Therese Anne Fowler's It All Comes Down to This is a warm, keenly perceptive novel of sisterhood, heartbreak, home, and what it takes to remake a life at its halfway point, for fans of Ann Patchett and Emma Straub. Matthew has pointed out for us, again and again, that Jesus is not merely a man, He’s not merely a miracle worker, He’s not merely a great teacher, and He’s not merely Messiah. Jesus is the Son of God and He is Lord of all! The loss of their mother wasn’t exactly a surprise, they knew there was a strong potential for it on the horizon, but hoped for more time with her. Jesus doesn’t say that we are to make converts. Jesus doesn’t say for us to simply try to fill the pews. Jesus doesn’t say for us to be a mile wide and an inch deep.

Karen English has created a brilliant cast of complex characters. They are fully realized, nuanced people, flaws and all. She manages to highlight their humanity, no matter what happens. I appreciate that Jennifer and her family try hard to not see skin color as an issue, but that we also understand how impossible this is. It's only in the past few years that I have come to see my own ignorance in claiming to not see this difference.

come down to (some place)

However, when he arrives, he finds there are other house guests—Ms. Dierdre Callaghan (Joseph's aunt) and her eight-year-old grandson, Arlo. Not what he planned; however, soon they become friends, and he decides to extend his stay by helping her out. As for that original secret and the lies that followed, she knew that she was weak for not revealing any of it while she was still living. But regrets or not, she refused to do the deathbed-confessions thing. Her girls would find out later. Let’s not hang our heads about the last year, let’s look forward to the future as Jesus is with us! C.J. was extremely fortunate to have had that money in the first place, especially as he hadn’t earned most of it himself; he’d inherited a pile—no, a mound—of money from his paternal grandmother, who had never judged him for wanting to take a different path. But he didn’t have more millions coming to him the way some of his kind did, because he had not returned to Aiken to make amends and was determined not to do so. Ever. He was also out of a job. And a wife. A daughter, too, damn it all, though he hoped to rectify that, if not the rest. Not exactly what I anticipated when I read in a blurb that a mother's death is drawing a family together. But there are mentions of everything from some uh, less mainstream sexual acts, to prostitution, masturbation...and I won't say any more than that because I don't really need to relive it. I suppose in a sense some of this helped to make 'the plot' work, but trust me when I say the plot drags on and on for a book that isn't particularly long to begin with and had such a strange ending, I had no idea what the author was getting at in terms of character arcs. I don't consider myself a prude by any stretch, but this was not a romance novel, yet it kept attempting to be one and I just got tired of it.

The main character is Sophie (Sophia), who is 12-years-old. She has some experiences with racism from other teenage girls in her upper-class mixed neighborhood. Sohpie's family is light, and the sister is able to pass for white, and Sophie learns some lessons from her sister's experiences, too. The family has a maid, Mrs. Baylor, who mothers Sophie a bit and opens up to Sophie about part of her past. With her keen eye for human foibles and emotional truth, humor and deep feeling, acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Therese Anne Fowler delivers a stylish, insightful take on the dysfunctional family dramedy. After considering the mission, if you really are committed to the Bible and obedience to God, I believe you will realize the mission is for you. When we go in the name of Jesus, on mission for Jesus, with the authority of Jesus, He is with us. We have His authority to go.I'm not sure if the author intended this story to pull on the heartstrings, but I couldn't help but have a little cry at the end of it. Possibly it is a cry for having to leave Sophie to continue her life and not know what happens to her next , or maybe its a cry for Sophie, knowing I leave her to continue her struggles with the prejudice she receives. Who knows, but I'm crying just the same, which is wonderful! I love a book that makes me cry.. With her keen eye for human foibles and emotional truth, humor and deep feeling, acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Therese Anne Fowler's It All Comes Down to This delivers a stylish, insightful take on the dysfunctional family dramedy.

Contrary to Fowler’s previous books, IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS is a true slow-burn family drama. Though the action is limited, she keeps the plot moving by employing her keen eye for relationship dynamics in marriage, sisterhood and found family. There’s no doubt that the characters are beautifully rendered and smartly written, but the true tension comes from the dramatic irony she uses to tie each of their plotlines together. While every member of the Geller family --- and even some of the supporting characters --- has their own secrets, the reader is privy to all of them and can see when another character is coming too close to (or entirely missing) the truth. Although the action can be quite slow, it is this clever construction that makes the book subversive and smart in its approach to bigger themes like classism, feminism and sexuality. Each Geller woman handles these issues in different ways that set them apart while continuing to fill in the family lore and metaphorical photo album. Well, just like a little newborn horse that stands up on its legs and tries to practice walking, so also, practice the mission this week. Pray for a missionary, offer to pray for someone in the community, serve someone else and tell them that you’re doing so because you love Jesus and Jesus loves them, share the story of how Jesus has changed you with a friend or neighbor; practice the mission. Remember, as you do so, Jesus is with you, to the very end. God is with us. Jesus is with us. As our lives are changed, and we go out on His mission, His power and authority are with us.

Therese Anne Fowler

Three woman who join together to rent a large space along the beach in Los Angeles for their stores—a gift shop, a bakery, and a bookstore—become fast friends as they each experience the highs, and lows, of love. Notice, that verse 17 says those present worshiped Jesus. They recognized that He had divine authority. They knew Him to be the Son of God. They knew Him to be Lord. If these Jewish people had worshiped Jesus, and He wasn’t really God the Son, what they were doing would have been an abomination; it would have been blasphemy. But He is God and He is worthy of our worship and obedience. Perhaps if I had liked one of the characters, I would have felt that “pull” - but sadly I did not. Perhaps if something happened to capture my attention, I would have liked it, but it did not. In early 2020, I released A Good Neighborhood, my modern take on classic tragedy. Many of you embraced it and supported it, and continue to do so. Thank you so much for that. This book is really good historically, too. Outside of the racism, it mentions the negro owned signs, "I am a blood brother" sign, Vietnam, riots in LA, and Spelman College. Although this book was at a high school, the reading level is 680 (lexile), which is aimed at 4th graders. That tells you that the content is PG and suitable for all ages. As an adult I liked the book, so it won't bore an older student who struggles with reading.

It could have been tighter — but if you go with the flow — there are plenty of micro tales to enjoy.Here’s a tip to carrying out the mission of God: you can’t do it on your own; we can’t do it on our own. We need Jesus. His authority as the Son of God and King of the Universe fuels the mission in us! Enter C.J. Reynolds, an enigmatic southerner ex-con with his own hidden past who complicates the situation. All is not what it seems, and everything is about to change.