Peace of Love

Ann Williams Shirley

Description

Darren had found refuge in his Fathers arms, outstretched and waiting for the wayward child to come home. Home to Him. This cell was not a home that Darren, aka Fester, had envisioned as a place to live out his life. Maybe, for his father, but never for him. The choice was initiated when he crossed that line between obeying the law and defying it. Prison now was not his temporary home, but the place he would eat, sleep, and work for the rest of his life. But in reality, Darren Moore had already lived his life in prison, barred in by his actions long before setting foot in this institution. The prison he lived in for most of his life was the one he constructed himself. Picking up the journal Gabe had left behind, he flipped hastily through the pages. Though he tried to talk to God, it was difficult never having done so before. Darren had uttered His name only in curses. This way of living was strange to him, and Nathan had explained that it would be. There would be days hed feel like a failure; and in such times, God would be there waiting patiently. Father God, please help me. As soon as he cried his utterance, a whisper sounded. Looking about his cell, he saw no one. Was God really listening? Darren had heard whispers similar to these at the trial. With tear-filled eyes, he glanced down and began to read. To Fester Moore

Sujets

• Love
• Love (disambiguation)

Informations

• Publié par: Inspiring Voices
• Date de parution: 23 décembre 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781462410873
• Langue: English

Extrait

Copyright © 2014 Shirley Ann Williams.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
 
Author and editor photos from personal Goss family album;
Bridge photos of author and editor by Carl Boone;
Novels 1-5 covers by artist and author, Shirley Ann Williams
Graphics/art submitted for the book by Shirley Ann Williams
 
 
Inspiring Voices
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www.inspiringvoices.com
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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.
 
ISBN: 978-1-4624-1088-0 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4624-1087-3 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2014922702
 
 
Inspiring Voices rev. date: 12/23/2014
Contents
Chapter 1 Home For The First Time
Chapter 2 Store Dilemma
Chapter 3 Delivered And Paid For
Chapter 4 The Picnic Invite
Chapter 5 Bernard’s Education
Chapter 6 Picnic At The Farm
Chapter 7 Judge’s Chamber Talk
Chapter 8 Jonas, Once Lost Son
Chapter 9 Gabriel’s Farm Outing
Chapter 10 One More Day For Jason
Chapter 11 Trip Into Another World
Chapter 12 Adjustments
Chapter 13 No Luck
Chapter 14 What If…?
Chapter 15 Call To Warden Morgan
Chapter 16 The Park
Chapter 17 Hand Extended
Chapter 18 Wanderings From The Heart
Chapter 19 More Talk Between Them
Chapter 20 Amends
Chapter 21 Talk With His Earthly Father
Chapter 22 Mystery Gesture
Chapter 23 In The Barn
Chapter 24 Miracles Abound
Chapter 25 Wonders Never Cease
Chapter 26 On The Docket
Chapter 27 Day Of Peace And Promise
Chapter 28 Courtroom Decision
Chapter 29 Voice Beyond
Chapter 30 A New Beginning
Chapter 31 Epilogue… Or Just The Beginning Again?
Broken Pieces Series
A five book series
Broken Pieces: Handle With Care
Shackled Cries
Up From The Valley
Sweet Essence Of Truth
The Peace Of Love
Author:
Shirley Ann Williams
This Book Dedicated To:
My beloved son,
Seth
My soul will dance
in love with you for ever.
Love,
-Mom
Foreword
The hardest part for me as an author is the grief process that takes place when the final chapter is written: the conflicts are resolved, and the last word is penned. Perhaps more than anything, releasing the characters who have endeared themselves to me during the writing is the most difficult… akin to mourning the loss of beloved family members who now reside merely in fond memories.
This fifth novel did not seem remotely possible when the fourth book in the series ended. Sensing the series complete, I resigned myself to such a thought and began the ‘writer’s lament’. Shortly after penning the last chapter in novel four, Sweet Essence Of Truth, God touched my heart and soul with new revelations. He was not finished with the story and prompted my attention toward concluding it as it should be; not as I had earlier envisioned it to be. It was in listening to His purpose that I understood: the characters were searching for a Divine presence in their lives and succeeded in their quest. The problem arose from the omission of this author to recognize something grander than first conveyed. The whole message was not finished. Now that the characters had found God, it was imperative to reveal the changes that occurred from their discovery. They had their own stories to write in their faith journeys and I was doing them an injustice not to continue their walk.
Redemption had come to those flawed characters who lived for self alone. Their actions were guided by their shallowness; a mere image of shiftless decisions based on their greed and gratuitous motives. The characterizations were deeper than I initially realized. God stirred my heart in ways words cannot express. Not only were the characters changed in the writing of this story, but so was I. My hope and prayer, dear reader, is that God’s unconditional love and redemption be received as you ask Him to come into your heart. As were the characters, may you be changed in the process.
Written for His glory,
Shirley Ann Williams
From The Author
I write because I feel God’s pleasure. Without His inspiration, none of the novels would have been. God prepares my heart before a single word or phrase is given me. It is through the process of listening and discerning what message God wants penned that the story can commence.
Answering the call to write is as much a mission to me as my being ‘birthed’ a teacher…neither more important than the other. Perhaps it was through teaching that God began working on my heart; thereby preparing me for the day when the stories would find a safe haven within my soul. Many of the characters are based on real people I have encountered in my lifetime; others, created from my imagination. Many evolved on their own; no explanation other than their sudden appearance on the written page. In those times, I welcomed their presence; not questioning their existence, but accepting what God was creating in the story line. When those moments happened, there was a peace within me. Moments such as those are not to be rationalized away, but boldly embraced as ‘God moments’; times that defy any explanation or reasoning.
Throughout the writing process, I immerse myself within the characters; trying to experience the feelings they hold during their journeys. In a sense, I become each of the characters, evoking the very fiber of who they are. Challenging at best to understand characters different than me, I asked God’s guidance in getting a ‘feel’ for what they were thinking, making the reasons for their transformations all the more real.
The messages of love, redemption, and hope are intentionally woven throughout the story. Through their daily struggles to come to terms with their pasts, it is my hope these characters have touched you with their desire to find peace; a serenity only their Heavenly Father could offer. Like the characters, we are on a daily walk of life; beautiful in spite of the many obstacles that test us. Through those struggles, we become students of this journey, being made stronger in the process. I celebrate with you as you meet the challenges; seeing them as opportunities to ask for Divine wisdom along the way.
It is difficult at times to separate my fictional characters from reality; for in the writing, I walk beside them; understanding their personalities, and really getting to know them. There is a fine line where fiction ends and reality begins; for the blending of one to the other is hard to distinguish.
The intent of each story is to offer you, the reader, a message of God’s unconditional love, mercy, and grace. If my characters can evoke a stirring of your heart, then the purpose of the message has been successful. The power of the Divine is stronger than any words; the message, more lasting than humanly understood. It is in the miracle of such times that we can bow our heads and count our blessings for the beauty God daily graces upon us.
Thank you, dear readers, for walking alongside Gabe, Manny, and Deke in their long-awaited discoveries; for caring through the characters of Sarge, Nellie, Darcy, and Avery; for being the encouragers like Lucas, Nathan, and Suzanne. It is my hope that you deemed some peace even in the tribulations and obstacles; that hope reigned over the hopeless. May you feel, as did the characters in this series, a need for the Divine.
Thank you, readers, for sharing with me as we both walk on this beautiful journey of life. The paths along the way do not have to be traveled alone. There is a Divine Father who wants to accompany us each step of the way. His hand ever extending within our reach, He’s desirous of that relationship with His children. That, my dear reader, is what graces life’s journey with meaning, beauty, and the miraculous visions for the future.
Written for His honor and glory,
-Shirley
Chapter 1 Home For The First Time
Darren had found refuge in his Father’s arms, outstretched and waiting for the wayward child to come home. Home to Him.
Home.
Home for the first time.
This cell was not a home that Darren, aka Fester, had envisioned as a place to live out his life. Maybe, for his father, but never for him. The choice was initiated when he crossed that line between obeying the law and defying it. Learning no distinction, prison was ever in his subconscious to be his home one day, but only temporarily. He had seen what his father had done, oftentimes skirting around prison terms with unethical lawyers: those making big bucks for illegal dealings; making plea bargains and exchanging money in the meantime.
Prison now was not his temporary home, but the place he would eat, sleep, and work for the rest of his life. But in reality, Darren Moore had already lived his life in prison; barred in by his actions long before setting foot in this federal institution.