For readers of Richard Paul Evans and Melody Carlson comes, Jacob’s Bell, a heartwarming Christmas story about how an unlikely friendship between an old man and a little girl saved a family. Sometimes the road to forgiveness and restoration can be a rocky one. Set in Chicago and Baltimore in 1944 with flashbacks to the 1920s, Jacob’s Bell follows Jacob MacCallum on his arduous journey to … on his arduous journey to redemption.
At one time, Jacob had it all: wealth, a wonderful family and a position as one of the most respected businessmen in Chicago. Then he made some bad decisions and all that changed. For the past twenty years he lived in an alcohol-induced haze, riddled with guilt for the dreadful things he had done to his family and his role in the untimely death of his wife. Estranged from his children and penniless, he was in and out of jail, on the street and jumping freight trains for transportation. Realizing he needed a drastic change, Jacob embarked on a journey to find his children, seek their forgiveness, and restore his relationship with them. Befriended by a pastor at a Salvation Army mission, he struggled to transform his life. Yet finally he overcame his demons, but not without a fair number of setbacks. Jacob became a Salvation Army Bell Ringer at Christmastime. While ringing his bell on a street corner one snowy day, he met a young girl who, through a series of strange coincidences, led him back to his children and facilitated Jacob’s forgiveness just in time for Christmas.
Author John Snyder pens a story of love, hardship, and reconciliation that will leave readers filled with Christmas joy.heir forgiveness, and restore his relationship with them. Befriended by a pastor at a Salvation Army mission, he struggled to transform his life. Yet finally he overcame his demons, but not without a fair number of setbacks. Jacob became a Salvation Army Bell Ringer at Christmastime. While ringing his bell on a street corner one snowy day, he met a young girl who, through a series of strange coincidences, led him back to his children and facilitated Jacob’s forgiveness just in time for Christmas.
Author John Snyder pens a story of love, hardship, and reconciliation that will leave readers filled with Christmas joy.heir forgiveness, and restore his relationship with them. Befriended by a pastor at a Salvation Army mission, he struggled to transform his life. Yet finally he overcame his demons, but not without a fair number of setbacks. Jacob became a Salvation Army Bell Ringer at Christmastime. While ringing his bell on a street corner one snowy day, he met a young girl who, through a series of strange coincidences, led him back to his children and facilitated Jacob’s forgiveness just in time for Christmas.
Author John Snyder pens a story of love, hardship, and reconciliation that will leave readers filled with Christmas joy.heir forgiveness, and restore his relationship with them. Befriended by a pastor at a Salvation Army mission, he struggled to transform his life. Yet finally he overcame his demons, but not without a fair number of setbacks. Jacob became a Salvation Army Bell Ringer at Christmastime. While ringing his bell on a street corner one snowy day, he met a young girl who, through a series of strange coincidences, led him back to his children and facilitated Jacob’s forgiveness just in time for Christmas.
Author John Snyder pens a story of love, hardship, and reconciliation that will leave readers filled with Christmas joy. coincidences, led him back to his children and facilitated Jacob’s forgiveness just in time for Christmas.
Author John Snyder pens a story of love, hardship, and reconciliation that will leave readers filled with Christmas joy.
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Jacob’s Bell by John Snyder has readers traveling to Chicago in September of 1944. Jacob McCallum is sixty-three years old and recently had a brush with death. He has been estranged from his children for over twenty years, and he now wants to make amends. At one time, Jacob was a wealthy businessman, with a loving wife and three kids. Then an accident changed his life and that of his family. Jacob has been traveling the country in an alcohol induced haze for the last ten years via freight trains. He wants to have a relationship with his children and their families, but Jacob is afraid. He enters a bar for liquid courage and ends up passed out in an alley. Pastor Howard Angel from the local Salvation Army Mission befriends Jacob and takes him back to the mission. Jacob relates his story to Howard while working on overcoming his alcohol addiction and trying to find his son, Tom. Jacob’s road to redemption and forgiveness is not without roadblocks and potholes. He must deal with his guilt over his past deeds before he can seek his children’s forgiveness. Jacob ends up in Baltimore seeking his daughter, Emma during the holiday season. He ends up becoming a Salvation Army bell ringer. One day a little girl comes by and donates all the money she has saved up for a new doll and they become friends. This one little girl will help lead Jacob to his family and obtain the forgiveness he desires. Join Jacob on his poignant journey in Jacob’s Bell.
Jacob’s Bell is a heartwarming and heart wrenching Christmas story. Jacob McCallum wants to reconnect with his family. He regrets the choices he made over twenty years ago, and Jacob knows that he will not receive a warm reception from his children. Jacob’s Bell is a man’s journey towards forgiveness, redemption, recovery and reconciliation. I thought Jacob’s Bell was well-written with steady pacing. Readers join Jacob on his emotional journey and learn valuable life lessons along the way. There is a good flow between the present and the past. How Jacob ended up in his present state is slowing revealed as the story progresses. Jacob finds faith with the aid of Pastor Howard Angel and the people at the Salvation Mission. He learns that forgiving himself will relieve him of a heavy burden and he will find freedom. The Christian elements are intertwined with the story beautifully. It is reminiscent of Melody Carlson and Dan Walsh’s novels. Jacob’s Bell is a feel-good Christmas story that will tug at your heartstrings.
Jacob McCallum had it all. Partner in a very successful business. Beautiful wife and three children. Lived in a nice house in an upscale neighborhood. In spite of all these things the demands of the business soon became too much for him. He began to drink alcohol to relieve the pressure. He soon started to hang out with all the wrong people. Before he knew it he’d lost everything he had.
For twenty long years he was homeless and drifted from town to town. He worked just enough to earn money for alcohol and cigarettes. His wife was dead and his kids wanted nothing to with him. He was overcome with quilt over the death of his wife and wanted nothing more than a second chance with his kids. Then one night while he was out on the street and sick from drinking too much a Salvation Army Officer found him and rescued him from the streets hoping to help him turn his life around.
Could Jacob ever forgive himself for what he did to his family? Would he be able to get off alcohol and straighten up his life again? Would his family forgive him and except him back into their lives?
I found this story to be very touching and realistic. I related very much to it because my parents were Salvation Army bell ringers. I attended the Salvation Army Church while I was growing up so this story had very deep meaning to me. I know for a fact that The Salvation Army is very helpful to people that are down and out.
All readers should read Jacob’s Bell because it is loaded with the Christmas Spirit. I can’t recommend it enough and I hope that you do read it this Christmas. It is sure to become a Christmas Classic.
Jacob’s Bell
A wonderful Christmas story of faith, God’s love, forgiveness, and second chances, Jacob’s Bell, by John Snyder, will warm your heart this Christmas season.
Jacob lived a life most could only dream of with a successful business, friends, and family. Yet when bad decisions take away not only his business, but his best friend and family, he finds himself on a downward spiral heading no where good. After years of hating himself for all that he had done, Jacob meet an “Angel”, a preacher at the local Salvation Army, that helps point him to God and helps him to realize there is more to life than a beer bottle. As he attempts to turn his life around, he faces many struggles, one of which is closest to his heart, getting his children whom he has been estranged from for many years, to forgive him. Can a man truly change? Is God really a God of second chances? Will Jacob’s children ever be able to move past the past and find true forgiveness for their father?
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley, but was not required to give a positive review. This is my honest opinion of this book.
I wrote this book to bring readers some Christmas spirit, and to bring to the front of mind, the important work done by the bell ringers of The Salvation Army. Jacob’s Bell: A Christmas Story, will be released everywhere on October 2, 2018.