“I
would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm.” Psalm 55:8
Our eleven-year-old
English shepherd dog, Lady, tries to hide from thunderstorms. She lacks
reasoning intelligence to know that she really can’t hide from an electrical
storm. But hearing the first faint rumble of thunder, Lady tucks her bushy
tail, creeps almost in a crouch toward her doghouse and fits her beautiful big
body inside. That is where she feels great safety from any impending harm.
Inside her house, she is certain that the booming thunder can’t reach her. No
matter how long the storm lasts, she remains there until quiet again prevails
and skies clear before she ventures out again.
Watching Lady’s
behavior, I’m reminded how we can turn toward God at trouble’s first nudge. The
doghouse gives Lady shelter from the storm. God can do the same for us. He
offers us protection and comfort, shelter from the world’s turbulence. The
Bible tells us that just as an earthly father provides for his children, God
can give us much more.
Do you have a fear
that you must hide from? Is there something so big and noisy in your mind that
you have to go someplace safe to get away from it? I don’t like the
dark—ever—period. But if I leave even the smallest light bulb burning, I feel
I’m sheltered and safe. Even if I remain in the same location as I was in the
dark, that tiny light relieves my fear.
God tells us that the
devil prowls around looking for those he can destroy. When we sense the devil’s
threats to our Christian commitment, we can follow Lady’s example: Move away
from impending danger; hurry to our Shelter.
I offer an eBook copy of the book for a
giveaway. Please leave a comment.
Bio:
Jo Huddleston is an Amazon Bestselling
author of books, articles, and short stories. Novels in her West Virginia
Mountains series and her Caney Creek series are sweet Southern historical
romances. Her novels are endorsed by Amanda Cabot, Lillian Duncan, Cara Lynn
James, Sharlene MacLaren, and Ann Tatlock. The
redeeming story of God’s pursuing love is the foundation of her novels, and in
them you will find inspiration, hope, and gentle stories that are intriguing
and entertaining. Jo is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers
and the Literary Hall of Fame at Lincoln Memorial University (TN). Learn more
at www.johuddleston.com
Blurb:
Will Rose find the solitude she seeks during her island summer or is solitude what she really
wants?
A compelling story of one woman’s pursuit of
restoration from physical abuse at the hands of her fiancé. Rose Marie Henley’s
Great-Aunt Clara convinces Rose to spend the summer at her South Carolina beach
house.
Aunt Clara’s handyman sends his nephew to repair
Rose’s water heater. Last year Rose would have been excited to see his
over-the-top handsome nephew, Frank Sutton. But now she doesn’t want any man in
her life again.
Frank has an instant attraction to Rose. Can he
break through her defenses? He’ll do anything to protect her, but will she open
her heart to trust him?
Buy
Link for book:
Links
to Huddleston Online:
Excerpt:
Prologue
March 1952 – Columbia, South Carolina
Although
engaged to be married for three months now, Rose Marie Henley had a lot more to
learn about Walter Morgan.
Rose
straightened her tiny kitchen after the celebration supper she’d prepared for
Walter and joined him in the living room where he watched her black and white
television. He always had the TV on or his handsome nose stuck in the pages of
the newspaper or a magazine, claiming he had to keep up with the markets and
business trends. She sat on the arm of his overstuffed chair, but he took no
notice of her.
She
admired his handsome face, the set of his strong jaw, and the full lips that
kissed so well. Rose touched his shoulder and ran her fingers through his black
hair. “Did you enjoy the meal?”
He
finally focused his dark eyes on her but
stole glances at the TV. “Sure.”
“You
about ready to leave for the movie?” she asked.
“No,
I’m not going. We can spend the evening here.”
“Why?”
“I
don’t want to go. I’ve had a hard week at the bank.”
“Well,
my week teaching a classroom of junior high kids wasn’t exactly a picnic, but
I’m not complaining. Come on, we don’t want to miss the beginning of the
movie.”
He
left his chair and faced her. “I said I’m not going!”
“But
we’ve planned all week to see the movie. If you won't
go with me, I’ll go with Amy.”
“So,
you’ll get Amy to take my place?”
“Your
place is with me at the movie, but if you don't go, then I’ll go with Amy.”
He
started for the door. “Fine. I’ll pick you up for church in the morning.”
“Walter,
please don’t go. We can—”
He
slammed the door behind him.
What
had gone wrong with the evening? What had caused this sudden turn-around in
Walter? Considering she was not usually comfortable in the kitchen, the meal
she prepared had turned out quite well. Tonight had been special with
tablecloth and candlelight—she wanted to help him to celebrate his promotion at
the bank. Afterward, she had turned off the kitchen light and joined him in her
living room. Then his outburst and he’d left in a huff. She’d call Amy.
~
After
the movie, Rose drove her new Buick she’d bought last winter to take Amy home.
“Thanks for going with me tonight.”
“I’m
glad you called. Tell me again why Walter didn’t want to go to the movie with
you.”
Rose
tried to gather her dark hair as it floated in the breeze coming through the
open car windows. “He claimed he’d had a hard week at work and wanted to stay
at my apartment this evening.”
“A
hard week? What’s with that? We all work. Walter’s always been quite selfish.”
She glanced at Rose, waiting for her reaction to her words about Walter. Rose
had never realized how attractive she was, with her blemish-free complexion and
just enough natural curl in her dark hair that she didn’t have to tame it or
curl it. “You could have any guy you wanted—you put up with too much nonsense
from Walter. This isn’t the first time he’s pulled something like this on you.”
“I
know. It’ll be different after we’re married.”
“I
certainly hope so.”
Rose
slowed her car to a stop at the curb. “Thanks again for going with me.”
More
petite than Rose, Amy bounced from the car and called back through the open
window. “Anytime. See you at church in
the morning.”
Rose
drove to her small, furnished apartment. Walter had promised that when they
married, they’d live in a much bigger place and he’d hire a housekeeper for
her.
Inside,
she’d barely had time to lay her purse on the coffee table, when someone
knocked. She went to stand near the front door.
“Who
is it?”
“It’s
me, Walter.”
Rose
pulled the door open. Walter stood there, his hair messy and a scowl on his face. “Did you forget something?” she
asked.
He
pushed her aside as he staggered inside, stood in the middle of the living
room, and snarled at her. “Did you enjoy the movie?”
She
closed the door. “Yes, Amy and I—”
He
stepped closer to Rose and grabbed her upper arm, his grip like a vise. “Amy
and you. It’s always you and Amy. Is she taking my place with you?”
“Walter,
that’s nonsense. You like Amy, she’s my best friend in the world.”
“That
ring on your finger means you belong with me. You shouldn’t have replaced me
with Amy tonight.”
The
stench of alcohol on his breath shocked her.
Walter
let out a string of swear words and slung her across the room. He approached
her, stopped just inches away, and breathed hard. She cringed and recoiled from
him. What did he expect her to do? With both hands, he shoved her backward. When she slammed against the wall,
her entire body underwent a jolting sensation of dismemberment like a puppet
with broken strings.
He
snatched her upper arm again and whirled her around. When he let her go, she
landed on her backside and slid across the tile floor into the coffee table,
which slammed against the front of the
sofa. The edge of the coffee table ground into her ribs. She had to get out of
his reach, but he towered above her,
standing between her and the door.
