Man Bites Dog? Woman's Prison Story and Christian Non-Fiction Come Together

Book Review: "Treasures of Darkness, a Prison Journey"

Who'd a Thunk it?  A No-holds-barred Personal Journal of One Woman's Journey

It's all there.  The violence, the drugs, the power hierarchies, the payoffs, the intimidation, the lesbians, and the crooked guards.  Enter a suburban housewife who admittedly "did the deed," and was sent to real prison for a complex financial fraud, that offered her no potential gain, but inadvertently caused others loss.  How does she negotiate the world of professional criminals, mentally and emotionally challenged, and often desperate women in prison?

Trish Jenkins wrote letters home to her husband a young girls all during her ordeal.  What she couldn't send them for fear of retribution by staff or fellow inmates, she recorded in a journal for later.  After serving every day of her sentence, she turned the detailed history of her life behind bars into a compelling honest book that will chill you and sometimes thrill you.

Trish Jenkins, author, "Treasures of Darkness, a Prison Journey"

You see, Trish Jenkins is also a Bible believing Christian, sold out for Jesus.  She determined to make every facility where she did time into a place of ministry.  Her constant thought was about how she could take this awful experience, and like Paul, make it into something good and eternal for Jesus.

I'll be the first to admit that at times her faithful acts seemed to good to be true.  Who knows, she might have embellished here and there.  However, there are many, many witnesses to what she did.  I suspect that if she's not telling it straight, some of those would be challenging her.  So, I'm taking her at her word.

The other thought that kept coming back to me was "what would I have done, given her circumstances."  I'm 150 pounds soaking wet.  I would be a big target in a men's facility.  Could I hold it together, keep my focus on Christ, and not merely crumble?  Would it be on my mind to tell those around me about Jesus at every possible chance?

Trish didn't pull it all together every day or even every hour on any given day.  She shares her heartbreaks, depression, and more.  She gives us a momentary glimpse into the re-entry into the real world afterwords, which in some ways seems to have been worse than the time in prison.  You start to see why some criminals prefer the inside, with clear rules and three squares.

Usually, book reviews cover the quality of the writing long before this.  However, the real power of this book is in the first person narrative, honestly and completely revealed.  Having said that, Trish Jenkins is a fine writer who tells the story clearly, and with passion.

While there were many lessons and takeaways from this work, my favorite line was:

"Many of us dream of having a great ministry; but we want it on our terms.  We don't really count the cost, because we cannot really see what the cost will be.  Yet only by willingly paying the cost can we appreciate the joy and satisfaction of fulfilling our call."

I also appreciated her oft repeated prayer regarding a situation or ministry:  "Lord, help me to be effective."

"Treasures of Darkness, a Prison Journey," is available on Amazon.com.

If You Love Christian Fiction from Ted Dekker, Randy Alcorn, Paul Young

You Are Going to Get a Real Treat with "The Masters Quilt (Giants in the earth)" by Michael Webb

For some who love to get lost in a great novel, there is just not enough great writers working in Christian Fiction.  You find a new author to love, and soon you've read everything the guy has to offer.  Then there is the withdrawal, the idea that there will be a new one for Christmas.  My kids don't even ask me what I want for Christmas anymore.

The really good news is that I have found an author you probably don't know anything about.  And he has three other published works available right now.  And I even happen to know that there's another one coming shortly.  The Master's Quilt is the first in a trilogy called Giants in the Earth.  I have just completed this book and will be reading the other two very soon.  I'll report on the others here.

Michael Webb brings so much more than just nail biting action to the stage.  He has an amazing knowledge of history and the inter-relationships of the major players during 1st Century AD.  He weaves tales of deceit and manipulation that provide us one view of what might have been going on behind the scenes as Pilate, Saul of Tarsus, Herod Antipas, Caiaphas and others battled for power.

There is seemingly never ending stream of specific anthropological, cultural, and religious insights that help us to see more clearly what the struggle between Rome, the Jews, and the new Christians was really all about.  Add the spiritual realm to the equation to complete a tapestry that keeps you guessing throughout the work.

Some reviewers on Amazon have argued that the book starts off a little slow.  I would encourage every reader to give the book 50 pages.  I would compare the opening to Dicken's "A Tale of Two Cities."  I started that book twice, and only the third time did I finish it.  The reason is the same.  There are many, many characters, and they have very odd names.

In the headline, I compared Michael Webb to some huge authors.  He is actually a better writer than Young or Dekker.  His story lines are equal to any of the three.  His research is as good as Alcorn.  I'll give Alcorn an edge on writing, but not by much.

You can get any of Webb's Books on Kindle for under $5.  As of today, this book is available free on Kindle.  I think it is normally $2.99.