An evil presence looms over the desert community. Native American legend calls it Tahquitz. The new casino operators call it an opportunity to make money…Luke Kauffmann can see things others can’t – thanks to a pair of strange goggles that give him glimpses into dimensions around him.
In The Seeing, 15 year old Luke Kauffmann takes center stage. He’s finally talked his dad into 6 weeks in the desert helping Pastor Virgil and Fiona with repairs to their church. However, as the days tick by he doesn’t spend any time with a hammer in his hand. Instead, he meets Misty, a young woman who is a technology whiz. She tweaks with his goggles until the vague spiritual forms he can see come into tighter focus.
At the same time the community’s churches are torn about the way to rid their town of the casino. Travis Lawton wants to take action through pickets and referendums. Virgil believes it’s solely an area for spiritual warfare. All the others fall along the spectrum, often based on denominational lines, and the disunity paralyzes the church.
This book has a complex, layered plot that races to a countdown with enough action that I read it in basically one sitting. The Seeing joins the growing list of books that focus on elements of spiritual warfare that reaches back to This Present Darkness and The Screwtape Letters, yet is unique in what its approach to seeing the spiritual realm. The spiritual elements intersect seamlessly with the overarching plot.
Luke shows the range of emotions a 15 year old would when given a power that noone else has. Flashes of fear and confusion are replaced with pride at what he can do. He and Misty stumble their way into the basics of spiritual warfare, backed up by Virgil and Fiona. When he was knocked flat by his experiences, life didn’t return to normal in a flash. Instead, it was a realistic portrayal of restoration.
Good vs. evil played out in the physical as well as the spiritual worlds through the casino. Misty’s mom is the tribal representative at the casino and plays a prominent role as she bridges cultures and generations. During the course of the story she had to reach deep within, and push beyond the past. I could see elements of me and many other moms in her struggle to balance the needs of employers and family, the past and the present.
The Seeing is the third installment in Bill Myers Soul Tracker Series, yet stands completely on its own. If you enjoy suspense with strong overtones of the spiritual realm, you will enjoy this book.
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