Forever

by Karen Kingsbury

  Which is exactly what God wants to see in our lives.

  It’s at the end of any story that we must all ask how it applies to us, what we can take away from it. So what about you? Are you struggling with a broken relationship? The Bible says, “As far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” Is God calling you to make a phone call or write a letter? Is He asking you to offer an apology or extend forgiveness? We can’t begin to think about forever without ridding ourselves and our lives of the baggage of bitterness and broken relationships.

  At the same time, there are situations in which the other person is unwilling to receive an apology or forgiveness. That’s how it is with a situation in my life. A long time ago I had a friend whose laughter and love for God helped me in the early days of my walk with Christ. Honestly, I’m not sure how things went south between us, but they did. All attempts I’ve made toward reconciliation—e-mails, phone calls, gifts—have been met with silence and a painfully locked door.

  So what do we do in this situation?

  For me, I’ve had to let go. I continue to pray and believe God that all things work for the good of those who love Him. I’ve gently placed this relationship into the hands of our Father, and I continue to give the struggle to God whenever the pain returns, whenever the memories push me to want to pick up the phone and call her.

  Through writing Forever, God taught me what He taught Katy and Dayne. We are always better to be patient and still, waiting on God. I’ll be trying to live that way in regards to my lost friend until my dying day. Praying, hoping, believing, letting go, and waiting.

  I pray you’ll do the same if you’re struggling with a broken relationship that feels unfixable. Because most times, the people in our lives will listen and they will respond. In that case, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Love the way God loves. The rest is up to Him.

  So, yes, this final piece of the Firstborn series was special for me. But don’t worry. There are still many dilemmas facing Katy and Dayne. They have a wedding to plan and the possibility of Katy starring in a movie with her man. Any of you who read the covers of tabloids know the difficulties of a celebrity marriage. Those challenges will be explored, as will the many situations facing the Flanigans and the Baxters.

  By now you know the story that began with the Redemption series and spun into the Firstborn series isn’t coming to an end. Not yet, anyway. There are still many trials and triumphs ahead for John Baxter and his family, for Katy Hart and Dayne Matthews, and for the Flanigan family.

  My next Baxter book will be Sunrise, the first in the Sunrise series. After Sunrise will come Summer, Someday, and Sunset. It’s hard to imagine letting go of these characters after that. So I won’t think about it yet. Not when there are still so many pages to write, so many hills and valleys to explore together.

  As I write, please continue to pray that God will give me story lines that He’ll use in your lives and the lives of all who read these books. That He would be glorified, that lives would be changed—that’s what matters. If this book helped you understand Jesus better, or if you want to know how you could have a relationship with Him, please contact a Bible-believing church in your area. Get involved in a Sunday school class or a weekly Bible study. There are so many options, and with the Internet, it’s very quick and easy to do a check of local churches.

  The Christian life is a day-by-day relationship with Christ. Day by day and minute by minute. If you haven’t found that lifesaving relationship, there is no time like now to begin. A reader recently wrote and told me that she was fascinated by Jesus and interested in following Him. But she wondered if maybe it was too late for her. Hopefully the story of Katy and Dayne has shown you that it is never, ever too late to take the hand of Jesus and begin the greatest walk of all.

  As always, stop by my Web site at www.KarenKingsbury.com and see what’s coming up or use it as a place to connect with other readers and book clubs. You can leave prayer requests or take on the responsibility of praying for people. People often tell me they haven’t found a purpose or meaning to their faith.

  Maybe they’re on the go a lot or their circumstances keep them homebound. Remember, prayer is a very important ministry. It was prayer that turned things around for Dayne and Luke, prayer that made the difference time and again in this series. Your prayers—either in the midst of a busy day or as the main focus of a homebound one—could be crucial in the life of someone else, someone God wants you to pray for. Visit the prayer link on my Web site and make a commitment to pray for the hundreds of hurting people who have left requests there.

  My family is doing well, about to begin a second year of homeschooling together. It’s a wonderful adventure full of laughter and precious memories. Kelsey is a high school junior, talking about colleges. Austin, nine, rarely wakes up in the middle of the night wanting to climb in the middle between Donald and me. Yes, I can feel the days moving too fast, and there’s nothing I can do to slow the ride. But I am enjoying every minute all the same, trying to remember the lessons from Forever—love one another through forgiveness and service. Always and forever.

  Thanks so much for sharing in this journey, the journey of the Baxter family. I pray that God is using the power of story to touch and change your life, the way He uses it in mine.

  Until next time, blessings in His amazing light and grace,

  Karen Kingsbury

  Discussion Questions

  Use these questions for individual reflection or for discussion with a book club or other small group.

  1. Why do you think our culture is fascinated by celebrity? How has this fascination affected you personally?

  2. What are the dangers of being so caught up in the lives of celebrities? Have you seen this cause a problem for you or someone you know?

  3. What messages are indirectly being given to young people from the celebrities written about in gossip magazines?

  4. What was the Baxter family’s immediate response to Dayne’s accident? What were the risks of John and Ashley’s trip to Los Angeles?

  5. Tell of a time when your family showed you great support in a time of need. What do you believe motivated them? How did that support affect you?

  6. What was Katy’s response to the accident? As Dayne’s coma continued, what did Katy’s actions say about her faith?

  7. Talk about Luke’s struggles with Dayne before the accident. What did you think of Luke’s attitude in the early part of the story?

  8. What do you think motivated Ashley to get Dayne and Katy’s lake house fixed up? How has Ashley grown through this series and the last?

  9. Have you ever undertaken a project—a party, a task, etc.—as a labor of love? Explain the project. What were the results of it?

  10. Why do you think Elaine left John’s house frustrated that day? Do you have a relationship that seems to be on hold? Explain and discuss what you believe is holding that relationship back.

  11. Katy found strength in the Bible verse “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). What do you think this verse means? How does it apply to your life?

  12. What happened to the people in Bloomington as they began to pull together and help the Baxters with the lake house? Have you seen a project bring people together? Explain.

  13. List three things wrong with Luke and Reagan’s marriage and discuss. Do you know people who struggle with these issues?

  14. How important was communication to Luke and Reagan? How important is it in your relationships? Give examples.

  15. Dayne found strength in this Bible verse: “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). What did this mean to Dayne? What does it mean to you?

  16. Discuss the timing of Dayne waking up from his coma. Tell about a time when it seemed as though God waited until the last minute to answer your prayers. Why do you think He sometimes has us wait?

  17. What was Dayne’s re
action when he read the magazine with the quotes from Luke Baxter? Tell about a time when someone you love hurt you for reasons you didn’t understand.

  18. How did Dayne express his hurt and anger? How do you express your hurt and anger? How does God want us to handle these feelings?

  19. Why was it so important to Luke that he take part in the renovation of the lake house? Describe a time when you were able to do something for someone else. How did it make you feel?

  20. Explain why Dayne was dreading the Thanksgiving visit to Bloomington. What were the best moments of his homecoming? Describe a homecoming that was special to you.

  From

  Sunrise

  by Karen Kingsbury

  Chapter One

  A wintry wind blew across Bloomington the day after Thanksgiving, and it reminded Katy Hart that the seasons had changed. Not just in the air around town but in her life as well. After all they’d been through, after every good-bye they’d ever told each other, this time Dayne Matthews wasn’t going back home.

  He was home.

  The walk around Lake Monroe was Dayne’s idea—returning to the place where their hearts first connected, the place where they could always find their own world no matter what paparazzi or media circus waited for them on the other end of the wooded path.

  They held hands, their pace slow and easy. The shock of the past week’s events wasn’t wearing off, but it was sinking in. For the first time in his life, Dayne had a family waiting for him around the corner, people he could visit after Sunday church services or invite over for a barbecue. Sisters and a brother and a father who would welcome him and listen to him and laugh with him. People who saw him not as Dayne Matthews, Hollywood star, but as Dayne, the missing member of the Baxter family.

  Katy breathed deep and looked up through the barren branches to the bright blue sky beyond. “We’re dreaming, right?”

  Dayne chuckled. His arm brushed against hers as they walked. “I keep asking myself the same thing.” He tightened his hold on her hand. “I thought we’d be on a plane back to LA this morning.”

  Katy smiled. “I hate to say it.”

  “I know.” He laughed again. “You told me so.”

  A burst of wind swept in along the path, and Katy moved closer to Dayne. He was warm and strong, and the hint of his cologne mixed with the smell of distant burning leaves. The feel of him against her filled her senses. Even in the darkest days, when Dayne’s accident looked as if it would kill him or leave him permanently injured, Katy always believed that somehow, someway, they would wind up here.

  When Dayne woke up from his coma, when God’s miraculous powers became brilliantly obvious in Dayne’s recovery, his doctor and therapist had never thought for a minute that today he would be well enough to walk around Lake Monroe.

  But here they were.

  Dayne released Katy’s hand and put his arm around her shoulders. “We need to shop.”

  “For the house?”

  “Yes.” He stopped and faced her. “Every room. You can pick out what you want, and we can have a designer do the rest.” He grinned and framed her face with his hands. “As long as it’s ready before the wedding.”

  Katy felt suddenly light-headed. This was the part of being engaged to Dayne that she rarely thought about. The lifestyle change. She would go from her apartment above the garage at the Flanigan house to a beautiful estate on a bluff overlooking Lake Monroe. Whatever furniture, whatever bedding and linens and dishes and entertainment systems she wanted would be hers. The thought was overwhelming, more than she could comprehend. Not that she would change because of it. Her tastes would remain simple; she was sure of that. But still, her new budget was something she’d have to get used to.

  “The house could stay empty for all I care.” She eased her arms around his waist. “I only need you.”

  “Mmmm.” He came closer, his breath warm on her face. He worked his fingers into her hair, cradling her head with both hands. Smoldering desire filled his tone. Slowly, with a restraint that didn’t show in his face, he kissed her. Then he pulled back enough to see her eyes. “You and a big bed with down comforters and satin sheets—” he kissed her again, longer this time—“and a dozen pillows.”

  “Dayne . . .”

  He chuckled low in his throat and swayed with her, dancing to the sound of an occasional passing flock of geese and the whisper of the breeze around them. He pressed his face lightly against hers. “Maybe we should change the wedding date.”

  She felt dizzy with the nearness of him. “Okay.”

  His lips met hers. “Let’s get married this afternoon.”

  Katy’s body reacted to his, and she almost dropped the teasing and told him yes. But she kissed him instead. Long and slow, a kiss that told him he wasn’t the only one looking forward to the honeymoon, dreaming about every day that followed. She could feel him trembling. How easy it would be to get into trouble between now and then. She ran her hands up the small of his back. “We have to be careful.”

  Dayne kissed her again. When he pulled back, his breathing had changed. “Very . . . very careful.” His eyes were smoky, filled with passion and a longing that was more about love than lust. He moved a strand of her hair and looked deep into her eyes. When he spoke again, there was control in his tone once more. “And we will be careful.” He smiled. “The wedding’s going to be beautiful, Katy.”

  She put her hands on his shoulders. A cool wind blew through the space between them. “I was sort of looking forward to your other idea.”

  “The courthouse this afternoon?”

  “Exactly.”

  He laughed. “I love you.” He kissed her again, but this time he was the one who stepped back. “For now, though, this—” he gave her a pointed look and exhaled hard—“will have to happen in small doses.”

  Katy laughed and fell into place beside him. For a while it was all they could do to keep walking. She ached to kiss him again, to stay lost in his embrace for an hour. But Dayne was right. They’d made a promise to God and to each other to wait until they were married—a promise that was bound to be more difficult for Dayne, whose past had robbed him of the innocence Katy still cherished. In her private moments with God, she had vowed not to tempt Dayne. For that reason, their tender, intimate moments needed to be brief.

  “So . . .” Dayne raised his brows. His expression told her that he was still cooling off. “About the wedding . . .”

  She smiled and turned her gaze toward the water. “The real one?”

  “Right.” He slipped his arm around her shoulders. Their strides were casual and in perfect unison.

  “You really think we can keep the media away if we have it at the country club?”

  “I’d like to try.”

  She’d been thinking about the logistics. They wanted a beautiful, traditional ceremony without the chaos of circling helicopters and paparazzi jumping out of the bushes. Especially now, when the chase of media had nearly cost Dayne his life.

  Even so, Katy had no idea how they were going to keep the wedding a secret. She looked at him. “I guess I can’t get past the impossibility of it.”

  “I’ve got someone working on it.” His voice was deep, soothing. “I guess the rule of thumb is fifty people. Invite fifty or fewer, and the press usually doesn’t find out. Invite more . . .” He shrugged. “It’s just about unheard of.”

  “Fifty?” Katy winced. “CKT alone has more than twice that.” She wanted her ailing parents from Chicago, the Flanigans, the Baxters, and everyone involved with her Christian Kids Theater group. Then there were a few dozen Hollywood friends and business associates Dayne hoped to invite.

  “I know. We need to plan on a hundred and fifty.” Dayne narrowed his eyes and glanced at the path ahead of them. “That’s why we need to talk.” He stopped and drew a long breath. “I have an idea.”

  Katy looked into his eyes, and her heart soared. Dayne wasn’t willing to settle in any way, not when it came to her. “Tell me.” />
  “Okay.” His eyes danced. “Here’s what I was thinking. . . .”

  John Baxter didn’t usually jump into Christmas shopping the day after Thanksgiving. But Elaine had suggested the idea. Now it was Friday morning, and he was waiting for her to pick him up so they could drive to Circle Centre mall in the heart of Indianapolis. Elaine told him the trip could take most of the day. They had fifteen grandkids between them to shop for.

  John wandered into the living room and looked out the front window. She would be here any minute. Elaine Denning was never late. He leaned against the sill and thought about last night.

  Elaine’s visit with him and his kids over pumpkin pie marked the first time he’d included her around any of them. The outcome had been dramatically better than he’d ever hoped. The entire family had accepted Elaine with kindness and grace, making conversation with her and helping smooth over any awkward moments—like the time Maddie walked up, took Elaine’s hand, and said, “Are you Papa’s girlfriend?”

  Rather than looks of shock or disapproval, everyone chuckled and Ashley walked up to her niece. “Yes, Maddie.” She smiled at Elaine. “She’s Papa’s friend and she’s a girl. So that makes her a girlfriend.” She cast an unthreatened smile at John and Elaine.

  “See.” Maddie looked at Cole, satisfied. “I thought so.”

  As his granddaughter walked off, John had looked at Ashley, awed. The animosity she had always expressed about Elaine seemed to have been totally replaced by warmth and acceptance. Her hospitality toward Elaine had been one more way the Baxters’ Thanksgiving was marked by God’s presence.

  After Maddie’s innocent remark, the topic of Elaine and him hadn’t come up again. Everyone was busy connecting with Dayne and Katy and the Flanigans, who had also joined them for dessert. Elaine’s presence felt natural, and John believed they’d found a new level of friendship because of it.

  Late last night, when she was ready to leave, he had walked her to her car. Their conversation replayed in his mind.