Fictional look at family history is a call to action

This article is brought to you by Silver Birch Living of Kokomo. Silver Birch offers a full spectrum of personalized services to help older adults maintain their independence in a supportive, caring environment. For more information, visit Silver Birch of Kokomo online.

I wrote a book.

The name of my book is “Favor in Our Blood,” and this book was really born out of the observation of my own life. I’ve had a tremendous amount of favor shown to me by God. And when I take a look at my family collectively, God has poured out His favor and blessing on us, every single one of us.

That doesn’t mean that we haven’t had to endure trials and tribulations. We have. But it is undeniable to me that God’s hand has been on our lives, each of our lives, and that, in spite of us, He continues to pursue us.

There’s a song by CeCe Winans that says, “Your goodness is running after, running after me.” And when I look at my life and my family, that is exactly what I believe He has done for us. That observation made me want to write a story.

I don’t necessarily have any tangible evidence that the blessing we’ve experienced came from something one of my ancestors did. So, I decided to make up a story around it. Favor in Our Blood is a Christian fiction book that covers two centuries, and it starts with a man named Harry Nett.

And the funny thing is, this story doesn’t just closely resemble my family. It is my family. Harry was actually a real family member. In fact, he is my great-great-grandfather on my dad’s side.

In the midst of the Great Depression, Harry and his family are experiencing the hardships that the rest of society is facing. One evening, late at night, Harry decides to pray. But he doesn’t just say a prayer. He makes a covenant with God. Harry gives something up, and God honors that prayer and that covenant.

From there, throughout the generations of the Nett family, you see God’s undeniable presence in each of their lives. But this book is about more than entertainment. It is a call to action.

The Nett family comes to understand that with this favor, with this blessing on their lives, comes responsibility. They aren’t supposed to hoard it or keep it for themselves. They are supposed to share it. Like grapes connected to the vine, they are called to make more grapes on the vine.

I don’t want to ruin the story for you, but I hope “Favor in Our Blood” does more than entertain somebody. I hope it inspires somebody to act, to take the favor and blessing God has given them and use it to bless somebody else.

Because we are blessed to be a blessing.

“Favor in Our Blood” is available on Amazon in paperback, hardcover, and Kindle.