Looking out the Window: Laurean Brooks Talks about the Presence of Jesus and Her Book, Half Price Bride. Giveaway.
A Warm Welcome to Laurean Brooks
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The Tattered Quilt
It was early April more than a decade ago and the first gray light of dawn slanted through my half-closed blinds as I stirred in bed. A heaviness of heart settled over me over bad choices I'd made decades earlier. I had asked God for forgiveness almost daily, but it was harder to forgive myself.
As I lay there, I asked God to change me and make something good from my life. I pleaded with him to renew me, give me His direction for my life. Doubts flooded through me and I told the Master Of The Universe that I was not worthy of His love, neither did I deserve His forgiveness. Then I asked Him for the hundredth time to cleanse me, remove the guilt I'd carried for years, and to fill me with His Holy Spirit.
I dozed off again, not quite asleep. and dropped into a dreamlike state where the body is half awake. I don't know whether this experience was a vision or a dream, but it was very real. So real that after 15 years, I can still see every detail.
I was standing in a shallow river gazing up at Jesus, who sat on a large boulder in the middle of the waters. The waters rushed past Him. I held a colorful patchwork quilt in my hand. The quilt represented a stage of my life.
Each patch represented a portion of my life. Some were from mistakes, others from the the guilt I still carried from those mistakes. Some patches were clean and untouched, but others were torn or soiled. My eyes lingered on Jesus, and I wondered at the peace He exuded while relaxing on the boulder above me.
I offered up my tattered quilt with a silent plea for Him to “Please, fix the soiled and tattered pieces.” Jesus took it, draped it over one arm, then grasped me by the wrist and pulled me up beside Him. With our knees pulled up and our shoulders touching, we faced the river. I marveled at how Jesus was mesmerized by the rapids. He never took his eyes from them as them. I marveled at how he could be unperturbed by the raging current. At the same time, I felt safe because Jesus kept his eyes on the state of the river.
No words were spoken, and we sat side by side watching the waters rush past us. I waited expectantly, somewhat impatiently, for Jesus to repair my quilt. After a few moments, He turned toward me and tucked the tattered thing around my shoulders. My heart sank. I was puzzled. I wanted to ask, “Lord, why did you not make my quilt new? Why are you returning it with all its stains and tears?”
Jesus only smiled. Without answering, he tugged the quilt until it lay across His shoulders, too. I sat in awe at the peace I felt. Jesus was sharing the quilt with me.
I believe He was saying, “I share your every burden, every tear, and every heartache.”
The Lord is always with His children, even when we can't feel His presence. And although God may not remove the scars from our pasts, He bears the consequences of them on His shoulders with us.
Isaiah 43:2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned; nor shall the flame scorch you.”
About Half Price Bride
To escape a contentious relationship, Emily Hammons answers a mail-order bride ad from a dentist in Abilene. Arriving a day late, she is shocked to find him exchanging vows with another woman.
Handsome rancher, Clint McCall came to town to fetch the doctor, but Doc is attending a wedding. As he waits outside the church, the bride tears out, slamming a pretty brunette into him. Clint tries to steady her, but loses his balance, becoming a cushion for her fall.
With an injured foot and an empty purse, Emily accepts Clint’s offer to care for his ailing mother.
Clint has arguments to back his opinion of mail-order brides. His mother suffered years of abuse at the hand of an angry man when she answered an ad.
With no relatives in Abilene, why did Emily travel more than 600 miles from Memphis? Clint feels she is hiding something.
The dentist in on the hunt for his “other” bride. Will he find Emily? Will Clint’s love be strong enough to endure Emily’s secret, or will it destroy them?
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Bio:
Laurean Brooks writes heartwarming Christian romance with leap-off-the-page characters. Her stories address life's deeper issues, but large doses of humor lighten the load. Her books are chocked full of intrigue, romance, and interesting characters, They are enhanced by heroines who are no strangers to the taste of their own shoe leather and chivalrous alpha-male heroes who are ready to rescue them.
Laurean's fifth-grade teacher was the first to encourage her to hone her writing skills. When Laurean read a book report to the class, her classmates scrambled to be the next in line to read the book. One day after reading to the class, her teacher announced, “Someday, Laurie will be an author.”
Laurean cherished those words in her heart for decades, until her elusive dream became reality. She has written several Christian Contemporary romance novels, but has found her niche in the Christian Western Romance genre.
All books are available at Amazon as Kindle download or in paperback.
Connect with Laurean on Facebook
or by email at landtbeth@yahoo.com. She loves to interact with readers and other authors.
Comments
I agree; Jesus' presence is essential for our peace. I remember how disappointed felt when He took the quilt. I thought He was saying, "You're on your own." But no, He pulled it across His shoulders to share it.
I had so much fun creating the characters in "Half-Price Bride". Not just the hero and heroine, but Clint's mother is a hoot. She has a thing going with the doctor, and doesn't mind speaking her mind.
You'll find a similar character in my 1st book in this series, "Not What He Ordered." The hero (Josh) aunt is a card. She's the one who ordered a bride for Josh...without his consent. So, a lot of secrets are being kept. Until the explosive ending. Lol. (It's a Happily Ever After.)
You are a gifted writer, eloquent when it comes to description. I'm happy to see you are still writing in spite of your health challenges. May God continue to bless and keep you well.
I hope you and the others reply with your emails, for a chance to win a download of Half-Price Bride. One lucky winner.