Love's Redemption
Tragedy sent Holden Armstrong to the bottom of a liquor bottle. He spent a year there before coming to his senses and has been fighting the addiction since. But giving up alcohol is easier than forgiving the man who took his family away from him. And then there’s Izzy. She calls him every time she needs a designated driver. He’s happy to pick her up any time she needs a ride, but the alcohol causes her to cross the line every time. It’s obvious that she needs help, but he can’t be her solution. God is the only one who can fix Izzy Tanner, if only she’d let him.
Izzy Tanner does whatever she wants, says whatever she thinks, dates whomever she wishes. There is nothing wrong with her casual way of living—at least, that’s what she tries to convince herself and others. Only one man could tempt her into something more serious, but nothing will ever come of it. Holden Armstrong is too good for the likes of her. When a date goes terribly wrong, it changes everything. Unwanted memories from the past resurface, leaving her broken and ashamed. She begins to question her life and the choices she has made.
What will it take for Izzy to accept God’s calling?
Excerpt
Feeling like a zombie, it was all Izzy could do to keep at the menial task of rolling napkins around silverware. Sheba sat across the small worktable from her helping. Normally the job would go to someone else. She knew why Sheba offered to help. Izzy could easily read the worry in her every glance.
Izzy looked around the kitchen to make sure no one listened before speaking. “Does God ever talk to you?”
“Of course. Wouldn’t be much of a relationship if He didn’t. Sometimes it’s that still, small voice of conviction in my heart, and sometimes it’s through a verse from His Word.” Sheba stared at her. “Why? Has He been talkin’ to you?”
That still small voice had come in loud and clear to Izzy. She hadn’t been able to get it or her grandma’s hymn out of her head.
“Last night one of the hymns my grandma used to sing came to mind. It felt like…” She didn’t know how to finish. Like God was trying to comfort her? It had scared her worse than anything had in a long while. She now regretted turning to alcohol last night. What would have happened if she hadn’t?
“Did it feel like the words of the song were meant for you?”
Izzy nodded.
“I believe God can talk to you through song. He’s God, He can do whatever He wants.” Sheba looked up at her through her lashes as she rolled another napkin. “He ever talk to you before now?”
She took a deep breath. “I got saved when I was ten years old. I suppose He spoke to me then, but that was a long time ago. I burned that bridge after what happened.”
Sheba leaned forward and lowered her voice. “You mighta turned your back on God but He didn’t forget about you.”
Izzy slapped her hand down on the table. “Then why did He let it happen?” Great. She had captured the attention of those working in the kitchen around them. She covered her eyes with her hand.
“Child, look at me.” Sheba wrapped her hand around Izzy’s. “God didn’t cause this. According to the Bible, sin entered into this world through one man. That man was Adam. And it’s been ravaging this world ever since. You say you became a child of God’s when you were a child, well He takes care of his own. He’s been tryin’ to help you since that bad thing happened, been trying to heal you. But you’ve been running. It’s time to run back to him. You hear me?”
Izzy squeezed her hand and pushed a whisper through a throat choked with tears. “Yes, I believed as a child. So what? What about the things I’ve done since then? Trust me, God wants no part of me now.” Even as she said it, she knew it wasn’t true. He wouldn’t leave her alone. The pull to make things right kept growing stronger. And then last night… He had tried to send comfort when she didn’t deserve it—wasn’t even sure she wanted it.