Reader’s Corner: ‘A Peace Unfettered’

I don’t recall the exact date I met Qené Manon Jeffers; it was soon after I accepted a position in the U.S. Missions division of the Assemblies of God National Office, where we both served for several years. What I do remember, though, is her desire to serve the missionaries of the Intercultural Ministries department, as well as how much she cared for her coworkers and friends. Need encouragement or a prayer? Qené was on it. 

I learned that she enjoyed journaling and writing short, encouraging pieces about her own journey to faith or things God placed on her heart during her quiet times with the Lord. A few years later, I was glad to learn that she was collecting those into a book. 

“A Peace Unfettered” has something every believer or seeker will find relatable—Q’s upbringing in a strict church environment that didn’t quite connect the dots with true relationship; her recollections ranging from mortifying to hilarious about her school days and her several siblings; meeting her husband as a schoolgirl and then watching him leave to serve in Vietnam; and how those things all led to deepening relationship with God, eventually becoming a pastor’s wife as well as a friend and confidante to many. 

Her catalyst for actually compiling and publishing the book is shared in a highlight chapter describing Q’s encounter with Jesus Christ during an illness that nearly took her life. The assurance she received of His Divine presence will help calm your heart, as well. 

Qené drew the book’s title from the many “fetters” that bound her heart to fear and lack of peace, compared to the peace she now enjoys from her relationship with God. She explains the concept early in the book, using lines from the hymn “Come Thou Found of Every Blessing,” which says, “Oh to grace, how great a debtor I’m constrained to be! Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wand’ring heart to Thee.” 

“That fetter is a holy one,” explains Q, “for out of it flows a freedom and a peace unfettered by worry or by the worst circumstance.” 

If you’re looking for a devotional book to help you start and end your days with peace, or know someone going through a rough time, “A Peace Unfettered” is available through online retailers.