Faith Blum
“Stay back!” Joshua ordered. He kept his eyes on the scene below while waving his arm in Ruth's direction. “Get deeper into the woods and stay down low to the ground.”
Joshua hazarded a glance behind him. He could no longer see Ruth and breathed a sigh of relief. In one swift move, he grabbed his rifle and lay flat to the ground. Extending the rifle, he aimed at the shorter man whose gun was pointed at Bradshaw.
Joshua and Ruth Brookings are traveling by stagecoach to finally join their parents in Montana. Attacked by murderous outlaws, the teens barely escape with their lives and must survive in the barren Wyoming and Montana territories and escape the man who's hunting them.
Seven years ago, Jed Stuart ran away from home and joined Tom's gang. Jed is tired of the lawlessness and wants out. The only problem? He is the boss's right-hand man and will never be able to leave. And what's one more stagecoach robbery, anyway?
Can Joshua lean on God's strength to keep himself and his sister alive until they find a town? Will Jed be able to face his anger or will it consume him completely? All three are running--the hunter and hunted. What will happen when they meet?
Joshua hazarded a glance behind him. He could no longer see Ruth and breathed a sigh of relief. In one swift move, he grabbed his rifle and lay flat to the ground. Extending the rifle, he aimed at the shorter man whose gun was pointed at Bradshaw.
Joshua and Ruth Brookings are traveling by stagecoach to finally join their parents in Montana. Attacked by murderous outlaws, the teens barely escape with their lives and must survive in the barren Wyoming and Montana territories and escape the man who's hunting them.
Seven years ago, Jed Stuart ran away from home and joined Tom's gang. Jed is tired of the lawlessness and wants out. The only problem? He is the boss's right-hand man and will never be able to leave. And what's one more stagecoach robbery, anyway?
Can Joshua lean on God's strength to keep himself and his sister alive until they find a town? Will Jed be able to face his anger or will it consume him completely? All three are running--the hunter and hunted. What will happen when they meet?
Guest Post by Faith Blum
As part of A Mighty Fortress's blog tour, I have asked Faith to write a guest post for us! So without further adieu, Faith Blum:
What must I do to be saved?
Just over two weeks ago, I published my first book, A
Mighty Fortress. I have been asked
a few times, “Why are you writing this book?
What are your goals for your book?”
While I would love to sell lots of books and become a best-selling
author, I know that is just a pipe dream.
Before I get to my goal and reason for writing A Might Fortress, I would
like to inform or remind you that this post is just one part of my blog
tour. For more excerpts, interviews,
posts, and reviews about my book please check the links on this blog post: http://faithblum.wordpress.com/2013/12/02/introducing-my-first-blog-tour/.
My true goal and the reason for writing my book as
epitomized in chapter 16 of my book:
As the weeks and months sped by, the ranch
hands became part of the family. Wyatt
and Flynn even seemed to relax some.
Since there were only four ranch hands, Harriet insisted that the hands
eat with the family for meals.
“It's just as easy to feed eight as it is to
feed four,” she exclaimed. “Eating with
a family will be good for them.”
Daniel gave up on arguing with his wife
about the subject. Instead, he chose to
truly make them all a part of the family and insisted that they join the family
for devotions after dinner.
Even though Christmas was still a few months
away, Daniel felt a burden to share the Christmas story a little earlier than
he had planned. After the table was
cleared, Daniel opened his Bible to Luke chapter two and began to read.
“In those days, Caesar Augustus...”
Ruth smiled at these words and listened in
rapture to her father's deep, expressive voice.
She felt like she lived in the story.
This happened nearly every year, but this year was the first time she
really put herself in Mary's place. She
felt the confusion, the fear, the pain, the rejection. What would it have been like to be the mother
of the Son of God? Would she have been
as willing as Mary was?
God,
she prayed as her father continued
reading, make me a willing maidservant
for you. Help me do what You ask when You ask me to do it.
As she prayed, a peaceful contentedness
swept over her features. After her
prayer, Ruth looked around the table and watched as the men listened to her
father read. She noticed a tear slide
down William's weather beaten cheek, skirting his mustache before falling onto
his shirt. The looks on the other men’s
faces were softer than she had noticed them being before. Ruth wasn't sure what word would be best to
describe the look. Peaceful? No, not quite. Serene?
She shook her head. No,
definitely not that. Tranquil. Yes, that was it. They all had tranquil looks on their faces. As if, for this one moment in time, something
was right in their lives.
Her father finished
reading the Christmas story and finished up with a Scripture passage he
traditionally read on Christmas Day.
“'And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they
were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy,
holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And when those beasts give glory and honour
and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, The
four and twenty elders fall down before him that sits on the throne, and
worship him that liveth for ever and
ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord,
to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and
for thy pleasure they are and were created...And I beheld, and I heard the
voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and
the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of
thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to
receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and
blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under
the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard him
saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth
upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. And the four beasts said,
Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth
for ever and ever.'” Daniel paused. “Let's
bow our heads and silently worship our Savior.” He bowed his head and the others
followed his example.
Ruth bowed her head and
praised God for sending His Son into the world as a baby to be her atonement
for sin. Silent tears rolled down her
cheeks as she considered how unworthy she was and how grateful she was that He
still forgave her.
A rough hand on her
shoulder made her jump. William stood
next to her. “Sorry to disturb you, Miss
Ruth,” he whispered, “but I was wonderin' if'n I could ask you a few
questions.”
Ruth's eyes widened in
confusion. “Me? Why me?”
William shrugged and he
licked his lips in what seemed to be nervous agitation. “I watched you while Mr. Brookings read. I think you'll be the best’un to answer my
questions.”
Ruth nodded, stood up
and went to where her father sat. She
leaned her mouth to his ear. “Pa, Will
has a few questions. Is it all right if
I bring him out on the porch so we can talk?”
Daniel glanced over at
William before nodding his assent.
Ruth motioned for
William to follow her as she took her shawl off the hook near the door. William grabbed his coat and shrugged into it
before holding the door for her to step onto the porch.
Ruth sat on the step
while William leaned against one of the posts.
They stared at the snow covered mountains in the distance for a few
minutes.
William finally broke
the silence. “Yer whole family seems ta
have a...somethin' different about you.”
He cleared his throat.
“What...what's so different?”
Ruth looked up at the
stars. “We all have a personal
relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ.”
Her eyes wandered to William's face as he looked across at the land
before him.
He nodded. “Yer brother explained some about that on the
trail here. I know some 'bout Jesus, but
I never heard the Christmas story the way I heard it tonight. Yer pa read it as if it were real to him.”
“It is.”
“I realize that
now.” He looked down at Ruth, then back
out at the landscape. “I just never made
the connection 'tween Jesus' birth and the celebration and worship, and then to
move to the future celebration
and worship... Was that
part 'bout the last times? When the
world ends?” William's words trailed off.
Ruth smiled and
nodded. “About the elders bowing down in
worship? Yes. As for the connection between the two, Pa has
a tradition of doing that. Sometimes he
adds the middle part of the story.”
William's eyes darted
toward Ruth in surprise. “The middle?”
“Yes.” Ruth's answer was soft as her mind raced, and
prayed, for the words to say. “The part
where Jesus gave Himself up to die for your sins and for mine. There was no celebration in heaven then. No one worshiped Him. He was forsaken and alone, but He knew what
He had to do and He went into it willingly.”
“Why’d He do that?”
William asked.
Ruth took a deep breath
as she stared unseeing at the barn. “To
save you from your sins. Romans 6:23
says, ‘For the wages of sin is death.’
Three chapters earlier, in Romans 3:23, God states that ‘all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God’.
Jesus died to take away the wages of sin and restore us to the glory of
God.”
“He did that for me?”
William looked incredulous.
Ruth stood up and faced
him. “Yes. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came as a baby
to be born in a humble stable. He was
worshiped by Magi, shepherds, old men, and old women. He was born to a carpenter and his virgin
wife. He grew up as a normal child,
though without sin. He ministered to His
people, knowing they would ultimately reject Him. He died to save all mankind from their sins,
but He also knew that if there had been only one man alive on earth to save, He
would have died for him. He rose on the
third day, defeating death and the grave.
After appearing to many of His disciples and their friends, He ascended
into heaven and will return again to earth someday to again be worshiped and
adored as He deserves.”
William listened to
Ruth's passionate summary attentively.
He stood in silent thought for a couple of minutes. “How does one have a personal relationship
with this Jesus?”
Ruth's smile
widened. “Let's go inside and let Pa
tell you. He is much better than I am.”
William stopped her
before she reached the door. “Before we
do, I was wonderin'. What were you
thinkin' 'bout while he was readin'?”
Ruth blushed. “What it would have been like to be Mary.”
William nodded. “What else?”
Ruth looked down and
scuffed the toe of her boot on the planks.
“How tranquil you and the other men looked while Pa was reading.”
“Tranquil?” His voice held a tone of curiosity.
Ruth laughed a little
and looked up at him. “Yes,
tranquil. Calm, unworried, unharried.”
William smiled. “That describes what I was feelin' then,
too. Though a bit sad for Joseph's pain
and worry, too.”
Ruth nodded as a grin spread on her face. “You are very observant. Many people don’t think about Joseph’s side
of the story. I'm glad you could have a
few minutes of feeling tranquil. Now, let's
get inside so Pa can answer the rest of your questions.”
William nodded
and followed her in to get the answers to the most important question of
eternity: What must I do to be saved?
That last question is what I want people to ask when they
read my books. If they already know, I
pray that they are—at the very least—encouraged to live an active, daily
Christian life.
For those who may be reading this and asking what Mr.
Brookings told William, let me tell you in the best way I know how: Through the
words of Daniel Brookings himself. Warning:
this is an exclusive to-this-blog-post-only scene in my book. This scene is not, nor will it ever be,
published
in my book.
William and Ruth walked back into the house
with William holding the door open for Ruth.
Ruth went straight to her father with a huge grin on her face.
“Pa, William wants to know how to get
saved.”
Daniel Brookings looked at the shy young man
standing nervously near the door. Daniel
smiled and beckoned for William to come closer while Ruth gave her mother a hug
before sitting down. William took a
hesitant step forward and sank into the empty chair next to Daniel.
“Ruth tells me you would like to know how to
be saved.”
William nodded. “Yes, Sir.”
Daniel kept his eyes trained on William, but
through his peripheral vision, he could tell that the other ranch hands were
listening close. Lord, give me the
words to say and give William the understanding he needs.
“William, do you believe that Jesus Christ
is the Son of God?” Daniel asked.
William’s hands twisted together in his lap
while he thought. A few seconds ticked
by before he looked up into Daniel’s eyes.
“Yes, Sir.”
Daniel
nodded. “In Acts, when Paul and Silas
were asked ‘what must I do to be saved?’
Their response was, ‘Believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And
they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.’”
William blinked his
eyes in obvious confusion. “That’s
all? Just believe?”
Daniel smiled.
“Earlier in Acts, Peter told the crowds he was preaching to: ‘Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the
Holy Ghost.’
“Repentance means turning completely from your
sins. If you believe that Jesus Christ
is the Son of God, that He died for your sins to give you the free gift of
eternal life, and you feel convicted of your sins, you are one step closer to
being saved. At this point, you have two
directions you can go. One, you can
ignore God’s conviction and keep living in your sin. Or two, you can turn to him, confess your
sins, repent of your sins and ‘go, sin no more.’”
William looked like he was about to interrupt, but
Daniel raised a hand for silence. “Now,
I do want to clarify one thing before I go on.
This does not mean you will be sinless.
You will still sin, you will still have problems, but you will also have
Jesus Christ, God the Father, and God the Holy Spirit in you helping you as
often as you need the help and ask for it.”
William stared at his hands for a few seconds before
looking up at Daniel with deep conviction in his eyes. “I want that for myself,” he said in a husky
voice. “I need that.”
Daniel put his hand on William’s shoulder and
looked him straight in the eye. “All you
have to do is lay your heart before Jesus’ feet. Talk
to him and tell him what you want.”
“I don’t know where to start,” William said, his voice
almost a whisper.
Daniel nodded.
“Lord, I come before You today with my friend, William. I’ve told You about him before, but today he
wants to talk to You for himself. Go
ahead, William.”
William cleared his throat. “Hi, God.
I’m William. I don’t really know
what ta say. Mr. Brookings said ta just
tell you what’s on my heart. I’ve sinned
a lot. Maybe nothin’ big like murder,
but I’ve lied, cheated others, and lots o’ other things I know I shouldn’ta
done. I wanna stop it, God. Please come inta my heart and help me to stop
sinnin’ and ta live like You did when Jesus came ta here. I’m gonna need lots
of help, though, just so’s You know.
It’s not gonna be easy for either of us.
Thanks fer comin’ to die fer me, Jesus.
I really appreciate it. More than
I could ever say.”
“Amen.”
~~~~~~~
Thank you, Faith, for that touching scene and the words you shared with us about faith!
It really is true, though, what she said about believing in Christ as your Savior. I appreciate you, Faith, for having the courage to write that!
Until next time!
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