The Narrow Road Between Religion and the River

We are all born sinners—but we’re given the chance to either walk with Jesus Christ or remain a sinner. James Patterson illustrates this concept in his Christian novel The Narrow Road between Religion and the River. After losing his job, Garrett meets a man whose life changed years earlier after falling asleep at the wheel on his way home. The man’s wife, daughter and the teenage driver of another car were all killed in the accident. The ensuing media coverage cost him his job. Boozed up and feeling like he couldn’t take anymore, the man traveled to the river between the Northern and Southern Lands and prepared to jump over the cliff into the raging waters below. But he heard a voice as he approached the edge. Soon he was laying his life bare to a stranger who appeared before him, who told him that he could stay in the Southern Lands or cross a bridge into the Northern Lands if he put his life in Christ’s hands. The man walked over the bridge and began his hike to redemption, resulting in Garrett choosing to do the same. Through this allegorical tale, author James Patterson shares both scripture and his own life experiences to remind us all of the choice we must make.