The Gangster vs. The Preacher – Paperback

Author: Frederick B. Rush Jr.

Jacob is a boy becoming a man and trying to figure life out. His father died before he was born, leaving his mother, Hannah, to raise him alone. Hannah does the best she can, and raises Jacob in the church, the way she and his father always wanted. Knowing his father was a man of God, Jacob wants nothing more than to also be one, and his plan is to one-day serve the Lord by becoming a pastor like his father. Along the way, Jacob encounters roadblocks as the devil tries to interfere and form weapons against him. Peer pressure, sex, money, and material items are some of the temptations thrown his way that tries to lead him astray.

Jacob meets a man named Mike who, despite initially appearing to have good intentions, tries to lure him into the streets and a life of violence with crime. Pastor Mark, who was a friend of Jacob’s father, tries his best to mentor Jacob and keep him on the right track. Pastor Mark and Mike, the gangster, soon become akin to an angel and devil sitting on Jacob’s shoulders. Though they both attempt to influence Jacob’s choices, ultimately, the decisions are his and his alone.