Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Blog Tour: Holy Roller by Julie Lyons

My husband enjoys reading honest accounts about how the Holy Spirit moves in the lives of those in desperate need of deliverance so I passed this book on to him. He says:

Julie Lyons' description of her spiritual experiences in the Pentecostal church in south Dallas portrays not only the power of the Holy Spirit at work in people’s lives but also the false preachers who prey upon the congregation. This was an easy to read, honest account. The story moved smoothly with no dead spots. Julie Lyons obviously has no ax to grind since she still attends this church.


SUMMARY:

Julie Lyons was working as a crime reporter when she followed a hunch into the South Dallas ghetto. She wasn’t hunting drug dealers, but drug addicts who had been supernaturally healed of their addictions. Was there a church in the most violent part of the city that prayed for addicts and got results? At The Body of Christ Assembly, a rundown church on an out-of-the-way street, Lyons found the story she was looking for. The minister welcomed criminals, prostitutes, and street people–anyone who needed God. He prayed for the sick, the addicted, and the demon-possessed, and people were supernaturally healed. Lyons’s story landed on the front page of the Dallas Times Herald. But she got much more than just a great story, she found an unlikely spiritual home. Though the parishioners at The Body of Christ Assembly are black and Pentecostal, and Lyons is white and from a traditional church background, she embraced their spirituality–that of “the Holy Ghost and fire.” It’s all here in Holy Roller–the stories of people desperate for God’s help. And the actions of a God who doesn’t forget the people who need His power.


Author Bio:
Julie Lyons is an award-winning writer, editor and investigative reporter who for more than 11 years served as editor-in-chief of the Dallas Observer, an alternative weekly newspaper owned by Village Voice Media. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University and a B.A. in English from Seattle Pacific University. She and her husband, Larry Lyons Jr., live in Dallas with their son.

You can purchase this book from Amazon or from Random House.

3 comments:

Jake Chambers said...

jess...you continue to amaze me. the reviews you give on these obvious great reads / books.... you have to be a speed reader.. right? where do you find the time? its tough enough for me to get thru my monthly BASSMASTER magazine...little on a novel.. but then...that's what makes you JESS.

Jessica Ferguson said...

I love how my friends give me so much credit. :) I am NOT a speed reader. In fact, I'm not even a good 'skimmer' - just never acquired that talent. Jake, you skipped the line where I said I passed this book off to my husband. :) But thanks for believing I'm a super-talented super-woman.

Debra Harris-Johnson said...

Your blog keeps me super motivated.
I've met such wonderful and helpful authors that have encouraged me. Keep up the good work. I am going to have to find a red cape with "J" on the back.

I'm sure that will make a statement at work about you. LOL