The Good Book Mystery

THE CLUES:
A stormy weekend
Multiple cups of coffee
iPhone set to “Do Not Disturb”
Piles of ignored laundry
A good book

THE SUSPECT:
Me

WHAT HAPPENED:
An entire weekend was murdered. While wrapped in her snuggie, the suspect stayed curled on the sofa reading…whittling away minutes, then hours, until the entire weekend was gone. Extinguished.

THE VERDICT:
GUILTY!

In my defense, not only was the weekend stormy, it was cold and foggy. The gray, bleak kind of weekend that is perfect for a mystery. Wiping out a weekend with a good book, well, let’s just say this wasn’t my first offense. It was a crime of weather, with extenuating circumstances…Coffee. I couldn’t stop myself.

Killing off a weekend with a good book can be a cozy way to  slip away from reality. Books are an escape. They color our lives with the excitement of new places, new friends, and stories. They fuel our imagination. They teach us.

Whether it’s fiction or non-fiction, most people have that one book, the one book that makes a lasting impression. Some books leave a spiritual impact; some help bring emotion healing, or point their audience in a new direction. Other books leave their readers with a lingering sense of adventure that can be recalled over a lifetime.

For me, my one book is a strange one, I must admit. It’s not because of its powerful prose or great literary significance. My one book is more about the visual it created. I was a young mother trying to raise my son to live a Godly life. Teaching him right from wrong. Teaching him to stay away from sin.

I’ve had muliple discussions about this topic with friends and family over the years, and I consistently get, “Really? That’s your favorite book?” I always have to stipulate that it’s not necessarily about it being my favorite as much as it’s about the lasting visual impact the book left.

At this point, I’m sure you’re just dying to know what it is, right? Okay. Drum roll please……and the winner is: The Oath by Frank Peretti.

I told you it was a strange one. You might have to read the book for yourself to understand the impact it made on me. The Oath is part allegory, a horror and suspense book basically about what sin does when it “hooks” us. Frank Peretti paints a frightful picture of sin hooking its victims, weaving its way into their hearts. Before long, sin overtakes them, turns them dark inside, and starts to ooze out of them in a black slime. It’s disgusting and stinks, sticking to everything they touch, but they don’t even see it. Everyone around them sees it and smells it, but the victim is so consumed, they laugh and sing their way to their own doom. Scary stuff.

I can’t tell you why this book made such a lasting impression on me. It wasn’t the first horror book I had ever read. Maybe it was because I was trying to raise my son to be a Godly man, or maybe because I was committed to keeping myself away from sin. Probably both.

Peretti uses Genesis 4:7 in one scene where the only man in town who understands what is going on is trying to steer the books protagonist toward God, “…Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” Those are words to remember and imprint on our hearts.

While I’ve killed off many weekends with a good book, very few have been books I’ve carried in my heart through the years. I did pass my one book on to my son. I can’t say that it’s his one book, but we’ve talked about it, and it definitely made an impression on him, one I pray will keep his eyes open to sin crouching at the door of his heart.

Author: Janet Campbell

Follower of Christ, mother, wife, and writer of mysteries. Wrapped around the paw of a 5 lb Pomeranian named Little Ali Sunshine. View all posts by Janet Campbell