Not by Sight (41 page)

It’s impossible to overrate the peace of God that passes understanding. But it’s also impossible to have that confident peace without faith in the One who provides it.

Kate suffered immeasurably, to be sure. And her faith was tested beyond what most of us will ever be forced to endure. But in the end, she came back to faith, back to the spiritual realities she had discarded as myth and the God who had disappointed her. In her suffering, Kate’s perspective had changed. She realized that it was better to forge ahead in blind faith than to forge ahead merely blind. She couldn’t control the outcome either way. But choosing to have faith in the One who
could
,
had the power to make the journey infinitely more bearable.

Well, friend. I hope you’re hooked on these characters after this first book, and I invite you to join me for book two in the Ozark Mountain Trilogy. We will watch several budding romances and go on a roller-coaster ride of emotions after Jesse witnesses the drowning of an elderly woman while he’s fishing from the riverbank—more nail-biting suspense involving the entire Cummings family.

I would love to hear from you. Join me on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/kathyherman
, or drop by my website at
www.kathyherman.com
and leave your comments on my guest book. I read and respond to every email and greatly value your input.

In Him,

Discussion Guide

Not by Sight

1. This story is based on 2 Corinthians 5:7: “We live by faith, not by sight.” Can you think of a time in your life when you found yourself in circumstances that required blind faith? Did you, like Abby, have a quiet thrill of expectation, believing God would act? Did He? Or were you, like Kate, disappointed that He seemed silent? If you were disappointed, could you see His hand in the situation later on?

2. Would you agree that God lives outside the constraints of time? Do you think it’s possible that sometimes He answers our prayers, but it takes us years of our life’s journey to get to the answer? Can you think of an example of that in your own life?

3. Do you think that having genuine faith makes confronting life’s difficult issues easier? Why or why not? How might Kate’s life have been different had she embraced the same kind of faith Grandpa Buck had? Or Abby?

4. Can you understand how Kate must have felt when it seemed as though God had turned a deaf ear to her cries for help in the search for Micah and Riley Jo? Have you ever been in a situation that was dire and experienced answered prayer that changed everything? Have you been in dire circumstances that never seemed to change, no matter how hard you or anyone else prayed? Were you able to hold tightly to your faith? Or did you find yourself slipping into unbelief? If so, did you eventually come back to faith in God? Can you pinpoint the reason why you did or didn’t?

5. Hebrews 11:1 tells us, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Can you put this into your own words? Can you name some spiritual truths that you believe strictly by faith?

6. “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Heb. 11:6). Why do you think it’s impossible to please God without faith? Has there ever been a person who has put his or her faith in you to accomplish something? How did it make you feel to have their trust? Has anyone ever treated you with a complete lack of faith? Did their lack of trust and confidence in you do anything positive to build a closer relationship? Do you think that our faith in God helps to build our relationship with Him?

7. Are you comfortable leaving every detail of your life in God’s hands? Or does it make you a little nervous? Are there some things (or people) you find harder to trust God with? If you had been in Kate’s shoes and had to go forward, not knowing if your spouse and baby daughter were alive or dead or whether your spouse had left you, do you think you would have handled it better?

8. Has God ever tested your faith by allowing a family member’s life to hang in the balance? Were you able to let go of that loved one, believing that God knew what was best? Or was it a difficult struggle for you, coming to grips with your helplessness in the matter?

9. Do you think that having faith means never asking
why
? Do you think that having questions negates your faith? Is it possible to choose faith, in spite of questions and doubts? Have you ever done that? What do you think the father of the deaf-and-mute boy meant (Mark 9:24) when he said to Jesus, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”?

10. How do you think faith grows? Do you believe Grandpa Buck, that faith isn’t really faith until it’s tested? In what ways has your faith been tested? Did the trial make your faith stronger? Did it make you trust God more? If not, how did it affect your relationship with Him? Is there something besides adversity that has grown your faith?

11. Who was your favorite character in the story, and why? Who was your least favorite character, and why? What was the takeaway for you?

NOT BY SIGHT

Published by David C Cook

4050 Lee Vance View

Colorado Springs, CO 80918 U.S.A.

David C Cook Distribution Canada

55 Woodslee Avenue, Paris, Ontario, Canada N3L 3E5

David C Cook U.K., Kingsway Communications

Eastbourne, East Sussex BN23 6NT, England

The graphic circle C logo is a registered trademark of David C Cook.

All rights reserved. No part of this ebook may be reproduced, scanned, resold, or distributed by or through any print or electronic medium without written permission from the publisher. This ebook is licensed solely for the personal and noncommercial use of the original authorized purchaser, subject to the terms of use under which it was purchased. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.

The website addresses recommended throughout this book are offered as a resource to you. These websites are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement on the part of David C Cook, nor do we vouch for their content.

This story is a work of fiction. All characters and events are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead, is coincidental.

All Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com.

LCCN 2013933126

ISBN 978-0-7814-0804-2

eISBN 978-0-7814-0883-7

© 2013 Kathy Herman

Published in association with the literary agency of Alive Communications, Inc, 7680 Goddard St., Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80920

The Team: Don Pape, Diane Noble, Amy Konyndyk, Nick Lee, Caitlyn Carlson, Karen Athen

Cover Design: Kirk DouPonce, DogEared Degisn

Cover Image: 123RF and iStockphoto

First Edition 2013

Bestselling suspense novelist KATHY HERMAN has written nineteen novels in five previous series—including the acclaimed Secrets of Roux River Bayou and the Sophie Trace Trilogy—since retiring from her family’s Christian bookstore business. She and her husband, Paul, have three grown children and live in Tyler, Texas.

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What people are saying about …

Not by Sight

“
Not by Sight
starts a terrific new trilogy with the story of a father and daughter missing now for five years. Nonstop tension and danger, young love, and conflicts of faith make this a not-to-be-missed experience. Another winner for Kathy Herman!”