By All Appearances

By Dawn Kinzer

Description:

Liana Tate, a special events planner grew up in a high-profile family. No matter what she does, Liana feels she never measures up.

Bryan Langley, a talented musician, was close to signing a recording contract when a barn fire left part of his face severely burned. He survived, but his career did not.

When Liana’s father hires Bryan as a caretaker on the family estate outside of Seattle, Liana’s and Bryan’s lives become entangled. He risks public humiliation for Liana’s success, and she encourages him to use his musical gifts, despite his reluctance. Thrown together, will they achieve their elusive dreams? And will the two find the love and acceptance they yearn for, or will their actions only drive each other away?

Book Takeaway:

Though we may not have the answers as to why God sometimes says “no” to our dreams and desires, he not only knows the end of the story, he ultimately knows what’s best for us.

Why the author wrote this book:

Every day—all over the world—Christians and non-Christians ask, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” People with faith still often doubt God’s intentions and wonder if he really listens to their prayers. After all, Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart” (NIV). Yet, how often have we been crushed when our dreams haven’t come true?

Those very situations test our faith. Temptation to believe that God doesn’t care nags our spirits. Some of us hang in there. Some—discouraged and disappointed—choose to walk away.

Like Liana and Bryan in By All Appearances, life may not always go as planned. Sometimes, we’re able to look back, and with hindsight, see why God said “no” to some dreams and desires. We’re able to understand why he led us down certain paths. We see how things played out so much better than what we could have imagined. But sometimes, we just have to trust that God views the end to the story—our earthly story—and that he knows what is best for us and those around us.

My hope is that readers will find encouragement through this story and not give up hope when their own plans fail …