Lynne's Book Reviews

Gone in a Heartbeat

By David and Marie Works



Synopsis (Barnes and Noble)

On a snowy Sunday morning in December, David and Marie Works and their four daughters were about to leave churcha typical scene for thousands of familieswhen suddenly a gunman appeared, shooting at anyone who got in his way. Rachel and Stephanie Works were killed, and David was critically wounded.The shootings at New Life Church are one of Americas greatest recent tragedies. At the heart of that tragedy is the Works family. A mom and dad left to cope without two of their daughters, two sisters left to grieve the loss of their siblings. How do you make sense of a gunman who goes to churchdetermined to kill thousands of people? Is forgiveness possible? Is moving on?For the first time, David and Marie Works reveal the complete story of that fateful day, how theyve coped since then, details of their emotional meeting with the gunmans family, and what they learned when a parents worst nightmare became reality. For anyone facing their world turned upside down, Gone in a Heartbeat tells a true story of hope and fearless faith.

My thoughts: I know...I don't why I read these books. For some reason, though, they don't make me depressed. They inspire me. The way this family forgave the family of the 19-year-old kid who randomly shot and killed their two daughters is beyond belief. The Works family reached out to his parents because they too had lost a son (he was killed by a security guard at the church) and had no one to reach out to. The family's forgiveness towards the gunman's family helped them heal, and their faith in God and His commandment to forgive was foremost in their minds. The description of the first meeting between the two families is heartwrenching and emotional. I cannot imagine the pain. I hope I would be able to forgive like that. I know God would have to help me out there :)

Loved the book.

***** 5 Stars