Soul Restoration: Hope for the Weary by Terri Blackstock

Blackstock, formerly a writer of secular romantic novels, is now an author of Christian fiction (none of which have I read). At the conclusion of her novels Blackstock has made it her habit to write a short afterword stating clearly the spiritual point that she has tried to flesh out in her story. These afterwords, with some additions, comprise the content of this little devotional book.

Soul Restoration contains two dozen inspirational readings which, for the most part, are true to Scripture and helpful to the reader. There are exceptions to this as Blackstock occasionally uses Scripture out of context or claims an extrabiblical promoting from the Lord. The most notorious of such accounts is on page 32 in which the Lord supposedly prompted her to read Isaiah 49:24-25, take it out of context and claim a promise from Him for a spiritual healing for a friend’s unsaved daughter. Although there has not yet been repentance on the part of the daughter, Blackstock is convinced that the young lady will turn to the Lord—because God has “given her His word.” Fortunately, although there are a few other poor uses of Scripture, this is the only blatant twisting of truths in this devotional.

Blackstone writes in a winsome, transparent style and, except for the instances mentioned above, what she has to say may be encouraging to many readers.