"This imaginative Christmas novel by Richard M. Barry tells the story of an adopted son with a mysterious connection to the Messiah, who seeks the truth about his birth thirty years later. The Shepherds' Prayer is a story that reminds us of two things. First, we remember that the humble will be lifted up and confound the wisdom of the wise. Secondly, Barry's novel reminds us of perhaps how we often react to the difficult and painful circumstances in our lives."

– Chuck Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship Ministry

---

“Richard Barry's novel, ‘The Shepherds' Prayer', is a Christmas treasure! Reading ‘The Shepherds' Prayer', I imagined how the shepherds must have felt on that blessed night of Christ's birth more than 2,000 years ago; so afraid when the angel of the Lord appeared to them with the news of the Savior's birth, yet trusting completely in the word of God. ‘The Shepherds' Prayer' tells the tale of one man's search for the truth of who he is, where he came from, and how he fits into God's story. Anam's search is our search – when we seek the truth, we always find Christ!”

-- Jeff Cavins, author and creator of The Great Adventure, The Bible Timeline

---

“Richard Barry's fictitious story of Anam's journey in 'The Shepherd's Prayer' drew me to the cradle of Our Lord like no other story before. It allowed my imagination to experience what an extraordinary grace the nativity was for those who witnessed it and for those who would come to know Christ for the next two thousand years. A must-read for all ages, 'The Shepherd's Prayer is a classic tale that will transport its readers to the very moment when the Word is made Flesh.”

– Matthew Pinto, Founder and president, Ascension Press

---

THE SHEPHERD'S PRAYER tells the story of Jesus' birth from the viewpoint of nearby shepherds who were first-hand observers of the wondrous heavenly visitation surrounding the events of the day.

How would simple herdsmen have reacted to an angelic visit, heaven opening up and bursting forth upon the countryside and the Lord, Himself, lying as a vulnerable baby in a rude cattle stall? Herod's atrocities, the bitterness of the bereaved parents, the shunning of the Jews which would eventually cost Jesus his life, are all tenderly but faithfully depicted in this simple story.

There are a few contemporary Christian authors who have a gift for retelling familiar Bible stories from a different perspective and engaging the reader in a compelling, interesting, simple way: Gene Edwards, Philip Yancy, and now, Richard Barry are certainly among those.

THE SHEPHERD's PRAYER is also a reminder that all believers have a place in the royal lineage in the kingdom of God. Through Jesus to Abraham, today's faithful are partakers of this wonderful story and heirs to the stable as well as to the heavenly realm.

This is a sweet story for all ages.

By Jeffrey E Ellis (Naperville, IL USA)

---

Whenever we think of Bethlehem, we naturally think of the birth of Christ. We're all familiar with the story of His birth and the wrath of Herod that shortly ensued on the families of the tiny village. Imagine what it must have been like to have been a parent of a male son in Bethlehem, knowing Herod had given the order to slaughter the innocents. Naturally, as parents, we would go to any length to save our child.

Now imagine a child born of Bethlehem at the time of the birth of the Messiah, his mother giving her life in an attempt to insure his safety. That child left orphaned and raised by a traveling merchant who found him in the wilderness. Richard Barry has imagined just such a story and presents it in this inspiring book, THE SHEPHERD'S PRAYER: A CHRISTMAS Novel.

The orphaned child was called Anam by those who found and raised him, which literally means "no name' in the Hebrew. This is his incredible story as he struggles to know his identity. At that time of arranged marriages, not knowing ones lineage greatly limited options for marital bliss and left one with the option of a rather mundane future existence. The only thing Anam knew of his past was that he might have come from the town of Bethlehem. When he decides he must return to Bethlehem to learn what he can of who he was, what he encounters is an incredibly inspiring tale.

Follow Anam's journey in this very well told story. This book is exceptionally well written and packed with twists and turns that will hold you to the very last word. Prepare to have your faith stirred. You will find here, one of the finest renderings of the story of the Messiah's arrival. I highly recommend this book for readers from young adults and older. This is truly a Christmas Story that you will want to not only share with your children, but that is sure to become a Christmas tradition.

If I have a knock on this book, it is that the story is only 123 pages. I could have read this story for days on end!

Pastor Monty Rainey

---

King Herod's order to kill the first-born among Jewish children in Bethlehem, told in Matthew 2: 16-18, is known as "the slaughter of the Holy Innocents." This still-chilling account has been a recent focal point in pop culture retellings of Jesus' birth and early life.

2006's Christmas hit film "Nativity Story" starts with the soldiers' organized, savage attack before rewinding to the Annunciation, birth of Christ and heroic escape into Egypt. Anne Rice's richly detailed best-seller "Out of Egypt," returns Jesus from that exile with his family. He vaguely understands His purpose and back history, recoiling with tears and horror at the fear, murder and savagery His foretold birth inspired.

In Richard Barry's swift, compelling "Shepherd's Prayer," the Nativity and the genocidal act which followed starts a story of self-discovery. Anam, a literally nameless man, grows up an outsider within a loving family until he discovers his mother gave her love and life to save him from Herod's soldiers. He takes this truth (and a cryptically inscribed lambskin) back to Bethlehem 30 years after leaving to learn more about Jesus and, by extension, himself. He's helped by men Barry correctly calls "the greatest unsung heroes in the Bible" - shepherds who first knew and saw "the night of our dear Savior's birth." (The shepherd Eli's retelling of this night, which takes up most of the book's fifth chapter, is told with appropriate dismay and awe and is a highlight.)

Although Barry's character conversations are somewhat stilted, he convincingly demonstrates Bethlehem's fear and dread in recalling Herod's attack and the fulfilled prophecy they believed inspired it. He describes the town's ostracizing and attacking the shepherds, Anam's priest father and, 30 years later, Anam himself, showing how Jesus' later words, "I came not to bring peace, but a sword," would ring true from His first appearance on earth.

The first pages of the final chapter begin with Anam telling a shepherd, "Tonight, all our prayers will be answered." Without revealing the climax, Anam and the shepherds who helped him discover his history have their mission validated, and their faith and awe fulfilled and rewarded in their hearing.

"Shepherd's Prayer" is thought-provoking across its 120 pages, using often overlooked Gospel passages toward a plausible story of faith and personal belonging. It's a worthy, if minor, side trip from the beloved Nativity story, and recommended for a quick spiritual Christmas lift.

By Anthony Pizza (FL)

---

Submit your own review of 'The Shepherds' Prayer'- click here.