You Are Important (Paperback)

If readers receive one message from my novels, I want them to know their lives matter. It serves as the driving theme behind From The Dead, The Landing, and my novels currently underway. When I jot down concepts for a novel, I don't always seek a story to communicate that message. Story ideas flood my brain and intrigue me, ideas I would love to explore. BECAUSE TIME IS LIMITED, HOWEVER, I KNOW I'LL NEED TO COMMIT TO A NOVEL FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS. THAT MEANS I MUST MAKE EACH EFFORT COUNT. I SEEK TO MAXIMIZE THE IMPACT. WHEN CHOOSING BETWEEN TWO CONCEPTS, A QUESTION ARISES IN MY HEART: WILL THIS NOVEL HELP SOMEONE? I'VE DISCOVERED IF I CAN ANSWER "YES" TO THAT QUESTION, IT FUELS ME AS I WRITE. I PICTURE THE FACES OF PEOPLE I'VE NEVER MET, A SEA OF INDIVIDUALS WHO MIGHT RECEIVE ENCOURAGEMENT THROUGH MY WRITTEN WORDS. IF A STORY CONCEPT MAKES ME WEEP, I BELIEVE THE STORY WILL IMPACT THE LIVES OF SOMEBODY WHO MIGHT WEEP AT THE MOMENT. AS A RESULT, WHILE ANYONE CAN READ MY NOVELS FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES, I FIND IT DIFFICULT TO WRITE FOR THAT PURPOSE ALONE. AS MUCH AS I ADORE THE WRITING PROCESS, I LOVE TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE EVEN MORE. I HOLD THAT PRIVILEGE DEAR TO MY HEART AND TAKE IT SERIOUSLY. AND I KNOW SUCH ENCOURAGEMENT IS POSSIBLE BECAUSE I'VE RECEIVED ENCOURAGEMENT FROM THE WRITTEN WORD. A year ago, I pressed through a rare season that felt like an emotional rollercoaster. My life was in terrific shape-but a friend's life had come crashing down, and that friend's torment felt like my own. It weighed heavy in my spirit. Over the course of walking with the friend through their journey, I experienced a degree of hurt that opened up old wounds, the kind you thought had died during your childhood but, it turns out, had gone into hibernation for decades. When that happens, it forces you to admit you still have unresolved inner conflicts. One Saturday, I climbed into my car, popped Casting Crowns's Until The Whole World Hears into the CD player, and headed for an aimless drive on the interstate. I needed to clear my head and allow some of the ache to seep out of my heart. As "Glorious Day (Living He Loved Me)" played, tears flowed. Joy dawned in my heart as God delivered fresh revelation of His love. ON THAT DAY, I FELT DISPOSABLE IN OTHER PEOPLE'S EYES. BUT GOD REMINDED ME HE LOVES ME BEYOND MY COMPREHENSION. AT THE END OF THE RIDE, I PARKED MY CAR IN FRONT OF A SHOPPING CENTER AND CONSIDERED INDIVIDUALS WHO, AT THAT MOMENT, HURT MUCH MORE THAN I DID-WORSE THAN I COULD IMAGINE. SITTING IN MY CAR, I GRABBED A SHEET OF PAPER AND SKETCHED OUT THE CONCEPT FOR THE BOOK YOU HOLD IN YOUR HANDS. Eight solid reasons to give life one more chance. Eight solid reasons your life matters. Chances are, you have moments of isolation, moments in which you wonder, Do I make a difference to anyone at all? I believe everyone has pondered that question. If you've ever read my blog, or if you've read or heard one of my interviews, you can deduce that I'm a Christian. As such, I view my life through that lens: through my relationship with Jesus, through the hope and love I've found in Him, through the Bible, through personal revelation God gives me as I journey with Him. That personal perspective shapes the pages ahead. Reader, you've received fair warning Whether you are a Christian or not, I've written this book for you.