Grace Will Lead Me Home
A Novel
by Katherine Valentine

List Price: $11.95
Pages: 288
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 0385511949
Publisher: Image

The small New England town of Dorsetville is filled with quirky, loveable characters much like those who populated Andy Griffith's Mayberry.

Dorsetville is all aflutter. The housekeeper at St. Cecilia's rectory, Mrs. Norris, has quit in a huff, and the rectory is beginning to look like a college dorm. Father Dennis could lend a hand, but since his cooking show, The Fat Friar, has gained popularity, he's become, well, moody.

Nellie Anderson and Harry Clifford are about to tie the knot --- that is if someone can find the missing wedding invitations. Bungling Deputy Hill has been left in charge since the sheriff is sick, but will the town survive in the meantime?

Meanwhile, Father James is helping an ex-convict learn to resume his life. Valerie Kilbourne, a single mother, needs money for a very expensive operation for her twin daughters. And Lori Peterson, who has had her share of tragedies, will be asked to face another.

Katherine Valentine's keen insights into human nature and extraordinary sense of humor make for characters you'll want to know for years.

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1. God's grace is defined as unmerited blessings. Throughout Grace Will Lead Me Home, characters encounter God's grace in many forms. Discuss how this grace affects and ultimately enriches their lives.

2. God's grace leads Valerie to Dorsetville. Why has God led her here, and what are the spiritual lessons she will learn?

3. Sarah sees two angels and is fearful she will not be believed; yet when she overcomes her fears, her testimony provides the comfort her mother so desperately needs. How can we overcome our fears and share our faith in a way that will be received?

4. Father James' homily suggests that reasoning (our need to puzzle out why God works in the manner He does) can often inhibit God's grace. Is it possible to accept suffering and trials and not ask why?

5. A scripture reading provides Lori with the insight she needs to better handle the special needs of her unborn child. How does God speak through the Bible, and how do we personalize His Word to provide us with direction?

6. Ethel is concerned that praying for a car for Sam might not be in God's will. Harriet counters by reminding her that Jesus provided for our temporal as well as our spiritual needs. Is a vacation a need? The purchase of a home? Can we expect God's help in these areas?

7. Doc Hammon speaks about the medical crisis in our country, which has occured mainly as a result of an increase in lawsuits. Christ has asked us to forgive "seven times seventy" and to "settle things quickly before you are brought to court." If Jesus walked among us today, how do you think He would have us respond to this issue?

8. Wendy gives Father James advice about his housekeeper, suggesting that he has crossed the line between dispensing Christian charity and being a doormat. How do we differentiate between the two?

9. The stolen mailboxes can be interpreted as a metaphor for the way Satan tries to prohibit us from receiving God's messages. The Campbells have had their mailbox stolen three times. What message might God be trying deliver to this family that is not being received?

10. Both Valerie Kilbourne and Gaithwaits encounter huge medical bills without the resources to pay them. How do these two families differ in facing this trial? Why would one family seemingly find deliverance through solving this problem, and the other not?

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"This is one of the loveliest novels I've read in years. Kate Valentine has created a world filled with laughter, tears, and enough goodness to warm the heart. Her return to Dorsetville is a triumph of faith, humor, and hope."

--- New York Times bestselling author, Barbara Delinsky