Halfway to forever by Karen Kingsbury

old woman one day, when I start wondering why it's been so long since jade and Tanner have visited. But
for now he humors me. Halfway to Forever has been close to my heart for a long time. I got the idea for
the book on a cross-country flight, thirty thou sand feet closer to heaven-the source of all my ideas.
Thoughts began to come, and before long I was jotting down plotlines as quickly as I could write. Within
an hour I was dabbing at tears. It was the first time I've ever cried when outlining a book. The thing that
struck me most about Hatay to Forever was the truth that trouble comes... even for us who believe. I've
heard it said that we are either leaving a crisis, entering one, or smack in the middle of one. It's true, isn't
it? The tragedy of September 11 told us as much. We can make our plans and determine our paths but only
to a small degree. So much of life is out of our control. Disease comes, jobs go, children move away
Plans dissolve with a single phone call or newsflash. What seemed so strong and certain today can be
reduced to noth ing but ash tomorrow. We know that; we've seen it happen. Not just on television and in
New York City or Washington, D.C., but in our own lives as well. We all have "twin towers" we hold
dear, things or people that seem indestructible until one fateful moment. The good news is no matter what
happens, there is One who 343 ultimately is in control. He has promised us that if we love Him, He will
work all things out for good. All things. Think about that for a minute.
Of course, that doesn't mean every burning building or flash
of fear on the landscape of your life will turn out the way you'd
hoped. That's not how God works. Rather, He sees the bigger picture.
We have the comfort, the peace, of knowing that we can rest
in His hands because He will take care of everything. Whatever
the trouble is.
As many of you know, my husband and I have six childrenthree
by birth, three from Haiti by means of adoption. When we're
taking a long road trip, we often hear multiple voices asking,
"Are we almost there?"
"Where are we going?" "Why don't we stop here?"
"How come we didn't take that road?" "I'm tired of this trip."
We try to answer the questions patiently, but the bottom line
is we know where we're going. We wouldn't take the trip if we
didn't think it was going to be good for all of us in some way Still,
children often don't understand and so they question.
Aren't we the same way with God?
There is much we want to know about our journey through
life, and God tries to meet our needs by way of His Word and others
in the body of Christ who comfort us. But sometimes there are
no answers except one: He is God.
He is in control; He will lead us safely home in His timing.
The other day we took our four-year-old to his first professional
basketball game. This is the same blonde, blue-eyed boy
who tells people his name is Michael Jordan; the boy who plays
basketball two hours every day-rain or shine-and can't get
enough of the round, leather ball. We thought he'd be thrilled
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about going to a Portland Trail Blazers game. The problem was he had to leave a birthday party early to
go. His sad little pout made for a quiet ride to the stadium.
It wasn't until we got to the game and took our seats that everything changed. His eyes grew wide as