Cathy Bryant – Story Behind the Story – Part 2 of 3

Shannon here: Romantic suspense author, Cathy Bryant shares her inspiration for A Bridge Unbroken plus a chance to win a copy. Print for US, digital for international. Comment on any post dated May 12 – 16 to enter the drawing. Deadline: May 24th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Cathy:

The Story Behind the Story of A BRIDGE UNBROKEN
With every Miller’s Creek Novel I write, it never ceases to amaze me at how God uses the spiritual theme of the stories in my own life. I pre-plan all the stories, choosing the spiritual theme before anything else. Before I wrote even one word of A Bridge Unbroken, I knew the theme would be forgiveness.
The story is about a frightened runaway who wants her painful past to disappear. Her plan to start afresh is derailed when she co-inherits her late grandfather’s farm with the man responsible for the scars on her heart. He isn’t the only ghost from the past. Someone else is out to get her and will stop at nothing to get what he wants.
Because of past hurts between the two, the story question becomes: “Will Chance and Dakota lay aside their grudges to restore the old farmhouse and bridge, or will evil forces sabotage their attempt at forgiveness?”
In every relationship, even ones that have lasted for decades, things happen that require us to be gracious and forgiving. In fact, I think those things are often divinely inspired to test our commitment to the relationship and to living the kind of life our heavenly Father desires.
Before I wrote A Bridge Unbroken and also during the writing of the story, I seemed to be constantly confronted with situations that required grace and forgiveness on my part. At times, my life was so emotionally painful, that I questioned God as to why He wanted me to write a story on forgiveness when I struggled to forgive others. As I studied the concept of forgiveness in the scriptures, I was reminded of these truths.
1. True forgiveness is an act of the will, not emotion. We forgive–not because we feel like it–but because God requires it. How can we expect Him to forgive us if we’re not willing to forgive others? I love this C. S. Lewis quote: “Being a Christian means forgiving the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.” What powerful words and oh, so true!
2. True forgiveness is unconditional. When Jesus, from the painful and humiliating cross of His crucifixion said, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34, KJV), He placed no conditions on forgiveness. And He, as the sinless Son of God, certainly had the right to do so! In that light, as children of our heavenly Father, our forgiveness toward others can’t be based on the offender’s remorse, apology, or anything else. (If that were true, there are some whom we’d never forgive!) Instead, we forgive like Jesus–unconditionally and with no strings attached.
3. True forgiveness is motivated by the highest and purest love. When I stop to consider what Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection have bought for me, I’m astounded. I’m forgiven! Jesus’ work was motivated by God’s great love, in spite of who we are and the horrible ways we sometimes behave. Thank You, Jesus, for Your matchless love and grace!

Click the banner to enter a special giveaway on Cathy’s Facebook page:

About Cathy: A Texas gal by birth, Cathy enjoys spinning tales set in the fictional town of Miller’s Creek, Texas, where the folks are friendly, the iced tea is sweet, and Mama Beth’s front porch beckons. When she’s not writing the Miller’s Creek Novels, you’ll find her rummaging through thrift stores or up to her elbows in yet another home improvement project in the mountain cabin she shares with her minister husband of over thirty years. You can find out more about Cathy and her books at www.CatBryant.com. Here are a few other places to meet up with Cathy in cyberspace: https://www.facebook.com/Cathy.Bryant.Author, https://twitter.com/Cathy_Bryant, http://www.pinterest.com/cathyjbryant/, https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2666708.Cathy_Bryant, http://www.amazon.com/Cathy-Bryant/e/B002SKQCDO/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY8zZ56eUyb4Eohvq5fVCHA, https://plus.google.com/u/0/106891278592034397551/posts

Reader friends on Facebook may want to visit the following groups, the first for book bargains and the second to discuss all things Miller’s Creek: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ChristianBooks.Giveaways/, https://www.facebook.com/groups/MillersCreekReaders/
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About the Miller’s Creek Novels
A BRIDGE UNBROKEN (Christian romantic suspense)
Letting go to build a bridge…
Dakota Kelly wants her painful past to disappear. A plan to start afresh is derailed when she co-inherits her late grandfather’s farm with the man responsible for the scars on her heart. But Chance Johnson isn’t the only ghost from the past. Someone else is out to get her and will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Will Chance and Dakota lay aside their grudges to restore the old farmhouse and bridge, or will evil forces sabotage their attempt at forgiveness?
Sample Chapter: http://www.catbryant.com/2014/03/18/a-bridge-unbroken-chapter-1/
Book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dYAuEe4erI

THE OTHER MILLER’S CREEK NOVELS
| Texas Roads | A Path Less Traveled | The Way of Grace| Pilgrimage of Promise |
“Miller’s Creek, Texas…where folks are friendly, the iced tea is sweet, and Mama Beth’s front porch beckons…”

Come back May 16th for Cathy’s character interview!