Beyond Church Doors (Paperback) by Sylvia Brown-Roberts

Forty-year-old Nikolis McQuaige-called NikkiMac-is a teacher in Trenton, New Jersey, and is smart, quick, and loyal to her friends. She's also single and struggles to be a good Christian. She thinks of herself as a work in progress, and God has been helping her make improvements in various areas of her life-such as in her choice of men.

But men aren't the only thing on NikkiMac's mind. There's her best friend, Jacee, and a new friend, Anna Maria. There's her friend Cletus, who's trying hard to stay on the wagon and do right by the twins he finds out are his biological children. And then there's Sister Chloe, a new member of the church, who is cool-almost downright rude-to NikkiMac for reasons NikkiMac can't fathom. She even finds time to think of the new, eligible assistant preacher named Adam Greene.

By turns humorous and poignant, Beyond Church Doors invites us into NikkiMac's world of urban grittiness and sass, where being a Christian means asking forgiveness when her anger at another woman leads to near tragedy. It means not giving up on asking friends to church. It means being willing to don a bright orange lifeguard outfit and whistle to stand by the baptistery so that a churchgoer, terrified of drowning, can let herself be baptized. NikkiMac doesn't practice Sunday-morning-only Christianity, but lives her faith in the community 24-7 with a refreshing candor.

"Author Sylvia Brown-Roberts ... reunites us with her vivid characters as they seek to translate their faith into Godly behavior. ... An inspirational novel."

-Dr. Michael A. Brown, author of In Search of the Narrow Way