David Meigs is a novelist with a background in youth outreach, specializing in ministry to at-risk youth and their families. Though his writing is enjoyed by all ages, his novels provide a unique, life-changing quality, critical for the youth of today. David and his family lives in Seabeck, Washington, where he serves his church as youth pastor.

Frankly, if I were to read in a novel some of the true-life-stories of the people I’ve ministered to over the years, I would think it too far-fetched and simply put the book down. We live in a broken world, filled with broken people.

I usually start a counseling session with the statement, “There is nothing you could tell me that I haven’t heard before.” It’s sad, but true, and I’ve not been surprised for a long, long time. I’ve heard it all; lives gutted by rape, kidnappings, torture, prostitution, cults, substance abuse, satanism, sex slavery, manslaughter, and even murder, to name a few. I won’t mention the stranger ones—you wouldn’t believe me.

The good news is that the Great Physician is still in the business of rebuilding lives today. Moreover, that life-transforming power is not restricted only to churches or other ministries, but can also be found in the pages of many wonderful novels. In fact, I’ve found some novels to be especially helpful at unlocking the hearts of people who seem hopelessly stuck.

One novel I highly recommend is Divine (Tyndale House), by Karen Kingsbury. Set in Washington DC, the story follows the life of Mary Madison, who, after overcoming unspeakable horrors in her past, has dedicated her life to bringing hope to other young women through a battered women’s shelter she operates.

Emma Johnson is a single mother locked in a never-ending cycle of drug addiction and an abusive marriage. Completely without hope, Emma planned her own suicide. However, before she kills herself, she must keep one promise she made to Mary. It was the same promise required of every occupant in the shelter—they must stay long enough to hear Mary tell her life story, told over the course of several days.

With each telling, Emma sees much of her own experiences in those of Mary, and soon gains a new perspective on her life. I don’t want to spoil the book by telling you too much, so if you want to find out how things turnout for Emma, you’ll have to buy the book. I highly recommend it.

Author Bio: USA Today and New York Times best-selling author Karen Kingsbury is America’s #1 inspirational novelist. There are more than ten million copies of her award-winning books in print, including two million copies sold in the past year. Karen has written more than forty novels, nine of which have hit #1 on national lists, including award-winning Ever After, Oceans Apart, and One Tuesday Morning. Karen has also written many best-selling series including The Redemption Series and the Firstborn Series. Several of her recent novels, including Like Dandelion Dust, A Thousand Tomorrows, and Gideon’s Gift are currently under production as full-length movies with major motion picture companies and will be appearing in theaters soon. Karen lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, Don, and their six children, three of whom are adopted from Haiti.