The Seat Beside Me (43 page)

Dora sat at her computer. Although she still had tons of research to do on the crash and rescue and still had a myriad of people to interview, she felt the need to get started on her book.

She had no real plan on the direction the book would go. Would it be about the facts of the crash? About the hero? Would it be about the survivors? Or about the people who sat in the seats beside them?

That’s it! The perfect title.
The Seat Beside Me
.

But the beginning … how to begin.

And then, with a flick of a thought, Dora knew.

She placed her hands above the keyboard and typed the first line.

I don’t want to go
 …

“God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ ”

A
CTS
17:27–28
A

Dear Reader,

We live in a time when catastrophes are played out on the news. We are there, seeing it happen, moment by moment. We witness the tragedies and ache with the horror they elicit, but we also grab on to the acts of heroism that stun us with their sacrifice. Watching these events always bring about a time of introspection.
How would I react in such a situation? Is there a hero in the person sitting beside me? Is there a hero in me?

While traveling I have met many fascinating people who’ve sat in the seats beside me on airplanes. It’s interesting how sometimes we click, and sometimes we barely speak. Why is that? Is it part of God’s plan to have us seated next to each other? Wouldn’t it be fascinating to find out this answer? To understand that it isn’t a coincidence?

The combination of a catastrophe and heroism was the impetus for
The Seat Beside Me
. Place people next to seatmates who affect their lives. Have them crash soon after meeting. And make one of them a hero—though he doesn’t even know it.

Little did I know how emotionally draining writing this book would be. The day I wrote the crash and rescue chapters, the day I wrote the death of the hero, and the day I wrote the hero’s essay, I ended up a blubbering mess. Putting myself into the heads of each of the characters as they experienced the horrendous tragedy of a crash wiped me out and generated questions I was forced to ask about my own life. I hope these are some of the questions the book has sparked in you:

• Am I ready for eternity? If I die today do I know that I’ll go to heaven?
  
• Am I on the right road for my life, or am I forcing God to do something drastic to get my attention?
  
• Is there a hero in me? Would I give up my own life for the life of a stranger?
  

No one knows they’re a hero until God gives them the opportunity and they say yes. Heroes are not forced to act; they
choose
. What an exciting yet intimidating fact … to know it’s up to us.

A big theme in my life and in my writing is discovering our God-given purpose and then coming to the point of total surrender to Him—in
all
things. To truly
choose
to live our lives God’s way. I have come to such a point in stages and find it exhilarating to develop characters who also struggle with this issue in various ways and with varying results. I’ve discovered that the journey is just as impter all, God has a common goal for all of us—to know Him and to serve Him. But the details of how He brings this about and how we react can be fascinating.

I hope you agree.

Many blessings on your journey,

B
IBLE
V
ERSES FOR
T
HE
S
EAT
B
ESIDE
M
E

C
HAPTER
O
NE

C
HAPTER
T
WO

C
HAPTER
T
HREE

C
HAPTER
F
OUR

C
HAPTER
F
IVE

C
HAPTER
S
IX

C
HAPTER
S
EVEN

C
HAPTER
E
IGHT

C
HAPTER
N
INE

C
HAPTER
T
EN

C
HAPTER
E
LEVEN

C
HAPTER
T
WELVE

C
HAPTER
T
HIRTEEN

C
HAPTER
F
OURTEEN

C
HAPTER
F
IFTEEN

C
HAPTER
S
IXTEEN

E
PILOGUE

D
ISCUSSION
Q
UESTIONS FOR
T
HE
S
EAT
B
ESIDE
M
E

1. Have you ever had the opportunity to tell someone about Christ and chickened out? Were there any consequences? Did you get another chance?

2. Have you ever felt like running away from your life? Did you do it? What were the results? Or if you
didn’t
run away, how did you find the courage to stay?

3. Have you ever had an instance where God had to do something drastic to get your attention? How did He go about it? How did you respond?

4. Have you ever developed a bond with someone traveling in the seat beside you? How did it affect your life?

5. What is your unique purpose in life? How did you discover it? If you don’t know what it is, what are some ways you can discover it?

6. Have you ever been saved from going on a trip or into a situation where a disaster occurred? How did it make you feel? How did it change you?

7. Do you think you would be willing to give your life for a stranger? Do you think anyone truly knows this potential?

D
ON’T
P
ASS
U
P
T
HE
U
LTIMATUM
,

THE DRAMATIC SEQUEL TO
A S
TEADFAST
S
URRENDER
.

THE ULTIMATUM

Steadfast, Kansas. Population: 3,386. Annie McFay is a waitress with a calling far beyond burgers and fries. Jered Manson is a runaway whose dad doesn’t support his musical ambition. New ways clash with the old. Annie’s newfound faith should make her happy, but her husband sees it as a threat to their marriage. Jered is trying out a new friendship—a dangerous one—and his actions may jeopardize lives besides his own.

When Annie and Jered come face-to-face in one desperate moment, their spiritual choices become harsh reality. Threatened with disaster, the entire town of Steadfast must band together to save them. Will the power of prayer be enough?

A STEADFAST SURRENDER

Claire Adams is a rich mosaic artist, on the edge of famous. But is she willing to follow Jesus no matter what the cost? As she searches for her purpose, Claire finds that God has surprising plans for her in Steadfast, Kansas, where she meets a runaway teenager with an attitude and a nose-ring. Why would God bring Claire and Sim from the big city to small-town Steadfast? They’re outsiders. They don’t fit. They do nothing but stir things up. What was He thinking?