Lauren was one of the first to exit the plane. She collected her things and headed out onto the concourse, not really aware of anything around her. Her mind was consumed with Shane, with their time together, with all she'd turned her back on. How had she let things go so terribly wrong?

For the past six hours she'd done nothing but relive every wonderful moment with him, weighing it against the reality of the life she had in Afghanistan. From Chicago to New York where she had to change planes, she'd asked herself the same question over and over again: it couldn't work, could it?

No. How could it? How could she believe the way she believed or cover the war the way she had always covered it, and spend her nonworking hours sharing a life with a navy flight instructor at the Top Gun facility. And what about their beliefs? He spoke about God at every turn, and she . . . well, she was still trying to forgive Him.

She and Shane together? The idea was ludicrous. But by the time she reached New York she could no longer deny one very obvious truth. Letting Shane go now was even more so.

When the plane taxied to the gate, she hurried off and talked with the woman at the counter. Yes, the woman told her. She could do this, and yes, they could see that her bags followed her. But she had just thirty minutes if she wanted to make the flight.

Lauren paid the price, then pulled her cell phone from her pocket and dialed the Los Angeles office of Time magazine. When she had her editor on the line she had to stifle a bout of giggles. "Listen, I have a favor to ask."

"Whatever you want, Gibbs." She'd worked with this editor for three years. "We just hope you're ready to get back to work. The magazine needs you."

"I'm ready." She swallowed, not quite believing that she was doing this. "But I need time away from Afghanistan. I want a temporary new assignment, if that's all right."

"Sure." Her editor didn't hesitate. "You've earned that much." He hesitated. "Where do you want to go?"

She closed her eyes and lifted her face. "Reno, Nevada."

"Reno?" A pause. "Are you crazy?"

She smiled. "Yes." Another giggle. "You know what? It's wonderful!"

With her editor's promise to make the arrangements, Lauren ran from one concourse to the next, barely making her flight. Now, if the schedules had held up, her plane would land fifteen minutes before his.

Her flight was quick, and before she knew it, she was walking out the door, into the Reno Airport. With each step, she picked up her pace, and with five minutes to spare she found a seat at the gate, his gate. One with a direct view of the Jetway. When she was sure she had enough time, she dug through her bag until she found it. The small cardboard box that was never more than a few yards from her.

The whole week, every time she and Shane were together, she'd wanted to pull it from her bag and share it with him. Because the moment she did so, he'd know. She'd never forgotten, not through the years of college, no matter where her reporting took her. But the moment had never seemed right.

Now she looked at the faded, creased photographs and - careful not to damage the pictures in anyway, she took out the ring. It still stirred emotions in her, memories of a love that nothing in all her life had equaled. With deliberate care, she slipped the ring on her baby finger, closed the small box, and placed the box back into her bag. No, she couldn't have brought out these things earlier. This way she'd had time to think it through. It was true, they wouldn't have everything in common. But they shared what mattered most for now, and in time they would figure out if the rest would work or not.

Emily's face danced in her mind, and tears stung Lauren's eyes. They had a daughter - their precious baby girl, all grown up and longing to be loved - and they shared a past and a romance that knew nothing of struggles with faith or political differences. She was pretty sure she believed in God, after all. And if He was real, well then, she and God had some mountains to scale. But mountains were meant to be climbed, right? And the politics thing, well, Shane had been right. If others could pull off a bipartisan marriage, maybe they could do the same thing.

There was a rustling of activity behind the gate counter, and an aircraft pulled into view. Lauren's heart beat so hard she thought it might burst through her chest. But at least it wasn't broken anymore.

She stood, her bag high on her shoulder, and watched the people file through the door. A mother with two babies; a group of businessmen; two couples, tanned and laughing, moving slowly and talking with their hands . . .

And then he was there. At the doorway.

Lauren started to shake. Emotion flooded her, coursing through her veins and making her hands and feet tingle. She felt hot and cold at the same time. Would she fall to her knees, faint from all she was feeling? Lord, if You're real . . . I can't believe this. What is this feeling? She wasn't sure what startled her more: her reaction to seeing Shane, or that she'd spoken to God about it.

Sucking in air, she took a step closer, and then another. Shane followed those in front of him through the door, staring at the ground as he walked. He looked so . . . grief stricken. Defeated.

Oh, God, I did that to him. I'm so sorry . . . I love him so much!

As though he heard her broken inner cry, Shane hesitated - and looked up. Their gazes locked, and she saw the reality hit him like a physical force, saw the emotions flash in his eyes. Disbelief and shock and amazement. And then, shining out with such intensity that it engulfed her, love. A love that made Lauren feel like she could fly.

He moved, slowly at first and then in a rush that closed the distance between them. Before she had time to take a breath, his arms were around her, clutching her, and they were rocking, holding on to each other the way she'd ached to hold him every hour that they'd been apart. Lauren wasn't sure how long they stood there, but finally they shuffled to the side, out of the way of the other passengers. Shane searched her eyes. "What . . . how . . . ?"

She grinned. "I called my editor." Her eyes danced, and the feel of his joy flowed down to her soul. "I told him maybe I better be stationed at Reno for awhile."

"You did?" He clasped his hands at the small of her back, holding tight to her. The familiar teasing filled his voice. "How come?"

She lifted one shoulder. "I figured you had a point." A giggle slipped from her overjoyed heart.

"A point?"

"Yes." She leaned up and kissed him, kissed him in a way that left no doubts about her feelings. "Magazine reporters are supposed to be unbiased, right?"

"Right." He brought his lips to hers again, cradling her face in his hands. "So?"

"So, maybe it's time I spend a little time on military public relations."

He chuckled, and it became a full-blown bout of laughter. The whole time he held on to her, his head tipped back, delighting in the moment.

When his laughter died down, she pulled the ring from her little finger. "Here." She handed it to him, waiting as he recognized what it was. "Do you still mean it?"

He looked at her, lost in her eyes. Then he took her left hand and with heartbreaking tenderness placed it on her ring finger. "I love you, Lauren Anderson."

"I love you too." She held her breath. He'd stopped short of asking her to marry him, but that was okay. Maybe, if the next season in their lives went the way she wanted it to go, the question would come. For now, though, they could at least give it a try because they had time. Sweet precious time.

He still had her hand in his. "God brought us together, and now nothing can ever take us apart. I'll never love anyone like I love you, the way I love you. Even now."

She hugged him, and suddenly he lifted her off her feet and swung her around in a circle. When he set her down, he raised his fist in the air and shouted out loud. "Thank You, God!"

People passing by looked at them, and a few smiled. In that moment Lauren recognized the feeling inside her, the one that was still flooding her with warmth. Peace. Again not the peace she'd spent so much time thinking about all these years, but a peace that was deeper, more lasting. A peace she wanted to feel all the rest of her days.

Shane was pulling his cell phone from his pocket, opening it and grinning at her.

"What are you doing?" She held onto his elbow, watching him, smiling so big it hurt.

"The thing I've been dying to do since I saw you standing here." He tapped a series of numbers into the phone. "I'm calling our daughter."

Emily hung up the phone with her dad and darted through the house to tell her grandma the news. Her mother and father were together again! Yes, they had a lot to work through, her dad had told her, but they were together. That was all that mattered.

Her mom was as thrilled as she was, but Emily couldn't talk about it for long. She had something important to do first. She went back to the kitchen, grabbed the phone book, and looked up the number for Wheaton College. It was time to make good on a very special promise.

God gave her the miracle she'd prayed for - every last detail of it. They would always miss Papa, but suddenly the future looked like it might be everything she'd ever dreamed of. She'd asked God to make her an instrument of peace. Her birth had torn everyone apart, but in the past few weeks God had used her to bring her family together again. No, the final chapter hadn't been written. But she believed it would be, that the God who had seen to every last detail of this miracle would see her parents through the next season of their lives, as well.

Now she would follow through on what she'd promised Him.

She found the phone number to the university, dialed it, and asked for the journalism instructor. The receptionist put her on hold for a moment, but then a familiar voice picked up the line.

"Hello?"

Emily's heart soared. "Ms. Parker?"

"Yes?"

"This is Emily Anderson. I've, well, I've had some personal issues to deal with at home, but I wanted you to know I'll be back when school starts."

"I heard that your grandpa died." Her voice was warm, sympathetic. "Your grandma called and left a message." She hesitated. "I'm very sorry, Emily."

"Yes." She swallowed. "Me too." A robin landed on a patch of grass where the snow had melted. It hopped around, found a worm, and flew off again. New life was like that, always just beneath the icy surface. Emily blinked and held the phone tighter. "Can I ask you a favor?"

"Of course. Anything."

"Could you save me a spot for a short story in the creative magazine? I know you're assigning articles this week, and I have a special one. It's a story I want the whole world to know."

"Really?" She sounded interested. "What's it about?"

"It's about life and love. And miracles." She grinned and the joy inside her felt absolutely wonderful. "I'm calling it Even Now."

FROM THE AUTHOR.

Dear Reader Friends, Some time ago I felt the Lord bringing together in my heart a story about peace. Obviously, at this time in our nation's history, peace is a volatile topic, something bantered about in casual conversations and debated by pundits across the country. Where the line between parties once was a picket fence, in many cases now it's solid brick and razor wire.

The war in the Middle East has contributed to this, and so has the strength of both support and animosity toward our current leader, President George Bush. In the news not so long ago, a woman was chased and threatened with her life for having a bumper sticker supporting the president.

The issues surrounding Operation Enduring Freedom are complex. One of the benefits of writing about a character like Lauren Anderson was that I felt sympathy for people on her side of the fence. Lauren had nothing against American soldiers. She simply believed that peace would only be found with peaceful behavior. Shane also was sympathetic. He wasn't a person crazy for war, and he certainly had no blood thirst. Rather he believed peace came through strength. He didn't want to see children orphaned or soldiers killed. He only wanted to help protect and defend.

Because of these two characters, I learned something while writing Even Now. I learned that once in a while the two sides are closer than they think. Especially when faith is a common factor. The issues are complex, and so I think sometimes the best way to work things out is, well, not to work them out. If you and someone you love have a difference of opinion on something, maybe it's best to let it stay that way. Respect each other's right to believe what you believe. Respect each other. Agree to disagree, my dad used to say.

When people do that, I've seen the most amazing result: love happens. People start finding the things they do have in common and they start loving the person for simply being a brother or a father or an aunt or a cousin. Obviously there are some differences of opinion that happen because one person is standing by Scripture and another person isn't. In this case, please go ahead and take a stand for the truth. That's what Jesus wants us to do. But at the same time, take your stand in love.

Sometimes we need to say, "I don't agree with that and here are the reasons why. But I love you so much. Let's go to lunch."

Conversations like that will build bridges between you and the people with whom you're at odds. And often, when we love people despite our disagreements with them, we give them a chance to cross that very same bridge. In the process, we may find more common ground than ever before.

Ultimately, I loved writing about Lauren and Shane, because real peace isn't found by either of their methods. It's not found at antiwar protests, and it's not found by dropping bombs - although there are times when both events might be appropriate, so long as our troops are always supported. Here's the point that Emily understood so well: real, lasting peace is only found through a lifesaving relationship with Jesus Christ.

Period.

Knowing Christ means that all the world might be falling apart just outside your front door - maybe just inside it - yet that inner peace, that inner knowing, remains unshaken. A quick formula for all of us would be this: Does your world feel out of control? Are you lacking peace in your marriage, your finances, your health, or your relationships?

Add Christ.

Add prayer and Bible study and conversations with other people who share your faith.

Your mind is only so big. To the degree that it is occupied with Christ, you simply won't have anything left for unrest and worry, frustration or hopelessness.

If you're reading about Jesus for the first time, then please take a few minutes and quietly - in your own words - ask Him to come into your life and clean house. Ask Him to be in charge of you from now on, and let Him be not only your Savior, but your Lord, your Master.

If you make that decision for the first time, here and now, contact a Bible-believing church in your area. Talk to a pastor, get involved in a newcomers' group, and start the greatest journey of your life. If you aren't able to do that, then send me an e-mail and write, "NEW LIFE" in the subject line. My e-mail address is rtnbykk@aol.com.

I love receiving letters from so many of you, and recently I received a very sad letter. A woman was alone after her husband had left her, and now she wanted to kill herself. She envied people who had died, because at least they had peace. I was grateful for the chance to tell her that life is always worth living. No matter what your situation, God has a plan in it, a purpose, a reason why your life can make a difference. Many times people who feel this way need professional help and medical advice. But many other people who struggle with such thoughts need to add a whole lot more God to their schedules. Volunteer time, Sunday school, various church ministries. Most churches are crying out for God in prayer, God in Bible study, and God in service. Remember, more God equals more peace. Or as many people say: No God, no peace. Know God, know peace.

Things are going very well - if very busy - in our happy household. My husband is considering staying home from his teaching job next year and homeschooling our boys. It's a funny situation, because we love our local public schools. They're truly wonderful, with many of the old-fashioned benefits that too many schools have let slip away. But we are excited to see what "A Year with Dad" will bring about. Also, it will give us much more time together as a family - since I can write the books God gives me while they're having lessons.

Please continue to pray for us. We greatly appreciate your love and concern, and we feel your prayers time and time again. If you're already receiving my e-mail newsletter, look for the next one soon! If you'd like to receive it, stop by my website at www.KarenKingsbury.com and fill in your e-mail address.

As always, I love hearing from you. I pray that you are enjoying the Christmas season, and remembering through it all the call to love one another - even the people sitting opposite the fence from you.

Until next time . . . in His light and love, Karen Kingsbury.

BOOK CLUB QUESTIONS.

Explain how Shane's parents reacted to the news that their son's girlfriend was pregnant. Why do you think they reacted that way?

How about Lauren's parents? How did they react to the news, and why?

"What would Jesus do?" is a common question these days. Analyze both of the above situations and discuss them in light of that question: What would Jesus have done in the situation with Shane's parents? What about Lauren's parents?

What were the first signs that the friendship between the two couples was in trouble? Why did the friendship between the two couples fall apart so quickly?

Tell about a time when you were tempted to manipulate a situation to your advantage.

How did the two couples manipulate their children, and what danger signs did they ignore along the way?

Explain how deception played a role in the falling-out that happened between Lauren and her parents.

Tell about a situation where you or a person in your life has come out well-adjusted after a difficult start or a difficult set of circumstances.

What were the signs that Shane wasn't ready to marry the politician's daughter?

Lauren liked to think of herself as a gutsy reporter. What were the signs that she also had a tender heart?

What do you think is important for a marriage to work? Is it important to share political beliefs?

Emily prayed for a miracle and God granted it. How have you seen Him work miracles in your life?

For many years Emily longed for her parents. How is God the parent to those without parents?