Forgiven (26 page)

JT turned to Tom, shook his hand and thanked
him for everything.

“You did the work, man.” Tom laughed and then
said, “I can’t believe it; Luke and Diane handed us such a gift. I
thought we were going to lose.”

“See. That just shows that you ought to trust
God more.” JT patted Tom on the back and then walked out of the
courtroom hand in hand with his wife.

When they got in JT’s car, Cassandra leaned
over and hugged him. “You’re a good man, JT Thomas.”

“Those words sound a lot like forgiveness to
me, Mrs. Thomas.”

She kissed him, then said, “With the help of
God, I have learned to trust you again; so, yes, I can now say that
I truly forgive you for everything you put me through.” Then she
held up a warning finger and added, “But don’t let it happen
again.”

“Woman, you didn’t marry no fool. I’ve got my
good thang, and I’m not trying to lose you ever again.”

He started the car, and as they drove down
the street, Yolanda Adams’ song, “I Got the Victory” came on the
radio. Cassandra thought the song was fitting because they had
definitely been through the storm and the rain. And just like the
song said, Cassandra truly knew all about heartache and pain, but
God had brought her through it all. “Blessed be the name of the
Lord,” Cassandra said, as she turned up the volume, leaned back in
her seat and enjoyed the drive home.

The End

Reader’s Discussion Questions

1. JT had been a cheater, but God forgave him
and from that point he desired to do what was right. But Cassandra
struggled to forgive her husband. Do you think you could stay
married to a man like JT Thomas?

2. JT’s high school sweetheart (Erica) had
prayed for his salvation and deliverance for years without ever
knowing if her prayers had been answered, even though JT had broken
her heart. Could you pray for someone who had hurt you?

3. Cassandra’s lack of trust in God caused
her to struggle with panic attacks and unforgiveness. Has anything
ever happened in your life that caused you to lose trust in
God?

4. At one point in the story, JT considered
himself to be a victim of his own adulterous affair. However,
Cassandra didn’t agree with him. What do you think? Who are the
real victims when a pastor sins? Could it be his wife, the children
and the church members? Who else?

5. Mattie was very bitter and unforgiving.
Her bitterness eventually affected her health. What about you… are
there things you need to let go of? Do you believe harboring
bitterness can affect your health?

6. Bishop Turner suffered for years because
of his hidden secrets. What do you think? Should Bishop Turner have
admitted that Cassandra was his daughter when she was first born?
Or do you believe he was right to hide his sins from the
church?

7. Which minor character would you like to
know more about: Diane Benson, Margie Milner or Lamont Stevens?
Email me at [email protected] and let me know.

Coming in July 2012 – 3rd book in the
Forsaken Series (FORGOTTEN)

Books available in Ebook and Paperback
format: Forsaken, Forgiven & Forgotten

OTHER EBOOKS BY VANESSA MILLER

The Blessed and Highly Favored Series is
available in ebook format only…

The Blessed One: Joel Morrison proved his
love for God when he lost all of his children in the 1952 Kern
County earthquake. He weathered those hard times, and God blessed
him with five more children. But now that his children are grown
and living their own lives, Joel worries that the devourer has once
again set his sights on the family that God has blessed.

For the most part, Joel’s children are
successful and rich yet very unhappy. Joel realizes that giving his
children more money will not make them happy, nor will it secure a
place in heaven for them, when their hearts and souls are not fully
committed to Christ. So, Joel Morrison decides to change his will
in an attempt to teach his children a lesson in giving. He invites
his children on a family vacation in the Bahamas to tell them that
he will be giving most of his money away to charity. However,
Joel’s declaration is not the biggest surprise of their
vacation.

Shockwaves are sent throughout the Morrison
family, the likes of which they may never recover from.

The Wild One: Dee Dee Morrison-Milner is a
movie star and the wild child in the Morrison family; you name it
and she’s done it, with almost no regrets. However, when her
younger sister, Elaine, asks her to adopt an African orphan child
(Natua), Dee Dee agrees because Hollywood is full of actresses
adopting underprivileged children--no big deal. But when a psycho
fixates on Dee Dee’s maternal abilities and imagines himself
married to the movie star diva, she finds herself running from a
stalker.

When Natua is kidnapped, Dee Dee turns back
to her estranged husband, Drake Milner, to help her find the child
whose kind nature stole her heart. Along the way, Drake helps Dee
Dee restore her relationship with the Lord.

The Preacher’s Choice: Isaiah Morrison is a
man after God’s heart. Even though his wife divorces him, Isaiah
continues to preach and declare the goodness of the Lord. He is
content to live alone for the rest of his life, never imagining
that God has something else in mind for him.

The first day Ramona Verse walked into Christ
Tabernacle, she fell in love with everything about the church, and
especially the handsome self-assured man behind the pulpit. But
would a man like Pastor Morrison ever consider a woman with a dark
past like hers? Ramona and Pastor Morrison are brought together
through his need for someone to head his charity foundation, but
Isaiah will soon discover that he needs much more from the
secretive Miss Verse than he ever thought possible.

The Politician’s Wife: Eric Morrison’s wife,
Linda, hits a teenage boy while driving drunk, and Eric covers it
up by paying the teenager’s medical bills and giving a hefty
donation to his college fund. Linda is now ready to atone for her
sins. She finds the strength to stop drinking and gives her life to
Christ. Eric is thrilled when his wife stops drinking. However,
when she tells him that God wants her to start a Christian
organization that helps recovering alcoholics put their lives back
together and that she intends to use some of his father’s charity
money to do it, Eric rejects the idea, convinced that it will put
his bid for governor at risk.

Then a blackmailer threatens to reveal
pictures of his wife’s drunk-driving accident unless he receives
ten million dollars. If that isn’t enough, the media also begins
attacking Eric because of his brother Isaiah’s outspoken,
stop-sinning and come-to-Jesus style of preaching. Eric must decide
whether he will stand up for the truth that his father taught him
and that his brother now preaches or sell his soul for public
office.

The Playboy’s Redemption: After a very public
argument over increased child support payments, the mother of Shawn
Morrison’s third child is found dead. Shawn is the primary suspect.
Now in a fight for his life, Shawn turns back to Lilly, the woman
whose heart he broke after she gave birth to two sons for him, but
never even received an engagement ring. Lilly is now a born-again
Christian. Will her forgiving heart and new attitude concerning
morality finally help Shawn turn back to God in this, his darkest
hour?

Love Isn’t enough (Short Story) ebook

Sometimes love just isn’t enough and Hannah
Ellison is sick of pretending.

She promised to love, honor and cherish her
husband, but Thomas kept secrets. And now as Hannah wades through
all of Thomas’s unpaid bills, baby mama drama and her inability to
conceive… she must decide if love is enough to keep her at home
when her heart and mind is in turmoil over something that only God
can fix.

This short story is loosely based on the Old
Testament story of Hannah’s pleas for a child of her own (1 Samuel
1:1-2:26).

A Mighty Love (Novella) ebook

Shay Lamont was sick and tired of dating men
who didn’t know the first thing about being faithful. She’d spent a
lifetime chasing after losers, now she was determined to spend the
rest of her life chasing after God.

Just as Shay sets her sights on God, Malcolm
Harris sets his sights on her… and Malcolm is just as determined to
get what he wants. If Shay can let her guard down and learn to
trust again, she just may discover the mighty love God intended for
her heart only.

The Rain Series is now available on
ebook:

Check them out on your Kindle or Nook

Titles:

Former Rain

Abundant Rain

Latter Rain

Rain Storm

Through the Storm

The Blessed and Highly Favored Series

The Blessed One

The Wild One

The Preacher’s Choice

The Politician’s Wife

The Playboy’s Redemption

AUTHOR BIO: Vanessa Miller

Vanessa Miller of Dayton, Ohio, is a
best-selling author, playwright, and motivational speaker. Her
stage productions include: Get You Some Business, Don’t Turn Your
Back on God, and Can’t You Hear Them Crying.

Vanessa has been writing since she was a
young child. When she wasn’t writing poetry, short stories, stage
plays and novels, reading consumed her free time. However, it
wasn’t until she committed her life to the Lord in 1994 that she
realized all gifts and anointing come from God. She then set out to
write redemption stories that glorify God.

To date, Vanessa has written four complete
series and one single title mainstream book. Her readership
steadily grows with each new release as she is a consummate
promoter of her works. Vanessa believes that each of her books
touch the heart and soul of readers across the country in a special
way. It is, after all, her God-given destiny to write novels that
bring deliverance to God’s people. These books have received rave
reviews, winning Best Christian Fiction Awards and topping numerous
Bestsellers’ lists.

Essence Bestsellers’ List March 2008; May
2008 (Former Rain)

Essence Bestsellers’ List September 2008
(Rain Storm)

Black Expressions Book Club Alternate
Selection 2007, 2008, 2009 & 2010

#1 Ebook for fiction on Amazon.com November
2010 (Long Time Coming)

#1 on BCNN/BCBC Bestsellers’ List November
2010 (Long Time Coming)

Vanessa is a dedicated Christian and devoted
mother. She graduated from Capital University with a degree in
Organizational Communication. In 2010, Vanessa was ordained by her
church as a minister. Vanessa believes that God has called her to
minister through her writings and help readers rediscover their
place with the Lord.

Most of Vanessa’s published novels depict
characters that are lost and in need of redemption. The books have
received countless favorable reviews.

“. . . Heartwarming, drama-packed and tender
in just the right places.”—Romantic Times Book Review.

“Recommended for readers of redemption
stories.” –Library Journal.