DRAMA ENSUES WHEN THE CHAOS OF THE WORLD ENTERS THE DOORS OF FIRST NAZARETH A.M.E. CHURCH.

Tressie faithfully prayed every night that God would send her a thug.  It wasn't long before her prayers were answered and she met a handsome ex-convict named Payce Boyd.  Payce is a fine ruffneck and everything Tressie ever imagined and more. That is until Tressie experiences first hand the reality of being a thug's girl. Seeking solace and comfort in the sanctuary, Tressie soon learns valuable lessons and shocking truths about herself and others.

 Share in Tressie's journey through love, lust, self-doubt, and Drama in the Church.

Be Careful What You Pray For

First Nazareth AME Church is a small church with more than its share of drama.  Some of its parishioners are stirring up more than the Holy Ghost.  Elise is the facilitator of the young adult Bible Study group.  She tries to give all her students sound spiritual guidance as they each deal with the world and things of this world.

Valencia (Val) and Julian have been dating since their freshman year of high school.  They have both committed themselves to God and each other.  They have vowed to remain virgins until they are married.  The trouble begins when Julian enters the NBA draft early. Val may find herself and their vows taking a back seat to the almighty dollar and bright lights of fame.

Olivia is the naive one of the group.  She ends up pregnant by her first boyfriend, Bryant.  Of his many vices, Bryant shares the joy of smoking pot on a near daily basis with Danyelle, Olivia's sister.  He also conveniently disappears around her friends and from her occasionally.  When Olivia is duped into making a public confession about her pregnancy, she tries to get some order back in her life.  But, Bryant eventually disappears again, taking more than just her virginity with him.

Tressie is the confident one of the study group.  She knows what she wants and prays to God to send it to her.  She wants a man, and not just any man, but a thug.  When she meets Pacye, she knows that God has answered her prayers, but must decide if he is really worth the turmoil he places in her life. 

As Elise tries to teach these young adults about living for God, she is having some drama of her own.  Her husband, Miles, is having a few problems in the bedroom and they have tried everything, except some of her own advice.  When a handsome stranger finds his way into Elise's life, Miles may have other worries to contend with.

In DRAMA IN THE CHURCH, Dynah Zale has crafted a rather appealing saga about the church that had me glued to my seat as I greedily read each morsel of this fast-paced, action-packed read.   It was crammed tight with drama and spiritual lessons.  Ms. Zale covered a multitude of sins and lessons found in First Nazareth AME Church. I thought my little church had the corner on drama, but there was lying, scheming, deception, fornicating and backstabbing going on within these pages.  Through all of these sinful deeds, Ms. Zale weaves a few lessons on Jesus Christ's redemptive powers.  First of all, she showed that just because you accept Christ as your personal savior, doesn't mean it stops there.  You must maintain a constant and consistently close relationship with God when it comes to the dealing with worldly issues.  She imparts that we all make mistakes, but no matter what the mistakes are, take them to God.  He forgives and is always willing to accept you back.  She covered the healing power of forgiveness that we should be able to give each other.  Although this was an advance reading copy, I pray that some additional editing was done before going to print.

Reviewed by Brenda M. Lisbon
of RAWSISTAZ.com