Betsy Blessing is an interim reverend at Church of the Shepherd in Nashville, TN, but when the senior pastor retires without warning the church reluctantly turns the reigns over to her. The board, for the most part, is not fully supportive of Betsy because she's a female and Edna Thompkins, Betsy's nemesis,  knows just how to get under Betsy's skin. Little does the congregation or Betsy's best friends, LaRonda and David, know that Betsy is planning to go to law school in the fall. All she has to do is get through a few months and she's free...or so she thinks.
 
Betsy's eight year friendship with fellow pastor David, suddenly takes a turn when she discovers maybe she has stronger feelings for him than she knew. How is she supposed to navigate this new water with David on top of juggling parishioners, church money that's gone missing, and her own crisis of faith? As Betsy battles for the respect she deserves at her church and the attention of a man who only thinks of her as a friend, she doubts her call to the faith and if law school is the right decision.
 
This is an inspirational Christian book and Beth Pattillo won a RITA award for it. It was an engaging read with plenty of humor. The writing is conversational, so it feels like Betsy is talking directly to the reader at times. At first that kind of annoyed me, but then I really started to like Betsy and find her endearing. She's dealing with an issue that I think many females have to juggle: how to be a woman in a man's world. Especially since she's a pastor! The book deals with forgiveness, faith, courage, and struggle.
 
Although this is a Christian book, it does not shove the Bible in your face. Instead, you see how Betsy's faith really works in her life and how she relys on the Lord for inspiration. I thought it was a sweet, gentle read. Her struggles with her confidence rang a bell with me and I appreciated her frustration with the way the world works and her independence as a female pastor.
 
There is a sequel to this book called Earth to Betsy, so if you enjoyed Betsy's sweet disposition and the characters from Church of the Shepherd, you can continue reading about them. If you were a fan of the Mitford series, this may be a good choice for you, although it deals with Betsy more than the whole community.