Books for Christian Girls: "From This Moment" by Kim Vogel Sawyer

About this book:

  “How Long Will They Allow the Past to Steal Their Future?
   As someone who spent his entire childhood adrift in the foster-care system, Jase Edgar always dreamed of one day putting down roots and starting his own family. But when his fiancée is killed in a tragic accident, his plans and sense of purpose are shattered. An opportunity to serve as a youth pastor in Kansas might be his chance for a fresh start, but he can't seem to set aside his doubts long enough to fully embrace his new life. After all, how can a God who's supposed to be good allow such terrible things to happen?
    Lori Fowler is battling her own challenges. Due to a strained relationship with her father and a hidden eating disorder, she's never been sure she is worthy of love. She conceals her insecurities beneath her spunky personality, and even her best friend, Kenzie Stetler, a former Amish woman living apart from her family in the English world, doesn't realize how desperate Lori is for change.
   When a donation to Kenzie's weaving project leads to a puzzling mystery, the lives of these three people will intersect in ways no one ever expected. The journey will require courage … if they ever hope to release the past and move forward into a joyful future.”

Series: No, a stand-alone.

Spiritual Content- Isaiah 43:19 at the beginning; Scriptures are read, remembered, quoted, & preached; Many prayers & thanking God (including praying for a missionary); Church going & preaching; Many talks about God, trusting Him, Him filling us up, & praying; 'H's are capital when referring to God; Jase is angry at God for taking his fiancée, struggles with bitterness towards God’s plan and feeling empty, and asks God to prove Himself to him; Jase feels like he’s been anointed a few times (unsure of what that feeling is at first); Jase is the new youth minister for a group of high schoolers & there are a few of his lessons/teachings; Jase preaches one Sunday to the congregation; Kenzie was raised Amish, but left the church during her rumspringe because someone witnessed to her that salvation isn’t earned (unlike how she was raised with always trying to please God); Kenzie wonders if she should go witness to her family about grace; Many, many mentions of God, trusting Him, His plan, Jesus, & the Holy Spirit; Many, many mentions of churches, church going, Bible studies, Sunday school classes, youth groups, small groups, ministries, hymns, worship, sermons, & pastors; Many mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of Jesus’ sacrifice, Easter, & Good Friday; Mentions of those & events in the Bible; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, books of the Bible, & other books that pastors use; Mentions of Christians & faiths; Mentions of Heaven; Mentions of missionaries, mission projects, mission trips, & witnessing; Mentions of testimonies; Mentions of blessings & being Blessed; Mentions of the strict rules of the Amish sect Kenzie grew up in (including that she could never go back to the “system of hoping to earn her right to heaven” and that she was taught that prayer is private, so that’s why she doesn’t pray out loud); Mentions of sins; A few mentions of accepting Jesus & being baptized; A couple mentions of a Christian radio station; A mention of a church camp; A mention of a wooden cross;
             *Note: A mention of “sin’s damnation”; A mention of evildoers; A mention of public high schoolers facing the pressure to fit in and “adopt the popular belief systems instead of following God’s instruction, the general disdain toward Christian values, even from some of the teachers”.

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: an ‘ever-lovin’’, two ‘idiot’, three forms of ‘stupid’, four ‘sheesh’s, and six ‘dumb’s; Some eye rolling & sarcasm; A health condition & discomfort from it (Congestive heart failure); A bit of lying (Lori, who feels guilt over it); Lori’s father has belittled her since her mother passed away (emotional abuse) & since then she craves others’ praise; Grief (Jase for his fiancée & Lori for her mother and also the relationship she wishes she had with her father); Mentions of a car accident & deaths (Jase’s fiancée, he was in the car as well, barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of grief (for a fiancée, a mother, and a wife); Mentions of alcohol, drinking, & drunks (Lori’s father since she mother passed away); Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of jealousy; A handful of mentions of sharks & nightmares from a documentary on them; A couple mentions of the death of an infant; A couple mentions of possible muggings & arrests; A couple mentions of breaking and entering; A couple mentions of fathers not being in the picture & a deadbeat father; A couple mentions of mean nicknames from children to a young Lori; A mention of the possibility of someone’s body being broken or mind changed after a car accident; A mention of starvation; A mention of thieves; A mention of rumors; A mention of a teen saying his mom would want him to run to the liquor store if he was old enough; A mention of gambling; A mention of cigarettes;
             *Note: Lori binge eats when feeling emotional (happy or sad) and then gets mad at herself for falling to the temptation to over-eat again (this happens multiple times and she buys vitamins to help curb her appetite; *Spoiler* Toward the end, Jase and Kenzie helps her to realize that she can stop overeating with God’s help and she does well at it *End of Spoiler*); Jase was in foster care for most of his childhood due to his mother’s mental illness (he was diagnosed with OCD was in 7^th grade); Mentions of social media (Facebook, Instagram, & Etsy); A few mentions of brand names (U-Haul, Kool-Aid, & M&M); A few mentions of a basketball team; A couple mentions of a TV show (The Andy Griffith Show & I Love Lucy); A mention of a car brand; A mention of Prince Harry.

Sexual Content- A fingers-to-lips touch, a cheek kiss, a barely-above-not-detailed kiss, and a semi-detailed kiss; Touches, Embraces, & Hand holding (barely-above-not-detailed); Wanting to embrace; Blushes; Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); a ‘hot’; Mentions of crushes; Mentions of jealousy; A few mentions of a date & boyfriend; A few mentions of hand holding; A few mentions of blushes & winks; A couple mentions of married couples kissing; A couple mentions of making sheep’s eyes; A couple mentions of a teen saying a youth pastor is a “full meal deal”; A mention of a young man’s tone sounding bitter when the topic of having a wife and kids are brought up; A bit of love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Jase is told not to meet any of the kids in his apartment or have the door of his office at the church closed to be safe (so no scandal is caused); Mentions of Lori’s weight (she calls herself pudgy, tubby, fat, a pig, and ugly (most of these are based from comments her father made to her)); A mention of puberty; A mention of hormonal teenagers.

-Jase Edgar
-Lori Fowler, age 26
-Kenzie Stetler, age 28
                                P.O.V. switches between them & Merlin
                                                        352 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

I’ve read many books by this author before, but this was my first fully contemporary books by her. I’ve enjoyed so many of her historical novels, though, so I had high hopes for this one.

I will say that I had a harder time in the middle of this book because of Lori. I really wanted to like her and wanted to see that her worth comes from God, not the size of her clothing, it just took a bit to get there. (Which is realistic, but I just wanted that happiness for her to come sooner than later.)
I felt for Jase and really liked seeing his point of view parts. The ending of this story seemed a little be rushed, but it still brought tears to my eyes.

I would say that “From This Moment” is a hidden gem in the Christian Fiction market. It’s light romance and follows four different people that all have their own challenges and outlooks on life. Overall, I enjoyed it.

See y’all on Friday with a new review!