Red Pen Redemption by Lori Stanley Roeleveld

What would you do if you received a challenge from God? You thought you had lived a good enough life to get into heaven, if there really was such a thing. In fact, you had just written a memoir of all the good parts of your life. It would be a gift to your favorite grandson. But then on Christmas Eve you receive a strange box. Inside are a Bible, a pen that writes in red, and a note challenging you to evaluate your life against the Bible.

That's what happened to Helen. She had been a successful reporter. Words were her thing. And now she was being challenged to put her life to the test.

This is a good story after the style of A Christmas Carol. Helen sees vignettes from her life on the tablet her grandson had left on her desk and she reads verses in the Bible that mysteriously light up. She spends a Christmas Eve facing the reality of her life and she finds out she has not been nearly as good of a person as she had thought.

This is an entertaining and well written story. It is also a challenging one. Like Helen, we may need to face the reality of our life, that we are not as good as we'd like to believe. Like Helen, we may need to come to the realization that we are not “good enough” to get into heaven. The salvation message is clearly presented so readers will have no doubt as to what determines their destiny.

My rating 4/5 stars.

Lori Stanley Roeleveld began writing a blog in 2009 which resulted in a book, Running From a Crazy Man (and other adventures traveling with Jesus). She has degrees in psychology and biblical studies. You can find out more at www.loriroeleveld.com.

Elk Lake Publishing, 176 pages.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book through The Book Club Network for the purpose of an independent and honest review.