A Season for Family (16 page)

Dear Reader,

I trust you enjoyed Heath and Olivia's Thanksgiving story. This unique holiday is not about giving gifts, but about giving thanks for the people God has used to bless our lives in ways we may never realize this side of eternity. The Thanksgiving meal truly is a table of hope.

This book wraps up my series on a brother and two sisters separated as children by family violence. Our culture might say they were collateral damage, casualties of a modern society. But through their faith Alison, Erin and Heath each overcame the world's obstacles to become the people God intended them to be.

During this season of thanksgiving may you be grateful for those in your life who live in the belief that all things are possible with Jesus Christ.

Until we meet again, let your light shine!

Mae Nunn

1. On any given night in America between 70,000 and two million people are homeless. Have you ever volunteered at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen? Why or why not?
   
2. Families constitute about one third of the homeless population and are the fastest growing group of homeless people. How can your book club or community group work together to help a homeless family?
   
3. Olivia's faith and Christian worldview impacted everything in her life. Are you able to look at the world through the lens of your relationship with Christ?
   
4. Heath was raised in a loving adoptive home but never felt fully connected with his parents. Do you believe there's a hardwired need for a person to know their birth parents in order to feel complete?
   
5. Heath went into the foster care system as a small child and was lucky to be adopted. How much do you know about foster care in your city or state? Would you consider being a foster parent?
   
6. Even though she'd suffered loss and abandonment at a young age, Olivia was still very trusting of basic human nature. Could you be as trusting and forgiving? Why or why not?
   
7. Heath worked for so long as an undercover cop that he began to lose himself in his “characters”
   and wasn't sure he liked his personality any longer. What could he have done to stay more in touch with his true self?
   
8. We all know someone with a glass-half-empty way of looking at life. What tactics could you use to encourage such a person to see the world from a more positive perspective? To count their blessings?
   
9. Amos was starting his life over at an age when he should have been enjoying his senior years. Can you relate to being in that situation? Do you know someone dealing with such a circumstance?
   
10. Nick thought he'd make a quick buck to jump-start his income. I know someone who paid for that kind of thinking by spending eighteen months of his life in prison. What makes a person risk their long-term freedom for the short-term payout?
    
11. Though Heath and Olivia had very different ways of looking at the world, it didn't keep them from falling in love. Why do you think opposites attract?
    
12. The Christian teaching of Heath's childhood came back to him in a practical way in his adulthood. Do you recall a time when Biblical principles you never understood as a child made sense to you as a grown up?
    
13. Heath was grateful to have a second chance for a relationship with his sisters. But even the best of sibling relationships can be trying at times. Can you think of a situation when a sister or brother almost made you lose your religion?
    
14. There are some extremely difficult family relationships that seem impossible to overcome. But nothing is impossible with our God. Was there ever a time when you sought spiritual guidance in order to resolve a dispute within your family?
    
15. Are you new to Love Inspired books or have you been reading them for years? Are you aware we now have historical and suspense as well as contemporary novels? Please visit www.LoveInspiredAuthors.com. We'd love to hear from you!