Review of "Plain Faith"

Review of Plain Faith: A True Story of Tragedy, Loss, and Leaving the Amish

by Irene & Ora Jay Eash with Tricia Goyer

This is the true story of Ora-Jay and Irene Eash, Amish farmers from northwest Montana whose lives changed in an instant when a semi-truck struck the family buggy, killing their two young daughters. After the accident, the couple turned to their Amish community for comfort, but they remained haunted by the thought that they might not see their girls again in heaven. Would their deeds be good enough? Eventually Ora-Jay and Irene learned that grace---not works---was enough to ensure their place in eternity. But with that knowledge came the realization that they could no longer live in an Amish community that didn't share this precious belief. Could they sever their connection to the Amish family they loved? This is the story of their journey to the hope that is heaven, a hope stronger than the loss of children, family, and a way of life. Fans of Amish fiction will appreciate such a real-life look into the Amish community, co-written by bestselling author Tricia Goyer, and readers of all kinds will resonate with this tale of courage, resilience, and the redemption found in the grace of Jesus."

MY REVIEW:  What a sweet honest story of heartache, hope, and renewal.  Yes, the Eash family loses two daughters and leaves the Amish faith they have known since birth.  But they gain so much more.   They gain the assurance that they will know salvation and join their precious daughters in heaven someday.  This story is told with raw pain and an honest look at the Amish faith.   I did not feel that the Amish faith was in any way disrespected, but instead the truth of the Amish faith was shared and honored.   While the Eash family decided that they had to leave the Amish faith, they did not say that they do not love their families or miss them dearly.    Read this five-story account of the truth: plain and simple.   Told with the deepest agony and highest hope!   

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.   

About the Authors:

 

TRICIA GOYER was named the 2003 Writer of the Year for Mt. Hermon Christian Writer’s Conference. Her book for teens, Life Interrupted: The Scoop on Being a Young Mom, was a Gold Medallion finalist in 2005 in the Youth category. 

Her novel Night Song won the 2005 “Book of the Year for Long Historical Romance” from American Christian Fiction Writers, and her novel Dawn of a Thousand Nights won the same award in 2006.

Tricia has published over 250 articles and YA short stories for national publications such as Today’s Christian Woman, Guideposts for Kids, Brio, Christian Parenting Today, and HomeLife, and is the co-author of Meal Time Moments (Focus on the Family). She has led numerous Bible Studies, and her study notes appear in the Women of Faith Study Bible.

She has written seven novels for Moody Publishers; From Dust and Ashes (2003), Night Song (2004), Dawn of a Thousand Nights (2005), and Arms of Deliverance (2006), A Valley of Betrayal (2007), A Shadow of Treason (2007), and A Whisper of Freedom (2008).

Tricia has also published Life Interrupted: The Scoop on Being a Young Mom (Zondervan, 2004) and children’s book 10 Minutes to Showtime (Thomas Nelson, 2004). She has written My Life, Unscripted (Thomas Nelson, 2007) for teen girls. She worked on 3:16 Teens w/ Max Lucado (Thomas Nelson, 2008)

Tricia has also written books for Gen Xers: Generation NeXt Parenting (Multnomah, 2006) and Generation NeXt Marriage (Multnomah, 2008).

Tricia and her husband, John, live in Montana with their three teens.