Thursday, January 29, 2015

A Reader's Look at Beyond All Dreams

We all have a past we wish to erase and never have to deal with again. But what we often fail to realize is it is often this past that God uses to shape us into who He wants us to be.
Luke Calhoun in Beyond All Dreams by Elizabeth Camden has a past he is trying to run from. A past full of abuse, alcoholism and an anger he fears he can't control.
As a young boy he was more likely to feel the slap of his father's hand, than a gentle touch - a sharp rebuke than a loving word. Because of this Luke tries to avoid violence although he feels anger festering in him over the injustices around him. He has vowed to live as a pacifist and uses his position as a US congressman to promote peace. It is this goal, this fear that drives him to risk the rumination of his political career and vote for peace when the nation demands war.
What Luke must come to realize is that it is his past that God has used to shape him into the person who values peace. It is this past that makes him a voice of reason and to put human life above ideology and money. He is a reminder to us that God allows our past for a reason - to further His purpose. And instead of trying to hide from shameful pasts we need to praise God. For it just might be that past that he uses to further His glory in ways we could never imagine.
How as God used your past to further His will?



Beyond all Dreams


Anna O'Brien leads a predictable and quiet life as a map librarian at the illustrious Library of Congress until she stumbles across the baffling mystery of a ship disappeared at sea. Thwarted in her attempts to uncover information, her determination outweighs her shyness and she turns to a dashing congressman for help.
Luke Callahan was one of the nation's most powerful congressmen before his promising career was shadowed in scandal. Eager to share in a new cause and intrigued by the winsome librarian, he joins forces with Anna to solve the mystery of the lost ship. Opposites in every way, Anna and Luke are unexpectedly drawn to each other despite the strict rules forbidding Anna from any romantic entanglements with members of Congress. 




Josette Downey  is the christian romance author of A Time to Say Goodbye, The Secret Son and Bonds of Tradition. She has master’s degree in English From East Carolina University, and currently works for a premier test scoring company. She is the mother of a precocious six-year-old girl, who enjoys bugs, snakes and superman.  She enjoys southern cooking, reading and exploring emerging technology, but is best defined by her devotion to her faith and the empowerment of women in the modern world.


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3 comments:

  1. I am who I am because of my past & I am stronger for it.

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  2. I just finished reading this book. It is an excellent story. Gave me a lot of food for thought. Thanks for posting. Mary: I appreciate your comment, and I agree. My past has made me who I am today, and I am stronger because of it.

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  3. I sure agree, too, Mary. Knowing that God uses A*L*L things--even the bad brought on by our poor choices-- for our GOOD, (if we love Him and are called according to His purpose) That is such a promise! I LOVE serving a God of second chances!

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