If you haven't read Ted Dekker's A.D. 33: A Novel(Center Street), his follow up to last years A.D. 30, it is the perfect time to devour it. What a perspective to gain right before Easter!
In A.D. 33: A Novel we still follow Maviah and other characters introduced in the last novel. Maviah has been restored as queen, has adopted a son, and is successfully leading a people when everything goes wrong. Follow Maviah as she journeys to save her people, her son, and herself. Maviah knows that after experiencing the presence of Jesus that she can't do this without him. She searches for him and is present during intimate historical moments like when Jesus was arrested and at the foot of the cross. The love Maviah develops for Jesus is what I would imagine would happen if just any one of us could look into his eyes for just a moment. She is a woman overcome and wildly in love with her creator. If only we didn't forget who we are so often, we would feel the power of that love all the time. She learns to put 100% trust in Jesus during the most trying time of her life, after an intense battle with herself to take up the fight on her own.
This novel is thought provoking, imaginative, and so close to the truth it's scary. Your heart will fall and soar, and fall and soar along with Maviah's. I definitely recommend this series to every reader.
A.D. 33: A Novel was released October 6, 2015. What experience has taught you to better trust Jesus?
A digital review copy was provided for me by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.
Ted Dekker is by no secret my favorite author. Like any other release day, I rushed to the nearest bookstore and patiently waited as the bookstore had to truck to the basement to find me a copy of A.D. 30 (Center Street) which they hadn't put out yet (AND IT WAS ALREADY LATE AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING)!
This day was also different then any other release day of my favorite author's new book for me. My dad died that night. Needless to say, it took me a while to read. Me, the one who actually reads more when she is stressed because it's a break from the world, read less. I read less, because it was hard. There are some deaths within the first couple of pages, so...yeah. I grieved with Maviah. Through Maviah, I felt as if someone understood me, understood what I was going through. I know, I know, she's a fictional character, but isn't it amazing how God uses story to change us?! To restore us. To reach us...
I have read ALMOST every Dekker work and this one is simply different. While I would still say that like his other novels, it is a parable-it crosses over to the biblical fiction realm. The story however, is more inventive than any other piece of biblical fiction I've read.
Maviah is a slave, a single mother, a forgotten daughter. Her world is turned upside down and she finds herself no longer a slave, but a queen, on a mission to save her kingdom. She begins a journey to find Herod (yes, that Herod) and convince him to ally with her and save her people. She is accompanied by two of her dad's most trusted me, one of which is enamored with Yeshua. On there journey, they stop and visit Mary, the mother of Jesus, who insists of meeting with Maviah. Once Maviah experiences Jesus, she is changed. That's what stuck with me the most. Although, this was only the beginning of Maviah's journey.
She has yet to face deception, captivity, the feign of freedom, captivity again, deception again, and difficult decisions. I know every Dekker book comes along and I say "THIS ONE'S MY FAVORITE!" This one is so different, and for so many reasons I hold it close, and the story was SO good! I have more pages dog-eared, and phrases underlined, and exclamations in the margins. Dekker just gets it!
I'll leave you with this. In the novel Maviah learns that Jesus is the only one fit to judge. BUT he does not throw a stone at us. Meditate on that truth and let me know what stuck out to you!
This review will be a little unlike the others seeing as I was able to attend one of the tour stops. I'll talk about that first and then my review of the book will follow. Now, the tour stop was a little different from the rest being that there was no church to house the full event so it was just a signing and a mini talk with Ted standing on a chair
Something that really resonated with me was (and I maybe paraphrasing a little but I'm pretty sure I'm pretty close)
"When we forget about what others can do for us we are able to truly appreciate them as the wonderful gifts they are."-Ted Dekker
That is SO how God loves us! Not for what we can do for Him; we can do NOTHING for Him, but just because we are us and we are precious. How beautiful if that was the Love we showed one another, seeking nothing, just pure.
The other thing that stood out was a direct quote from John 5:22
"the Father judges no one."
And then Ted said "Did you know that?" You know what, I didn't! I have continuously breezed right over that. God the FATHER judges NO ONE! So why are we so hard on one another? Why are we so hard on ourselves? Why do the temporary things take such a priority?
So then we take a quick trip to the yogurt place a couple doors down to use the restroom. Those girls were SUPER nice! And chatted about Dekker, Duck Dynasty, and Veggie Tales with the couple in front of us. When we got close the staff wanted quick pics with Ted and I took the opportunity to ask for a pic with Kevin Kaiser (Ted's manager), because it's tradition and I'm really truly that much of a book nerd. He seemed pretty excited that someone wanted their picture with him and knew who he was. Then, as last time, he told us how his wife is from Green Bay (my sister was wearing a GB cap) and how his daughter is a huge cheese head! Go Pack Go! He also thought we were friends with the couple in front of us.
Then it was Ted time and he is my absolute favorite author. To have had this opportunity once was crazy enough, to have it twice is just beyond. I told him this (Outlaw) had become my favorite of his books. And his response was "Really? How old are you?" (Pretty random, but so needed as so from God!) I responded and it was clear that's not the best topic with me. He asked me if people think I'm younger than I am. And I responded that yes, it happens ALL the time. And he said "That bothers you?" "It does." And he said "Don't do that to yourself, you are making yourself suffer. God gave you a beautiful costume and you should embrace it." I could have cried, right to my heart and something that's been driving me nuts lately. He gave me a hug and told me again that I am beautiful and to embrace it.
Everything I had understood from this story and found beautiful I didn't take to heart, not until tonight when I was pierced with it. Why would I be so bothered by how God made me? Why was I finding it so difficult to separate not only my costume but what others perceived it as from who I really am? I could not be more grateful for those words Ted spoke to me tonight.
He also noticed that my little sister looks older than me and that's probably where it stems from. He told us and the people behind us about a Ted talks video he had watched that day about monkey's that relates to the sibling situation.
Book Review
Outlaw, by Ted Dekker, is probably the book I've been most excited to read in some time! I am a huge Dekker fan and I knew that this book was based off of the jungles that he grew up in as a kid. That made it especially interesting wondering where the truth and imaginations began and ended as I read. I can tell you this is also my favorite book of his that I've read in some time. The writing style is SO completely different than anything else he's written. (In my opinion).
This is the story of Julian Carter. The lack of love that she faces as a child, as a wife, and her clawing at a hope in religion. When she has a son, Stephen, through a marriage of convenience she starts having a persisting dream about a jungle and a beautiful song. The dream does not leave her and when her husband dies she longs to chase it.
Being a missionary is not something that is not recommended for a single woman and a toddler, but she sets off on a journey of her own to see if her dream is something that is reasonable, if it is not just something in her head. She is lost at sea and taken slave by a savage tribe. She fights for her life, and against the "life" she has known to the one she is now forced to lead. The only way out of the jungle is in fact death, which many times is the foreseeable outcome.
You will be astounded by who in fact was born to change the world. The lines between worlds are both black and gray. You will question how you view the world, how you view yourself, and your costume. The novel has almost two tones, being the first half deals mostly with Julian and the second with Stephen. The stories are real, the are about us, no matter what world we are living it. It is all just one isn't it? Love will never look the same. I am Outlaw. Are you?
I had tears on the edge of my eyes the WHOLE time. There is SO much, SO much to learn from this story. The story itself is page-turning and raw.
What I Have to Say..
Ted Dekker has done it again, he has written another brilliant thriller. This newest novel is called The Bride Collector. It is about a serial killer who murders women leaving a bridal veil at each crime scene. The novel starts with the death of his fourth victim and you read through his pursuit of his seventh and final, who in his perspective is God’s favorite and perfect bride. Dekker dives into the subject of mental illness, asking the question are those who are dubbed mentally ill really normal and those who are dubbed normal really the ones who are mentally ill. Not for the light of heart, the killings are gruesome and it was hard for me to read at first. Dekker used a great name as an underwear brand though; maybe that’s what hooked me. ;) Dekker is one of those minds that dare to ask the questions no one else wants to think about. Maybe that’s what makes this book so brilliant. If we all just understood each other; if we understood that we are all God’s favorites because He loves us unendingly we wouldn’t pin false stigmas upon one another. I dare you to open your mind to Dekker’s questions.
*This book was provided for review by Center Street*
(Center Street), his follow up to last years A.D. 30, it is the perfect time to devour it. What a perspective to gain right before Easter! 
