EMPLOYED BY GOD

In her debut work, Deitz loses the wrong job and sets out on a journey to find the right one but ends up finding something much more important—a solid relationship with the almighty.

Suddenly unemployed, Deitz spends her time building a stronger relationship with God. Using the lines from the 23rd Psalm as the format for her work, Deitz begins her journey by asking why she was fired and questions what part God played in this event. She does some soul-searching through the relating of sad tales of her friends and using their courage to find her strength. She takes the reader from recognizing personal giants in her hometown, to finding safety in a mission in Outer Mongolia, to seeing prison life as a teacher (presented through her journal entries of the time), to learning about yoga at a Buddhist retreat. She is indeed a skilled teller of tales to the point where the reader can get lost in the stories and forget the larger purpose of the work. Scattered throughout are Bible verses that add understanding to the situations or give some clarity to the lesson to be learned. Each chapter ends with a study scripture and study questions for the reader to do self-evaluations. The highlight of the work, though, is Deitz’s storytelling; she has a keen ability to fully craft characters and vividly relate events so that the reader is immersed in a substantial world. What doesn’t work so well are the tasks left unfinished; there are a few instances when God tells Deitz to do something but it does not get done or she starts down a path where her ultimate destination is unclear. But these issues do not significantly detract from the work.

A delightful read with some solid insights into a life of faith that will leave the reader asking, “Where do we go next?”