Book Review ~ The Encounter

"The Encounter" by Stephen Arterburn


Publisher's Summary:  
A wealthy businessman travels to Fairbanks, Alaska, to learn why his mother abandoned him when he was a child, and in the process learns that not everything is as it appears to be.

The Encounter, the unique new book from best-selling author and counselor Stephen Arterburn, is a moving parable involving Jonathan Rush, a wealthy and famous entrepreneur, who is tortured by bitterness toward his mother who abandoned him when he was four. He travels to Alaska to find her but instead meets an enigmatic old woman known only as Mercy. Mercy has the information he needs but is strangely reluctant to talk to him. Somehow Jonathan must find a way to persuade a frightened woman to unlock the secrets of his past.

The book includes an invitation to the readers to verify the facts of their own stories, to accept the reality of their existence, especially the most painful ones, and to live in forgiveness. The end result is a healthy new way to look at life with an ability to share hope with others for the future. Healing is possible but requires truth, acceptance, and forgiveness, including of oneself.

My Thoughts:
A very quick and easy read, "The Encounter" was nevertheless a very moving story of the deep pain within a man's life.  Through Johnathon Rush's story the topics of rejection/abandonment, deep seated pain and rage and their consequences in a life, fear, healing, acceptance and restoration are touched upon as are learning the truth and not making assumptions.  Written by the man who started Women of Faith, the story stems from two real incidents in his own life.  It shows that confronting the pain and allowing forgiveness opens God's doors to healing and freedom.  The story is very relatable in the sense that most of us will face deep pain brought on by rejection at some time in our lives.  We may not face the same circumstance as the characters but the consequences of holding anger and bitterness deeply affect us all.  There are  questions in the back of the book to help the reader take a look at their own lives and start the steps towards allowing God to intervene.


Thanks to BookSneeze for providing the book for free for my honest opinion.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.


You can purchase "The Encounter" here and here.