.
A great read on the power of prayer! Although the story is fictional, how God uses our persistent prayers is powerful! A woman dreams of a young man involved in a motorcycle crash and is convicted to pray for him, not certain if she'd ever know the outcome. This book reminds us how important it is to pray without ceasing because God DOES work in mysterious ways! This is a sobering read that encourages the reader to not give up when it comes prayer!
I absolutely loved this book and will recommend it to everyone I know. You kind of figure out what is going to happen in the end however it still brings you to your knees. I can't tell you how many times I was brought to tears. But the last chapter really had me blubbering. I am a child of Christ but this book has me picking up the bible to refresh my mind. For he walks with me and he is with me. Thank you for this book
I don't write a whole lot of reviews, but... I am giving this a 2 star, because the writing seemed very choppy and the whole story was not only predictable, it was also an ongoing advertisement for CR--Celebrate Recovery. Although I believe it's a great program, it seemed over the top to me in the context of a novel.
Joyce Swann is one of my favorite Christian authors. She never fails to entertain me and inspire me with her stories. I enjoyed this one very much and look forward to reading everything she writes. Her imagination, creativity and love for Jesus Christ are a great witness in the literary world.
Such a amazing story about James and Molly but also about Elizabeth. It’s about second chances, it’s about what happens when you stray away from God when all along God is always waiting for you to come back home. This story gives you hope and trust in the God! You need to read the whole story to find out who the Warrior is. Highly recommend!