Title: A Life Established by Faith and Patience
Author: Shelly Kauffman
Publisher: Outskirts Press
ISBN: 978-1478729822
Genre: Christian Living
Pages: 138
Reviewed by: Lisa Brown-Gilbert

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Pacific Book Review Star
Awarded to Books of Excellent Merit

A testament to the power of persistence and unmitigated faith in God, Shelly Kauffman’s debut novel, A Life Established by Faith and Patience shares the story of her life’s trials, tribulations, and successes, in turn demonstrating how her reliance, patience and faith in God’s plans for her life, led her to finding serenity and spiritual victory.

Starting out as a tenacious and intelligent child, author Shelly Kauffman, owned dedication and focus when it came to what she wanted out of life. Consistent with her desire to be a wife and a mom, she specifically wanted to get married straight out of high school. In fact, her thoughts of her future life as a stay at home with a loving husband and children were the crux of her aspirations for her adult life, but she needed to find the man that would be the perfect fit in her preconceived scenario.

Meanwhile, as author Kauffman moved through her school years dreaming, praying and professing her wants to God, holding fast to the belief that her desire to be a wife and mother was part of the Lord’s plan for her and would ultimately come to be. However, the other people in her life had other plans for her and wanted her to live her life according to their paradigm. Staying steadfast in her desires and beliefs, that God would bring her the perfect mate, she meets Brett, although many years her senior, a smoker and somewhat needy. The two began to form a relationship of which she thought was the answer to her requests to God, as it turned out she was also the answer to his prayers. Together they developed a relationship and built a family, but not without its issues which often tested her faith. Exploring their years together, she looks at their experiences both good and bad, with insight and grace.

Additionally, furthering her testimony of God’s working presence in her life Author Kauffman, continues to detail the many other instances where her unwavering faith in the almighty’s plan for her life was somehow seen, felt or brought to fruition. She visits the issues with her in-laws and the frustrations that came to the surface, within that relationship requiring her to wield forbearance while looking forward to the day when she could change things without resistance or interference.

Equally important, Shelly Kauffman goes on to re-visit the seemingly insurmountable times when her faith helped her to overcome, as she relied on God’s guidance. She discusses experiences like; job difficulties, problems with conceiving, various bouts of illness with her closest family members, including her own newborn child, her own experiences with ill health, as well as her husband’s traumatizing health matters, with each instance, at times compounded by the previous, disheartening, and requiring an inherent need for her to stay strong, patient and prayerful.

Without exception, A Life Established by Faith and Patience turned out to be a well written memoir, documenting a life lived through unwavering faith. I enjoyed the read, it was detailed, easy flowing, emotionally engaging, along with being demonstrative of why faith is an important aspect of Christian life. This would make a worthy addition to any Christian library.