Hometown Prophet
By Jeff Fulmer
Short description
Following a spiritual experience, Peter Quill begins to have dreams that come true. When he correctly predicts a major event in front of the church, he is heralded as a modern day prophet. It isn’t until his dreams challenge the biases of people in the community that he comes under attack, discovering what it means to truly be a prophet of God.Extended description
At 31 years old, Peter Quill moves back home to live with his mom in a suburb of Nashville. Following a spiritual experience, he has a vivid, cryptic dream. It isn’t until he hears a sermon at church that he understands the meaning of his dream and tells his pastor, Dr. Dan Cox, to have his heart checked out.No sooner is Dan scheduled for heart surgery than Peter has a dream about the church being attacked. When he hears a visiting preacher, Mark Shelton, rail against an attack on Christian values, he knows Mark has something to do with his dream and tries to warn Dan.
His third dream involves a former member of his youth group, Jordan Stone, who went on to become a famous Christian pop singer. Reluctantly, he tells her about his dream involving a baby, which she claims has no relevance to her life.
By the time Mark Shelton takes many of Trinity’s members to form his own church, Dan is a big believer in Peter’s gift. When Peter deciphers a dream about a stock market crash, his pastor encourages him to announce it in front of the church. Reluctantly, Peter goes through with it and, when the market plummets, he is heralded as a prophet.
Acting on another dream, Peter attempts to save a homeless man from being beaten up. While he seems to succeed, the transient named Jesse, claims to also be a prophet of God and was sent there to help Peter conquer his fear so that he can become a truly effective messenger.
Armed with Jesse’s words, other dreams soon follow, including a toxic coal ash spill and an arson attack on a nearby mosque. Local news cameras are rolling and the pews are packed at Trinity Church as people clamor to witness the latest pronouncement. Even Jordan Stone has come around to Peter’s gift. But, because of the nature of his socially conscious dreams, he also begins to encounter resistance from some elements in the community.
His next dream involves three falling stars, which he interprets to mean three “Christian” leaders will take a fall. As ‘star’ after ‘star’ make public spectacles of themselves, Peter is viewed with even greater awe, and contempt.
Mark Shelton, one of his most vocal critics, claims to have a dream that Peter will soon take a fall of his own. A couple of days later, an old acquaintance appears on television to ‘out’ Peter. Instead of trying to deny the ‘accusation,’ Peter shows up at Mark Shelton’s mega-church for an Old Testament scriptural smack-down.
Following the confrontation, Peter has a final dream about a flood, which he announces on TV. As the rain begins to fall, people seem ready to heed the call to turn to God. In the midst of the rising waters, ‘small’ miracles happen as previous characters are revisited and find redemption in unlikely ways.
Long after the flood waters have receded, Peter has a final dream in which the homeless prophet, Jesse, pays him a final visit. In it, he is told that, even if he never has another prophetic dream, his work is far from finished.
These are some interesting reviews of this book:
Review by: Kevin Bowser on June 28, 2012 : 
This is my first foray into Christian fiction. And I must say that the plot was fairly compelling. I can sympathize with Peter Quill and the circumstances in which he finds himself. But his conversion experience did not exactly ring true with me.
I got beyond that and was able to suspend disbelief and enjoy the remainder of the book. I can especially sympathize with Peter Quill's disollusionment with the state of the modern church. I can only imagine that God must be even much more disollusioned! And because of that, I found the possibility of God speaking to and through Peter Quill to be a very interesting means of communication between God and mankind.
There were a few things that troubled me. I was not comfortable with some of the activities that Peter Quill chose to engage in. We can have a discussion about the issue of alcohol in the life of a Christian, but I have a hard time accepting the week-end getaway.
I think the issues addressed by the dreams were powerful and appropriate to today. And I was pleased to see the redemption story as played out in many of the characters.
The whole genre of Christian fiction is difficult to handle without offending some segment of those who call themselves Christians. And I think that Mr. Fullmer did a pretty good job of trying to balance those sensibilities.
This review also posted on my blog at http://iamtalkingoutloud.blogspot.com/
(reviewed within a month of purchase)
This is my first foray into Christian fiction. And I must say that the plot was fairly compelling. I can sympathize with Peter Quill and the circumstances in which he finds himself. But his conversion experience did not exactly ring true with me.
I got beyond that and was able to suspend disbelief and enjoy the remainder of the book. I can especially sympathize with Peter Quill's disollusionment with the state of the modern church. I can only imagine that God must be even much more disollusioned! And because of that, I found the possibility of God speaking to and through Peter Quill to be a very interesting means of communication between God and mankind.
There were a few things that troubled me. I was not comfortable with some of the activities that Peter Quill chose to engage in. We can have a discussion about the issue of alcohol in the life of a Christian, but I have a hard time accepting the week-end getaway.
I think the issues addressed by the dreams were powerful and appropriate to today. And I was pleased to see the redemption story as played out in many of the characters.
The whole genre of Christian fiction is difficult to handle without offending some segment of those who call themselves Christians. And I think that Mr. Fullmer did a pretty good job of trying to balance those sensibilities.
This review also posted on my blog at http://iamtalkingoutloud.blogspot.com/
(reviewed within a month of purchase)
Review by: Gene Smith on June 26, 2012 :
I’ve not been a big fan of Christian Science Fiction. The last novel I read was Frank Peretti’s “The Visitation” back in 1999 and while I appreciated the work, the genre just didn’t stick well with my squirly reading preferences, so I was pleasantly surprised by Jeff Fulmer’s “Hometown Prophet” and the main character Peter Quill. Having lived most of my life in Tennessee and being a minister’s son I found it easy to connect with Peter’s dry and somewhat cynical bent.
At 31 he is forced to move back home with his mother after his life spirals down in utter disappointment. He has a transforming encounter with God that leads to a series of cryptic dreams that predict future events and sends him (and us) on a rollercoaster ride ditching the press, law enforcement and patriotic fundies as his journeys are fueled by his newly found passion to use this gift to help those affected by the events and environmental catastrophes he dreams about. He goes through the same sufferings and criticisms you read about in the Old Testament prophets. He soon finds his gift has changed his life and his walk with God.
I found this story to be extremely relevant and hard to put down, a really suspenseful page turner. Not only are the characters engaging and diverse, I found the message behind the story of what can happen when someone uses the gift of prophesy in a world desperate to know God is there and cares a refreshing change from the end times rapture scare rags we’ve been offered the last decade or so. Jeff Fulmer is a superb storyteller.
This review also posted on my blog at www.woodwonder.wordpress.com
(reviewed within a month of purchase)
I’ve not been a big fan of Christian Science Fiction. The last novel I read was Frank Peretti’s “The Visitation” back in 1999 and while I appreciated the work, the genre just didn’t stick well with my squirly reading preferences, so I was pleasantly surprised by Jeff Fulmer’s “Hometown Prophet” and the main character Peter Quill. Having lived most of my life in Tennessee and being a minister’s son I found it easy to connect with Peter’s dry and somewhat cynical bent.
At 31 he is forced to move back home with his mother after his life spirals down in utter disappointment. He has a transforming encounter with God that leads to a series of cryptic dreams that predict future events and sends him (and us) on a rollercoaster ride ditching the press, law enforcement and patriotic fundies as his journeys are fueled by his newly found passion to use this gift to help those affected by the events and environmental catastrophes he dreams about. He goes through the same sufferings and criticisms you read about in the Old Testament prophets. He soon finds his gift has changed his life and his walk with God.
I found this story to be extremely relevant and hard to put down, a really suspenseful page turner. Not only are the characters engaging and diverse, I found the message behind the story of what can happen when someone uses the gift of prophesy in a world desperate to know God is there and cares a refreshing change from the end times rapture scare rags we’ve been offered the last decade or so. Jeff Fulmer is a superb storyteller.
This review also posted on my blog at www.woodwonder.wordpress.com
(reviewed within a month of purchase)
Review by: Kevin Ruffcorn on June 25, 2012 :
I haven’t been overly impressed with modern Christian fiction. In my opinion, it tends to swing between harlequin romances with morals and epic, bloody, end time battles between good and evil. This summer, though, I found a good book to read entitled Hometown Prophet, by Jeff Fulmer.
Fulmer weaves a tale of a young man who begins to have divine, prophetic dreams. His visions of the future begin to come true and he is quickly labeled (and ridiculed) a modern day prophet.Through the main character, the reader begins to face several questions dealing with faithful obedience. “What would you do if God chose to use you in an extraordinary way?” “Would you be faithful even if it involved a significant cost?” “What would happen if God began to speak against the popular conservative Christian social and political stands?” The book doesn’t provide easy, pat answers, but is illuminating on the struggles that would be involved.
I found myself caught up in the story and in the questions that it posed. The book was difficult to put down, and I found myself wanting more at the end. If you want to curl up and escape with a good book this summer, I certainly recommend this book as one you should include on your reading list. But, be sure to allow some time to consider the questions that the book poses.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)
I haven’t been overly impressed with modern Christian fiction. In my opinion, it tends to swing between harlequin romances with morals and epic, bloody, end time battles between good and evil. This summer, though, I found a good book to read entitled Hometown Prophet, by Jeff Fulmer.
Fulmer weaves a tale of a young man who begins to have divine, prophetic dreams. His visions of the future begin to come true and he is quickly labeled (and ridiculed) a modern day prophet.Through the main character, the reader begins to face several questions dealing with faithful obedience. “What would you do if God chose to use you in an extraordinary way?” “Would you be faithful even if it involved a significant cost?” “What would happen if God began to speak against the popular conservative Christian social and political stands?” The book doesn’t provide easy, pat answers, but is illuminating on the struggles that would be involved.
I found myself caught up in the story and in the questions that it posed. The book was difficult to put down, and I found myself wanting more at the end. If you want to curl up and escape with a good book this summer, I certainly recommend this book as one you should include on your reading list. But, be sure to allow some time to consider the questions that the book poses.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)
Review by: kcjones on June 23, 2012 :
The book is a story about Peter Quill, a man in his early thirties who moves back home to live with his mother. He feels very discouraged and ashamed of himself until he starts having prophetic dreams. Peter never knows exactly what his dreams mean, but he knows that he needs to share his visions with others. Through the telling of his dreams, some people come to worship him and some people come to hate him, but Peter comes to have more confidence in himself by telling others what they do not want to hear. Although Peter comes from a charismatic, fundamentalist church, Peter's dreams tell of an inclusive God that cares about the environment and loves all people. This message stretches the minds and hearts of many kinds of people, including Peter's minister.
To read the full review, visit my blog
(reviewed within a month of purchase)
The book is a story about Peter Quill, a man in his early thirties who moves back home to live with his mother. He feels very discouraged and ashamed of himself until he starts having prophetic dreams. Peter never knows exactly what his dreams mean, but he knows that he needs to share his visions with others. Through the telling of his dreams, some people come to worship him and some people come to hate him, but Peter comes to have more confidence in himself by telling others what they do not want to hear. Although Peter comes from a charismatic, fundamentalist church, Peter's dreams tell of an inclusive God that cares about the environment and loves all people. This message stretches the minds and hearts of many kinds of people, including Peter's minister.
To read the full review, visit my blog
(reviewed within a month of purchase)
Review by: Jonathan Somerville on June 23, 2012 :
Set in contemporary Nashville, Tennessee, Fulmer's novel ponders on what might happen if a prophetic gifting like that of an Amos or Micah might appear on the charismatic church scene today.
I’m writing from the perspective of the UK church, so the sharp divisions that appear to exist in the American church between the Christian Right (which is here portrayed to be neither Christian nor right...) and more open evangelicals are less apparent in the church in Western Europe. Nevertheless, the attitudes towards prophetic ministry are worryingly similar, with prophecy being reduced to some encouraging "the Shepherd loves his sheep" message as opposed to the call to challenge corrupt systems and institutional wrongdoing.
So the central question -what would happen if that kind of gift were exercised? - and the responses the book suggests would come from the wider church, people of other faiths, the media, government agencies and wider society have a resonance here too.
Peter, our central character is not a flimsy carapace upon which to project the story, but realised as a person with depth, with failure as well as success, and who is, ultimately, a human, just like us.
The story does, at times, seem to rely on stereotypes and issues rise and are included seemingly aimed at irritating the section of the church the book sets out to challenge most strongly; so our hero speaks in favour of environmental protections, prophesies to bless people of another faith, and challenges issues around human sexuality. These may be seen as the big issues from some perspectives, but I wonder if God were to raise up prophets to speak into western society these would be the issues He'd address. That might just be an interesting discussion for a dinner party, and ultimately these are the issues our prophet is inspired to speak out on.
So, faced by a varied response, our prophet's influence rises, and so does resistance and rejection.
How this all works out, including a good twist, makes for great reading, and although Fulmer's no Shakespeare, the story romps along, with this reader keen to see how the hero fares in the end.
The questions behind this book and the challenge to the church that has made prophecy a comforting thing alone could have been an angry preach, or a long treatise urging reform. By presenting us with a story Fulmer invites us and involves us in a more exploratory journey, giving us space to consider issues and people, and perspectives sometimes overlooked.
I'd want to recommend this to charismatics and non-charismatics, to evangelicals and to liberals, and to those who don't know what they are. Perhaps as a result they'll join with me in a prayer for a true restoration of prophecy to the church, not the sham we often see dressed up in its clothes.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)
Set in contemporary Nashville, Tennessee, Fulmer's novel ponders on what might happen if a prophetic gifting like that of an Amos or Micah might appear on the charismatic church scene today.
I’m writing from the perspective of the UK church, so the sharp divisions that appear to exist in the American church between the Christian Right (which is here portrayed to be neither Christian nor right...) and more open evangelicals are less apparent in the church in Western Europe. Nevertheless, the attitudes towards prophetic ministry are worryingly similar, with prophecy being reduced to some encouraging "the Shepherd loves his sheep" message as opposed to the call to challenge corrupt systems and institutional wrongdoing.
So the central question -what would happen if that kind of gift were exercised? - and the responses the book suggests would come from the wider church, people of other faiths, the media, government agencies and wider society have a resonance here too.
Peter, our central character is not a flimsy carapace upon which to project the story, but realised as a person with depth, with failure as well as success, and who is, ultimately, a human, just like us.
The story does, at times, seem to rely on stereotypes and issues rise and are included seemingly aimed at irritating the section of the church the book sets out to challenge most strongly; so our hero speaks in favour of environmental protections, prophesies to bless people of another faith, and challenges issues around human sexuality. These may be seen as the big issues from some perspectives, but I wonder if God were to raise up prophets to speak into western society these would be the issues He'd address. That might just be an interesting discussion for a dinner party, and ultimately these are the issues our prophet is inspired to speak out on.
So, faced by a varied response, our prophet's influence rises, and so does resistance and rejection.
How this all works out, including a good twist, makes for great reading, and although Fulmer's no Shakespeare, the story romps along, with this reader keen to see how the hero fares in the end.
The questions behind this book and the challenge to the church that has made prophecy a comforting thing alone could have been an angry preach, or a long treatise urging reform. By presenting us with a story Fulmer invites us and involves us in a more exploratory journey, giving us space to consider issues and people, and perspectives sometimes overlooked.
I'd want to recommend this to charismatics and non-charismatics, to evangelicals and to liberals, and to those who don't know what they are. Perhaps as a result they'll join with me in a prayer for a true restoration of prophecy to the church, not the sham we often see dressed up in its clothes.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)
Review by: Daniel Kassis on June 21, 2012 :
Please read my full review of Hometown Prophet on my blog:
http://adf.ly/OhSIE
(reviewed within a month of purchase)
Please read my full review of Hometown Prophet on my blog:
http://adf.ly/OhSIE
(reviewed within a month of purchase)
Review by: starshiphome on April 21, 2011 :
Very nicely written story and most enjoyable. I look forward to other books by this author.
(reviewed within a week of purchase)
Very nicely written story and most enjoyable. I look forward to other books by this author.
(reviewed within a week of purchase)
Review by: Wilbur Holz on Aug. 16, 2011 :
It was a good read. I appreciated Mr. Fulmer dealing with the gift of prophecy in what was certainly a biblical fashion, without playing into the stereotype.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)
It was a good read. I appreciated Mr. Fulmer dealing with the gift of prophecy in what was certainly a biblical fashion, without playing into the stereotype.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)
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