Miss Brenda & the Loveladies

Miss Brenda & the Loveladies

Wonderful book; all of my favorite elements, true story of hardship and redemption. 

Brenda had her own rags to riches stories, then a potential prison sentence changed her life’s course of wearing herself out for more and more money and stuff to opening a ‘whole-way’ house for women leaving prison. 

In Brenda’s life, looking back, it is beautiful to see how each huge hurdle was God’s turning point for the next best thing in her.  The other ladies had so much evil in their young lives, and the book reveals it, graphically at times, but most are able to overcome.  Its called a whole way house because Brenda added in the element of faith and trusting Christ. 

I am not sure why the tag line is ‘Seven women fighting the odds for survival on the outside’, there were more than seven ladies’ stories shared.  Also the book begins with cuss words not spelled out but --- then in the middle it changed to printing the whole word.  It would be better for the same format to be used through out.   I also wished there would have been some pictures.

Overall, Miss Brenda & the Loveladies was truly a page-turner:  will they come back from Thanksgiving?, will they go back to drugs?...I stayed up too late to finish it one night.  I really recommend this book for anyone, but especially anyone interested in prison ministry, poverty or drugs. 

I got this book for free by agreeing to blog about it from Blogging for Books and WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing

I was inspired by this book because of what Jesus says in Matthew 25:

34Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

I have (or can rationalize) doing all of these at one time, except the visit in prison.

Hungry-we donate to food pantries, give crackers to homeless on the street and have served food at Church Under the Bridge

Thirsty-donated to dig wells in Africa

Stranger-of course this is my favorite and I help with English and other things with refugees and other internationals

Naked-we donate clothes

Sick-this one not a lot but we have helped sick friends

Prison-Lydia baked cookies in GAs for a lady who visits and I ate one…nope that’s even too much of a stretch. 

I don’t feel like God is calling me to prison ministry at this time but I do know that as a believer we are called to all that he says.  I know doing these things in a relationship and not just a donation is so important too, and I am glad to hear of Brenda’s successful personal ministry!