The Angels Walking team moved to their places beside him. “I want to make one thing clear.” Orlon’s voice was strong, resolute. “You did not fail this mission.”
Jag set his jaw, his face slightly raised. If any angel needed this talk, he did.
Orlon continued. “Jag . . . you and Aspyn were the perfect angels for this mission. Just as we all agreed before you left. You were given several tasks, and you succeeded in each one of them.” He ran through the list. “Most of all, you kept Marcus Dillinger alive and saw that his would-be killer was placed behind bars.”
Jag put his arm around Aspyn. The two of them looked down for a few seconds, as if they were remembering the intensity of their time on earth.
“I can’t remember a recent Angels Walking mission with so much danger, where so many lives were at stake.” Orlon looked at the other angels. “We watched and we prayed. And now we will give thanks to God for His miraculous intervention and for the success of the work done by Jag and Aspyn.”
This was one of Orlon’s favorite parts of being an angel. Listening to the applause break out through the room, the soft utterances of Jesus’ name and the praise meant to glorify God alone.
When the noise settled down, Orlon took a deep breath. “Any questions?”
An angel in the front row raised his hand. “Did you ever see Ryan Williams? The little boy you saved the last time you went on an Angels Walking mission?”
Orlon could tell by the look on Jag’s face that the meeting hadn’t occurred. He put his hand on Jag’s shoulder. “The boy is a police officer. Just out of the academy.”
Deep concern filled Jag’s eyes. “I . . . I didn’t know.”
“Yes.” Orlon looked to the angel who had asked the question. “Ryan may be a part of another mission. We’ll have to see.”
“I’d . . . like to watch when that happens.” Jag’s tone was proof that the long ago failed mission still stayed with him. “If that’s okay.”
“Definitely.”
Other questions came. Concerns about how Jag was able to control his anger. Orlon was curious about that, too.
“Very simply, I didn’t control it. I felt everything a human feels and in light of the little boy being shot, I wanted to kill. The desire ran through my veins.” Jag looked at Orlon. “I’m being honest.”
“We know.” Orlon was grateful for the way things had turned out. “The question was, how did you find control?”
“The name of Jesus. Lexy shouted Jesus’ name, and the anger left me. All in a rush. I belong to Him. I couldn’t think about acting on my own after that.”
Orlon felt a sense of pride over Jag’s actions. Many angels in the room would’ve struggled with the same challenge. It was another reason why it was so important to choose the right angels for each mission.
Angels Walking always came with risks.
This one more than most.
Jag and Aspyn were dismissed back to their places among the others.
The unknown ahead was their greatest problem now. Orlon faced the angels and straightened to his full height. “We must talk about what’s next.” He hesitated. “The main concern now is Mary Catherine.”
He let that sink in. “She will go to Africa, and she will get sick. The next stage of our mission will be nearly impossible. There will be very great heartache.” Michael had confirmed that much. Orlon looked at their faces. “You are heaven’s most prepared angels. Experts in matters of the heart. But we will need two very experienced angels next time around.”
The meeting was dismissed and Orlon spoke to Jag as he left the room. “I’m proud of you. I know how hard this mission was. There wasn’t an hour of rest.”
“Thank you, sir.” Jag ran his hand through his blond hair. “I just wish we could’ve done something for Mary Catherine.”
Orlon smiled. “You did.”
“Sir?” Jag clearly didn’t understand.
“You kept Marcus Dillinger alive.”
With that Jag smiled and headed after the other angels. When the room was empty, Orlon got down on the golden floor and lay his face to the cool stones. For the next hour he talked to the Father, begging for wisdom and direction.
If they failed the next mission, there would be no going forward.
All of heaven and earth would pay the price.
Dear Reader Friend,
I promised you this time around I’d share my own angel encounter. Like all interactions with angels, I can’t be sure I was really in the presence of a heavenly being. But I know this.
There’s no other way for me to explain what happened.
It was 2007 and I was headed to Atlanta, Georgia, for the International Christian Retail Show. That year my book Even Now was up for book of the year—the first time a novel had been nominated. Before I left, my mom and dad drove to my house—just to say goodbye.
My dad, Ted Kingsbury, was especially emotional. “I wish I could be there,” he told me. “I know you’re going to win.”
It was the same way with my dad ever since I was a little girl. He would read what I’d written and rave over it. From the time I was twelve he would tell me, “Someone has to be the next bestselling novelist, Karen . . . it might as well be you!”
All my life my dad believed in me, and that night before I left for Atlanta with my kids Kelsey and Tyler, my dad was convinced the big award would be mine.
The award show happened two nights later, and my dad’s prediction came true. Even Now was named book of the year. Back home my dad was so excited. He spent the next day talking to my mom and calling my husband, Don. “We need to throw Karen a party,” he told them. “Let’s think of something.”
But the party was not to be.
That afternoon my dad suffered a massive heart attack. One minute he was talking with my mom, and the next he was out. Laid back in his recliner like he’d fallen into a deep sleep.
My nephew Andrew was thirteen at the time. He was the first to think something was wrong. He called 911 and an operator talked him through giving my father CPR for the next fourteen minutes. Keep in mind my dad was very heavy and he wasn’t on a flat surface. He was in a recliner.
By the time paramedics arrived, my dad was blue and unresponsive. Andrew ran into the next room and started sobbing. He thought he’d done something wrong. He believed his grandpa’s death would be on his shoulders.
The house was chaotic, the paramedics working feverishly on my dad. Ten minutes became fifteen and there was talk of calling in the time of death.
Suddenly a police officer rushed into the house. He found my mother and pulled her aside in the next room. “Do you believe in Jesus?” he asked her.
“Yes!” she cried out. “Yes, we’re believers.”
With a peace-filled intensity, the man looked straight into my mom’s eyes. “We’re going to pray that God gives your husband life again.” He pointed back to where young Andrew was still crying. “We’re going to pray because otherwise that boy out there will spend the rest of his life thinking this was his fault.”
And so the officer took hold of my mom’s hands and he prayed. “Dear God, we ask that the power that raised Lazarus from the dead would breathe life into Ted Kingsbury this very minute. In Jesus’ powerful name, amen.”
The very second the officer said, “Amen,” from the other room the head paramedic yelled, “We have a heartbeat!”
They were able to keep my dad alive all the way to the hospital, where he lived another six weeks in ICU. We had time to tell him everything we ever wanted to say. We laughed and remembered every wonderful memory and we prayed every possible prayer.
When he died, our family was at peace and so was my dad.
Later my mom tried to find the officer who randomly came into the house to pray with her that day. She called the police station and asked the paramedics. No one
had ever heard of the man.
We came to believe that the officer was an angel, sent in response to so many prayers being cried out on behalf of my dad. An angel, maybe, on an Angels Walking mission.
Now you know why I allowed Jag to be a police officer.
Keep a lookout this fall for book three in the Angels Walking series. Mary Catherine, Marcus, Tyler, and Sami have so much ahead. The Wayne family, too.
Until next time, keep your eyes open. God is working all around us. Sometimes it’s just a matter of looking.
In His light and love,
Karen Kingsbury
P.S. Connect with me on Facebook or Twitter, @KarenKingsbury. If you found yourself changed while reading Chasing Sunsets, if you became closer to God or if you gave your life to Jesus for the first time, then drop me an email at [email protected]. Write “Life Changed” in the subject line. If you do, I’d love to send you a Scripture letter I put together. Also, if you are unable to afford a Bible, and if you are unable to borrow one from your church or a family member, I will send you one. Simply write “Bible” in the subject line of your email.
Forever in Fiction
A SPECIAL THANKS TO Angie RHYNE, who won the Forever in Fiction item at my One Chance Foundation auction in 2012. Angie chose to name her mother, Sally Hudson, as a character in this book. Sally is small with beautiful blue eyes that long ago gave her the nickname “Blue-Eyed Sally.” She loves her family, including her husband, four children, and ten grandchildren. Her favorite vacations are the ones that take her back to Ohio to visit extended family. Sally loves reading and cooking—especially her annual “candy-making day” with her daughters and granddaughters. Beyond that, Sally found a faith in Jesus when she was first diagnosed with leukemia in 2001. She needed a bone marrow transplant, but no one in the family was a match, so Sally and her family prayed. A match was found and Sally received a lifesaving transplant. Years later she had the opportunity to meet her donor in what was an emotional reunion.
In Chasing Sunsets, Sally is a nurse at the doctor’s office where Mary Catherine is a patient. In the book, Sally’s story serves as an encouragement and allows Mary Catherine to believe that God is not finished with her just yet.
The One Chance Foundation is an organization that grants money to people at the end stage of adopting. For more information, please check my website—KarenKingsbury.com.
Reading Group Guide
Chasing Sunsets
KAREN KINGSBURY
Use these questions to go deeper into the story or to encourage discussion with your small groups.
1. Read Ephesians 6:12. According to this verse, what are our struggles against? Are they from this world? Explain.
2. Where did you most see the spiritual battle being waged while reading Chasing Sunsets?
3. Why was Jag concerned he was the wrong angel for this Angels Walking mission? What did you think about his past?
4. How can failing make us better equipped for today? Give an example from your life.
5. The term chasing sunsets is brought up early in the book by Marcus. What was that in reference to? Have you ever flown west and thought that you were chasing the sunset? What else could that term mean? Discuss it.
6. Have you ever considered the possibility that angels might fail? Discuss what happened to Jag in his Angels Walking mission a decade ago. Do you think the Bible supports such an idea? Why or why not?
7. Read Genesis 19:11. According to this Bible verse, is it possible one duty of an angel is to fight men? How did this play out in Chasing Sunsets? Is it comforting to imagine angels fighting on your behalf? Explain.
8. In your opinion, what was the most intense part of this Angels Walking mission? Can you think of an intense time in your life when things took a miraculous turn? Talk about it.
9. What do you think of the idea that not all people can see angels when they’re on earth? Talk about an angelic encounter you or someone you know may have had.
10. Hosea 12:2–4 tells a story of man overcoming an angel. How do you think that could happen? Was Jag at risk of being defeated by Dwayne? Explain your thoughts.
11. Lexy had a very difficult life. Why do you think girls like Lexy are drawn to guys like Dwayne? Explain.
12. Do you know much about gang warfare? Are gangs a problem in your area? Talk about that. What is your city doing to stop gang violence?
13. Talk about Marcus Dillinger. How did he feel after a shooting erupted outside his new youth center? Where was he finally able to find real meaning? Give examples.
14. Marcus was baptized at the beach. If you were baptized, talk about the experience. If not, talk about a special time at the beach. Why do you think we are drawn to the water?
15. The Wayne family has an open-door type of home, always welcoming people into their lives. Do you know anyone like that? What do families like that teach you? Why?
16. The Waynes also had a home church service every Sunday. Have you heard of house churches? What is your experience with church?
17. Early in the book, Mary Catherine learned that her heart was in trouble. At that point, she took a new position on ever falling in love. Explain how she felt. Do you agree with her? Why or why not?
18. Have you ever watched a documentary on the Scared Straight program? What are your thoughts about that type of tactic with at-risk kids? Talk about the Last Time In program. How was it different from a traditional Scared Straight program?
19. Do you agree with the idea of volunteers acting as advocates for at-risk kids? Share personal examples.
20. Mary Catherine talked often about moving to Africa. Have you ever dreamed of doing something like that? Share your stories.
Life-Changing Fiction ™ by #1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury
An inspirational story of two couples who found love and meaning in a bookstore, and who are changed by the sort of miracle that can only happen at Christmastime – the miracle of a second chance.
The Bridge
* * *
A heartwarming story about childhood friends, broken lives, and a long-ago promise that just might offer the hope of love for today.
The Chance
* * *
A dramatic story about fame, true love, and the cost of having it all.
Fifteen Minutes
* * *
A dramatic story of second chances about a washed up baseball player, the love he left behind, and the miracles that might save them both.
Angels Walking
* * *
Through richly told stories, Karen takes readers into the family of Jesus, offering sound biblical insight and thought-provoking questions that will draw readers into a deeper relationship with Jesus.
The Family of Jesus
* * *
ORDER YOUR COPIES TODAY!
About the Author
Photograph by Dan Davis Photography
#1 New York Times bestselling novelist Karen Kingsbury is America’s favorite inspirational storyteller, with more than twenty-five million copies of her award-winning books in print. Her last dozen titles have topped bestseller charts and many of her novels are under development with Hallmark Films and as major motion pictures. Karen is also host of a national music-format radio program, “The Karen Kingsbury Show” where she tells stories between the songs. She lives in Tennessee with her husband Don and their five sons, three of whom are adopted from Haiti. Their actress daughter Kelsey lives nearby and is married to Christian recording artist Kyle Kupecky.
MEET THE AUTHORS, WATCH VIDEOS AND MORE AT
SimonandSchuster.com
authors.simonandschuster.com/Karen-Kingsbury
More Life-Changing Fiction™ by Karen Kingsbury
Angels Walking Series
Angels Walking
Chasing Sunsets
Stand-Alone Titles
Fifte
en Minutes
The Chance
The Bridge
Oceans Apart
Between Sundays
When Joy Came to Stay
On Every Side
Divine
Like Dandelion Dust
Where Yesterday Lives
Shades of Blue
Unlocked
Coming Home: The Baxter Family
The Baxters, Redemption Series
Redemption
Remember
Return
Rejoice
Reunion
The Baxters, Firstborn Series
Fame
Forgiven
Found
Family
Forever
The Baxters, Sunrise Series
Sunrise
Summer
Someday
Sunset
The Baxters, Above the Line Series
Above the Line: Take One
Above the Line: Take Two
Above the Line: Take Three
Above the Line: Take Four
The Baxters, Bailey Flanigan Series
Leaving
Learning
Longing
Loving
9/11 Series
One Tuesday Morning
Beyond Tuesday Morning
Remember Tuesday Morning
Lost Love Series
Even Now
Ever After
Red Glove Series
Gideon’s Gift
Maggie’s Miracle
Sarah’s Song
Hannah’s Hope
Forever Faithful Series
Chasing Sunsets Page 25