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    A Reason To Pray at Mountainview
    A Reason To Pray at Mountainview
    A Reason To Pray at Mountainview
    Ebook146 pages2 hours

    A Reason To Pray at Mountainview

    By Jeff Beard

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    About this ebook

    Sometimes a story becomes the best way to see and learn something new. Here lies the purpose of Mark Torrell’s story. What if you found yourself in a place of pain or suffering, or alone and guilt-ridden? Would you be prone to pursue God, or to be angry with Him? What if in a time of despair you prayed and prayed, and yet no answers seemed to be on the horizon? What would be your conclusion or response? Mark finds the weight of all of these questions upon him, because they were more than just questions. And they just happen to culminate on him in one place at one time.

    Fear, an immediate crisis, and a haunting past set the stage. What Mark doesn’t expect is the arrival of a new friend who is willing to help, at an unexpected time and in an unusual manner. During this unique friendship Mark is given five lessons that are meant to radically change his view of prayer, his cries of desperation, and his relationship with his God. This may have been the last thing that Mark expected at Mountainview Hospital, but it definitely wasn’t the only surprise.

    Find out what Mark learned about prayer that changed his perspective and his direction of faith. His story may even hit close to home.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJeff Beard
    Release dateNov 12, 2012
    ISBN9781301498406
    A Reason To Pray at Mountainview
    Author

    Jeff Beard

    I am continually amazed at the providential hand of God in our lives, in His Church, and in all of creation. When looking over my shoulder at His dealings in my own life, I can clearly see some of the spiritual milestones that have marked my growth in Christ. Often, these milestones have been initiated, or fueled, by certain books that I have read. I write with the goal that one of my books will make an impact on someone’s relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.I am ordained in the Southern Baptist Convention, with a pastoral background ranging from Presbyterian to Pentecostal. When asked to describe the Baptist camp that has molded my faith and theological perspective, I point to two famous Baptist pastors, which are two of my heroes: John Bunyan and Charles Spurgeon.I hold a Master of Arts in Religion, from California Graduate School of Theology, and a Master of Business Administration, from Virginia Commonwealth University School of Business. Currently my wife and I are enjoying being empty-nesters in beautiful Virginia.

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      Book preview

      A Reason To Pray at Mountainview - Jeff Beard

      A Reason to Pray At Mountainview

      A NOVEL TO REVITALIZE PRAYER

      Jeff Beard

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, re-cording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copy-right law. For permission requests, write to the author, addressed Attention: Book Permission Request, at the email address below.

      Jeff Beard Books

      www.jeffbeardbooks.com

      Book Layout ©2013 BookDesignTemplates.com

      A Reason to Pray at Mountainview

      Jeff Beard.

      Copyright 2012 by Jeff Beard

      Published at Smashwords

      All rights reserved.

      ISBN: 9781301498406.

      All Scripture quoted is from: The New King James Version.

      Copyright (c) 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

      Used by permission. All rights reserved

      All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added by the author.

      This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely co-incidental.

      Published by Jeff Beard

      Table of Contents

      Introduction

      It Isn't a Dream

      A Challenge

      One Reason

      A Second Reason

      You are My God

      A Third Reason

      A Fourth Reason

      A Fifth Reason

      Saying Goodbye

      Growing Together

      A Final Word from the Author

      Bonus Chapters

      Dedication

      I dedicate this book to my wife, Lisa, whose encouragement and help with the writing and the creativity made it possible. Thank you, Sweetheart. I also want to thank my friends and family who encouraged me to write and teach.

      Above all: To my God and Savoir. Amen.

      ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

      Editor: Sandy Frey Anders

      Cover Design: Garret Beard

      Bonus Content

      Another Book by the Author

      The Place of Prayer

      By: Jeff Beard

      This is a different kind of novel with a different purpose and goal. It unravels the life of Jarrod Burrell, a man living the American Dream, as he comes face-to-face with God. If you have ever wanted a spiritual mentor who would help you to develop a life of prayer, then follow Jarrod and his mentor as they walk and grow together in prayer, in Christ Jesus. Hopefully you’ll find your own prayer life challenged and encouraged.

      Part One: Prayer and the Invisible Hand of God

      Part Two: Prayer Begins with the Heart

      Part Three: Prayer Focuses on God

      Part Four: Prayer Exposes Your Dependency

      Part Five: Prayer has a Purpose

      The first two chapters of Part One are enclosed at the end of this book. The full novel will be released in 2013.

      Introduction

      Sometimes a lesson is best received through a story. My hope is that this is one of those stories. What if you found yourself in a place of pain or suffering, or alone and guilt-ridden? Would you be prone to pursue God or to be angry with Him? What if in a time of despair you prayed and prayed and yet no answers seemed to be on the horizon? What would be your conclusion or response? The main character finds the weight of all of these questions upon him, because they were more than just questions. And they just happen to culminate in one place at one time on him.

      Fear, an immediate crisis, and a haunting past set the stage. Both internal and external battles are not new frontiers for believers, or anyone for that matter, but for Mark Torrell both battles have come to critical mass. For Mark, both battles also have the potential to breathe fresh life into his soul or to break him entirely. Like our own lives, such a stage should generate anticipation for an unveiling of the providential hand of God. But like Mark, many of us find it difficult to see light through a fog of anxiousness and looming doom.

      What Mark Torrell doesn’t expect is the arrival of a new friend who is willing to help, at an unexpected time and in an unusual manner. During this unique friendship Mark is given five lessons that are meant to radically change his view of prayer, his cries of desperation, and his relationship with his God. This may have been the last thing that Mark expected at Mountainview, but it definitely wasn’t the only surprise.

      Allow me to move away from the story line and prepare your mind for the subject at hand with a wonderful quote on the subject of prayer. It is from one of my personal heroes of the faith, George Müller.

      You see, dear reader, by these instances, that we are richly recompensed for our waiting upon God. You perceive the readiness of His heart to listen to the supplications of His children who put their trust in Him. If you have never made trial of it, do so now. But in order to have your prayers answered, you need to make your requests unto God on the ground of the merits and worthiness of the Lord Jesus. You must not depend upon your own worthiness and merits, but solely on the Lord Jesus, as the ground of acceptance before God, for your person, for your prayers, for your labours, and for everything else.[1]

      Our whole life, our very existence and its purpose, is BY Christ, FOR Christ, and IN Christ, alone. May the Spirit of the Living God give wings to your prayers that they may fly into the splendor and beauty of His glorious presence.

      Jeff Beard

      [1]

      It Isn't a Dream

      Mark Torrell opened his eyes and found himself slumped over in a wheelchair. It took a few seconds as his eyes adjusted to his surroundings and then for his thoughts to catch up with his eyes. Then reality hit, and it hit hard. The hospital! I’m in the hospital! As he tried straightening up, the pain arrived confirming that it wasn’t a dream.

      After a brief pause to ease the piercing pain, he proceeded slowly and gently until finally stopping to take a deep breath and then to exhale. He was quickly reminded that too much, too fast was too much pain. He also discovered that pain has its own way of bringing you back into reality, whether you are ready or not. His painful reality check reminded him of the reasons for being in the wheelchair and for the I.V. running from his arm up to the bag hanging above his head. The statue of a crucified Jesus Christ twenty feet in front of him reminded him where and why he had visited the hospital’s chapel.

      It was just a few days ago that he was sitting in front of his doctor in the examination room on the end of a table, bed, or whatever they call those cold, sterile paper-bed-chair-kinda-things. He made the appointment because of severe pains in his stomach, an occasional coughing up of blood, and a series of blackouts that were getting more frequent and without any warning. Mark wasn't used to sickness and especially to hospitals, but something was obviously, drastically wrong and he had no other choice. The pains had now spread down his legs, and until something radically changed, he wasn't going anywhere. Of course, not knowing the cause of his medical problems brought anxiety; but the problem that was hurting him the most was not physical, but his past.

      His original intent for going to the chapel was to get away from the boredom of his hospital room, at least that was part of the excuse he had told himself. After a few minutes of a different type of loneliness, he acknowledged the truth that he was trying to escape from the noise inside--the voice of guilt that had haunted him for over a year and had continued with intensity now that his life was in jeopardy.

      The self-diagnosis was regret and self-condemnation for breaking up his family, for throwing aside the most precious gifts that God had given him--his wife and two children. Unfortunately, now they seemed to be more like an ex-wife and children whom he sees only on holidays and birthdays. He had dozed off in the chapel praying for his family and to ask God ... again ... for forgiveness, something that he has never been able to accept from God. And again he found that neither medication, sleep, nor a religious setting was strong enough to quiet his soul and to remove the shame that kept him enslaved to his past sins.

      I guess it's only right that God wouldn't hear me, and I guess that it would only be right to let me die. I know that I deserve to, I just hope … He paused, closing his eyes, and prayed, Please, Lord, will You help Sandra and the boys, in spite of me.

      Even though Mark wasn't finding what he was looking for in the hospital chapel, he wasn’t ready to go back to his room and stare at a television or count the tile squares on the ceiling. Since it was a choice between an impersonal, sterile hospital room and a tranquil, empty chapel, well the choice was easy. I'll just try stretching and gently turning around a bit to see if ANY of my praying made a difference. As he twisted his upper body around to the right,

      Hello, Mark.

      Mark stopped in a half-twist position and looked around the room for a body to go with the voice.

      I hope I didn’t startle you.

      Mark turned to his left side and found the face and the rest of the body of a middle-aged man sitting at the far end of the front wooden pew. Oh, hello, Mark replied. I didn’t notice anyone else in here. He turned his wheelchair around to face this stranger. He must have come in when I dozed off. Once Mark had a clear view he introduced himself. My name is Mark, but wait, you already know that. Mark squinted to make sure his eyes were completely awake, and then said, I’ve met you before, haven’t I?

      Yes, I’m Paul. We met yesterday when I came in your room to check on your status.

      Oh, so you work here?

      I do. I have patients that I tend to throughout all the hospital, and you happen to be one of them.

      Mark only vaguely remembered Paul, as the medication was causing everything as of late to be cloudy. Mark quickly labeled Paul as just one of the dozen or so pokers and prodders that had come by his room over the last 48 hours. It seemed like one person after another dropped by either to poke, prod, or stick him, literally or with questions. He knew they all meant well; but now all he wanted was a little bit of privacy, yet

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