Tomorrow's Sun (52 page)

B
ECKY
M
ELBY
has been married to Bill, her high school sweetheart, for 40 years. They have four married sons and eleven grandchildren. Becky has co-authored nine books for Heartsong Presents and is working on her third novella for Barbour Publishing.
Tomorrow’s Sun
is the first of three stories in The Lost Sanctuary series. Becky’s favorite pastimes are spoiling grandkids and taking trips with Bill in their RV or on their Honda Gold Wing. To find out more about Becky or her books, or to let her know your thoughts on
Tomorrow’s Sun
, visit
www.beckymelby.com
.

Discussion Questions for
Tomorrow’s Sun

1.   Long before Emily arrived in Wisconsin, she decided not to make friends there. Have you ever entered a situation or relationship determined to guard your heart and keep everyone at a distance?

2.   Jake had his own boundaries in place because he thought a relationship would take his focus off of gaining guardianship of the twins. How different would his interactions with Emily have been if he’d been able to trust God with the details of his future? Have you drawn boundaries around any part of your future? What would it take to leave it in God’s hands?

3.   Jake blames Ben for much of what has gone wrong in his life. That’s a very normal, human tendency. If there is a person who has hurt you or seemingly changed the course of your life, how are you dealing with it? In light of this, do you find the promise found in Romans 8:28 comforting, or very difficult to accept? Have you experienced good things coming out of bad situations?

3.   Have you ever discovered a “secret” room, a lost treasure, or old letters in an attic or basement? Have you moved into a house that held clues about previous owners?

4.   Hannah’s faith appears so strong even in the face of great danger. In what ways might it have been easier to trust God in a “simpler but harder” era? What “faith advantages,” if any, do we have in this age of information?

5.   Emily has a full “toolbox” of techniques for quelling panic. What “tools” have you found helpful in anxiety-producing situations?

6.   The letters and the secret room begin to erode Emily’s “wall”, and she embarks on a mission to discover more about the letter writers. Adam longs to be involved in “something like the Underground Railroad.” What causes exist today that Christians are, or should be, championing? Are you involved in something “significant,” or do you long to be? What is God calling you to do that you haven’t acted on yet?

7.   In her pain and fear, Lexi lashes out just like her injured cat. Do you have regular contact with a coworker or family member who responds to the world like a porcupine— bristly and unapproachable? How does (or would) knowing the painful events in this person’s life soften your reactions?

8.   Jake and Lexi sit side-by-side in church, hearing the same music. One responds in joyful worship, the other can barely utter a word. How do the events in your daily life color your attitude toward worship? We know God is worthy of our praise no matter what our circumstances, so how can we more readily respond to Him simply because of who He is?

9.   Emily’s driving force is her need to make restitution to Sierra. In what circumstances does God ask us to make restitution, and for what purpose? The Bible tells us in many places that God’s forgiveness doesn’t come with a “to do” list we must check off before experiencing His grace. Emily could not escape the knowledge that her choices resulted in Sierra’s handicap, but what would her mind-set about her own future, and Sierra’s, have been if she’d accepted God’s forgiveness and plan for her life earlier?

10. What was your initial reaction to Jake’s lack of response when Emily told him she couldn’t have children?

11. Second Corinthians 1:3–4 speaks of God comforting us “in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” We see this principle played out in the lives of Hannah and her father. Familiar with grief after Elizabeth’s death, they minister to George and Isaiah with tenderness. Do you know people who, like Emily, have experienced miscarriage, infertility, or the loss of a loved one who are able to comfort others in the way they have been comforted?

12. Hannah acknowledges that Liam left without her because he didn’t want to endanger her. Has there been a time in your life when you were on the giving or receiving end of a selfless love that “doesn’t feel like love”?

13. God’s faithfulness to His children in spite of their actions is always humbling. Emily’s choices hurt Sierra. Describe how Emily must have felt when she was allowed to take part in rescuing Adam and Lexi.

14. What do you think the future holds for Jake, Emily, Adam, and Lexi?

If you enjoyed
T
OMORROW’S
S
UN

be sure to look for

Y
ESTERDAY’S
S
TARDUST

Lost Sanctuary

Book Two

Available Summer 2012