Love Still Stands (48 page)
Authors: Kelly Irvin
Gott’s timing. Gott’s plan. He would not forsake her now.
Her breathing ragged, she stumbled to a stop in front of Luke. Elijah had reached
the front first, with Silas right behind him. His gaze met hers, his eyes full of
an emotion guarded there for her only. Caught in the welling of love she saw there,
she found she couldn’t look away. She saw there in those blue eyes his love for her
and his need for her. Without saying a word he’d already promised her to never leave
her, to care for her, and to cherish her. If bodily sickness came to her, he would
be there. As he was now, in this moment, taking her as his fraa, with a body that
wouldn’t obey her commands, but a heart full of the desire to be everything to him
that a fraa should be.
He would be her helper.
And she would be his.
Luke’s voice penetrated and the fog lifted. His face somber and his voice steady,
he asked the questions and she answered them, but the vows between Elijah and her
had already been made. The answers came easily.
The corners of his mouth tugging up in a suggestion of a smile, Luke took her hand
and placed it in Elijah’s. Her husband’s hands were warm, his clasp firm. Their gazes
held and Luke placed his big, callused hand over theirs.
“So then I may say with Raguel the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of
Jacob be with you and help you together and fulfill His blessing abundantly upon you,
through Jesus Christ. Amen.”
Elijah’s hand tightened on hers. His face broke into a broad grin.
“Amen.”
She grinned back. “Amen.”
Bethel and Elijah faced their friends and family as one. Each made whole by the other.
Bethel let the crutches fall to the floor and stepped into the circle made by her
husband’s arm. He would hold her up and she him.
“Amen.”
1. Bethel Graber believes she needs to be healed of her back injury in order to be
a proper wife and mother, so she prays to God that her affliction be healed. She prays,
she goes to physical therapy, she does everything she can to get better…and yet her
disability remains. Have you ever prayed for a healing you didn’t receive? How did
you feel about it? Why do you think God sometimes gives us an answer that is different
from the one we wanted?
2. Elijah Christner spent years helping his parents through illnesses late in their
lives. Most people would see that as admirable. Bethel doesn’t want Elijah’s help.
She sees it as pity and her disability as a weakness. Is her attitude fair? How do
we as a society see people with disabilities? What does God’s decision not to heal
her disability teach her about her attitude toward herself, marriage, and Elijah?
3. How is Bethel’s attitude toward Shawn and his disability different from her attitude
toward her own disability? Why do you think that is?
4. If you were in Bethel’s shoes, would you have made the same choice when it came
to Elijah and Shawn? What qualities did you admire in each man? Did they have any
qualities that would make them undesirable as life mates? Do you agree with Bethel’s
decision to make the choice based on her faith and community rather than her feelings
about Shawn?
5. Leah’s family and friends chalk up her behavior to her personality. Do you ever
judge people’s actions without delving deeper to see what might be going on in their
lives to cause that behavior? How might Leah’s situation have been different if family
members or friends had spoken to her sooner?
6. Leah is caught between postpartum depression, which prevents her from being a happy
mother and wife, and the expectations of her husband, family, and faith. Have you
ever experienced a situation where what you feel is different from what you believe
your faith demands? How did you react?
7. What role do you think Luke played in Leah’s predicament? How could he have handled
the situation differently within the confines of his faith and upbringing?
8. Leah doesn’t tell Luke how she is feeling or even that she is expecting a child
again. Luke doesn’t ask her if something is wrong. He doesn’t tell her how he’s feeling
about her behavior. What are the consequences of their lack of communication? What
steps should a husband and wife take to ensure they are communicating about important
events in their lives and the feelings that go with those events?
9. In Romans 12:12 Paul says God told him to be “joyful in hope, patient in affliction,
faithful in prayer.” How difficult is it for you to be patient when you have an illness
or other problem that needs healing? What can you do to become more joyful in this
process of learning to trust God’s plan for you? Do you sometimes pray and expect
God to take care of things ASAP? How do you feel when he doesn’t?
10. In 2 Corinthians 12:9, Paul reports that God told him his grace is sufficient
and his power is made perfect in weakness. Do you find it difficult to accept weakness
in yourself? What can we do to see ourselves through God’s eyes and not the world’s?
Kelly Irvin is a Kansas native and has been writing professionally for 30 years. She
and her husband, Tim, make their home in Texas. They have two children, three cats,
and a tankful of fish. A public relations professional, Kelly is also the author of
two romantic suspense novels and writes short stories in her spare time. To learn
more about her work, visit
www.kellyirvin.com
.
To learn more about books by Kelly Irvin or to read sample chapters, log on to our
website:
www.harvesthousepublishers.com
HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS
EUGENE, OREGON
In author Kelly Irvin’s first installment in the Bliss Creek Amish series, readers
will find a charming, romantic story of how God works even in the darkest moments.
It’s been four years since Carl left. Four years since he left the safety of the small
Amish community for the Englisch world. And in four years, Emma’s heart has only begun
to heal.
Now, with the unexpected death of her parents, Emma is plunged back into a world of
despair and confusion. It’s a confusion only compounded by Carl’s return. She’s supposed
to be in love with him...so why can’t she keep her mind off Thomas, the strong, quiet
widower who always seems to be underfoot? Could the man she only knew as a friend
be the one to help her to heal?
In a world that seems to be changing no matter how tightly she clings to the past,
this one woman must see beyond her pain and open her heart to trust once again.
In the second novel of Kelly Irvin’s Bliss Creek Amish series, readers will be delighted
to return to a town and a family they’ve already come to love.
Annie Shirack is trying to fight her feelings for David Plank, a young Amish man who’s
struggling with an aggressive case of Hodgkin’s lymphoma. David loves Annie too much
to let her into his life, only, he fears, to leave her.
When a homeless young woman named Charisma and her two-year-old daughter, Gracie,
show up in Bliss Creek, Annie welcomes them into the Shirack household and tries to
help them establish a new life. But all the good deeds in the world can’t change the
ache in Annie’s heart…or help her forget the man she loves.
It’s been seven years since her husband died, but Helen Crouch is doing just fine.
She’s selling her jams and canned goods at the bakery and making a tidy living. But
her whole world goes topsy-turvy when a new family moves to town. Gabriel Gless has
brought his children to Bliss Creek to escape the worldly influences in Indiana. Helen
and Gabriel have so much in common—the loss of their beloved spouses, the experience
of raising their families alone, their rock-solid faith—so why can’t they seem to
speak without arguing?
And that’s not all that’s going on in Bliss Creek this summer. In the middle of a
punishing drought, the community is faced with the decision to uproot their families
and establish a new settlement. As families struggle to say goodbye, each one must
find the faith to follow the Lord’s direction.
Do you love reading Amish fiction?
Are you drawn to the simplicity of the Amish culture?
V
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TODAY AND DISCOVER: