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Shunned
HOW FAST CAN A LIFE FALL APART?
Hospital Administrator Adam Overstreet is on the defensive when reports leak out of a one-night stand. The response is immediate and decisive. He is relieved of his duties at work and kicked out of the house by his wife. His closest friends turn their backs on him.
He swears he is innocent.
Miles Traynor, high-energy megachurch pastor, uses charm and charisma to lead the flock of Surfside Church. Double-tithing and continuous growth are expected. Those who don't go along are dealt with swiftly. Pastor Miles sees Adam as a sinful phony who questions the church's direction. Miles' wife Theresa is a hard-working attorney with a heart for the Lord and a growing concern for her husband's motives and actions. Will Surfside's decision to turn their back on Adam Overstreet widen the divide between them?
Hospital Administrator Adam Overstreet is on the defensive when reports leak out of a one-night stand. The response is immediate and decisive. He is relieved of his duties at work and kicked out of the house by his wife. His closest friends turn their backs on him.
He swears he is innocent.
Miles Traynor, high-energy megachurch pastor, uses charm and charisma to lead the flock of Surfside Church. Double-tithing and continuous growth are expected. Those who don't go along are dealt with swiftly. Pastor Miles sees Adam as a sinful phony who questions the church's direction. Miles' wife Theresa is a hard-working attorney with a heart for the Lord and a growing concern for her husband's motives and actions. Will Surfside's decision to turn their back on Adam Overstreet widen the divide between them?
298 pages, Paperback
Published March 11, 2017
About the author
Paul E. Wootten
6 books4 followersHome is Galestown, Maryland. I was born there and it remains with me. My parents are farmers. My grandparents were farmers. My brother is a farmer. Everyone knew early on that I wasn't going to be a farmer. You have to be able to see to be a farmer. They plant straight rows, examine young plants for insects and disease, and deliver crops to market. I wasn't able to do any of that.
I was blind.
Well, not totally blind, like "blind like a bat" blind (Though you should know that bats aren't really blind). I was legally blind, the result of an eye disease called Scheie Syndrome. I could see faces and landscape, and could read just fine if I held the books close enough. Driving a pickup, tractor, combine or bean-picker, though? No chance. Those things cost lots of money and there was no way Dad was entrusting them to me. I always had bicycles, though, and when I was eleven I got a mini-bike for Christmas. Despite crashing into a hay elevator, slamming through a large wooden storage box, and almost hanging myself on fishing nets strung out to dry, I survived.
During high school, I decided I wanted to become a teacher. There were some good role models in Dorchester County. After four years at Western Kentucky University, I moved to Perryville, Missouri where I taught Marketing and Business classes for seven wonderful years. That area of Southeast Missouri serves as a backdrop for most of Harvest of Thorns, and folks in that area will recognize plenty of names and locations.
Unfortunately, my vision was deteriorating. The writing on my teacher notes was getting larger and the back of the class was pretty much impossible to see. A St. Louis ophthalmologist confirmed I was losing my sight.
But, he said, there was hope.
A cornea transplant. Still considered experimental in the 1980's, but as the doc said, "You don't have much to lose by trying."
And guess what? It worked!
Within a few months, my vision had improved dramatically. I could see things I never saw before, like leaves on a tree and blades of grass. Best of all, I was able to pass the driver's test. At age 28 I bought a red sports car and accumulated speeding tickets like candy.
Eventually, I slowed down. My career took a turn toward school leadership. Along the way, I accepted Jesus into my life. That happened while watching a famous TV evangelist one day when school was called off because of snow. I wish I could say it's been smooth sailing ever since. God never left me, though I sure pulled away from Him plenty of times. I fell short, stumbled, and fell, but discovered that His love for me never wavered. It's because of His love that my writing is aimed at solving real-world issues using Biblical truths. My books aren't always comfortable. They're pretty gritty, actually. People get hurt, even killed. Unkind things are said and situations sometimes reach the breaking point - just like real life. But also like real life, we serve a God who is bigger than our problems. I want that to shine through.
My wife Robin is the most upbeat, optimistic person I know. She and I split our time between Kansas City and Florida's Gulf Coast. We have four grown kids, Jill, Lynnea, Cody, and Alison, a son-in-law, Bryce, and daughter-in-law, Kelcy. In January, 2016, Jill and Bryce gave us our first grandchild, Fletcher Wade. You'll find his mug all over the place.
In 2011 I retired from the field of education. Since then, I've worked for the Kansas City Royals, who pay me to watch baseball and be nice to people. Along the way I've written freelance features on a variety of subjects for Royals Baseball Insider and a number of local and national publications. Harvest of Thorns is my first attempt at fiction. I hope you like it!
I was blind.
Well, not totally blind, like "blind like a bat" blind (Though you should know that bats aren't really blind). I was legally blind, the result of an eye disease called Scheie Syndrome. I could see faces and landscape, and could read just fine if I held the books close enough. Driving a pickup, tractor, combine or bean-picker, though? No chance. Those things cost lots of money and there was no way Dad was entrusting them to me. I always had bicycles, though, and when I was eleven I got a mini-bike for Christmas. Despite crashing into a hay elevator, slamming through a large wooden storage box, and almost hanging myself on fishing nets strung out to dry, I survived.
During high school, I decided I wanted to become a teacher. There were some good role models in Dorchester County. After four years at Western Kentucky University, I moved to Perryville, Missouri where I taught Marketing and Business classes for seven wonderful years. That area of Southeast Missouri serves as a backdrop for most of Harvest of Thorns, and folks in that area will recognize plenty of names and locations.
Unfortunately, my vision was deteriorating. The writing on my teacher notes was getting larger and the back of the class was pretty much impossible to see. A St. Louis ophthalmologist confirmed I was losing my sight.
But, he said, there was hope.
A cornea transplant. Still considered experimental in the 1980's, but as the doc said, "You don't have much to lose by trying."
And guess what? It worked!
Within a few months, my vision had improved dramatically. I could see things I never saw before, like leaves on a tree and blades of grass. Best of all, I was able to pass the driver's test. At age 28 I bought a red sports car and accumulated speeding tickets like candy.
Eventually, I slowed down. My career took a turn toward school leadership. Along the way, I accepted Jesus into my life. That happened while watching a famous TV evangelist one day when school was called off because of snow. I wish I could say it's been smooth sailing ever since. God never left me, though I sure pulled away from Him plenty of times. I fell short, stumbled, and fell, but discovered that His love for me never wavered. It's because of His love that my writing is aimed at solving real-world issues using Biblical truths. My books aren't always comfortable. They're pretty gritty, actually. People get hurt, even killed. Unkind things are said and situations sometimes reach the breaking point - just like real life. But also like real life, we serve a God who is bigger than our problems. I want that to shine through.
My wife Robin is the most upbeat, optimistic person I know. She and I split our time between Kansas City and Florida's Gulf Coast. We have four grown kids, Jill, Lynnea, Cody, and Alison, a son-in-law, Bryce, and daughter-in-law, Kelcy. In January, 2016, Jill and Bryce gave us our first grandchild, Fletcher Wade. You'll find his mug all over the place.
In 2011 I retired from the field of education. Since then, I've worked for the Kansas City Royals, who pay me to watch baseball and be nice to people. Along the way I've written freelance features on a variety of subjects for Royals Baseball Insider and a number of local and national publications. Harvest of Thorns is my first attempt at fiction. I hope you like it!
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
January 12, 2018
Not bad
Good story line but I think I've read something similar before. His other two books I liked a lot mpre
Good story line but I think I've read something similar before. His other two books I liked a lot mpre
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review