A Note from the Author

Without faith it is impossible to please God,

because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists

and he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Hebrews 11:6

Dear reader friend,

Deep, abiding faith is rarely easy to come by. We aren’t “born again” with our faith already mature and strong and tested. But we usually begin with a childlike faith that trusts our Father to hear and answer our prayers—that believes with all our heart that He can do anything. Abby did. She chose to trust Him even when the path was dark and scary and uncertain. It wasn’t because she had no other choice. She could have chosen to blame God for the woes that had befallen her family. Allowed anger and bitterness to consume her life and steal her faith. But she saw firsthand what that kind of attitude had done to her mother, and she chose better.

I’m not one to walk away from God when things get tough. But I admit I have been guilty, from time to time, of reacting to adversity out of the flesh when circumstances were overwhelming, and not really believing deep down that God was going to help me. I knew He could. But would He? During those times when I didn’t exercise faith, the struggle was significantly more difficult. Attitude is everything! Every painful trial I’ve faced without faith has left a dark, ominous memory. But those trying times when I chose to believe God’s promise never to leave or forsake me, and trusted Him to help me through, often resulted in a blessing for me and/or someone else.

It’s impossible to overrate the peace of God that passes understanding. But it’s also impossible to have that confident peace without faith in the One who provides it.

Kate suffered immeasurably, to be sure. And her faith was tested beyond what most of us will ever be forced to endure. But in the end, she came back to faith, back to the spiritual realities she had discarded as myth and the God who had disappointed her. In her suffering, Kate’s perspective had changed. She realized that it was better to forge ahead in blind faith than to forge ahead merely blind. She couldn’t control the outcome either way. But choosing to have faith in the One who could, had the power to make the journey infinitely more bearable.

Well, friend. I hope you’re hooked on these characters after this first book, and I invite you to join me for book two in the Ozark Mountain Trilogy. We will watch several budding romances and go on a roller-coaster ride of emotions after Jesse witnesses the drowning of an elderly woman while he’s fishing from the riverbank—more nail-biting suspense involving the entire Cummings family.

I would love to hear from you. Join me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kathyherman, or drop by my website at www.kathyherman.com and leave your comments on my guest book. I read and respond to every email and greatly value your input.

In Him,