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Back A Penny for Your Thoughts Save as PDF
Chapters (62)
  1. Cover
  2. A PENNY
  3. Dedication
  4. Acknowledgments
  5. One
  6. Two
  7. Three
  8. Four
  9. Five
  10. Six
  11. Seven
  12. Eight
  13. Nine
  14. Ten
  15. Eleven
  16. Twelve
  17. Thirteen
  18. Fourteen
  19. Fifteen
  20. Sixteen
  21. Seventeen
  22. Eighteen
  23. Nineteen
  24. Twenty
  25. Twenty-One
  26. Twenty-Two
  27. Twenty-Three
  28. Twenty-Four
  29. Twenty-Five
  30. Twenty-Six
  31. Twenty-Seven
  32. Twenty-Eight
  33. Twenty-Nine
  34. Thirty
  35. Thirty-One
  36. Thirty-Two
  37. Thirty-Three
  38. Thirty-Four
  39. Thirty-Five
  40. Thirty-Six
  41. Thirty-Seven
  42. Thirty-Eight
  43. Thirty-Nine
  44. Forty
  45. Forty-One
  46. Forty-Two
  47. Forty-Three
  48. Forty-Four
  49. Forty-Five
  50. Forty-Six
  51. Forty-Seven
  52. Forty-Eight
  53. Forty-Nine
  54. Fifty
  55. Fifty-One
  56. Fifty-Two
  57. Fifty-Three
  58. Fifty-Four
  59. A Sample Chapter of Don’t Take Any Wooden Nickels
  60. About the Author
  61. Other Books by Mindy Starns Clark
  62. About the Publisher

“All you have to do is accept Christ,” I said, “and you’ll know. The Holy Spirit will fill you with a peace like you’ve never felt before. He’ll carry your burdens for you, Judith. He’ll help you through this difficult time.”

Judith ran a hand through her hair, her expression wavering.

“How can I believe in something I can’t see?” she whispered. “How can I know something is true that I have no proof of whatsoever?”

“You grew up in a Christian home,” I replied. “You’ve seen the works your father has done, the love that was shared between him and your mother, the love of your brother despite what you’ve done to his company. How can that not be proof enough?”

“We’re talking about a big decision here,” she said. “If I believe Jesus was the son of God, then I have to buy the whole package—that He died, was buried, and rose again. All just to save me from my own sins.”

“He did, Judith. For me. For you. Why is that so hard to accept?”

“I need proof.”

“Is that all that’s stopping you?” I asked, smiling. “As Jesus himself said, ‘Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’ Accept Him on faith! He’s ready to bless you, Judith. I feel sure He sent me here to tell you just that.”

She studied my face for a long time, a hunger burning somewhere behind her eyes. I knew that expression; I had seen it the few times I had led others to Christ. She was open. She was in need.

In her heart, she was ready.

“I’ll say the prayer if you want,” I whispered. “You can just repeat it after me.”

She looked down, shaking her head.

“I was brought up in the church,” she said. “I know what to say.”

She bowed her head and closed her eyes and was silent for a long time. I, too, closed my eyes, silently asking God to surround us with His love, to surround us with His guiding hand. Finally, after a long while, I heard Judith murmur a soft amen.

“Amen,” I repeated, and opened my eyes. I wanted to tell Judith not to expect some sort of miraculous change right away, that salvation isn’t always as much an emotional experience as it is an intellectual one. But one look at her, and I knew I didn’t have to say a word. In her eyes, on her face, it was there.

Judith Smythe had finally come home to God.

Fifty-Four

Fifty-Four

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My house smelled musty, of course, as it had been closed up for days. I put my bags down in the kitchen and then walked around and opened every window I could easily reach. Almost instantly the breeze swept in and cleared the trapped air.