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Variations of the same theme:

God doesn’t close a door, but that He opens a window

Failure is God’s opportunity.

When man’s hope is gone, God’s Grace is only beginning.

These sayings all teach us failure and disappointment are not the end, merely God’s redirection.  

Another release and more months of poor results despite dollars and time poured into marketing … wondering if God truly called me to write or is this just my imagination on steroids? Though I remember all these above sayings, I wonder sometimes if they aren’t another form of sour grapes.

Then I recall God’s many interventions, and I feel pricked at how soon I have forgotten them. The twists and turns, bruises and bleeding, I mistake for abandonment are merely speed bumps along the way … lessons God has yet to teach. Perhaps the pain is not from pricks but from pruning … not for success as the world or even Christian publishing interprets but rather for deeper purposes not yet evident.

The works of my hands are not what matters most to God. His quest is not my profession as defined by man. More so, His quest is my heart and my unwavering love.

A valley often stretches between God’s desires for my life and the fulfillment of his promise—in that valley God reveals himself and chases after my whole heart. This valley is called Life, the terrain by which the Lord fulfills his true purpose for me. He permits me to write, but his call is for something greater … fellowship with him.

Abraham looked forward to God’s promise of a son, though the fulfillment seemed as if God had forgotten. As the valley from promise to fulfillment grew wider with each year, the far distant fulfillment stretched his faith. At the right time, after decades of pruning, Isaac was born. Yet, Abraham’s journey did not end. God still had much more to teach him, as well as Isaac and Jacob and all who followed Father Abraham.

Perhaps Abraham’s frustration of delayed answered prayer stemmed from only hearing part of God’s promise, his sights set on the tangible rather than the intangible elements of God’s call, “They will be my people and I will be their God.”

Therein is the valley from promise to fulfilment—the place where God teaches me how much he wants to be my God and how much he desires for me to be his child. “Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children” (Revelation 21:7).

WOLF MOUNTAIN LEGACY

by Linda Wood Rondeau

How do you prove you’re not crazy?

What about the 150-year-old ruins atop Wolf Mountain keeps drawing Marci Henderson to the site? Village legend says the beautiful wife of the older railroad tycoon, after setting fire to their mansion, ran away with his accountant. Was there no way to prove Felicity’s innocence? First, Marci must prove she had the right to walk among the sane.  

Dr. Blake Montgomery, a college professor, has come to Collins Bend to work on his book, Adirondack Railroad Development. To aid in his research, Blake hires Marci Henderson, his former student, one he never stopped loving, who is now a widow. When Marci is insistent people are following the two of them, Blake wonders if she is headed for another psychotic episode.

Old emotions surface as the two embark on a suspenseful journey leading them closer to solving the age-old mystery of Wolf Mountain, a journey fraught with suspicion and murder. Along the way, Blake’s faith is challenged, and Marci searches for spiritual truth about the God she had never known.

BUY LINK Also available in print

About the Author:

Linda Wood Rondeau

Linda Wood Rondeau has been fascinated with the beauty, history, and mysteries encompassed in the Adirondack region, the perfect backdrop for Wolf Mountain Legacy. Find out more about the author on her website, www.lindarondeau.com, and signup for her newsletter to stay informed. The author is available to speak to groups, in person or online.

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