The Five Times I Met Myself
Acclaim for James L. Rubart
“If you think fiction can’t change your life and challenge you to be a better person, you need to read
The Five Times I Met Myself
.”
—A
NDY
A
NDREWS
,
N
EW
Y
ORK
T
IMES
BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF
H
OW
D
O
Y
OU
K
ILL
11 M
ILLION
P
EOPLE
,
T
HE
N
OTICER
,
AND
T
HE
T
RAVELER
’
S
G
IFT
“A powerfully redemptive story with twists and turns that had me glued to every page. With a compelling message for anyone who longs to relive their past,
The Five Times I Met Myself
is another James L. Rubart masterpiece.”
—S
USAN
M
AY
W
ARREN, BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE
C
HRISTIANSEN
F
AMILY SERIES
“The conclusion of the Well Spring series is full of action and conflict. Although the novels deal with spiritually challenging concepts, Rubart makes them understandable and accessible. Overall a very exciting and fitting end to a thrilling saga.”
—
RT B
OOK
R
EVIEWS
ON
S
PIRIT
B
RIDGE
“The second novel in Rubart’s Well Spring series picks up the fast-paced narrative right away and doesn’t quit until the end. The author has penned another amazing tale of angels, demons, and what it means to be truly connected to God’s plans for the future.”
—
RT B
OOK
R
EVIEWS
, 4
STARS ON
M
EMORY
’
S
D
OOR
“This book is provocative in its material. It forces the reader to consider components of God’s nature not normally focused on. It’s a quality novel for young or older Christians of any theological background.”
—
C
HURCH
L
IBRARIES
ON
S
OUL
’
S
G
ATE
“Readers with high blood pressure or heart conditions be warned: this is a seriously heart-thumping and satisfying read that goes to the edge, jumps off, and ‘builds wings on the way down.’ ”
—
P
UBLISHERS
W
EEKLY
ON
S
OUL
’
S
G
ATE
“Powerful storytelling. Rubart writes with a depth of understanding about a realm most of us never investigate, let alone delve into. A deep and mystical journey that will leave you thinking long after you finish the book.”
—T
ED
D
EKKER
,
N
EW
Y
ORK
T
IMES
BESTSELLING AUTHOR ON
SOUL
’
S
G
ATE
“Tight, boiled-down writing and an intriguing premise that will make you reconsider what you think you know about the spiritual realm.”
—S
TEVEN
J
AMES
,
NATIONAL BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF
P
LACEBO
AND
O
PENING
M
OVES
ON
S
OUL
’
S
G
ATE
“
Soul’s Gate
takes readers on a wild flight of fantasy into the spiritual realm, where we find the battle for our souls is even wilder than we imagined—and very, very real. With vividly drawn characters, startling imagery, and the power of a spiritual air-raid siren, the story is at once entertaining and breathtakingly enlightening. James L. Rubart has crafted a stunning piece of work, a call to arms for everyone who yearns for the freedom of the abundant life Christ promises us—and is willing to fight for it. Rubart knocks it out of the park with this one.”
—R
OBERT
L
IPARULO
,
AUTHOR OF
T
HE
13
TH
T
RIBE
AND
C
OMES A
H
ORSEMAN
“Don’t read this unless you’re ready to see with new eyes. Through evocative prose and masterful storytelling, Rubart transports you to the spiritual realm—a realm of vision, mystery, healing, and power. A deep and thoughtful—and jet-propelled—spiritual journey of a book.”
—T
OSCA
L
EE
,
N
EW
Y
ORK
T
IMES
BESTSELLING AUTHOR ON
S
OUL
’
S
G
ATE
Other Books by James L. Rubart
The Well Spring Novels
Soul’s Gate
Memory’s Door
Spirit Bridge
Rooms
Book of Days
The Chair
Copyright © 2015 by James L. Rubart
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.
The author is represented by the literary agency of Alive Communications, Inc., 7680 Goddard Street, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80920. www.alivecommunications.com.
Thomas Nelson titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail [email protected].
Publisher’s Note: This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. All characters are fictional, and any similarity to people living or dead is purely coincidental.
ISBN 978-1-4016-8612-3 (eBook)
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Rubart, James L.
The five times I met myself / James L. Rubart.
pages ; cm
ISBN 978-1-4016-8611-6
I. Title.
PS3618.U2326F58 2015
813'.6--dc23
2015020704
15 16 17 18 19 20 RRD 6 5 4 3 2 1
For Taylor and Micah.
What father could be more proud?
Contents
“The best thing about dreams is that fleeting moment, when you are between asleep and awake, when you don’t know the difference between reality and fantasy, when for just that one moment you feel with your entire soul that the dream is reality, and it really happened.”
—James Arthur Baldwin
“In my dreams I never have an age.”
—Madeleine L’Engle
M
AY
10, 2015
T
he dream had come again last night, just as it had sliced into Brock’s subconscious the night before that. A dream now dominating a significant portion of his waking moments. He had to talk to someone about it—someone with at least a smattering of psychology. Someone he could trust. His best choice was Morgan. His only choice, really.
Brock crossed Seattle’s 4th Avenue and looked up at the sky as it surrendered to dusk. Not long till the spring evenings would hold the light till after nine o’clock. He reached the other side of the street, strode up to the front door of Java Spot, yanked the door open, and stepped inside. Three-quarters full. The perfect number of people. Not so many that newcomers would turn away, but enough to tell people it was a place to be. Morgan had to feel good having that many customers at six twenty.
Brock glanced around at the 1940s motif. Posters of Rosie the Riveter and Ted Williams, an old Coca-Cola sign, and the famous
shot of the sailor kissing a nurse in Times Square hung on the walls. Definitely captured the hope of a post–World War II populace. Or maybe Java Spot simply appealed to those who wanted an alternative to the corporate giant that had more coffee shops sprinkled throughout Puget Sound than 7-Elevens.