New Works
Synopsis of Greta’s Quest
In spite of her ever-present burden of guilt, Greta Schroder dedicates her life to helping women on society’s fringes. She encounters them at a shelter where she works and at her second job as an intern at her church while she studies Biblical counseling at the seminary. Greta longs for renewed closeness with her father, whom she grew up helping in his Arkansas rice fields. She still goes home for harvest, but sin has separated them. When she falls in love with the minister of music, a new quandary arises. God moves in dramatic ways here, but can Greta accept His mercy? This story, set in Memphis during the 1990’s, explores universal themes not limited by time or place.
Excerpt from Greta’s Quest, Chapter Five: Two Prodigal Sons
“We put away our old bodies, as the Apostle Paul said. Kevin put his body aside for reasons only he and the Lord know.” Greta was struck to the core— watching these parents hang on to the minister’s every word as if it were a lifeline. Pastor Sam is giving me hope, too. I can learn to counsel in the name of Christ…
Greta thought, Pastor Sam’s hands, in their plastic casings, are doing a task that’s probably a first, even for this seasoned minister. Those hands have just comforted the two who brought this child into the world—this child whose flesh and bone he’s tenderly removing from its pathetic refuge. From this consecrated man, I’ll learn to serve, even in tragic circumstances.
Synopsis of Frieda’s Hope
Greta Kaufman’s life is crammed full. She’s a new wife beginning her final year as part-time intern at College Park Memorial Church. There, troubled women—ranging from a janitor to a privileged ‘old Memphis’ lady—could claim her time. Not to mention church strife over the new pastor. But Greta must also concentrate on her last year of graduate school. She’s earning a Christian counseling degree. With the legacy from her grandmother, Greta has just opened a self-sustaining women’s shelter, Frieda’s Hope. It’s a tribute to O’Ma and her life verse, Psalm 71:17. Twenty-four residents, typically just released from incarceration, bring along a history of prostitution or drug abuse. As they rehabilitate in Christian environs, they produce ecologically-sound cloth diapers for the market. Ironically, Greta has denied herself the need of that product, ever. Still, she aches to be a mother. God has given her a joyful life of love and service and provided peace about her past—except in that one area, maternity. She knows the fault lies not in the Lord but in herself. Can she heed this (extrapolated) command of Jesus in Luke’s Gospel? ‘Physician [Counselor], heal thyself.’
Excerpt from Frieda’s Hope, Chapter Two: The Prayer Shawl
Dr. Mac went on. “… During our game, he confided his wife suffers from a fixation regarding the name ‘Felicity’—stemming from an affair he had twenty years ago.”…
“Apparently over the weekend, Mrs. Webb read in the church newsletter about the new staff member named Felicity. She accused him of an affair with the church secretary and announced she’d be paying a visit to the church office when it opened…”
Dr. Mac gave his intern a steady look. “With your training in Christian counseling, Greta, along with your experience, I think you’re the ‘man’ for this job. Maybe you should rescue Felicity now.”