Bridge to Haven (66 page)

All in good time.

He could almost hear Marianne singing a beautiful hymn that had come out of great loss. Closing his eyes, he spoke the words softly. “‘It is well with my soul.’” Somehow, saying the words aloud brought peace. He lifted his head and listened again. He wasn’t alone.

Over the years, Zeke had witnessed many miracles. He knew he could expect more. Other words came, unwritten, but straight from his heart. He straightened as he sang them now for his Lord. A song of hope, a song of thanksgiving for all that had happened and was yet to come. His voice moved across the water and rose like the first hint of dawn on the horizon.

Words of love for his people, his children, the flock God had given him to shepherd. Oh, how he loved them. They made him laugh. They made him weep. They made his heart swell with love and break in grief. Ah, but he wanted nothing more than to be what Jesus called him to be—a bond servant for the living God, a spokesman for the Good News. He spread his hands as though over his flock in blessing and let his voice rise with the words God gave him. And as he obeyed the impulse, the darkness receded.

A light came on inside a house overlooking the river, then another, and another.

As Zeke fell silent and his arms lowered to his sides again, he renewed his promise.
I will sing over them with thanksgiving every day of my life, Lord. In Your strength, I will love them with all my heart and soul. Always.

As will I.

Heart full, Zeke tucked his hands into his jacket pockets. He stood a moment longer, savoring the assurance that all was well. Then he crossed the bridge into Haven, ready for whatever the new day would bring.

A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

D
EAR
R
EADERS
,

The inspiration for
Bridge to Haven
came from Ezekiel 16, where God speaks of His chosen people as an unwanted newborn whom He cared for, watched over, and eventually chose as His bride, despite their rejection of Him. The story spoke profoundly to me, one who grew up in a Christian home and then abandoned what I had been taught. I set off on my own way, squandering the gifts God had given me. That quest brought its own consequences of pain and regret, but the repercussions eventually brought me to my knees, where I surrendered to the Lord who loved me through it all.

I have struggled in writing this book. I wanted Pastor Zeke to reflect the character of God, but I came to realize no man, not even a fictional one, can do that. Only Jesus, God incarnate, is a true representation. Zeke needed to be a loving father, fully human with strengths and weaknesses, faults and failures. The same was true of Joshua, the son, who strives to be like Jesus. Abra is like so many of us: wounded, confused, pursuing happiness by chasing after things that never truly satisfy. Few of my friends came to faith easily. I myself struggled and fought against the Lord, believing that to surrender would be to admit defeat. It took a long time for me to open
my fist. But when I finally did, He was waiting for me, and He took my hand. He has never let go, and I’ve been in love with Him ever since.

My prayer is that the story of Zeke, Joshua, and Abra will draw you into a closer relationship with the God who sent His only Son, Jesus, to die for you so that you might live forever in Him. Our dreams of happiness are fulfilled only in Him.

May you step out in faith and cross the bridge to the haven of rest God provides.

Francine Rivers

DISCUSSION GUIDE

1. The bridge to Haven figures prominently in the story: Abra is born—and abandoned—under the bridge. Pastor Zeke finds her there. Abra crosses over the bridge to leave, and later to return. Joshua brings her as far as the bridge, and Zeke is waiting for her there, but Abra has to decide to cross the bridge herself. Eventually she is baptized under the bridge. Discuss the symbolism of the bridge to Haven. Who—or what—is the bridge? What are some bridges in your own life? Are you eager or reluctant to cross them? Why?
   
2. Pastor Zeke gives in to Marianne’s pleas to take the infant Abra home, even though he knows it’s dangerous. Do you think he made the right choice? Why or why not? Do you believe it’s important to distinguish between God’s leading and our own desires? If you do think it’s important, what are some ways we can do so?
   
3. Peter and Priscilla Matthews want to adopt Abra from the start. Why do you think they are prepared to love this abandoned baby? In what ways do they show their love for Abra, both as a child and as a rebellious young woman? What mistakes do they make? Is there someone in your life who causes you the kind of heartache Abra caused her adoptive family? How have you have coped with that relationship?
   
4. After Peter and Priscilla adopt Abra, she watches Zeke from her bedroom window and prays that God will give her back to him. Convinced that God has refused to answer her prayer, she turns her back on Him for many years. How and when is her prayer eventually answered? What prayers or dreams in your life have seemed to go unfulfilled, maybe for years, before finally becoming reality? What prayers or dreams are you still waiting to see fulfilled?
   
5. Mitzi is a stable force in Abra’s life, a loving friend who is always honest with her. Did you have a mentor like that when you were growing up, or do you have one now? If so, what is the most important thing your mentor taught you? Is there someone in your life—a child or a young adult—for whom you can be a godly mentor? What would that involve?
   
6. Joshua, a man of peace, is deeply scarred by his experiences in the Korean War. Today we would call his condition PTSD. How does his emotional state affect him when he returns home? How does it impact his relationship with his father? With Abra? Is there someone in your life who struggles with PTSD? What are some of the ways we can help people in this situation?
   
7. As soon as he meets Dylan Stark, Joshua sees him for what he is. But he isn’t able to persuade Abra to stay away from him. Could Joshua—or Zeke or Priscilla or Peter—have done something different that would have been more effective? Have you ever seen a loved one heading down a path you didn’t agree with? How did you handle it?
   
8. Part of Abra’s reluctance to return home, even once she realizes that running away was a mistake, is her fear of what people will say. Do you think her fears are founded? Has there been a time in your life when you struggled to make the right choice for fear of how other people would react? How did you handle it? What advice would you give to a young person in Abra’s situation?
   
9. As a teenager, Abra tells Joshua, “I can’t remember a time when I haven’t felt like I wasn’t enough.” Why do you think she feels this way, when she is surrounded by people like Pastor Zeke, Joshua, Mitzi, and the Matthews family—all people who love her? What is missing? Have you ever felt this way? How have you tried to fill that need in your own life?
   
10. After Abra runs away, Joshua feels the need to pursue her. But Zeke repeatedly tells him that maybe the best thing he can do is let go of her. Did you agree with Zeke’s advice? Have you ever had to let go of someone or something—like a dream? What was the result? How do you know when it’s time to keep pursuing something or time to let go?
    
11. Franklin Moss asks Abra what she wants, and she says she wants to be “somebody.” What do you think she means? Why does she feel that way? What kinds of things does she think will help her achieve her goal? What do these things really end up giving—or costing—her? In what ways have you, or someone you love, chased after things you think will satisfy you? In what ways were those things fulfilling? In what ways did they leave you empty and wounded?
    
12. Is Abra to blame for Franklin’s suicide? If she had not left the note for him, do you think things would have turned out differently? Are there things you have wished you could take back after you saw the effect they had on someone else?
    
13. As Joshua points out, it seems providential that both he and Abra end up in Agua Dulce at the same time. Can you point to an instance in your life like that—something that was so coincidental you couldn’t help but see the hand of God at work? Why is it easier to see God’s hand in our lives in retrospect than to trust that He’s leading us in any given moment?
    
14. When Abra reads the Gideon Bible in her motel room at Agua Dulce, she seems able to focus only on the verses that confirm her guilt and sin. If you could sit down and talk with her at that moment, what would you tell her?
    
15. When Joshua brings Abra home to Haven, Zeke is praying on the bridge, almost as if he is waiting for her. How did that scene make you feel? Have you ever experienced a similar situation, either in Abra’s or Zeke’s position?
    
16. Joshua is the only man who has ever loved and desired Abra as God intends for a man to love and desire a woman. What are some examples that show how his love is different from the ways Dylan and Franklin felt about her? Are there people in your life who love you in a godly way? Are you able to love others like this?
    
17. What do you imagine will happen to Susan Wells after the conclusion of the story? Do you think her life will be different when she starts over somewhere else? Should she have stayed in Haven? Why or why not?
    
18. Each of the main characters in the book has a unique struggle: Zeke has to give Abra away; Joshua has to let Abra go; and Abra has to decide whether to return. Which character do you most identify with? Why?
    

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

New York Times
bestselling author Francine Rivers began her literary career at the University of Nevada, Reno, where she graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in English and journalism. From 1976 to 1985, she had a successful writing career in the general market, and her books were highly acclaimed by readers and reviewers. Although raised in a religious home, Francine did not truly encounter Christ until later in life, when she was already a wife, a mother of three, and an established romance novelist.

Shortly after becoming a born-again Christian in 1986, Francine wrote
Redeeming Love
as her statement of faith. First published by Bantam Books and then rereleased by Multnomah Publishers in the mid-1990s, this retelling of the biblical story of Gomer and Hosea, set during the time of the California Gold Rush, is now considered by many to be a classic work of Christian fiction.
Redeeming Love
continues to be one of CBA’s top-selling titles, and it has held a spot on the Christian bestseller list for more than a decade.

Since
Redeeming Love
, Francine has published numerous novels with Christian themes—all bestsellers—and she has continued to win both industry acclaim and reader loyalty around the globe. Her Christian novels have been awarded or nominated for numerous
honors, including the RITA Award, the Christy Award, the ECPA Gold Medallion, and the Holt Medallion in Honor of Outstanding Literary Talent. In 1997, after winning her third RITA Award for inspirational fiction, Francine was inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame. Francine’s novels have been translated into more than twenty different languages, and she enjoys bestseller status in many foreign countries, including Germany, the Netherlands, and South Africa.

Francine and her husband, Rick, live in northern California and enjoy time spent with their three grown children and taking every opportunity to spoil their grandchildren. Francine uses her writing to draw closer to the Lord, and she desires that through her work she might worship and praise Jesus for all He has done and is doing in her life.

Visit her website at
www.francinerivers.com
.