"Lord...take this year and my life and allow Your glory to shine! Take it and use it to its fullest potential."
an entry for Jen's journal, written just 3 months before the crashOn the night of November 5, 2006, the Barrick family was driving home from church when their van was struck by a drunk driver. Fifteen-year-old Jen suffered multiple skull fractures and severe brain trauma and was not expected to survive the night. But against all odds, she did. As she lingered in a coma, doctors warned that if Jen ever woke up, she would be cursing and screaming in confusion due to her brain injuries. Instead, after five weeks she opened her eyes and began praying and praising God. Jen didn't remember her middle name, recognize her parents, or recall that she had a little brother, but she remembered Jesus and every word to every praise song and scripture she had hidden in her heart before the accident. As any loving mother would, Jen's mother Linda wanted God to heal Jen, make her like she was before. Normal. But a loving God had something else in mind--instead of making her normal, God is making Jennifer and the whole Barrick family--extraordinary, miraculous. Hope Out Loud is the remarkable true story of a family who overcame tragedy and learned to trust God's plan for their lives in a whole new way.
It is hard to know where to start with this book. Here is a story that could totally have been avoided, it should never have happened. A drivers license suspended, a driver slumped over his steering wheel, pulled over by the police just minutes before the accident. But still it happened. How does a mother (family) get past that? Told from the point of view of Linda Barrick, Jen's mother. Here is an emotional packed book that grabbed me and I had a hard time putting this book down.
Miracle for Jen is an amazing book it will cry, make you laugh, it will make you live each day to the fullest because you don't know what is around the corner, that you life can change in the blink of an eye. It will make you realize that even in the toughest times, even in the darkest hours there is still hope.
Wow. What a story of God's grace in a tragedy. I'd love to read this book.
ReplyDeleteNow that I've read the book, my mind is full with connections to my own hard times.......My take-away can be summed up in some quotes from the book. Here's two from Jennifer. "We all want the testimony but we'd rather skip the test that gives us one." and "Ask God for what you need. Ask Him to whisper hope in your ear."
ReplyDeleteI also connected as a mom. Here are two quotes from Linda. "Don't become obsessed with healing. Get lost in the wonder of God." and "This life is just a dot on the timeline of eternity."
Thanks Margaret for recommending this book (and allowing me to get a free copy:)