Forsaken
by James David Jordan

List Price: $14.99
Pages: 400
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780805447491
Publisher: B&H Fiction

What would it take for you to renounce your faith in Christ? Author James David Jordan confronts readers with this challenging question in his new book, Forsaken. A unique love story wrapped in an action thriller, Forsaken is the first of a two-book series featuring Taylor Pasbury, a beautiful but troubled former Secret Service agent hired by the world’s most famous televangelist after he receives terrorist threats.

Even as a high school kid, Taylor Pasbury knew that she was not like most other girls. Raised by a father who was a retired Special Forces officer, she grew up knowing how to camp, fish, shoot, and most of all, take care of herself. As a young adult she opens her own security agency following a controversial stint as the nation’s most celebrated Secret Service agent. When Simon Mason, the best known Christian on the planet, receives threats from Muslim terrorists, he hires Taylor to take charge of his security. Though Taylor is thrilled to receive the high-profile assignment, she has no idea that Simon already knows more about her than she could possibly imagine.

Before Taylor’s first day on the job is over, the terrorists strike, making a nightmarish demand that requires Simon to choose between the two most important things in his life. Drawing on all of her hard-knock toughness and training, Taylor must face deadly extremists and a dark past as she fights to save Simon and his daughter. Along the way, she discovers that she is not the only one who has done things she would like to forget --- and she is not the only one who understands that some things are more important than living.

James David Jordan is a successful business attorney in Dallas, Texas. Though many lawyers have the urge to write, few actually submit to the daunting task of slogging through the creation of a manuscript. James, however, followed his aspirations to become an author, taking five years to create his first book, Something That Lasts, which was well-received by both critics and the public.

Forsaken is written with James’ same passionate purpose --- to entertain readers with page-turning stories while encouraging them to explore and grow in their faith. “I wanted to present readers with a spiritual dilemma that parents can only hope they will never face,” James says. “What if you had to choose between God and your own child? Would God really require you to prove your love by allowing your child to die?” With gripping authenticity, James examines this thought-provoking subject of family and faith and skillfully draws readers into the crisis faced by Simon Mason. Will he forsake his faith in front of millions to save his daughter’s life? Would you?

The second book in the series is scheduled for release in the fall of 2009.

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1. In Forsaken, Simon Mason is presented with what seems an impossible choice. Why do you think the author chose this dilemma as the central topic for this book?

2. Taylor Pasbury is the author’s favorite character because she is so flawed. Do we learn more about our own faith from reading about flawed characters? If so, why?

3. Why do you think the author chose a televangelist as a protagonist in this story? What makes Simon different from the stereotypical televangelist?

4. Matthew 10:37 says, “He who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.” How literally should Christians take that message? Have you, or anyone you know, ever paid a price for faith? If so, how?

5. What would you do if you found yourself in Simon’s situation? What do you think it would be like to make that choice?

6. Grace is a gift, and we can’t earn it. So that raises the question of why there have been so many martyrs. What motivates a person to die for faith? Would the Apostle Peter have been as motivated to die for his faith if he did not suffer from the guilt of denying Jesus three times? Would Paul have been as motivated to suffer for his faith if he was not wracked with guilt over his persecution of Christians before his conversion?

7. The characters in Forsaken are not religious superheroes. Simon is an adulterer, and Taylor does not even consider herself a religious person. Why do you think the author chose to use characters whose past actions are so readily assailable?

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