When the world says slow down, what if God says press on?
In Redeeming the Time, Book One of the Faircourt Friends Series, Alexandra Armstrong delivers a richly layered novel that honors the spiritual depth, wisdom, and calling of seasoned Christians.
You’ll get to know seven lifelong friends – Grant & Marie Renniger, Cal & June Sherman, Marcus & Ava Van Zant, and Elodie Ford – who pool their resources and purchase a large turn-of-the-20th-century house in fictional Faircourt, Kentucky, determined to live their retirement years missionally among new neighbors. Only they have no idea of the hurts and secrets their neighbors bear, nor of the challenges providentially appointed for them.
In spite of testing, these spunky, sometimes hilarious friends are a witness to the beauty of lives still bearing fruit and refusing to settle for comfort when purpose still calls. From quiet moments of prayer to bold steps of service, each page reflects the longing of relatable retirees, beset with quirks and weaknesses, to serve and honor Christ.
Redeeming the Time is a novel of hope, purpose, and joyful obedience. It speaks to every believer who wonders what it means to live faithfully in the later chapters of life. The answer is simple and profound: God still has work for you to do.
Discover why Faircourt is hard to leave.
Welcome back to Faircourt and your multigenerational friends on Cedar Street, where real life includes sanctifying conflict sprinkled with the happy and hilarious.
Ava is now the part-time secretary at Grace Fellowship Church and undertakes a project to purge the membership roll, yielding surprise and mystery.
Grant's lovable 94-year-old mother, known for lacking of a verbal filter, is joyfully welcomed for a holiday visit where she shares her sharp wit and disarming wisdom and flusters the neighborhood curmudgeon, Christine Williams.
Chase learns a hard lesson about choosing friends wisely when he doesn't. Cal's doctor prescribes a change in meds with a comical side effect. And new neighbor, 40-something Shelby Norman, finds the best and worst situations happen at the coffee shop, Latte Da.
Woven throughout this second book in the Faircourt Friends Series is the challenging call to count the cost of discipleship whether you're a new or mature believer.
Everyone is delighted to welcome you back to share their lives on Cedar Street – including a new permanent resident in the household of lifelong friends!
Grant and Elodie make diligent efforts to obey God and receive opposite outcomes. One is instantly rewarded, and one is seemingly punished and struggling to make sense of it.
DeShawn and Mariana have moved in with Bobby McBride and opened his eyes to the beauty of authentic Christianity in the face of opposition. Will it open his heart as well?
Will and Shelby make a friend and some plans at Latte Da. A farm pond baptism service seemed like a good idea, but comically wasn’t. And Christine Williams’ meddling spins out of her control with disastrous consequences. Will she ever learn?
In Steadfast Under Trial, you’ll be encouraged to see all of life’s twists and challenges as tools in the skillful hand of our sovereign God to grow us into Christ’s likeness.
The Faircourt Friends welcome you back to their lively Cedar Street neighborhood to witness that painful histories, fearful circumstances, and even sinful failure are no obstacle for God to work beautiful and abundant blessings on behalf of His children.
Five, the shy and quirky barista at Latte Da, is transformed by new management, the kindness of senior citizens, and, ultimately, by the gospel of grace.
Grant uncovers the disturbing activity of a member of Grace Fellowship Church and is obligated to report it. Will church discipline develop or destroy the man?
Spiteful Christine Williams is surprised by the return of a figure from her past. She discovers that welcoming him is a tragic mistake when her rare generosity is repaid with evil.
But as always, humorous situations abound as Marcus becomes obsessed with a catchphrase from a classic TV show. G-Lu volunteers Grant to lead activities at Pleasant Pond Retirement Village. And Cal frustrates his housemates by keeping his Secret Santa secret this year. He can’t win.
In Walking By Faith, the fourth book in the Faircourt Friends Series of contemporary Christian fiction, you’ll be encouraged that having all the answers is not what God requires. Instead, He delights when we trust Him and follow where He leads.
Book Five in the
Faircourt Friends Series
COMING IN NOVEMBER!
Don’t miss the big things happening in cozy little Faircourt!
Marcus and Ava receive life-changing news and must make a corresponding decision - if they can ever come to an agreement. Will becomes a hero when he courageously saves the lives of an elderly couple. And Christine Williams finally figures out the identity of LYE, prompting an extravagant response.
Of course antics and adventure are part of life’s mix. Cal shows off his hidden circus freak feature for cash at Garage Cave night. Tom Farmer unwittingly invents Heavyweight Combat Evangelism. And Elodie, June, Ava, and Marie advertise for VBS on Main Street in inflatable dinosaur costumes.
But, as happens in life, in the midst of blessing and growth comes a heartbreaking loss with waves of repercussions. Will the seed of sorrow bear a bitter or sweet harvest for the Friends and their neighbors?
In Rejoicing In Hope, the fifth and final book in the Faircourt Friends Series of contemporary Christian fiction, you’ll discover that mountain tops of blessing are sometimes enveloped in clouds of testing. Yet even the darkest clouds pour rain that sprouts seeds of faith, maturity, and hope.
from the Author's Preface
What would you say if you were handed a bullhorn and invited to speak to your city?
My "bullhorn" was a bi-weekly religious feature column I was privileged to write for the Dubuque Telegraph-Herald over four years. This media outlet offered access to approximately 30,000 local households, and I took the opportunity to present the gospel of Jesus Christ and to disciple His followers. I used personal circumstances and current events to demonstrate how Christians, supported by an informed, Biblical worldview, can exalt Christ.
I laughed that God would provide such an opening in secular media. All I did was send three sample articles, unsolicited, to the features editor and ask for the chance. The door swung wide open. But most incredible was the fact that He was using me to be a witness to my community. My only qualification was being the recipient of His steadfast love and unmerited grace.
This book is a collection of columns, in their published order, which I wrote for the people of Dubuque, Iowa, and the surrounding area. It is not all of them. Some columns have had minor modifications and edits for consistency within this volume.
I sincerely hope this collection will glorify God, edify saints, and encourage the women of Christ's church to look for the unlikely place to serve Him.
