006 Let’s Have an Adventure (Resurrection Year excerpt) [Podcast]

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Here is a third excerpt from my forthcoming book, Resurrection Year (released by Thomas Nelson/Harper Collins on May 28, but available for pre-order now). Resurrection Year is a book about recovering from broken dreams. While previous excerpts have reflected the ‘broken’ side and the ‘recovery’ side of the story, today’s piece reflects the bridge between when hope starts to bud.

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In the Podcast

In this podcast I read all three excerpts of Resurrection Year so far released (with some emotive music underneath for a little atmosphere). The text of Let’s Have an Adventure is also below. There is so much missing between these three scenes, but that’s what the book is for. I hope you enjoy it.

***

December 30, 2010

‘It needs to be fun,’ she says.

‘And restful,’ I say.

‘And full of adventure,’ she adds.

‘With lots of beauty,’ I reply.

Our morning had begun with us trying to pray, but tears and sighs were all we could utter. We’d gone out to lunch, caught The King’s Speech at the cinema, and by the afternoon were starting to feel a bit brighter. Rays of light had broken through the clouds as we’d settled into our fold-out chairs with a glass of wine on the balcony. Now we’ve begun to dream about the future—to make the first tentative sketches of what a Resurrection Year might entail.

‘I feel dead inside,’ I say. ‘Lifeless. Numb. I want to get excited about something again. I want to resurrect my emotions.’

‘I want to resurrect my relationship with God,’ Merryn says. ‘He feels like an old friend who no longer returns my calls.’

We sit quietly for a bit, staring into our wine glasses. With their bowls full and resting in our palms they almost look like crystal balls. But they give away no secrets.

‘And you want to do this in Switzerland,’ I say.

‘I really do,’ Merryn says, with eagerness in her voice that I haven’t heard for some time. ‘One of the reasons I got into medi­cal research was because of the travel opportunities, and there are plenty of positions I could apply for in Switzerland right now—I’ve been watching the job boards. Just imagine living in Geneva or Berne. Imagine doing hikes in the Alps every week­end. We could drive to Italy, Germany or France, and England and Spain would only be a train trip away.’

‘That’s true,’ I say.

‘You’d have all the natural beauty your eyes could handle,’ she says. ‘Just imagine the photographs you could take.’

I think of my shiny new SLR camera sitting in the wardrobe. It had cost me a small fortune a year or two back but had gone largely unused since. I hadn’t had much energy for hobbies.

‘So, what do you think? How do you feel about living in Switzerland?’

How do I feel? I think to myself. I feel like this whole damn thing is a curse. I feel like I’m too exhausted to move countries, but that it’s too late to stay. I feel mad at God for not coming through for us and sad at losing what I’ve worked for. I feel like frantically holding on to what I have left, and like curling up in a corner and going to sleep for a while. And I feel guilty—guilty for putting you through this when another man could’ve given you what you desired. And I feel like the last thing I could do right now is deny you what you so dearly want.

‘I don’t think I can get excited about anything at the moment,’ I say. ‘But I want you to be happy. And I like hearing you getting excited about something again.’

Merryn reaches over and squeezes my hand.

‘I’m so sorry,’ I say.

‘For what?’ she says, surprised.

‘For being the cause of all this.’

Tears well in Merryn’s eyes. She puts down her glass, pulls her chair close, wraps her arms around my chest and presses her cheek into mine. ‘You’re the best husband a girl could want,’ she says. ‘Now let’s leave the past behind and have an adventure together.’

***

Special Announcements

1. Resurrection Year releases in just 4 weeks! (But you can pre-ordered it now.)
2. Tomorrow I’ll tell you how to get a FREE digital copy! Subscribers to my email and RSS feeds will find out first, as a thank you to them, then I’ll announce it through Facebook and Twitter.
3. Thank you for the 5-Star reviews for More Than This on iTunes. And thank you for your kind comments A1otherO, Watcherz and Katree73.
4. More Than This is now available on the Blubrry podcast network, as well as iTunes, Zune, Stitcher, TunedIn, Blackberry Podcasts and FaithVillage.

Episode Resources

You may find the following links and resources helpful:

• Blog: Ten Years in the Wilderness (Resurrection Year excerpt)
• Blog: A Little Story About Starting Again (Resurrection Year excerpt)
• Audiobook: Unseen Footprints unabridged audiobook (if you like to listen rather than read)