Lead Me Home
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15. A lot of judging took place among these characters. What did you learn from the experiences of those being judged, as well as those rendering judgment?
16. Was this story an accurate portrayal of “church folk,” and if so, in what way?
17. In this era where there’s much talk about people leaving or avoiding church, should regular churchgoers change how they interact with each other, or operate in ministry, and if so, how?
18. What did you take away from reading this book that may help you better relate to people who are different from you in personality, values, or otherwise?
Acknowledgments
I have many people to thank for walking with me, pouring into me, cheering me on, and lifting me up with prayers and other tangible support during the writing of this novel. My book ministry thrives because you have in some way been an “armor bearer,” or sister or brother in heart and spirit. I sincerely thank my son and daughter, Jay and Syd, for continuing to be my biggest cheerleaders, and for your unfailing love. I consider it a privilege and blessing to be your mother. I thank my siblings, Dr. Barbara Grayson, Henry Haney, Sandra K. Williams, and Patsy Scott, and my extended family in Arkansas, Texas, Iowa, and beyond, especially Larry Armstead, Lisa Armstead, Pamela Williams, and members of the Adams family. I’m grateful to my spiritual mentor Muriel Miller Branch, my dear friends and first readers Carol W. Jackson, Teresa Coleman, Cheryle Rodriguez, and Maya P. Smart; my pastors and spiritual leaders Rev. Drs. Micah and Jacqueline Madison-McCreary, and special friends Bobbie Walker Trussell, Comfort Anderson-Miller, Charmaine Spain, Connie Lambert and family, and Sharon Shahid. I sincerely thank: my loyal crew of friends Gwendolyn Richard, Otesa M. Miles, Robin Farmer, Karen Shell, Nancy Lucy, Joe and Gloria Murphy, Margaret Williams, and Danielle Harne Jones; my awesome colleagues at Collegiate School, including Amanda Surgner, Elizabeth Cogar Batty, and Dianne Carter; my author buddies, Rhonda McKnight, Tyora Moody, Tia McCollors, Fritz Kling, Booker Mattison, Tiffany L. Warren, Adriana Trigiani, Roger Bruner, Reshonda Tate Billingsley, Victoria Christopher Murray, Kim Cash Tate, Bonnie Calhoun, Dr. Linda Beed, Gigi Amateau, Meg Medina, Lillian Lincoln Lambert, Michelle Sutton, and Carol Mackey.
Gratitude is also extended to my agent, Steve Laube; my speaker agent, Patsy Arnett; my editors Becky Philpott, Sue Brower, and Becky Monds; and Alicia Mey and other members of the Zondervan and Thomas Nelson marketing and sales team. I also sincerely thank Dr. Debra Ogilvie and her colleagues at Richmond Hearing Doctors for your generous hearts and inspiration, members of Spring Creek Baptist Church for your support and prayers, and readers and book clubs across the nation (and around the globe) for reading, and for sharing this book with others.
In closing, I invite you to consider, who among us hasn’t made mistakes, intentionally committed a wrong, or suffered the consequences of a foolish act, brazen decision, or circumstances dealt us by life? In some form or fashion, we’ve all been there, and in the pages of this book, I hope you, the reader, discovered themes that helped you realize it takes all of a person’s being—the high notes and the low, the woundedness and the wellness—to make one who he or she is. If we’re willing, we can use all that we’ve journeyed through to become a blessing to others.
Thank you again for reading!
All My Best,
Stacy
NOTE TO READERS: FACTS ON HEARING LOSS
I chose to tackle the issue of hearing loss in this novel, and specifically focus on a character who believed she couldn’t afford hearing aids, because some form of hearing loss is a growing condition among Americans of all ages, and few insurance companies in the United States treat hearing aids as necessary medical devices, thereby refusing full or partial coverage for their purchase. Having been personally diagnosed with mild hearing loss six years ago, I know firsthand how challenging it can be to secure hearing aids—something as critical to a person with mild, moderate, or severe hearing loss as eyeglasses are to a person with impaired sight.
Currently, a majority of Americans who need hearing aids must petition their insurance companies for coverage they may or may not receive, or pay out of pocket for the pricey devices (typically $1,000 to $5,000 per aid). If hearing loss is considered a disability and/or a medical condition, it is disturbing that these devices cannot be secured with insurance, leaving those who can’t afford the aids or obtain special approval from their insurance companies to miss important conversations and sounds, or learn to read lips.
If you don’t suffer from hearing loss, someone you work with or care about likely does. And whether those individuals are able to fully experience the world around them, or in some instances, maintain appropriate safety, often depends on whether they have personal funds readily available or access to a charitable organization that will help them cover the cost of an aid. You can help by contacting the Hearing Loss Association of America (www.hearingloss.org) or the National Association of the Deaf (www.nad.org) to lend your support. You also can contact your leaders in Congress and ask them to support policies that will nudge insurance companies to cover hearing aids as necessary medical devices, when surgery or other forms of treatment aren’t ruled effective. By taking the time to advocate for others, you not only will have enjoyed a fictional character’s journey, you also will have made a difference.
—Stacy
About the Author
Stacy Hawkins Adam’s love of writing has expanded from childhood dreams and a decade-plus journalism career to writing freelance and inspiring audiences on speaking tours. She is the author of eight books, including The Someday List, Dreams That Won’t Let Go, and Who Speaks to Your Heart? Tuning In to Hear God’s Whispers. Stacy lives in Virginia with her family. When she is not writing or speaking, she devotes considerable time to child advocacy issues.
Visit her at www.StacyHawkinsAdams.com
ZONDERVAN
Lead Me Home
Copyright © 2013 by Stacy Hawkins Adams
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Zondervan e-books.
Epub Edition MAY 2013 ISBN: 978-0-310-33404-0
Requests for information should be addressed to:
Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Adams, Stacy Hawkins, 1971-
Lead me home / Stacy Hawkins Adams.
pages cm
ISBN 978-0-310-33403-3 (trade paper)
1. Terminally ill–Fiction. 2. African Americans–Fiction. I. Title.
PS3601.D396L43 2013
813’.6–dc23
2013002812
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