 |
| Zoe M. McCarthy |
In Richmond,
Virginia, I attended Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) for seven years. Recently, I
heard BSF added a new study: Revelation. I wanted to go. My husband wanted to
attend the study also, his first time in BSF. I prayed God’s will.
Now that we live in
rural southwest Virginia, the two closest night classes were two hours away. If
we joined a thirty-week class, we’d have to spend 30 Monday nights in a motel.
Attending looked bleak. I continued to pray about the class.
As registration
time approached, my sister and brother-in-law, who have attended BSF classes in
Sunset Beach, NC, needed to move near Winston-Salem. Their new home would put
them within twenty minutes of the BSF class in Greensboro, NC. John and I could
spend the night with them, and the four of us could attend the classes!
But my sister and
brother-in-law couldn’t move into their new place until well after the Revelation
class started. And 800 women had signed up for the women’s night class, and 400
men for the men’s class. Accommodating 800 in the women’s host church was an
issue. I continued to pray. I trusted if it was God’s will, He’d orchestrate
our attendance.
God connected my
sister and brother-in-law with a couple in their Sunset Beach church, who
happened to own a second house 5 hours away in Winston-Salem. They used the
house only occasionally, and it was thirty minutes away from the BSF classes in
Greensboro. My sister and brother-in-law moved into the couple’s Winston-Salem
house temporarily.
 |
|
image by anielbaez0
|
BSF arranged for
many of the 800 women to attend satellite classes in Winston-Salem. So, the four
of have been attending BSF classes in Greensboro, and John and I spend every
Monday night with my sister and brother-in-law.
But what about
God’s purposes? I thought God wanted me to understand Revelation. Though good,
God had greater purposes in mind.
Weeks into the BSF classes,
I heard disturbing things going on in churches. As my heart grew heavy for our
churches, I received a request from the leader of our local community Bible study.
She would be unable to lead the class until the New Year. She asked if I would step
in. I accepted.
I share with the
class what Jesus says to our churches through Revelation chapters 1 through 3.
I’m amazed how thirsty the women are to learn. Preparing the lesson is a great
review and a joy. John is a lay speaker and the lectionary scripture for his
next speaking event comes from Revelation.
God is revealing to
us the purposes He had in orchestrating our lives, as He did for faithful Daniel
on a much larger scale in chapters 1, 2, 6, and 7 in the Book of Daniel.
Are you worried
about events in your life or writing career? Seek God, be faithful, and watch
what only God can and will do.
Will you share a
time when God orchestrated your life for His purpose?
 |
| About the Author |
Zoe M. McCarthy
believes the little known fact that opposites distract. Thus, she spins
Christian contemporary romances entangling extreme opposites. Her tagline is:
Distraction to Attraction, Magnetic Romances Between Opposites. Now retired
actuaries, Zoe and her husband evaluated the financial risks for insurance
companies. Nick, in Zoe’s debut novel, Calculated
Risk, is an actuary. Christian Fiction Online Magazine published two of her
short stories. Zoe self-published two books of contemporary Christian short
stories. She’s a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. She enjoys
leading workshops on the craft of writing; speaking about her faith; planning
fun events for her 5 grandchildren; and exploring the Blue Ridge Mountains,
where she lives with her husband, John.
Calculated Risk
 |
| Calculated Risk by Zoe M. McCarthy |
What happens when an analytical
numbers man meets a mercurial marketing Rep? Romance is a calculated risk…
Jilted by the latest of her
father’s choices of “real men,” Cisney Baldwin rashly accepts an invitation to
spend Thanksgiving weekend with a sympathetic colleague and his family. Nick
LeCrone is a man too much her opposite to interest her and too mild-mannered to
make her overbearing father’s “list.” Now, Cisney fears Nick wants to take
advantage of her vulnerable state over the holiday. Boy, is she wrong.
Nick wants little to do with
Cisney. She drives him crazy with all her sticky notes and quirks. He extended
an invitation because he felt sorry for her. Now he’s stuck, and to make
matters worse, his family thinks she’s his perfect match. He’ll do what he can
to keep his distance, but there’s just one problem—he’s starting to believe
Cisney’s magnetism is stronger than he can resist.
