Written in her refreshingly honest, trademark storytelling voice, Moston’s Going South-with the God of Jacob’s and My Mistakes is a candid account of the messes we get ourselves into and the abundant grace that gets us out of them. When Bob and Marcia Moston told their friends they were moving south, they meant it as a geographical move. They didn’t expect their plans to go south too.

Trusting his wife’s previously sound judgment, Bob agrees to have Marcia go ahead of him and pick out a house-an efficient, low-maintenance one. It was a good plan. If only Marcia had stuck to it.

But when she veers from the plan and buys a fixer-upper, the couple find themselves overwhelmed with the consequences of a seemingly bad decision. Marcia looks for encouragement in the story of Jacob-the patriarchal bad boy, remembered more for the predicaments he got himself into than for his commendable deeds-and the God who is not deterred by our plots, plans, stratagems, and side trips.

She discovers the house is not the only thing being renovated. The God of Jacob is busy renovating their hearts and is as present in the dust and debris of her own decisions as he was in Jacob’s.

Written with heart, humor, and biblical insight, Going South-with the God of Jacob’s and My Mistakes offers hope and encouragement to those who find their lives upturned by a geographical move, a chaotic economy, a backfired dream, or just a plain bad choice.