Scandalon: Running from Shame and Finding God's Scandalous Love

by Susan Elaine Jenkins

Overview

Running from scandal--in her family, church, and community life--Susan moves from California to China. At first, the adventure of experiencing an exotic culture brings the escape she craves. Gradually, as the layers of mystery and reserve fall away, she gets to know her new Chinese friends on deeper levels. At the same time, the self-protective layers around her own heart peel back painfully, exposing her inner brokenness.

In this vivid and transparent memoir, Susan takes us on a fascinating journey into the streets and homes of modern China. The travel memoir is interspersed with Susan's personal story of emotional and spiritual sabotage, shame, and shattered dreams. It all comes together as she opens her heart anew to God's love--the most scandalous love of all.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780981892900
Publisher:	CLADACH Publishing
Publication date:	07/01/2009
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Susan Elaine Jenkins lived in China for fifteen years, teaching the performing arts in international schools. She experienced and collected fascinating stories of people and life in the great country of China. Like her own personal story, these are often stories of disappointment, abuse, shame, and healing love. She shares these experiences both through writing and public speaking.
Susan grew up in California, where her preacher father pastored several churches, and where she now lives and works in the field of education.
Though Scandalon is Susan's first book, she has been writing all her life. From her imaginative, storytelling, book-loving mother, she learned early the joy of words. Her favorite childhood toy was an old, black typewriter that she lugged everywhere-creating stories to share with her classmates at school. Susan loves teaching, traveling, cooking, and keeping in touch with family and friends. She is currently writing a novel.

Editorial Reviews

"Scandalon is rich in its account of pain and triumph, confusion and clarity.... An enthralling story that touches the very depth of the heart.... May God use Ms. Jenkins' personal journey of character, heart and soul to reach and restore, revive and rescue, resolve and repair, replenish and release, renew and revitalize - its readers into the next phase of their life's journey." - Anita McLaughlin, INDEPENDENT VOICES

“With disarming vulnerability Susan Elaine Jenkins unfolds a personal memoir spanning fifteen years and two continents. While teaching school in Mainland China she reflects on the most important relationships of her life: with her father, her husband and her pastor. She unfolds a compelling spiritual passage traveling beyond despair to deliverance which can encourage any reader to soulfully reflect on the greatest relationship of all, one with Jesus Christ. Jenkins captivates the reader with cultural insights and candid appraisal of life as an American expatriate in modern day China while alternately chronicling her exploitation by a person in a position of trust. From the darkness of sin a story of courage and victory is penned.” − David Krome, TAMAR'S VOICE

“You’ll be pulled right along, holding your breath to find out what happens next. … Jenkins shares something she has come to understand: ‘The brokenness and malfunction that was left in the wake of sin was in itself becoming a way of finding God.’ That’s a lesson that will stay with the reader. I hope Jenkins will continue to write and publish in her fresh style because she will surely touch the lives of many.” − Shirley Brosius, author, Sisterhood of Faith

From the Publisher