The Seat Beside Me
Read The Seat Beside Me Online
Authors: Nancy Moser
T
HE
S
EAT
B
ESIDE
M
E
“Nancy Moser delivers a fast-paced, absorbing story in
The Seat Beside Me
. I didn’t want to put it down!
ROBIN LEE HATCHER, award-winning author of
Ribbon of Years
and
The Story Jar
“A powerfully dramatic story that forces the reader to wonder,
How many times have I been spared?
After reading
The Seat Beside Me
, you will never sit by a stranger without the realization that every encounter is God appointed.”
VONETTE ZACHARY BRIGHT, cofounder Campus Crusade for Christ
“Her characters leap off the pages and into your heart. Hear me well … you will love this book.”
LISA SAMSON, author of
The Church Ladies
“Nancy Moser is a wonderful storyteller whose novels plumb the depths of spiritual issues.
The Seat Beside Me
is no exception. It will keep you reading—and stay with you long after the last page.”
JAMES SCOTT BELL, author of
The Nephilim Seed
“Vividly written, heart-wrenching drama that brings haunting TV footage to life. A powerful story of how lives are changed by a hero’s heart.”
DEBORAH BEDFORD, author of
A Rose by the Door
and
The Story Jar
“A thought-provoking page-turner guaranteed to make you reevaluate your next ‘chance encounter’ along life’s way.”
MELODY CARLSON, award-winning author of
Diary of a Teenage Girl
and
Blood Sisters
“Delving deeply into the intricacies of the human heart, she shows us our own desperation—then illuminates us with the brilliance of God’s beauty, which is visible only when we allow Him complete control.”
HANNAH ALEXANDER, author of The Healing Touch series
“Intense. Intricate. Inspired.… Nancy Moser’s
The Seat Beside Me
.”
LYN COTE, author of
Winter’s Secret
“A riveting, poignant page-turner that will not soon be forgotten. The next time I soar on silver wings, my eyes will be on the stranger in the seat beside me. And soaring into the clouds, I will remember that miracles still happen to ordinary people … miracles that give a fresh glimpse of God’s glory.”
DORIS ELAINE FELL, author of
Blue Mist on the Danube
“
The Seat Beside Me
is skillfully and grippingly written. Nancy Moser forces her characters and, ultimately, her readers to face the fundamental question, Why am I here?”
DEANNA JULIE DODSON, author of
By Love Redeemed
and
To Grace Surrendered
“Nancy Moser is in top form with
The Seat Beside Me
.… An absolute winner!”
DEBORAH RANEY, author of
Beneath a Southern Sky
and
A Vow to Cherish
T
HE
I
NVITATION
“The plot moves quickly and the literary style makes this book difficult to put down.”
CHRISTIAN LIBRARY JOURNAL
“A fascinating tale of four different people who are called together for a mysterious purpose. Through their intriguing story and the suspenseful ending, Nancy Moser sends her own invitation to the reader, asking us to consider how God can use us—and all ordinary people—in the most extraordinary ways.”
FLORENCE LITTAUER, speaker and author of
Personality Plus
and
Silver Boxes
T
HE
Q
UEST
“
The Quest
mirrors a bit of Frank Peretti’s books as we see the battle for good and evil come to the forefront.”
CHRISTIAN LIBRARY JOURNAL
“Nancy weaves a fascinating story showing how God uses ordinary people in extraordinary ways. Get ready for a page-turner!”
KAREN KINGSBURY, bestselling author of
Halfway to Forever
and
On Every Side
T
HE
T
EMPTATION
“Nancy Moser deftly melds page-turning suspense with engaging characters and solid biblical truth. Along with the two prequels,
The Temptation
deserves shelf space with spiritual warfare classics like those of Frank Peretti!”
CINDY SWANSON, producer/host of
Weekend Magazine
radio show, Rockford, IL
This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
THE SEAT BESIDE ME
Published by Multnomah Books
Published in association with the literary agency of Alive Communications, Inc.
7680 Goddard Street, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80920
© 2002 by Nancy Moser
Scripture quotations are from:
The Holy Bible
, New International Version © 1973, 1984 by International Bible Society, used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Also quoted:
The Holy Bible
, King James Version
Multnomah
is a trademark of Multnomah Publishers, Inc.,
and is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
The colophon is a trademark of Multnomah Publishers, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission.
For information:
MULTNOMAH BOOKS
12265 ORACLE BOULEVARD, SUITE 200
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO 80921
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Moser, Nancy.
The seat beside me / by Nancy Moser.
p. cm.
eISBN: 978-0-307-78107-9
1. Survival after airplane accidents, shipwrecks, etc.—Fiction.
2. Aircraft accidents—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3563.O88417 S43 2002
813’.54—dc21 2001006363
v3.1
For Elaine Neumeyer:
a reader with flair
,
friend beyond compare
,
and child of God extraordinaire
.
Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the
sea, even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
PSALM 139:7–10
A
CKNOWLEDGMENTS
Many people have been with me along the way, sitting in the seat beside me in all its forms.…
Thank you to my husband, Mark, for letting me do what I love (and need) to do. And thanks to Emily and Carson, for their constant support, and especially to my little Laurel (who isn’t so little anymore), for reading through the entire manuscript and making wise suggestions at the ripe old age of sixteen. You make—and would make—a great editor, sweetie. The literary world would applaud your career choice.
Thanks to all my extended family, but especially Mom and Dad, Bev, Crystie, Lois, and Nikki, for always being there and for showing interest in my work.
And Elaine Neumeyer … we were friends way before we met—and always sisters in Christ. Thank you for reading through the entire book and making comments in your usual honest (but loving) way. You are a friend sent by God.
A thank you to the women of my octet, Seeds of Faith. Every Wednesday, in between singing, you ladies (and Dallas too) listened to the progress of this book. Liz Chandler, thanks for your special help with teacher Tina; Debbie Field, with Sonja’s math career advice; Nancy Smithyman, for your help with the hero; and the rest of you: Kathryn Sparks, Linda McCray, Marilyn Lake, Jill Pearson, Sue Wall, and director Dallas Hainline, for your patient ears and encouraging words.
Thanks go to Mel and Cheryl Hodde and Harry Kraus, fine authors all, for their medical wisdom with regard to Anthony. Any errors are my own.
Thanks to fellow author Deb Raney, for literally sitting in the seat beside me on a plane to New Orleans where she endured my enthusiastic bubbling about the idea for a plane crash book. Hey, the fact we had to turn back because the landing gear wouldn’t go
up (better than the other way around, I’d say) was
not
my fault. I will never forget your comment: “If you wanted to do research, I wish you would have done it without me.” Chicken.
And thanks to my agent Chip MacGregor, author buddies Doris Elaine Fell, Stephanie Whitson, James Scott Bell, and Lisa Samson, who sat in the seat of friendship and prayer. May the Lord enlarge your territories. And to the rest of the Chi Libris group … you’re family, and I cherish you.
A special thanks to my editor, Julee Schwarzburg, whose enthusiasm, honesty, and skill made this book better. And your insight … thanks for being open to God’s promptings, subtle though they may have been. Many would ignore such hard-to-express
feelings
about a scene or a character, but you didn’t. I hope I did your insight justice.
And a special thanks to the many readers who send me letters or e-mails. Your kind words, prayers, and encouragement are priceless. And those special ones who often e-mail and say they’ve felt a nudge to pray for me … Anita Flenz, Pauline Bond, and Richelle Cope (my Aussie friend, and her grandma). Thank you all. You are the payment for my work.
Most of all, thanks be to God, for it is He who has called me to do this thing and arranged my life so it can be accomplished. Above all, I long to make Him proud of me—in all things. Thank you, Abba.
Contents