A Mile from Sunday
Jo Kadlecek
Navpress, August 2006
ISBN: 1600060285

The first message on her voicemail claimed to be the Almighty directing Denver Dispatch religion reporter Jonna Lightfoot McLaughlin to join other young females to worship him in the nearby canyon. Jonna ignores the message, as the voice sounded more like a whiner who could not even get her name right. She thought of going to the cops, but decided a chocolate bar was a more heavenly solution. Still, Jonna seeks inspirational stories, though miracles are few if any, even though her parents think otherwise, having named their children Mark, Matthew, Luke and Jonna.

More voicemail messages arrive, leading to Jonna following up on them. This takes her into the inner world of religion, which looks even more deceitful and conniving than politics, as beliefs have nothing to do with several power hungry leaders taking what they claim as their divine right. Still, she adheres to her beliefs while visiting a multitude of religions looking for a good uplifting story. She finds one exception, hunk Terry Choyce of the Catholic Outreach, but she knows that might be just her attraction to him. It is when she meets Jedediah Sundae and his Into the Fields Fellowship Program that looks suspicious, as Jonna has become a doubting Thomasette, and yet it somehow seems possible that she has found the inspiration at the same time.

The key to this delightful chick lit Christian tale is Jonna, whose first person account is similar to how many people feel towards religion and beliefs. Thus the audience receives a thought provoking character study starring a wonderful protagonist, who displays the tolerance towards other religions as she would have expected Jesus to do likewise. A MILE FROM SUNDAY is an inspiring tale with a deep message of acceptance of other people's faith while adhering to your own convictions.