Gayle Roper. Shadows. on the. Sand. A Seaside Mystery

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2 Gayle Roper Shadows on the Sand A Seaside Mystery

3 Shadows on the Sand Published by Multnomah Books Oracle Boulevard, Suite 200 Colorado Springs, Colorado Scripture quotations or paraphrases are taken from the following versions: The Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright 1991, 1992, 1995 by American Bible Society. Used by permission. The King James Version. The characters and events in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to actual persons or events is coincidental. ISBN ISBN (electronic) Copyright 2011 by Gayle Roper Cover design: Kelly L. Howard Cover photography: Pam Ullman/Getty All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Published in the United States by WaterBrook Multnomah, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House Inc., New York. Multnomah and its mountain colophon are registered trademarks of Random House Inc. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Roper, Gayle G. Shadows on the sand : a seaside mystery / Gayle Roper. 1st ed. p. cm. ISBN ISBN (ebk.) 1. City and town life New Jersey Fiction. 2. Missing persons Investigation Fiction. I. Title. PS3568.O68S '.54 dc Printed in the United States of America 2011 First Edition

4 Readers Guide 1. Carrie loves her café. Greg dislikes property management. What about your job? Why do you feel the way you do about it? Does God promise us jobs we love? Read Ecclesiastes 2:17; 9:10; and Colossians 3: What are your thoughts? 2. The watch Clooney gives Carrie is a symbol of what? Read Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4. Have you had experience with this principle? 3. What do you do when it doesn t appear to be God s timing for your heart s desire? Read Psalms 27:14 and 37:4. What do you think of these seemingly opposite truths? 4. Carrie says that distance helps her forgive her mother. What do you think of this idea? 5. In chapter 32, Carrie talks about the essence of genuine faith. Do you agree with her assessment? Read Hebrews 11:1. 6. In chapter 34, Carrie and Greg talk about what often draws men and women to cults that are outside the norm of American life and certainly outside orthodox Christianity. What are the main elements Greg says attract many? What is often the downfall of a cult? 7. When Carrie s mother arrives in Seaside, what is Carrie s reaction? What do you think your reaction would be if you had a similar history? Why is Lindsay s reaction so different? 8. Why are Carrie s mother and stepfather a sign of hope? Read 2 Corinthians 5:17 and Ephesians 2: Mary Prudence is Carrie s God-mother, a gift from the Lord. Does a mentor have to be this obvious? Have there been people in your life

5 Shadows on the Sand 313 who have been there at crucial moments with a word or a helping hand? Share your stories with others in the discussion group. 10. Greg concludes that he can never be all that Carrie needs any more than he was all that Ginny needed. Discuss this critical realization in light of romance novels.