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The Loving-Kindness of the Lord: Robert Sheffey Prayed Until His Knees Grew Stiff

by Jean Ann Williams

A circuit preacher’s life in the Virginia and West Virginia mountains

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AlbakiReads Editorial

A circuit preacher’s life in the Virginia and West Virginia mountains

Jean Ann Williams’s children’s nonfiction portrait traces Robert Sheffey through youth, middle age, and old age, setting his religious devotion within the routines of mountain life. The account brings together his travels across fourteen counties, hours spent in prayer, and acts of generosity—including giving away his socks and his horse. Brief passages presented in Robert’s voice mark different stages of his life, while details such as honey biscuits and buttermilk ground the portrait in the community around him. The book’s central thread is a faith expressed through prayer, unconventional convictions, and care for people in need.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Children ages 9–12 interested in religious biography and Christian figures.
  • Readers curious about country life and communities in the Virginia and West Virginia mountains.
  • Families or educators seeking nonfiction about prayer, faith, and generosity.

Themes

Christian faith and prayerGenerosity and serviceCountry life in AppalachiaA life traced across generations

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

As a circuit preacher, Robert Sheffey and his horse traveled fourteen mountain counties in Virginia and West Virginia. An elder denied him a license to preach because he had strange and quirky notions. Folks witnessed him praying for hours on a hill. He gave his socks to a cold traveler. He also gave his beloved horse to a family in need. The mountain folks fed him his favorites: honey for his biscuits and buttermilk to drink.

 

Robert's love for the Lord matured through the stages of his life.

 

Young Robert: He darted his gaze this way and that as he stuffed his mouth full of honeycomb. Cook appeared in the doorway. He ran as he dodged a swat from the cook's broom. He made it out the front door and leaped stomach first onto the saddle. Robert settled in and nudged his horse into a gallop.

 

Middle Aged Robert: "Lord, come quickly, like a descending dove. Forgive them. For their stiff shirt collars and brand-new suits make it hard. They cannot look down from the pulpit to see if anyone stands at the altar. Forgive them, Lord. They are small potatoes and very few in the hill . . ."

 

Elderly Robert: "I am told a new age has eaten freely from the tree of knowledge. That classrooms will banish hate and hypocrisy. Loneliness and need will wither in a coming intellect. It promises to rise to greater heights than anything ever dreamed of at the Tower of Babel."

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