Tuesday, September 12, 2017

True freedom in Christ is found through surrender

ENGAGED: Surrendering the Future

Book 3, Surrendering Time Series

Trish’s Story

by Julie Arduini 



Trish Maxwell returns to Speculator Falls with crushed dreams, egg on her face, and the chance to make a new start with the very people and places she used to make fun of.

Trish Maxwell was a known fixture in the Adirondack mountain village of Speculator Falls. Although she grew up there and her parents were prominent members with their work and volunteer duties, Trish didn’t see herself living in the area as an adult. As soon as she had the chance to leave town, she did, believing it would be the culmination of her dreams to live in a big city and have a high-powered job.

What she didn’t count on was the business cutting back, and she was the first to be let go. With no other plan or funds to stay in New York City, Trish is forced to move back in with her parents. People were upset with her for the way she left, and she had to deal with them. Trish also needed to determine her future, and she truly wasn’t sure what she’s going to do. Even when paramedic Wayne Peterson came to her rescue, Trish still faced confusion with the options.


In all my writing, I use a surrender theme as a backdrop. True freedom in Christ is found through surrender, and there are enough surrender issues to write for a long time. In ENGAGED, Trish has to surrender her failed dreams for God’s best plan. Sounds easy, but I’ve been around people who have lost decades of opportunities because they were holding onto a goal that wasn’t meant for them. I also have dealt with plans that didn’t go the way I wanted, and I had to choose whether I wanted to be bitter or better. Trish had the same choices.

What was interesting to write and share with a book club at my church was that faith wasn’t automatic with Trish. Wayne turned his life around and embraced a personal faith with Christ because he realized he wanted to be a good steward as a single father. Trish went with the false thinking that because her parents were staples of the church and she’d been in the building for years, she only needed to throw up a quick prayer when she needed some answers. As Trish encountered more conflict, she needed to see that wasn’t enough.

Finding a personal faith in Christ apart from family is important to me because I’ve taught too many kids over the years that felt because they sat in the same pew week after week with grandparents and parents, that was their ticket to heaven. Or, because they went to a Christian concert, that was enough. Through fiction, I hope I can present a solid story that would make readers want to hunger for Christ and make Him their best friend, as I have. As my characters need to.



Have you ever faced a situation that didn’t go as you thought it would? Did you have another plan in place? Were you tempted to be bitter? How about faith matters? Have you met someone who felt they were good to go with their faith because their family was invested in Christ?



 Jule Arduini loves to encourage readers to surrender the good, the bad, and ---maybe one day---the chocolate. She’s the author of ENTRUSTED: Surrendering the Present, ENTANGLED: Surrendering the Past, and ENGAGED: Surrendering the Future. FINDING FREEDOM THROUGH SURRENDER is her 30 day devotional using the surrender themes and characters from the series. She also shares her story in the infertility devotional, A WALK IN THE VALLEY. She blogs every other Wednesday for Christians Read, and also is a blogger for Inspy Romance. She resides in Ohio with her husband and two children. Learn more by visiting her at http://juliearduini.com, where she invites readers to subscribe to her monthly newsletter full of resources and giveaway opportunities.

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