Angel in Aisle 3

In this true story, West, senior pastor of Expression Church of Huntington, W.V., describes a transformative encounter. When a bedraggled man named Don first approaches West at his corner grocery store, West has no idea that both their lives are about to change. West has just hit the bottom of a downward spiral of guilt and hopelessness. After resigning from his job as the v-p of a bank after illegally approving loans, West decides to open the grocery for financial security while he awaits his legal penalties. He reads scripture and watches sermons behind the counter. Don appears the day after West decides to pray for help and immediately takes interest in the Bible that West is leafing through, pointing out complicated passages that bring Don to tears. The two strike up a friendship around interpreting scripture. "He was more to me than simply a spiritual mentor," West writes. "We had become spiritually tied together, traveling on separate yet related paths." West's heart-wrenching yet hopeful story of learning to accept God's forgiveness will inspire readers who have found themselves on the brink of despair. (Nov.)