The Hills of Vincere Ridge - Softcover
"Contemporary issues and controversial topics are tackled in a book for our times!"Today, our culture so easily sways the hearts and minds of our children, our teens, and even ourselves, encouraging us to embrace the world's views on contemporary issues such as homosexuality, same-sex marriage, and gay adoption. How can Christians combat the culture's pull and, instead, draw toward an accurate biblical response that balances the grace of God with the truth of His Word? Answer: Through the magnetic power of story.
Life is anything but easy for fourteen year-old Jason Collins. Adopted and raised by a same-sex couple, his standard school day consists of lingering stares, not-so-subtle whispers, and outright bullying. His only escape, hours of quiet solitude working on his golf swing. Then one weekend, hearing the words of Jesus--Come to me all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest--Jason comes, trusting those words to prove true. Life, however, gets infinitely more difficult. While his moms struggle with his decision to trust Christ, a publicity-seeking pastor manipulates the teen into petitioning for new legal guardians, setting off a firestorm of protests, picketing, and media baiting.
Enter TJ Lanter, a former professional golfer still working to overcome his own tragic past. Together, the two use their shared loved of golf to create a bond which enables both to see through their pain and discover how the power of Christ truly changes lives.
Let The Hills of Vincere Ridge immerse you in its story, placing you alongside the characters in their quest to grasp how the God of grace and truth would have us all reflect His heart in today's culture.
Life is anything but easy for fourteen year-old Jason Collins. Adopted and raised by a same-sex couple, his standard school day consists of lingering stares, not-so-subtle whispers, and outright bullying. His only escape, hours of quiet solitude working on his golf swing. Then one weekend, hearing the words of Jesus--Come to me all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest--Jason comes, trusting those words to prove true. Life, however, gets infinitely more difficult. While his moms struggle with his decision to trust Christ, a publicity-seeking pastor manipulates the teen into petitioning for new legal guardians, setting off a firestorm of protests, picketing, and media baiting.
Enter TJ Lanter, a former professional golfer still working to overcome his own tragic past. Together, the two use their shared loved of golf to create a bond which enables both to see through their pain and discover how the power of Christ truly changes lives.
Let The Hills of Vincere Ridge immerse you in its story, placing you alongside the characters in their quest to grasp how the God of grace and truth would have us all reflect His heart in today's culture.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
From the Inside Flap:
6:42 A.M. on a Monday morning, Frank knew right where TJ would be.
Swinging open the interior glass door to Vincere Ridge's indoor golf training center, his eyes were immediately drawn skyward. Huge white steel girders sloped up to a peak probably thirty feet high, holding up white metal baffling. Around the top of the walls ran a single row of windows that would flood the center with natural light...when the sun finally came up. At the far end of the roughly sixty-yard-long, twenty thousand-square-foot facility was a wall of glass that overlooked the short par-3 third hole.
Frank would not be venturing that far in, however. He knew that TJ would be in one of the cubes just inside the door. Upon entering the center, on each side of the doorway, were rows of 4 fifteen-by-fifteen foot cubes. Well, he called them cubes. TJ called them bays. Each bay came equipped with cameras, projectors, computer, curved screen, tee box, and more--all designed, as TJ explained it to Frank on more than one occasion, to help golfers instantly analyze their swing and track shots, and even simulate play on some of the world's most famous courses.
Sure enough, Frank found TJ in Bay 3, the third bay up on the left-hand side. "I knew I'd find you here," beamed th ebig man in self-congratulation.
With 3-wood in hand, TJ looked over at his buddy who stood just outside the bay. "Quite the detective you are," he smiled back. "What clues helped you piece together the puzzle?" He rested both hands on the top of his club. "Was it that I rarely change my schedule, that I'm a golf pro, or that you tortured my dog until he finally confessed?"
"Max has to live with you, so he doesn't need any more torture," Frank answered back, "so let's go with clues one and two." Unzipping a thick black coat, he stepped into the bay, staring at the large curved screen facing the two men. Close to twelve feet wide and, from the floor up, probably ten feet tall as well. One large display. The hole onscreen looked to be from a desert location. A view from the tee box showed cacti, desert shrubs, and gravelly sand. "It doesn't look like you're playing in Scotland today."
"Nope," TJ replied, eyeing the screen as well. "I needed to feel warm. This is the Troon North course. Arizona."
"I'll take your word for it." TJ waited for the next volley, but the big fella suddenly had grown quiet. At the moment, his eyes were scanning the grass-turf carpeting while pretending to dig at something with the toe of his right shoe.
"Alright, Frank," TJ started as he removed his white golf glove and stuffed it into the back pocket of his khaki pants."You show up here at six forty-five, after a weekend where you most likely got about four hours of total sleep." The golfer placed a head cover on his 3-wood and stuffed it back into a large blue golf bag with a white stripe down the side. "So let me guess that all this, plus your current demeanor, adds up to wanting to tell me something, something you think I'm probably not going to like."
Frank smirked, adding a gentle nod of the head, "Who's the detective now?" That was the prodding He needed. The big man shared how the retreat was fantastic, the speaker dynamic, the breakout sessions relevant and well done, the worship amazing, and the church service on Sunday morning mind-blowingly spectacular. Many teens gave their lives to Christ or rededicated themselves to truly following Him, even the two boys he had mentioned the previous Friday who had never attended church before. Both went up front during an altar call.
As one of the youth leaders, Frank went up to talk and pray with one of the boys named Jason. Before the youth group even made it to the conference, he had already learned about Jason from the boys riding with him in his vehicle. They were all pretty shocked to see Jason there. Within a few minutes, Frank had learned all about his background and family situation. It was indeed shocking.
"Shocking?" TJ interjected. He had pulled off his brown and white cleats and was inspecting the circular spikes, tightening loose ones with a small, two-pronged tool.
"I'll get to that in a minute. But here's the thing: He loves golf!" Frank stared intently at TJ now, which had TJ wishing the big man would go back to digging with his toe and looking down at the carpet. "And since he's a new Christian, he'll need a mentor. And I thought..."
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" TJ stepped back, almost knocking over his golf bag. The clubs rattled inside as he steadied it. "First off, you know I'm not going back to Fallsbrook again. Second off, what do I know about teenagers? You're the one who helps out with the youth group. What's keeping you from doing it?"
Frank lifted up both hands, palms out. Defensive Posture 101. "You don't need to come back to the church. I know you're happy where you're going now. But listen, this kid lives in basically the same development as you. Right near this course. In fact, one of the things he confessed to me during the altar call yesterday was that he's snuck on the course several times near dusk to play some holes."
Images instantly projected on the inside of TJ's brain. Images almost as clear as the one on the screen in Bay 3. He knew the kid Frank was talking about. "Is this kid a couple inches shorter than me, bright green eyes, cropped dirty blonde hair that's kind of pushed up in the middle?" Frank nodded, his face forming the "how did you know that" look. TJ noticed that boy on the course, all by himself, a couple of times. Once he went to him, planning to inform the teen that he should not be on the course. But when he got close, he could tell the kid needed time alone. Just a ball, a few clubs, and nothing else. TJ knew that look quite well. He saw it each time he gazed in the mirror for the first several months after the accident.
In the end, TJ told him, "You can play one more hole, kid. One more." Then he headed back to the clubhouse. The look on that boy's face, on Jason's face, had stuck with TJ for some time after that. Suddenly, something else flashed onto the screen in his mind. It was something that his new pastor, Pastor Jim, had told him about a year ago during a counseling session. God can take our greatest tragedies and turn them into our greatest ministry. He can redeem the awful things and use them for awesome things. At the time, those words seemed like nothing more than the hokey one-liners that pastors use when they want to sound clever. But what if those words were true? Perhaps it was time to let the accident mean something. Perhaps it was time to redeem the pain.
"Okay, listen," TJ sighed."I'm willing to meet with him once. From there, we can see how things go. Ask him if he can be right here at 7:00 a.m.on Saturday. We can play a round of digital golf and talk a bit at breakfast afterward."
Frank's thick eyebrows raised in delight, his mouth widening with a grin that pushed his plump cheeks practically into his eye sockets. "Hey, this is great! I knew I could count on you. I'm going to try to set this up on Wednesday when, I hope, this boy comes to youth group." He tugged the zipper on his jacket and turned toward the door. "Thanks again, TJ. Really, I mean it."
The golfer managed a weak smile in response, still contemplating what he was getting himself into. "Hey, Frank!" He finally blurted out after remembering a forgotten detail. The big man stopped at the doorway, his hand on the door. "You never told me what the 'shocking' thing was."
Frank stood motionless, catching a deep breath, "His parents are lesbians."
About the Author:
Swinging open the interior glass door to Vincere Ridge's indoor golf training center, his eyes were immediately drawn skyward. Huge white steel girders sloped up to a peak probably thirty feet high, holding up white metal baffling. Around the top of the walls ran a single row of windows that would flood the center with natural light...when the sun finally came up. At the far end of the roughly sixty-yard-long, twenty thousand-square-foot facility was a wall of glass that overlooked the short par-3 third hole.
Frank would not be venturing that far in, however. He knew that TJ would be in one of the cubes just inside the door. Upon entering the center, on each side of the doorway, were rows of 4 fifteen-by-fifteen foot cubes. Well, he called them cubes. TJ called them bays. Each bay came equipped with cameras, projectors, computer, curved screen, tee box, and more--all designed, as TJ explained it to Frank on more than one occasion, to help golfers instantly analyze their swing and track shots, and even simulate play on some of the world's most famous courses.
Sure enough, Frank found TJ in Bay 3, the third bay up on the left-hand side. "I knew I'd find you here," beamed th ebig man in self-congratulation.
With 3-wood in hand, TJ looked over at his buddy who stood just outside the bay. "Quite the detective you are," he smiled back. "What clues helped you piece together the puzzle?" He rested both hands on the top of his club. "Was it that I rarely change my schedule, that I'm a golf pro, or that you tortured my dog until he finally confessed?"
"Max has to live with you, so he doesn't need any more torture," Frank answered back, "so let's go with clues one and two." Unzipping a thick black coat, he stepped into the bay, staring at the large curved screen facing the two men. Close to twelve feet wide and, from the floor up, probably ten feet tall as well. One large display. The hole onscreen looked to be from a desert location. A view from the tee box showed cacti, desert shrubs, and gravelly sand. "It doesn't look like you're playing in Scotland today."
"Nope," TJ replied, eyeing the screen as well. "I needed to feel warm. This is the Troon North course. Arizona."
"I'll take your word for it." TJ waited for the next volley, but the big fella suddenly had grown quiet. At the moment, his eyes were scanning the grass-turf carpeting while pretending to dig at something with the toe of his right shoe.
"Alright, Frank," TJ started as he removed his white golf glove and stuffed it into the back pocket of his khaki pants."You show up here at six forty-five, after a weekend where you most likely got about four hours of total sleep." The golfer placed a head cover on his 3-wood and stuffed it back into a large blue golf bag with a white stripe down the side. "So let me guess that all this, plus your current demeanor, adds up to wanting to tell me something, something you think I'm probably not going to like."
Frank smirked, adding a gentle nod of the head, "Who's the detective now?" That was the prodding He needed. The big man shared how the retreat was fantastic, the speaker dynamic, the breakout sessions relevant and well done, the worship amazing, and the church service on Sunday morning mind-blowingly spectacular. Many teens gave their lives to Christ or rededicated themselves to truly following Him, even the two boys he had mentioned the previous Friday who had never attended church before. Both went up front during an altar call.
As one of the youth leaders, Frank went up to talk and pray with one of the boys named Jason. Before the youth group even made it to the conference, he had already learned about Jason from the boys riding with him in his vehicle. They were all pretty shocked to see Jason there. Within a few minutes, Frank had learned all about his background and family situation. It was indeed shocking.
"Shocking?" TJ interjected. He had pulled off his brown and white cleats and was inspecting the circular spikes, tightening loose ones with a small, two-pronged tool.
"I'll get to that in a minute. But here's the thing: He loves golf!" Frank stared intently at TJ now, which had TJ wishing the big man would go back to digging with his toe and looking down at the carpet. "And since he's a new Christian, he'll need a mentor. And I thought..."
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" TJ stepped back, almost knocking over his golf bag. The clubs rattled inside as he steadied it. "First off, you know I'm not going back to Fallsbrook again. Second off, what do I know about teenagers? You're the one who helps out with the youth group. What's keeping you from doing it?"
Frank lifted up both hands, palms out. Defensive Posture 101. "You don't need to come back to the church. I know you're happy where you're going now. But listen, this kid lives in basically the same development as you. Right near this course. In fact, one of the things he confessed to me during the altar call yesterday was that he's snuck on the course several times near dusk to play some holes."
Images instantly projected on the inside of TJ's brain. Images almost as clear as the one on the screen in Bay 3. He knew the kid Frank was talking about. "Is this kid a couple inches shorter than me, bright green eyes, cropped dirty blonde hair that's kind of pushed up in the middle?" Frank nodded, his face forming the "how did you know that" look. TJ noticed that boy on the course, all by himself, a couple of times. Once he went to him, planning to inform the teen that he should not be on the course. But when he got close, he could tell the kid needed time alone. Just a ball, a few clubs, and nothing else. TJ knew that look quite well. He saw it each time he gazed in the mirror for the first several months after the accident.
In the end, TJ told him, "You can play one more hole, kid. One more." Then he headed back to the clubhouse. The look on that boy's face, on Jason's face, had stuck with TJ for some time after that. Suddenly, something else flashed onto the screen in his mind. It was something that his new pastor, Pastor Jim, had told him about a year ago during a counseling session. God can take our greatest tragedies and turn them into our greatest ministry. He can redeem the awful things and use them for awesome things. At the time, those words seemed like nothing more than the hokey one-liners that pastors use when they want to sound clever. But what if those words were true? Perhaps it was time to let the accident mean something. Perhaps it was time to redeem the pain.
"Okay, listen," TJ sighed."I'm willing to meet with him once. From there, we can see how things go. Ask him if he can be right here at 7:00 a.m.on Saturday. We can play a round of digital golf and talk a bit at breakfast afterward."
Frank's thick eyebrows raised in delight, his mouth widening with a grin that pushed his plump cheeks practically into his eye sockets. "Hey, this is great! I knew I could count on you. I'm going to try to set this up on Wednesday when, I hope, this boy comes to youth group." He tugged the zipper on his jacket and turned toward the door. "Thanks again, TJ. Really, I mean it."
The golfer managed a weak smile in response, still contemplating what he was getting himself into. "Hey, Frank!" He finally blurted out after remembering a forgotten detail. The big man stopped at the doorway, his hand on the door. "You never told me what the 'shocking' thing was."
Frank stood motionless, catching a deep breath, "His parents are lesbians."
Mark has a passion to communicate God's design for life and the family. He and his wife, Christie, have fostered 27 children and have one teen-aged son of their own.
Mark has a Masters in Christian Education as well as earning more than 100 Continuing Education Credits in the area of children and youth development, family dynamics, conflict-resolution within the family, discipleship in the home, effective discipline, parenting teenagers, dealing with different personalities, etc. He is further trained and certified through the National Center for Fathering (See: fathers.com) to lead various seminars and workshops.
Mark and his family live in the Lehigh Valley of northeast, Pennsylvania. He loves Philadelphia sports teams--Eagles, Phillies, Flyers, and 76ers; so he knows much about pain and heartache. He enjoys playing sports, writing books, hanging with his family, and referring to himself in the third person.
Check out his website at markjmusser.com. You will find all of Mark's other titles as well as some free resources.
Mark has a Masters in Christian Education as well as earning more than 100 Continuing Education Credits in the area of children and youth development, family dynamics, conflict-resolution within the family, discipleship in the home, effective discipline, parenting teenagers, dealing with different personalities, etc. He is further trained and certified through the National Center for Fathering (See: fathers.com) to lead various seminars and workshops.
Mark and his family live in the Lehigh Valley of northeast, Pennsylvania. He loves Philadelphia sports teams--Eagles, Phillies, Flyers, and 76ers; so he knows much about pain and heartache. He enjoys playing sports, writing books, hanging with his family, and referring to himself in the third person.
Check out his website at markjmusser.com. You will find all of Mark's other titles as well as some free resources.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherIndependently published
- Publication date2017
- ISBN 10 152030708X
- ISBN 13 9781520307084
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages241
- EditorSmith Bonnie Lyn
- Rating
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The Hills of Vincere Ridge
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(2017)
ISBN 10: 152030708X
ISBN 13: 9781520307084
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