Letting Go

By June Foster

Description:

Pastor Zackary Lawrence lost his wife and unborn child when an embolism took her life. After questioning God why, Zack couldn't find the will to continue as pastor at Oak Mountain Bible church in his small town of Oak Mountain, Alabama. But when his parents encouraged him to continue his work, he reluctantly returned to the pulpit. Now, six months later, the congregation has dwindled to less than a handful, and Zack witnesses the closing of the church's doors. Desperate, he takes a job at the local hardware store and reluctantly moves in with his parents.
Though Ella Russell had secretly been in love with Zack since high school, her hopes were shredded when he returned from seminary, accompanied by a wife. Trying to forget the only guy she'd ever loved, she threw herself into her profession as a high school counselor, working with rebellious youth. When Zack's wife died, Ella grieved with him. Now as one of the few remaining members of Oak Mountain Bible Church, she tries to encourage Zack yet abandons her dream of a future with him. But when she drops by the church, the worst has happened. She finds a distraught Zack locking the doors for good with the bank's immanent foreclosure.
Can God resurrect Zack's life and allow him to finally discover the woman he's always loved? If Ella entrusts her heart to Zack, will he shatter her hopes once more?

Book Takeaway:

We don't have to carry the weight of sin but lay it at the foot of the cross.

Why the author wrote this book:

I love to write stories about pastors who possess human traits like every other Christian. In the story, Zack Lawrence, though in seminary, succumbs to one moment of sin and must live with the consequences. Instead of allowing God's forgiveness to flow over his life, he punishes himself through guilt. I'd like others to reach out and receive God's grace in true repentance.