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Always Before Me:
INSPIRATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONTEMPORARY LITERARY FICTION AND STORIES OF FAITH, HOPE AND REDEMPTION at johnservantbooks.com/.
LEARN HOW TO RECOVER FROM TERRIBLE TRAGEDY CAUSED BY YOUR OWN MISTAKES EVEN IF YOUR FAILURES ARE ALWAYS BEFORE YOU.
It is a story about how a man who lost his dream and feels discouraged and lost learns to snatch victory from terrible tragedy and learns how to find what he has been looking for his entire life even in prison. It is a story about faith, hope and mercy, the power of prayer and service to God, and what to do if your failures and injustices are always before you. It is also a story about the men in prison.
It is a story about three men- a saint, a sinner accused of sexual misconduct and a man, like many men, struggling to find his way, achieve his dreams, hold on to his faith and hope and find redemption among life's many disappointments.
The saint is an innocent priest sentenced to prison who shows by his words, actions, patient bearing of suffering and hope and mercy what it takes to be a saint in the modern world.
The sinner is a man who was accused of sexual misconduct in a high school where he had been a teacher, and who, because of the accusations, can now only find a job as a prison psychologist. It is also a story about how, no matter where you find yourself, it is never too late to find redemption.
The main character is another man unjustly accused of sexual misconduct and, although not prosecuted, is forced to give up his dream of teaching and is assigned to be a prison chaplain.
Each man endures many trials and much suffering that brings out the flaws and strengths in each of their characters. Each man finally succeeds in his journey but only after facing many surprises and much conflict and tests of their faith and hope and ultimately an elaborate intrigue involving a gang leader in the prison which leads to a shocking event that will affect these men and change their destiny forever.
For more information about this author and his other works,
see johnservantbooks.com/.
LEARN HOW TO RECOVER FROM TERRIBLE TRAGEDY CAUSED BY YOUR OWN MISTAKES EVEN IF YOUR FAILURES ARE ALWAYS BEFORE YOU.
It is a story about how a man who lost his dream and feels discouraged and lost learns to snatch victory from terrible tragedy and learns how to find what he has been looking for his entire life even in prison. It is a story about faith, hope and mercy, the power of prayer and service to God, and what to do if your failures and injustices are always before you. It is also a story about the men in prison.
It is a story about three men- a saint, a sinner accused of sexual misconduct and a man, like many men, struggling to find his way, achieve his dreams, hold on to his faith and hope and find redemption among life's many disappointments.
The saint is an innocent priest sentenced to prison who shows by his words, actions, patient bearing of suffering and hope and mercy what it takes to be a saint in the modern world.
The sinner is a man who was accused of sexual misconduct in a high school where he had been a teacher, and who, because of the accusations, can now only find a job as a prison psychologist. It is also a story about how, no matter where you find yourself, it is never too late to find redemption.
The main character is another man unjustly accused of sexual misconduct and, although not prosecuted, is forced to give up his dream of teaching and is assigned to be a prison chaplain.
Each man endures many trials and much suffering that brings out the flaws and strengths in each of their characters. Each man finally succeeds in his journey but only after facing many surprises and much conflict and tests of their faith and hope and ultimately an elaborate intrigue involving a gang leader in the prison which leads to a shocking event that will affect these men and change their destiny forever.
For more information about this author and his other works,
see johnservantbooks.com/.
90 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2020
1 person is currently reading
3 people want to read
About the author
John Servant
4 books2 followersThe author was a lawyer who witnessed men and women overcome immense problems and obstacles to achieve personal success and virtue. He also saw some fail along the way. His books are stories about both paths. His books have received excellent reviews which can be viewed on his Amazon book detail page. May these uplifting Christian fiction stories of inspiration, determination, faith, hope, courage, recovery and redemption serve as an inspiration to all who read them and a lesson that it is never too late to find redemption! You can see more including a preview and his blogs at https://www.johnservantbooks.com/ or on the Amazon book detail page at Amazon.com/author/johnservant and more information on his Facebook page @www.johnservantbooks. His first book, The Arrow That Flies By Day, has received the Catholic Writers Guild Seal of Approval.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 28, 2022
Always Before Me: A Story Of Mercy and Salvation is the third work by John Servant. It is a small book having eight chapters in total with 27,300 words. The book revolves around three characters: Father Paul, Father Anthony, and Matthew Ryan, and how they end up meeting in the prison. It is a Christian fiction which tells about the path to God through Jesus and Mary. The story has many incidents that show the way to hope, mercy, forgiveness, faith, redemption, and salvation.
Father Paul, one of the most important characters of the book, has been portrayed as the Saint who believes he has been sent to prison by God to serve people. He helped Father Anthony to never look back at the evil someone has done. Matthew Ryan, was helped by Father Anthony to overcome his fear that God might never forgive him. All characters in the book are well defined. Each chapter starts with a different story which is really captivating, also, it beautifully shows how the characters are linked to each other while describing past and present events.
I found few errors in the beginning of the book. Apart from this, story was bit slow in the starting then it paced up. Moreover, some parts of it were little confusing for me in the first chapter. The book would have been more interesting if it had more conversation between the characters. Despite of the confusion, errors etc , I like the writing style of John Servant. The author shows that the religion is not judgemental rather it encourages us to see life beyond our perspective, there is so much more to it. It also shows author’s deep understanding to write on such a subject.
I will rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. Inspite of minimal errors this book standout in many aspects. It is an easy read. I finished this book in four days. There is a great list of favourite lines for me. This book helped me to revive my faith on God, and filled me with positivity and optimism. I personally love this book as a believer of God.
This book will definitely appeal to the believers; I’m not quite sure about the atheist community, they might not find it interesting.I would highly recommend this book to people who want to get inspired and want to free themselves from guilt and self-pity.
Father Paul, one of the most important characters of the book, has been portrayed as the Saint who believes he has been sent to prison by God to serve people. He helped Father Anthony to never look back at the evil someone has done. Matthew Ryan, was helped by Father Anthony to overcome his fear that God might never forgive him. All characters in the book are well defined. Each chapter starts with a different story which is really captivating, also, it beautifully shows how the characters are linked to each other while describing past and present events.
I found few errors in the beginning of the book. Apart from this, story was bit slow in the starting then it paced up. Moreover, some parts of it were little confusing for me in the first chapter. The book would have been more interesting if it had more conversation between the characters. Despite of the confusion, errors etc , I like the writing style of John Servant. The author shows that the religion is not judgemental rather it encourages us to see life beyond our perspective, there is so much more to it. It also shows author’s deep understanding to write on such a subject.
I will rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. Inspite of minimal errors this book standout in many aspects. It is an easy read. I finished this book in four days. There is a great list of favourite lines for me. This book helped me to revive my faith on God, and filled me with positivity and optimism. I personally love this book as a believer of God.
This book will definitely appeal to the believers; I’m not quite sure about the atheist community, they might not find it interesting.I would highly recommend this book to people who want to get inspired and want to free themselves from guilt and self-pity.
Read
April 25, 2020Official Review: Always Before Me by John Servant
That Reviewer
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Always Before Me" by John Servant.]
How far can you go to stand for what you believe? When push comes to shove, will you be able to stand with your values regardless of the cost? These are the kinds of questions that Always Before Me by John Servant raises.
It was the wake of Father Anthony, who died of lung cancer. Father Richard had come to pay his final respects to a holy man. Sitting there alone, he was reminiscing on the life of the priest whose remains lay in the casket before him. While the thoughts were going through his head, another priest, Father Paul, came to mind. Father Anthony and Father Paul both died in prison, albeit for different reasons.
While Father Richard was lost in thought, a young man walked into the small room where the wake was going on. The young man was John Daly, the late Father Anthony's nephew. John came because he was informed of his uncle's death, and the possessions his uncle left for him. The only thing John knew about his uncle was the accusation of molesting a young girl leveled against him. There was something about Father Anthony that John didn't know. What could this be?
Always Before Me is one of the three Catholic novels written by John Servant. The book is deeply rooted in Catholicism and all the beliefs associated with it. Both the major and minor characters in this book have a connection to the Catholic Church. The practices, prayers, and setting all
project Catholicism in its fullest expression. You have to have a Catholic foundation or an idea of their beliefs and practices to follow most parts of the story in this book. The author shows his deep roots and vast knowledge of the Catholic Church.
I applaud the author's writing skills. I have read a couple of religious novels in recent times and have been utterly disappointed. For most of these books, it was more about projecting the religion than building on a story. I usually have difficulty understanding the plot. But, John showed me in this book that a religious novel could also appeal to everyone. He did well to cater to the reading needs of religious and non-religious readers alike. He showed the utmost respect when talking about people of a different faith. Most importantly, there was a story to follow and lessons to learn from the book.
What I liked most was the way the author infused different writing styles to make the book fun and engaging. He used flashbacks to narrate the backstory effectively. He seamlessly connected it to the beginning of the book. It made the book more interesting than it was at the beginning. The author also used suspense to keep me anticipating. I fell for the temptation of predicting specific outcomes only for the author to shatter them with the twists and turns. This book also elicited different emotions at different points for me. I was excited, sad, angry, surprised, and encouraged while reading this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the story.
I only found one error in the book, but it wasn't enough to take away any point. There was nothing I disliked about this book as it was well-written and professionally edited. I rate it four out of four stars. I recommend it specifically to anyone who enjoys religious novels. People who are opposed to religion can also read it as there wasn't any prejudice in the narrative.
******
Always Before Me
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
That Reviewer
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Always Before Me" by John Servant.]
How far can you go to stand for what you believe? When push comes to shove, will you be able to stand with your values regardless of the cost? These are the kinds of questions that Always Before Me by John Servant raises.
It was the wake of Father Anthony, who died of lung cancer. Father Richard had come to pay his final respects to a holy man. Sitting there alone, he was reminiscing on the life of the priest whose remains lay in the casket before him. While the thoughts were going through his head, another priest, Father Paul, came to mind. Father Anthony and Father Paul both died in prison, albeit for different reasons.
While Father Richard was lost in thought, a young man walked into the small room where the wake was going on. The young man was John Daly, the late Father Anthony's nephew. John came because he was informed of his uncle's death, and the possessions his uncle left for him. The only thing John knew about his uncle was the accusation of molesting a young girl leveled against him. There was something about Father Anthony that John didn't know. What could this be?
Always Before Me is one of the three Catholic novels written by John Servant. The book is deeply rooted in Catholicism and all the beliefs associated with it. Both the major and minor characters in this book have a connection to the Catholic Church. The practices, prayers, and setting all
project Catholicism in its fullest expression. You have to have a Catholic foundation or an idea of their beliefs and practices to follow most parts of the story in this book. The author shows his deep roots and vast knowledge of the Catholic Church.
I applaud the author's writing skills. I have read a couple of religious novels in recent times and have been utterly disappointed. For most of these books, it was more about projecting the religion than building on a story. I usually have difficulty understanding the plot. But, John showed me in this book that a religious novel could also appeal to everyone. He did well to cater to the reading needs of religious and non-religious readers alike. He showed the utmost respect when talking about people of a different faith. Most importantly, there was a story to follow and lessons to learn from the book.
What I liked most was the way the author infused different writing styles to make the book fun and engaging. He used flashbacks to narrate the backstory effectively. He seamlessly connected it to the beginning of the book. It made the book more interesting than it was at the beginning. The author also used suspense to keep me anticipating. I fell for the temptation of predicting specific outcomes only for the author to shatter them with the twists and turns. This book also elicited different emotions at different points for me. I was excited, sad, angry, surprised, and encouraged while reading this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the story.
I only found one error in the book, but it wasn't enough to take away any point. There was nothing I disliked about this book as it was well-written and professionally edited. I rate it four out of four stars. I recommend it specifically to anyone who enjoys religious novels. People who are opposed to religion can also read it as there wasn't any prejudice in the narrative.
******
Always Before Me
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Read
April 13, 2022Always Before Me by John Servant is a story that touches on the subject of mercy, salvation, how to overcome doubt, and how long one can stand by their faith.
The author takes us to a place deeply rooted in Catholicism. Since the main characters are priests, there are a lot of parts in the story that includes the word of God.
What I liked about the story is that it was very consuming. It was direct and didn't jump from one thing to another. I was too absorbed that it was already over before I realized it.
I can also tell that the author was thorough when he wrote the book. Many parts were enlightening and backed by many different scriptures. I just felt that towards the end of the book, it focused a lot on the teachings and scriptures, and brought out the focus from the story, but it isn't totally a bad thing.
I recommend this book to anyone who is into religious novels. As well as people who are going through a period of doubt in their faith and need assurance that it is never too late to turn back to God, repent and seek forgiveness for their wrongdoings. It can be read in one sitting, so it's perfect for those in need of a quick dose of inspiration.
The author takes us to a place deeply rooted in Catholicism. Since the main characters are priests, there are a lot of parts in the story that includes the word of God.
What I liked about the story is that it was very consuming. It was direct and didn't jump from one thing to another. I was too absorbed that it was already over before I realized it.
I can also tell that the author was thorough when he wrote the book. Many parts were enlightening and backed by many different scriptures. I just felt that towards the end of the book, it focused a lot on the teachings and scriptures, and brought out the focus from the story, but it isn't totally a bad thing.
I recommend this book to anyone who is into religious novels. As well as people who are going through a period of doubt in their faith and need assurance that it is never too late to turn back to God, repent and seek forgiveness for their wrongdoings. It can be read in one sitting, so it's perfect for those in need of a quick dose of inspiration.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews