Book Review: Beautiful on the Mountain

Beautiful on the Mountain
By Jeannie Light
Tyndale Momentum, 2014
English, 304 pgs

Amazon Product Description:
If you enjoyed the classic novel Christy and the bestselling Mitford series, then you’ll love Beautiful on the Mountain, a real-life tale about serving God in unlikely circumstances. In 1977, Jeannie Light left her fine plantation home amid heartbreak and came to Graves Mill, a tiny hamlet in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Alone in an utterly new kind of life, Jeannie was determined to find the courage to make a fresh start.

To Jeannie’s surprise, she found herself called upon by her new neighbors to open the old, deteriorated country church, a place that had once united the fractured community of mountain folk. With no training, and no small amount of trepidation, she undertook the task. And as she embarked on an unforeseen series of adventures, from heartbreaking to hilarious, Jeannie would learn more than she ever expected about faith, loving your neighbor, and doing the work that God sets in front of you. Because sometimes, God calls us to go where there is no path . . . and leave a trail.

From the Back of the Book:
She kept a .44 on the bedpost and a Bible at the Ready

When Jeannie Light came to Graves Mill in 1977, she was sure God had led her there. She's left her plantation home amid heartbreak, determined to make a fresh start by caring for the fragile tract of Blue Ridge Mountain land that was suddenly hers. But did God know what He was doing, sending her into a wilderness populated with bear hunters, poachers, and the last of the mountain people?

Jeannie had plans, but God had surprises. Her new neighbors asked her to "get the ol' church open" -- a crumbling, abandoned country church that had once united the community. The ouside world said it couldn't be done; that the hollows were too poor and isolated for a church to survive. But with no training, and no small amount of trepidation, Jeannie undertook the challenge.

Beautiful on the Mountain is the true story of Jeannie's heartbreaking and hilarious adventures in Graves Mill as she set out with her trusty dog, Tallis, by her side -- and learned more than she's ever dreamed about faith, loving your neighbor, and doing the work that God sets in front of you. Because sometimes, God calls us to go where there is no path ... and to leave a trail.

My Review:
I'm not typically a fan of biography books, but I enjoyed this one. Jeannie writes in a very personal and honest way that draws you into her adventures and experiences. You come to care about the community, with all the assorted, and sometimes crazy, people.

I appreciate that Jeannie expresses that this was not an easy undertaking, that she had doubts and that she was willing to submit herself and her dreams to God's direction. Her story should be encouraging to someone starting in a mission field or someone who just wants to be used by God for His purposes.

I received a copy of the book in exchange for a review on my blog and a commercial bookseller site. No additional compensation has been received and I was not required to write a positive review.