Heaven’s Prey: the supporting cast

The past few Fridays you’ve met the key characters from Heaven’s Prey: Ruth Warner (the woman in peril), Tony Warner (the frantic husband), and Harry Silver (the villain). Today I thought it would be interesting to get the reactions of some of the other people affected by this story:

Carol Silver Daniels: (Harry’s sister and only living relative)

We shared the same parents, but after what he did, I have no brother. <gulping sigh> He killed one of those young women here in Calgary, while he was visiting us. We had no clue. My sons were so proud to have a famous uncle. <snort> I tried to shield them from the news reports, but they knew. Kids in school can be so cruel. Adults, too.

The shame of being connected to him is bad enough, but some people are too angry to think straight and they want to take it out on us. Things were settling down, and then he had to escape from prison and stir it up again. Thanks to a two-faced reporter, I’ve had my photo splashed across the news again—in front of my apartment building, so the crazies know where I live. I’m only talking to you now because it doesn’t matter anymore. Last night we got a death threat. We’re moving. Hiding.

As for Harry, I hope they find him. I hope he resists arrest and they kill him. Excuse me, I have to pack.

Tracey: (the woman Harry loved and lost)

It’s funny you’d ask about Harry now. These past few days I’ve had a strong urge to pray for him. <smile> He wouldn’t like that very much. But I’m praying anyway.

My husband and I were already working here at the mission when Harry was arrested. My grandfather wouldn’t tell me much, just to pray, but one of my friends sent me the details. <looks away, looks back> We were engaged once, Harry and I. When I became a Christian, he broke it off. He was so angry! A few years later I met Bob, and here we are, with a fulfilling ministry and two beautiful children.

But it’s affected me. <she touches her hair> You may notice Harry’s victims all had long, blond hair and blue eyes like me. They were close to the age I was when we broke up. Was he really killing me?

Sometimes if I wake in the night I still struggle with this weird survivor guilt. Or worse, I wonder if their deaths are my fault. If I’d renounced my faith and he’d taken me back, would those women still be alive and their families unbroken? <sad smile> But I couldn’t have really walked away from God. And I loved Harry too much to lie to him. I can only hope and pray that he’ll open his heart to Jesus. There’s room at the cross for people who’ve done even worse.

Mr. Delaney: (Harry’s mentor)

You’ll have to speak up, please. My hearing’s going as fast as the rest of me. Harry Silver … <suspicion of tears> I loved that boy like a son. Talent! He had the gift—and the passion to use it. He started his stock car career with Team Delaney, and I was so proud. It hurt when he moved on to the IndyCar circuit, but I’d never have tried to hold him back. <humph> Maybe I should have. Should have kept a better eye on him. For a boy who loved to race, his crimes were suicide.

George Sinclare: (the drug lord)

<incoming cell call, untraceable> I hear you’re asking questions about that escaped killer, Harry Silver. My representatives took the risk of getting him out of prison, and this is how he repays us—by blowing his cover. And he didn’t even grab the victim he wanted. <coarse laugh> I saw a photo of the one he got, and it serves him right.

We had a decoy heading for the other side of the country to lead the cops away. I’d tip them off on where to find him, but it would reflect badly on one of my business associates. Once the boat picks Silver up and they get to international waters, he’ll tell the captain where the money’s hidden. <noncommittal sound> If the cops find and shoot him, they’ll be doing me a favour. I’d lose his escape fee, but money isn’t everything to a successful businessman. Security matters more, and Silver is a loose end.

Too bad about the woman. I hear she was on her way home from a prayer meeting, of all things. Didn’t do her much good.

Prison spokesman (anonymous):

Three Corrections Canada employees were injured trying to stop Harry Silver’s escape, and I resent media implications about our attention to our duties. With the latest funding cuts we’re stretched thinner than ever, but I assure you that each warden, guard and support worker does his or her best to uphold our responsibilities and to keep the citizens of Canada safe.

Pastor John Linton:

The odds of this happening are incredible, and I don’t know what God is up to. Whatever happens—or has already happened—I believe that God is enough for Ruth. Since He didn’t prevent this, He’ll somehow sustain her through it.

Remember, Harry Silver can do a lot of hurt, but only short-term. He can’t touch Ruth’s soul. If he sticks to his pattern of killing his victims <clears his throat> then my friend and sister in faith will suffer terribly–but then she’ll enter into eternity with her Lord and Saviour. It’s we who remain who’ll have the hardest time in the days ahead.

I challenge you with this: what if this “coincidental” abduction of a woman who’s been praying for Harry Silver is God’s way of turning up the heat in a battle for a lost soul? We write off people like Harry as too far gone to save, but God says the only ones He’ll reject are those who reject His outstretched hand.

Harry Silver could be forgiven and his life made new. It’s happened before. Let’s just hope and pray it will happen this time.

Ruth’s sister, Lorna:

Ruth and my daughter, Susan, were very close. When Susan was murdered, it shattered us all. Ruth took it really hard, and I was afraid she’d lose her faith. So I was glad when she started praying for the killer. It helped her forgive and find healing. But now—I forgave Harry Silver once. I don’t know if I can do it again. How could God let him take my daughter and my sister? <sound of sobs, Lorna hangs up the phone>

The girl who got away:

Constable TJ Weber: (blond police officer, female)

All officers are fully briefed on the existing situation and the criminal record of the accused. Based on security videos at and near the abduction site, we’ve increased our patrols here in the Chester area. He may have kept driving, or doubled back, but we’re serious about keeping our citizens safe and about apprehending Harry Silver. If at all possible, before Ms. Warner comes to any harm.

As you can see, I’m an older version of Silver’s target victim. That may give me some extra motivation to see this case solved, but my personal feelings will not affect performance of my duty. I’m neither afraid of the accused nor out for vengeance. If I were the one to locate him, and if he were to make a threatening move, I would shoot to incapacitate. Lethal force would only be a last resort.
===

Janet Sketchley‘s novel, Heaven’s Prey, releases November 1, 2013 from Choose NOW Publishing. Feel free to tell your friends! For more information and a free sample chapter, see the Heaven’s Prey page.

To Know God

I will be faithful to you and make you mine,
and you will finally know me as the Lord.
Hosea 2:20, NLT* (emphasis mine)

My readings for the past few months have been in the Old Testament. In Daniel I picked up on how it’s the people who know God who will resist the evil leader’s flattery. (See Why We Need to Know God) Then I moved to Ezekiel, which is filled with “then they/you will know that I am God”.

Next stop: Hosea. What did I see today when I turned the page? The verse above, already marked.

Anybody else sensing a theme?

Knowing God—knowing His character as revealed in the Bible and in our lives—is key to trusting Him, to staying faithful to Him, and as in the Daniel quote, to standing against the inroads of evil.

Our world is in a mess. Many people don’t know God. Some who knew seem to have forgotten. And lots of people think they know who He is, but their ideas come from rumour and speculation.

Which brings me to the next place I found this theme of knowing God today. See Who Is God? Seeking Answers from the Source (Jennifer Slattery Lives Out Loud).

Holy and Righteous God, help us to believe that You are who You say You are. Forgive us for the false beliefs we’ve accepted, and open us to know You in spirit and in truth—and to live for Your glory. And please… reveal Yourself to a hurting world who don’t even know that they don’t know who You are.

∞

This week’s song is Michael Card’s “Know You in the Now“.

*New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Review: Messages, by John Michael Hileman

Messages, by John Michael Hileman (Amlin Publishing, 2011)

David Chance is a journalism intern with the news team for a Boston television station. He’s an ordinary guy, married with two kids. One day he starts noticing random words and stringing them into messages. Messages that tell the future or that tell him what to do next.

Who’s sending them? David’s dead brother-in-law? God? Or David’s own mind?

All he knows is, the messages are true. And they’ve thrust him into a terrorist bomb plot.

Why him? Why now? If he obeys the messages, he risks his life and the safety of his family. If he doesn’t do his part, thousands may die—including the President of the United States.

Messages is a fast-paced suspense novel with splashes of humour. As a science fiction fan, I appreciated the character nicknamed Nerd’s references to Star Trek and Babylon 5. (Readers who miss those won’t miss anything crucial.)

The FBI are on the terrorists’ trail, but they don’t know what David knows—and how can he tell them without sounding crazy?

The messages, and the struggle to obey them blindly, rekindle David’s longing to know if God is real. His skepticism has always kept him from believing. Could the messages be the proof he needs?

Messages is a highly enjoyable read. It’s book 1 in the David Chance series, and as soon as I can clear a space in my to-read list, I’ll be into the sequel, Voices.

Author John Michael Hileman describes his novels as “contemporary pop fantasy with a spiritual twist”. Visit his website to learn more about him and his other books.

[Review copy from my personal library.]

Heaven’s Prey: the villain

Dressed in prison drab, Harry Silver lounges in his chair in the visiting room. His dark hair could use a trim. He pins you with mocking blue eyes. He speaks:

Understand one thing. If this were real, I wouldn’t be talking to you. Period. Some tabloid journalist came once, and I was bored enough to see him. Wanted the inside scoop on what I’d done, what it felt like … [Harry’s lip curls] Your nice little Christian blogger here wouldn’t dare print the language I used to tell him off.

[He scans the tiny room.] I was a champion race car driver, until the governing body stripped me of my title. On the track, behind the wheel, I was alive. There’s not much life in here. Just memories: of speed, and of the twisted passions that destroyed my career.

Such beautiful women … I couldn’t stop, didn’t dare ask for help. That would have ended things even faster. The last one—Susan—why did she have to be a Christian? How dare she forgive me? She paid, let me tell you. She paid. But at night, even in this miserable place … I still hear her voice. [His fingers dig into his hair as if trying to hold his head together.] I still hear those words: “Jesus loves you.”

[He spits a stream of curses we don’t need to hear. Glares.] I don’t want God’s forgiveness! And He’s not getting mine. He took everything I’ve ever loved. Except racing. I took that from myself. If you want the details, read my story.

Heaven’s Prey. [He makes air quotes.] If God is chasing me, it’s not to rescue me like Susan said. It’s for judgment, not mercy. Even I don’t think I deserve to live.

I can tell you, though, I’m in this mess because little choices add up. I didn’t wake up one morning and say “Hey, I think I’ll become a serial rapist-murderer today. Just for kicks. They’ll all be young, blond. So what if it finishes me?”

I’d give anything to go back and undo the mess I’ve made. But it’s too late. Eight lives too late.

≈≈≈

Link: Heaven’s Prey page.

God and Time Management

My times are in your hands;
deliver me from the hands of my enemies,
from those who pursue me.
Psalm 31:15, NIV*

The most important thing I learned in university had nothing to do with my field of study. I learned, through experience, that when the deadlines loomed and there was more to do than time to do it, I could ask God to help.

Our God is outside of time. He made time. We live in it, and He gives us enough to do what He has for us to do. I remember one specific time in university, praying that somehow He would stretch time to allow us to finish a hefty assignment.

We didn’t get a flashy miracle like the Old Testament king who saw the sun’s shadow move backward, but we got the peace and the enabling to do the work. And somehow, we had the time as well.

I told this story to one of my sons on the weekend, hoping to encourage his own stress load. Then I stopped and looked at him. “I learned this. But I haven’t been applying it.”

My husband, on my other side, was valiantly not saying a word. But I saw agreement in his eyes. He knows how heavy my to-do list has grown, and how I’ve been stressing about how to meet my responsibilities.

Knowledge not applied isn’t much use. Remember to pray. (Click to tweet)

God our Maker and our Sustainer, You never asked us to do life on our own. You ask us to let Your Holy Spirit indwell and empower us. Of course when we look at our responsibilities, they seem too much for us. You’ve designed us to rely on You. Forgive us for those many times when we’ve tried to carry the load in our own strength. Thank You for the opportunities in our lives. Please give us wisdom in our choices and faith to rely on You. What You give us to do, You will equip us to do. Help us not add in other things to weigh us down, and help us stay close to You.

∞

Chris Tomlin’s song, “How Great is Our God” includes a reference to this week’s verse, and it’s a good anchoring one for us to sing.

Review: How the Light Gets In, by Louise Penny

How the Light Gets In, by Louise Penny

How the Light Gets In, by Louise Penny (Minotaur Books, 2013

Author Louise Penny has woven a masterpiece of characters, plot and evocative description in her latest mystery. How the Light Gets In traces the investigation of an elderly woman’s murder while at the same time continuing a plot thread that’s been building from the series beginning.

You could jump into the series here and understand this book, but you’d miss so much of the larger story that’s been building around Inspector Gamache after his long-ago case that exposed a scandal high in the ranks of the Quebec Sȗreté force. And you wouldn’t know and love the characters enough to be emotionally affected by their turmoil.

This is a series well worth starting at the beginning, with Still Life. If you’ve seen the CBC television special, that was a teaser. The novel is richer, deeper and more satisfying and couldn’t be contained in such a short film. Louise Penny’s prose is beautiful.

Those who’ve read the previous books will be glad to be back in the idyllic fictional village of Three Pines, located somewhere outside of Montreal. It’s good to see the eclectic and unusual inhabitants of the village again, and the village itself feels like a character in the novels.

Inspector Armand Gamache is one of my fictional heroes, largely because of his practice of taking cast-off members of the police force and investing enough leadership in them to help them find their places as effective and motivated officers. Those he’s helped are (mostly) intensely loyal, while those he’s crossed are formidable.

I’ve enjoyed each book in the series, but this one (number nine) is the best yet. The tension is high, three significant plot threads interweave seamlessly, the characters shine, and the ending surprises. A most satisfying read.

Because most of what I review are Christian books, I’ll add a disclaimer for this series. The profanity count is high and there is a homosexual couple, complete with innuendoes. Institutional church is not well-thought-of by many characters, but the idea of God is present (both Christian and generic).

I will also say I’ve found truth in these books. Louise Penny understands humans in our glory and in our shame, and she crafts exceptional characters and intriguing mysteries. She also understands qualities like love and loyalty, hope and perseverance, and redemption.

Louise Penny has given readers a gift, and I’m glad to see her novels getting the attention and awards they deserve. If you’ve missed these books so far, do yourself a favour and begin with Still Life. For your own peace of mind, when you get to The Beautiful Mystery be sure to pick up How the Light Gets In at the same time. Those of us who’ve had to wait a year between them can tell you it hasn’t been easy.

To learn more about the author, you can visit louisepenny.com. You’ll find a list of the books, in order (note that some have different titles depending on which country you’re in) as well as background information, discussion questions and events.

[Review copy from my personal library.]

Heaven’s Prey: the frantic husband

Tony Warner is married to Ruth from Heaven’s Prey. I don’t have a picture of him to share, but he’s average height, a bit on the cuddly side weight-wise, with sandy hair and beard, and he wears glasses.

Tony quirks an eyebrow, shrugs at you and starts talking:

“Cuddly side”? I suppose that beats “chunky.” Hey, is it my fault my wife’s an amazing cook? Not that she did a lot of it after we lost Susan, our niece. We lived on takeout for months.

I thought I was going to lose Ruth, too. She was drowning in grief—and hate. And she’s the Christian. She wouldn’t see the counsellor I found for her, so when it got bad enough I made an appointment for us to see her pastor.

cover art: Heaven's Prey by Janet Sketchley The look on her face when we pulled into the church lot! You have to understand: I refused to even be married in a church. No offense, but I don’t believe in God, and I’m not going to pretend. If God were real, wouldn’t He have protected Susan and all the other innocent victims of this world?

Ruth’s pastor, John Linton, is an okay guy despite the theology. Since that night, he’s come to the house for supper off and on. He’s single, and I already mentioned that Ruth likes to cook. He never pushes his faith, and doesn’t overstay his welcome.

His advice has helped Ruth. Prayer’s a crutch, but my wife needed it for a while. It’s time to throw it away now. She’s gotten … obsessed … with Harry Silver. This is the filth that murdered our niece, and she’s praying for him, calling him by his first name. It’s ridiculous.

And sometimes when she looks at me I can tell: she prays for me, too. What am I, a reno project? She used to love me the way I am. When she got into faith I figured it was a phase, but it’s not passing. Sometimes I don’t know how much more I can take.

Silver escaped from prison a couple days ago. They’ll catch him. There’s nowhere he can go. I just hope he doesn’t take another victim first.

I was afraid this would start Ruth brooding again, but she seems okay. I bet she’ll insist on going to her prayer meeting tonight even though it’s pouring out. Going—and praying for Silver. I wonder how the others feel about that.

This has to stop. How do I make her understand?

≈≈≈

[Author’s note: If you’ve read Heaven’s Prey, Tony has more to say, in response to a reader who asked, “Have you been able to forgive your wife’s abductor?” Since this takes place after the story’s end, I don’t suggest reading it before the novel. Link: After Heaven’s Prey]

Link: Heaven’s Prey page.

Glory, Not Shame

Therefore, give the people of Israel this message from the Sovereign Lord: I am bringing you back, but not because you deserve it. I am doing it to protect my holy name, on which you brought shame while you were scattered among the nations.
Ezekiel 36:22, NLT*

Israel’s ungodly behaviour caused the Babylonian exile in the first place. Set apart to be a holy people, living in fellowship with God as a light to the people around them, they copied their neighbours instead. They abandoned the Living God for idols of stone and wood.

God stated His case through the prophets—repeatedly—and then followed through on the exile as He’d said. He promised it would end, and the people could come home after 70 years. (Jeremiah 29:10)

Reading that, I assumed they’d be coming home because they learned their lesson and turned back to God. Today’s verse makes me not so sure.

They were still bringing shame on His name in exile. Still living by their own understanding and desires instead of wholeheartedly following His ways. And don’t we do the same, to a lesser extent?

We need what God promises His people later in this chapter: clean, responsive hearts, and His Spirit within us.

Then we need to listen to and rely on His Spirit. More and more, I see life coming back to this: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5, NLT*)

Holy and mighty God, You save us when we don’t deserve it, and You change our hearts. You give us the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of our salvation. Forgive our waywardness, and draw us to love You more. Help us spend time with You to discover more of who You are. Forgive us for when we’ve brought shame on Your name. Help us live in confident trust in Your character and in Your love for us, so that others will see that You are our Good Shepherd.

∞

I love this worship song from Todd Agnew: “Your Great Name“.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIQFYYcF3qM

Review: The Church Builder, by A. L. Shields

The Church Builder, by A. L. Shields (Zondervan, 2013)

One day, Bethany Barclay’s biggest worry is keeping her small-town law practice afloat. The next, there’s a dead body in her home and she’s on the run from the FBI. Who framed her, and why? Is it connected to the recent hit and run death of her best friend, Annabelle?

Following clues, barely keeping ahead of the FBI, Bethany realizes that somebody wants her to finish what Annabelle started. But what is that? And for whom?

Bethany is a pawn in a centuries-old power struggle between two secret groups: the Garden and the Wilderness. The Garden guards people’s religious freedom, Christian and other. The Wilderness wants a world based on reason, and will undermine faith any way they can.

The Church Builder is a fast-paced conspiracy-and-chase novel. Bethany retraces Annabelle’s steps, Agent Carraway tries to catch her, and the shadowy members and minions of both Garden and Wilderness plot and manipulate.

Members of the Garden go by titles, and “The Church Builder” is the name of the Garden leader. The book’s cover image, a snake wrapped around a pole, is the Wilderness symbol.

I enjoyed the novel, and will definitely be on the lookout for the next one in The Church Builder series.

A. L. Shields is the pen name of Yale professor and bestselling mainstream author Stephen L. Carter. He talks about this new series, his choice to use a pen name, etc in this YouTube video.

[A review copy was received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.]

Heaven’s Prey: the woman in peril

Today I welcome a very special guest to my blog. Ruth Warner has lived in my head for almost 20 years now, and I’m excited to introduce her to the world.

Ruth is the heroine in my novel, Heaven’s Prey—that’s her picture on the cover. She and her husband, Tony, are in their mid-forties. We’re chatting with Ruth today just before the novel begins, because (whispering so she won’t hear) she’s about to be abducted by an escaped convict.

Ruth (rolling eyes): How many times have you rewritten or edited my story now? I know what’s coming. But for the sake of people who haven’t read it yet, I’ll pretend it’s my first time through the plot.

Janet: Thanks. And for the record, I’m proud of how well you’ll handle everything that happens. I hope you’ll give our readers some things to think about. So… let’s back up to the Wednesday this all begins. It’s mid-June. And it’s pouring—heavy winds and rain off the Atlantic from a storm that’s tracked upward along the eastern seaboard of the US until it hit Nova Scotia, Canada.

Ruth: I work at Harrington’s Fabric Hut, downtown. What a drive to get home! The storm drains can’t keep up with so much water. I’ve already heard of a few streets being closed. Luckily I live on high ground.

Janet: So you’re home from work and probably soaked.

Ruth: Just got changed, actually. It was so nice coming home to chili in the slow cooker. The spicy smell met me at the door. My husband, Tony, was already here. He’s a principal at one of the local high schools, and his day ends earlier than mine. It starts earlier, too.

Janet: The last few years have been brutal. Can you tell us about that?

Ruth: We’ve been through a lot. Our niece, Susan, went missing in Toronto two years ago. She was in her early 20’s, just starting a nursing career. The police were already looking for a serial rapist-murder, and Susan was … one more victim for him. For us … Tony and I have no children. Susan was like the daughter we never had. It still hurts.

On top of that, the identity of the killer, when they caught him? Harry Silver, champion racing driver. My husband’s hero.

Janet: Healing hasn’t come easily for you, I know. What’s your biggest challenge right now?

Ruth: Prayer is what kept me sane. It’s been hard, but I’ve learned to forgive Harry Silver, and to pray for him. I thought it was about healing. That’s what Pastor John said. Nobody warned me I’d start to care about the man’s soul. Tony’s an agnostic. He thinks this is all in my head, and he’s so offended that I’d pray for Harry. I don’t want to hurt him, but I can’t stop praying, either. It’s—well, God wants me to do this.

Janet: Tony’s a real sweetheart, and almost as patient as my own husband, but he just doesn’t understand your relationship with God. You’re praying for him, too, and God can use those prayers.

Ruth: I can’t convince him, so I pray. And tonight … he won’t like me going back out in the storm for our weekly prayer meeting, but Harry recently escaped from prison. They have to catch him before he hurts anyone else, and he needs to know Jesus before he runs out of time. This burden is getting heavier, and it’s too much for me to carry alone. There’s power in group prayer. I just hope Tony doesn’t get too mad.

Janet: What’ll he do while you’re out?

Ruth: He has a woodworking shop set up in the basement, and he spends a lot of time there. Faith got me through losing Susan; carving is what helped Tony.

Janet: Is there a particular Scripture verse that’s made a big difference for you?

Ruth: The Psalms and the Book of Philippians were a huge help to me in the early days of praying for Harry’s victims’ families, and eventually for Harry himself. The verse that really hit home when I started praying for him was Ezekiel 3:18. Let me grab my Bible … here it is: “When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.” That’s from the NIV.

I’ve been praying for God to prepare Harry’s heart, and to send someone to warn him. He’s done such horrible things—but God still loves him. He yearns for him. I know it from the nightmares that made me pray for him. You or I might write Harry Silver off, but God hasn’t.

Janet: To be honest, I have to admit I wish there were a limit, a point beyond which God would reject a cry for forgiveness. I struggle with the thought of people who commit crimes like Harry’s—or worse—being welcomed into the kingdom of God. But I love this magnificent God who is not willing that any should perish. His mercy is beyond understanding.

Ruth: It is, indeed.

Janet: Let’s move on to some lighter things. Coffee or tea? Cake or Pie?

Ruth: I drink both, but I’m a tea person. Earl Grey’s my favourite. As for cake or pie, it depends. If I’m baking, it’s pie. Blueberry is my specialty. If I’m ordering, cheesecake. There’s this spot in Halifax, Sweet Hereafter Cheesecakery, with over 100 varieties of cheesecake in their recipe book. You know you want to get one to celebrate the novel’s release.

Janet: I do indeed. And since Sweet Hereafter is a real place, I can indulge. So what do you like to do to recharge?

Ruth: I love working with fabrics. Quilting is my passion these days, and I’ve started a community quilting group at church. We have nine women, and one lone male, and we sell our projects to raise money for the children’s hospital. Tony said this was one church group even he could support, so he made us some wooden stands to display the finished results.

Janet: Tell us something you appreciate about where you live.

Ruth: Hmm … the ocean. Tony and I like to drive along the shore roads on lazy summer weekends. We watch the waves, stop in little shops, and just unwind. And sometimes after a storm like this one, we’ll go and watch the breakers coming in.

Janet: What’s the most surprising, fun or scary thing you’ve ever done?

Ruth: I’m pretty boring. The only unusual thing I’ve done is to forgive and pray for my niece’s killer. It’s been a quiet life, and I’m glad.

Janet: And I’m sorry for what’s about to happen, but you’ll discover that no matter where you go, Jesus will be there.

Ruth: That sounds ominous …

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