by Wayne Faust
12
Parables
by Wayne Faust
About
the book: 12 Parables is a new collection of timeless
Christian stories about the things we all face in our spiritual walk
– doubt, fear, change, grief, and more. Using tight,
entertaining prose, Wayne Faust manages to deal with difficult
concepts in a simple,straightforward way. These are stories you can
read aloud over and over – to your spouse, your family, or in a
group setting.
They are human stories, packed with emotion
and just enough mystery to keep you wondering, providing lots of
points to ponder and discuss when you’re through.
Jesus
appears in most of these stories – as Hero, Shepherd, Server,
Lifeguard, and more. The gospel message is related in new ways, in
the tradition of the greatest speaker of parables the world has ever
known.
Paperback
Autographed by the Author ($12.95) available on Picklehead –
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available on Amazon - Kindle ($6.99) and Paperback $14.95) –
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From
“The Wall”:
“The world was aching. There was an emptiness in people’s
hearts and no one could remember a time when it hadn’t been so.
According to the scribes, the Tasks had been invented over five
hundred years ago, but as much as they had tried, no one had ever
done them all. Because of that, the Gate remained closed. The Gate
stood on top of a hill at the edge of the Capital. It reached up
nearly to the clouds and it was set into an equally high Wall, which
stretched all the way around the world. No one had ever been to the
top of the Wall, although on certain clear nights, you could see a
warm, amber light glowing above it. It was this glow that caused such
a longing in the people, for somehow they knew that God dwelled on
the other side. But He was hopelessly out of reach.”
***
“Father?”
asked the young girl. “Did you ever try to open the Gate?”
They had finished their prayers and the father was getting ready to
blow out the candle.
“Many times,” he said.
“I once got to the twenty-seventh Task, but then I made a
mistake and had to start all over. I never got that far
again.”
“How many Tasks are there?”
asked the girl.
“No one knows. The best anyone has
ever done is to get to number 128 and that took over 7 hours.”
“Why
can’t the priests memorize the Tasks so they can keep going
further until they make it to the end?”
The father
smiled at the sharp intelligence of his daughter. “It would be
wonderful if they could do that,” he answered. “But the
Tasks are different each time. And so far everyone has fallen short.
So the Gate remains closed.”
“Why do they
keep trying?” asked the girl.
“Because to
not try is to give up hope. And living without hope would be just too
sad. You’re very young and already you know that. Remember how
sad you were when your mother died?”
The girl
nodded.
“Things like that happen every day, to
everybody. The Holy Writings tell us that if we can make ourselves
worthy enough to get through the Gate then we will be with God and he
will wipe away every tear.”
As if in answer to her
father’s words, the girl began to cry. “But what if the
Gate never opens at all?”
The father gathered up
the girl in his arms and rocked her softly. “The priests tell
us that someday a Hero will come. He will be able to achieve every
Task and then the Gate will open.”
The little
girl looked up. “When will this Hero come?”
“No
one knows. But if we pray very hard, maybe we can make him come
sooner.”
“Then I’ll pray all night
long,” said the girl. And indeed she tried, but like most
little girls, she fell asleep before the moon was high...
About
the author:
Wayne Faust has been a full-time music and comedy performer for over
45 years,
performing in thirty-nine states, in England, Scotland,
and Holland.
For more information visit his web site:
waynefaust.com. He has written and recorded over fifteen albums of
music.
While traveling, he writes fiction, and has had over fifty
stories published.
He uses his songwriting experience to create
visual, fast moving prose.
This is his first full-length
collection of stories, and he is happy to have a chance to share his
Christian faith through these modern day parables.
Published
by Healthy Life Press - PO Box 642 - Roseland, FL 32957
***