Great Christian fiction by Bill Meyers. I have other books by this author and look forward to reading them.

Rendezvous with God by Bill Myers
I was fascinated by this book and its premise. Will Thomas, newly divorced English professor, has just discovered his pregnant 14-year-old niece on his doorstep between Christmas and New Year’s. Not only that, but he has begun experiencing hallucinations, or dreams where he finds himself in Israel with Jesus. He has no control over these bizarre experiences, but they begin to change him, as does the presence of his niece.
Myers presents a fresh, unjaded view of Jesus in Will’s hallucinations. At times it almost seemed irreverent but still compelling. It made me wonder about what people really thought of Jesus and ponder the scriptural stories from a new vantage point.
I loved the fact that the characters developed and changed from the beginning of the story. The story gives hope that God does continue to change his people as they continue a relationship with him.
I really enjoyed Myers’ wit and sense of humor that was peppered throughout the book. Readers who enjoy some humor and being provoked to think will like this book. I am curious to see how Myers continues the story in the next book, Renovation. I am grateful to the publisher for a free copy in return for this, my honest review.

Any book blurbed by Frank Peretti is an automatic must-read for me. So it came as somewhat of a surprise when Rendezvous with God didn't live up to my expectation. The story follows Will, a college professor whose personal life experiences upheaval when his teenage niece shows up on his doorstep, in need of a place to live. On top of that, Will begins to experience episodes in which he finds himself present at important events throughout the life of Jesus, and no one can see Will except Jesus Himself. During these episodes, Will and Jesus chat. According to this synopsis, this book should have been a hit with me.

There are two things that impacted my enjoyment of this book. The first is that the story felt like it stayed very surface level or that the attempts at substance in the characters came across as overdone caricatures. The other thing that negatively affected my investment in the story was the portrayal of Jesus as being completely unaware of some aspects of modern life. As Jesus, he would be aware.

Thanks go to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Such a fun book! This was easy reading and I finished it in one evening! It tells the story of a professor whose life is shaken up unexpectedly in multiple ways all at once. Then Jesus shows up in the middle, again in a very unexpected way. Our dear professor learns a lot of lessons about how to love others and himself.

Bill Myers has long been a favorite author, and this is a great addition to his works. Highly recommended as a quick beach/travel read.

Rated PG for some mildly graphic content
—mild language use
—some graphic content (tactfully handled)
—no overt sexual content, but some discussion of SC

Rendezvous with God by Bill Myers arrived in my mail unexpectedly a couple months ago. I remember telling Fidelis Publishing that I’d love to read and review their books. I wasn’t expecting one to arrive in the mail! Then just last week, I noticed this same book available on NetGalley! So, of course, I got it!

Will is beginning to enjoy life as a divorcée and learning to adapt to the quiet of single life when he gets a knock in the door. Not often he gets visitors, but goes to answer it regardless only to find his teenage niece standing there in the pouring rain. What is she doing at his house? Where is her mother?

His niece Amber, who prefers to be called Ambrosia, is a typical teen constantly texting the phone with headphones listening to who knows what. She’s also full of demands and refuses to listen to Will’s reasoning. After about a week, Will decided to take her home since her mother isn’t answering her phone.

All throughout this experience with Amber-Ambrosia, Will gets tossed into the past with discussions with Yeshua. Each meeting, or vision, or dream, or whatever you call it is a teaching moment for Will. Each meeting occurs at a different time and has no consistency. Will begins reading an online Bible to keep up and informed with the scene he gets thrown into.

When they get to the home Will grew up in, the one Amber calls home, he gets flashbacks of times he experienced with his parents, with his sister, with his father. These flashbacks intertwine with moments with Yeshua and reality. But they still don’t find Amber’s mother. They do notice some wrappers signaling the EMT were possibly there and took her.

What happened to Amber’s mother? Will they find her? Can Will get the courage to be comfortable in his childhood home, even with terrible flashbacks? How does Yeshua tie into all of this?

Rendezvous with God by Bill Myers is an excellent Christian fiction that gets the reader thinking and analyzing their own life and relationships. I give this book 5 out of 5 tiaras because it encouraged me to analyze my own life and my own relationship with Jesus. The tips subtly provided in this book is enough to get readers think about their own life.

“It’s just small talk that kills me. The superficial cliches. I’d take a deep, one-on-one conversation with anybody—shoe salesman or serial killer—over a room full of people speaking on autopilot.” Reclusive college Professor Will Thomas doesn’t know he’s soon gonna have some of those deep one-on-one conversations with someone who knows him better than he knows himself.

Will’s life isn’t exactly going how he planned. For one thing, he’s gonna be alone on Christmas this year. Or maybe not. His impulsive fourteen-year-old niece shows up on his doorstep on Christmas morning and announces that she needs to stay for a while. But her presence brings to mind stuff from the past that Will doesn’t want to revisit. Then Will starts slipping into moments even farther into the past, moments from the life of a guy named Yeshua. Yeshua can see him there, but no one else can. Talking with this guy kinda helps Will sort some stuff out, but he’s not ready to become a member of the “Jesus club” just yet. Maybe ever.

I grabbed a copy of this Bill Myers book because I knew of him from reading my kids the hilarious Wally McDoogle series. I figured the book would be good for an interesting story and some fun wit, and it was. What I didn’t count on was how meaningful the story would be. Can I stay life-changing? The author uses a modern (and ancient) narrative to reveal truths about the depth of love, the gift and price of free will, and what eternal hope really is. I love how he portrays Yeshua as so real and relatable. I love the witty and sometimes snarky remarks in Will’s conversations with him. I love the powerful reminders about the grace that is available to everyone if they’ll just receive it. I think I’ll never forget this book. Now I want to read everything else that Bill Myers has written. Highly recommended.

Rendezvous with God
by Bill Myers
Fidelis Publishing
Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles
Christian | General Fiction (Adult) | Religion & Spirituality
Pub Date 09 Feb 2021




I am reviewing a copy of Rendezvous with God through Fidelis Publishing and Netgalley:


This book brings out the best of Jesus Calling" and "The Shack" with a touch of humor underlining God's desire for intimate friendship.



A Professor who is reclusive has his life turned upside when his impulsive, fourteen-year-old niece decides to live with him. To make matters even more complicated he begins slipping back into Gospel times for off-the-record discussions with Jesus Christ. Soon he realizes the conversations tie directly into the drama and bitter-sweet comedy of his own life.



Rendezvous with God is an angst filled novel with lovable characters reach real-world solutions in the midst of their struggles.



I give Rendezvous with God five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

This is a very imaginative and thought provoking novel. Imagine having visions, meeting Jesus as a child and then in His later years. Imagine each of those visions creating the opportunity for insights into life and relationships, especially the relationship with the Father. Imagine reviewing life's events with observations from Jesus's perspective. Imagine the lessons on acceptance, forgiveness and the disappointment and pain we feel when God does not do what we want Him to.

This novel is a good parable about how we can be transformed by experiences, by problems. The novel is a good illustration of how much God loves us and the pain He feels when we reject Him.

Myers' writing style is a pleasure to experience. He has good dialogue and fun quips. I felt he did a good job imagining what Jesus would say and how He would respond to the questions we have. It is a bold task to put words in the mouth of Jesus but I was not offended by anything Myers imagined.

There is a very good collection of discussion questions at the end of the novel. Myers adds informative comments along with the questions. This would be a good novel for a book discussion group. And there is going to be a sequel. I'll be watching for it.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

Bill Meyers latest novel, Rendezvous with God, presents an intriguing question--what if you could talk to God face to face?
In the novel, the main character, Will, finds himself transported in his dreams and then in visions to the time of Christ, where he interacts with Jesus one on one. The situations facing Jesus mirror the challenges in Will's own life, and Will grapples with faith as he navigates the unexpected arrival of his pregnant niece on his doorstep and his sister's drug overdose.
Will's understanding of Christianity is challenged as Jesus shares the difference between having a relationship with Him and simply following rules. The book is an eye-opening experience with God in the midst of an interesting story.
The discussion questions at the end of the book provide even more thought-provoking content, challenging readers to question their own perceptions of God and their faith.
Great story with impact!
Karen
PS. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. My opinions are my own.

I’ve been reading Bill Myers’ books since I was a kid. I tripped my way through his books about renowned klutz, Wally McDoogle, went undercover with Agent Dingledorf and visited the allegorical otherworld of Fayrah. Being a huge fan of allegory, the Imager Chronicles (also known as Journeys to Fayrah) were my favorite.


As far as Myers’ adult books go, I hadn’t read anything until recently, when I began the Harbingers book series. I listen to a lot of audiobooks at work (things are even quieter than usual in the library, thanks to COVID) and am currently in Cycle 3 of the series, which is co-written by Bill Myers, Frank Peretti (another of my favorite authors), Angela Hunt and Alton Gansky.


Also recently, I signed up for NetGalley, which provides reviewers with free ebook copies. I had seen Bill make a few posts about his latest book, Rendezvous with God on his Facebook page. Plus, this was a title that was available for immediate download, which meant I didn’t need to request access from the publisher. And, I felt led to read it.


I received a courtesy ecopy of Rendezvous with God from NetGalley.
First impressions:

When I first saw the book’s cover, and based on the Facebook posts and the title, I thought it might be a devotional book. I was much more intrigued when I read the synopsis and discovered that the book was fiction.

Characterization

Myers certainly has a knack for humor, which shines through in the narrator’s strong voice. I think this is the main element that pulled me into the story within the first few sentences. And the early reference to Doritos helped.

In addition to the protagonist’s characterization, I also felt that the other main character, Ambrosia (always referred to as “Amber” by the main character. Interestingly, it’s unclear as to whether Will is shortening her name or she is pulling a “call me Cordelia”), was well-characterized and believable. Setting was clearly established early on, and the book certainly reflected our current cultural/ political climate, with references to the Coronavirus and Amber’s insistence that a male cat, Karl, be called Sabrina. After all, she argues, he’s been fixed, so it’s the “same thing.”

I also enjoyed much of the dialogue in the book: between Will and Amber, Will and his best friend/ co-worker, Sean, and Will and a co-worker, Darlene. These interactions were humorous and also exemplified Myers’ knack for characterization.

Plot line:

At the beginning of the book, I found Will’s present day reality to be more compelling than the rendezvous scenes. However, as the plot progressed, the intertwining elements between the two settings drew me more into the rendezvous moments.

Themes

For me, the book became increasingly powerful as the storyline progressed— particularly at the climax of the novel. In addition to this core scene, I also found strong truths embedded throughout. One of my favorite emphases was the distinction between the “Christian club” and the “friend” of Yeshua, illustrated with a stick-figure sketch.

Other Things I Liked

Will refers to Jesus as Yeshua
Myers isn’t afraid to challenge Americana Christianity
I read the book yesterday and have thought about it several times, today.
Overall Impression

I liked what I saw in this book. While I wouldn’t say it is the first I’ve seen of its kind, I do believe it addressed some important truths, particularly in the “religion vs. relationship” vein, that are frequently overlooked in the church. Overall, in light of my own personal experience and the fact that Jesus spoke in parables, I think that fiction is a powerful way to portray truths. I would recommend Rendezvous with God for Christians, because half of the book takes place in the Gospels. I think these references would be much more appreciated by a Christian audience. The book is not “subtly” Christian but certainly provides context and insight into accounts that are very familiar to Christians.

Will has, over the years, lost faith in many things, even faith itself. With a divorce pending, he shares his life with his pets and teaches at a college where he effectively hides from everyone in plain sight. Then the dreams begin...totally out of his beloved comfort zone physically and spiritually where he meets Yeshua as a young boy. Their conversations have Will thinking about his own life’s path when out of the blue he gets a visit from his niece Ambrosia, who is rebellious and in desperate need of love. Rendezvous with God is a book that will make you re- think what your Christian walk should look like; Jesus. The novel progresses through Will and Ambrosia’s relationship and Jesus’ ministry and sacrifice, and will have you stopping to think about what you’ve just read more than once. This book is great reading for anyone with more questions than answers, or an out-of-the-box take on how God loves us all, no matter where we meet Him on the road.

What a powerful book! This compares to "Eli", which is the first book I read by this author. While that book tackled the question of what would it look like if Jesus had come today instead of 2000 years ago. This one takes a person from the present and has him jump back in time to be taught directly by Jesus in Bible times. The lessons were poignant and the scenes were dramatic. It was such a unique and worthwhile way of presenting the Gospel message. This is one I'd definitely recommend to any Christian and to anyone who is seeking to understand more about how a relationship with God works. Special thanks to the Publisher and NetGalley for an e-copy of this book. I was under no obligation to provide a review and the thoughts contained herein are my own.

What would it be like to have a conversation with Jesus? This book isn't a po-faced doctrinal discussion but a conversation between a divorced, non-religious man who's forced to share a house with a teen, and the Son of God.

It's building interestingly enough - I myself have written fiction of this type - and I applaud those who truly try to write in the Spirit of Christ as the Bible says we will answer to God for what we teach. So, this is not Biblical all the way through, how can it be? And perhaps it doesn't need to be.

But, frustratingly, the cover and even the title may put off those who could most benefit from reading it - those who find the Bible daunting but would read a piece of semi-fiction.

Christians will probably enjoy but I'd change those elements.

The writer's done this sort of "meeting Jesus moments" done in a strange new context several times over the last few years (Jesus shows up in the modern-day, someone ties to build an artificial digital world and has to make a digital savior to make the world work, etc.). Here it works pretty well, the characters are perhaps cliche at times but lovable and the humor makes the ideas interesting even when they're ideas that other writers have done before.