Warm Montana Home by Cynthia Bruner

Author:Cynthia Bruner [Bruner, Cynthia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: contemporary inspirational, love story, montana state, montana, falling in love, clean romance, sweet romance, Christian romance, western romance, faith, contemporary christian romance, Contemporary, Christian fiction, happy ending, moose hollow, christian romance series, Family, red lodge
ISBN: 0986215376
Publisher: Montana Inspired Arts
Published: 2016-11-17T00:00:00+00:00

Twenty-Three

Poppy joined Mara in the circle again. Mara handed her a cookie in a napkin. “Oatmeal raisin,” she said.

“I love oatmeal raisin.”

“I figured.” Mara said it as if it was an insult, but a grin twitched at the corner of her mouth.

“If I can have your attention,” Katherine said, calling the rest of them to the circle, “I want to say a few things. The first is that we don’t sugarcoat it here. Sex, when it isn’t safe, consensual, and loving, leaves a mark on a person. It’s true physically, emotionally, relationally, and spiritually. Sex outside of a loving, committed relationship is a sin.”

Here it comes, Poppy thought, the judgment.

“Sins are those things that a person wants to do that God thinks is a bad idea. You can get deeper into it, but I’ve found that to be a pretty good working model. If God wants the best for you, and He does, He wants you to do the things that bring beauty and honor into your life. Sometimes you get a choice in the matter, and sometimes you don’t. But you can make the decision to give it over to God. You don’t have to carry it by yourself. And it’s an endless deposit box, ladies. There’s no limit on how much you dump on God.”

Katherine focused on Julia. “I want you to let go of the feeling that you’ve failed. What I want from you, dear, is to stop looking for your salvation in the wrong places.”

Julia sighed. “I know that.”

Katherine smiled. “I know you do. And I know you set up some rules for yourself, and you’re feeling bad you broke them. But the whole point of the rules isn’t to get a perfect score. It’s to remind yourself who you are. How you are created, and what you are created to do.”

Created to do? You don’t contribute anything to my life, Geoff had said. Poppy knew what rule she should create in her life, and that was to avoid men. Some women could handle them, some couldn’t, and she was clearly in the latter category. As she thought about it, she became aware that the conversation had moved on without her. She glanced at Katherine, who was looking right at her. So was Mara. She was doing a terrible job of supporting the girl.

“Poppy, did you have anything to share?”

No, absolutely no. “No,” she said, and her words sounded sharper than she meant them to. “But I think my friend Mara has something to say, and if she’s willing, I’d like to hear it.”

All eyes turned to Mara, but Mara kept looking at Poppy. Poppy got the feeling that Mara was looking for reassurance. She didn’t know how to give it. All she could think to do was to turn around in her chair to face her, just like Katherine had with Julia, and wait.

Mara broke one of the cookies she had into a dozen tiny pieces before she began. “I like attention. I get a lot of it.

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