Introduction
Where the Wind Begins (proposal attached) is a narrative that injects the world view inherent in the Old Testament book Ecclesiastes into a fictional character-- specifically a jaded thrice married, thrice divorced millionaire by the name of Malcolm Richardson. Likewise it takes the world view inherent in Paul’s epistle to the Philippians (written from house arrest in Rome) and places that into the fictional person of an Iranian widow and refugee named Morv Areed Hassani. Malcolm is wealthy, accomplished, well traveled, and miserable. Moreen (Morv Areed) grew up well to do in Iran but had her wealth, her dreams, her family, and her career as an accomplished physician all taken by the circumstances surrounding the Iranian Islamic Revolution of 1979. The one element in her life that Suddam’s henchman and the Islamist of Iran could not take was her faith and with this, as circumstances play out, she lovingly and gently confronts the pessimism of said Malcolm Richardson.
Where the Wind Will is the second of a three part narrative began in Where the Wind Begins. Without a doubt the first installment to the series was a love story on several plains (vertical, horizontal) and on several levels (filial, romantic, familial). The sequel continues in that tradition. It carries on with many of the key relationships began in Where the Wind Begins, the main being that between the divorced Sybil and her millionaire ex, Malcolm Richardson (mentioned above).
Summary
Where the Wind Will takes place a few weeks after the death of the heroine, Morv Areed Hassani or Moreen for short, which occurred in the closing pages of the first installment. Her friend Malcolm Richardson struggles with the reality of her death and his continuing walk of faith that she inspired and he does not adequately understand. One development concerning this walk and the transformation it is generating is that Malcolm is becoming more aware of the dire mistakes he has made as a man, a husband (thrice divorced), and a father (3 children, 4 step children, 1 adopted daughter, 4 grandchildren)….mistakes that demand correction. In trying to understand the dynamics of the transformations he is experiencing, Malcolm leans heavily on the relatively recently blossomed faith of his first wife, Sybil and her parish priest, Dr. Simon Wheeler.
What transpires from Malcolm’s growing dependence on Sybil’s spiritual strength is a continuing respect for her on every level and a desire to become more a part of the family she raised by herself. This, in turn leads the millionaire bachelor to realize that he has always loved Sybil and with encouragement from Dr. Wheeler, he sets out a courting. She is hesitant, but cautiously receptive.
Heather, Malcolm’s adoptive daughter (from his third and most recent wife—and divorce), will fall in love with her friend Josh who was introduced in Where the Wind Begins as a veteran of the Afghanistan war and a senior music major at the University of Houston at Clear lake (she is a junior) who is able to recognize the world’s plea and search for God in its music. He and Heather have recognized how congregationally centered and driven their Christian experience has been and with the help of Father Simon Wheeler they will be introduced to the ancient forms of worship. In this volume he decides to volunteer for a missionary trip to Colombia….an action that creates no small bit of friction between him and Heather.
Malcolm’s step daughter, Dana, from his second wife (Rachael, for whom he left Sybil almost three decades ago) has befriended Moreen’s only surviving son, Omid. These two met briefly in the first book and he teaches philosophy on the university level. She entertains radical feminist ideas, dabbles with faith, and continues recovering from her emotionally devastating divorce some months earlier. Omid is borderline agnostic and struggling with the death of his mother. The two are providing each other moral and social support and it appears that the relationship is currently non romantic.
Omid’s sister Dorri has moved to Austin, Texas to begin studying for a Doctorate in Middle Eastern Studies. She and her mother inhabited the downstairs apartment below Malcolm’s mansion on the Gulf of Mexico in Kemah, Texas prior to Moreen’s demise. Vacating the property will give Dana a safe opportunity to move out of her mother’s house and return to life on her own. Rachael and Malcolm do not speak to each other.
The story closes with a dramatic twist that prepares the reader for a third installment.
Word Count: 151,000
Purpose and Target Audience
In the proposal for the first book, I listed its purposes as:
· Emphasize sanctification over circumstances, character over comfort and declare this to be God’s approach
· Introduce readers to the book of Ecclesiastes and its dark, real life, “rubber hits the road” perspective
· Invite evangelicals to be less provincial and exclusive in their religious world views
· Introduce evangelicals to the possibility that high church liturgy can be moving and meaningful
· Elevate the daily walk in the faith as paramount
· Introduce readers to the richness of Shakespeare
The first bullet point indicates the primary reason for writing Where the Wind Begins. I essentially address the problem of suffering in the life of the believer by comparing the world view of Ecclesiastes to the world view of Philippians. This was attempted by orchestrating these world views to play out in the lives of the two main characters. I continue to develop this understanding in Where the Wind Will, by referring back to the life of Morv Areed Hassani and by expanding the foundations of her suffering, that being the reality, the needs, and the plight of the persecuted church around the world. Jesus made it a point in the upper room as he was preparing his disciples for the post-resurrection world to inform them that because He was hated by the world, the world would also hate them and the history of the faith has been just that. With few exceptions, devotion to Christ meant persecution. Those of us who reside in the West currently enjoy (for how long?) an island of tolerance in the midst of an ocean of oppression. I wish to do what I can to contribute to the needs of those brothers and sisters who suffer for the faith and hope that Where the Wind Begins, this work, and all that follow will do just that.
Rick Warren came out with a bombshell concept several years ago that he wrapped up in the terms “Purpose Driven Life”. I never did look into any of this, but I know of it because of its phenomenal success in the market place. At any rate, the title of Warren’s series leads me to the second issue that Where the Wind Will continues to address and that is “congregational driven worship”. The first installment actually dealt with this issue in a cryptic manner as laid out in the third and forth bullet points above. This installment will deal with the issue more directly.
The latter part of Exodus, all of Leviticus, parts of Deuteronomy, and Numbers are avoided by most believers as tedious and boring. This is understandable, but unfortunate, for the one thing that these works scream is HOLINESS! We take this word and wrap it in legalism (granted—this tends to be emphasized in the Pentateuch), but it carries a much richer connotation that is meant to permeate all of one’s existence. God intends for us to separate, not to blend or homogenize. He wishes us to be distinct from the world, not camouflaged. He wishes us to be images of His holiness, not Christian versions of a fallen culture.
And this HOLINESS is not left up to our imagination. God gives it a specific and detailed look that impacts every aspect of life and the particular aspect that I am concerned with here is worship. The idea that I can worship however I wish is not Biblical. God laid out a pattern with which He wanted us to use in approaching Him and that pattern is characterized by recognizing that He is a consuming fire not to be approached frivolously. Moses reminds Aaron of the words of God in this matter after the tragic death of his sons due to their lack of reverence, “By those who come near Me, I will be treated as holy, and before all the people I will be honored.”
The ancient Hebrews understood this, the Jews of Jesus’ time understood this, the first Christians understood this, and the Church understood this down through the ages. This understanding was breached with the reformation which (acknowledging the legitimate complaints) unintentionally gave every man and his Bible the freedom to re-define orthodoxy and thus the manner in which he was to approach the Almighty God. Now we have someone reinventing worship every week and the sad thing is that motivation behind all this seems to be an appeal to the masses in an effort to make worship more entertaining and less demanding. The focus is the congregation not to the One Who should be the absolute target of said worship.
As these issues are being investigated, Malcolm continues to discover more about himself, the faith that Moreen introduced him to, as well as a possible pathway toward reconciliation with the first love of his life.
There last two bullet points listed above will also continue to be developed in Where the Wind Begins. First of all, it would be impossible to adequately deal with the ancient practices of worship and not focus on the importance of maintaining an active, vibrant regimen of prayer, Scripture reading, meditation, corporate worship, and service.
As for the last point, I will continue to use the work of the Bard, but will also endeavor to introduce the genius of John Milton….specifically in his great epic poem—Paradise Lost.
I wrote Where the Wind Will in such a manner that the events of the prequel become apparent as the second installment unfolds. Of course, there are important nuances that are missed if one jumps over the first book; therefore, the author enthusiastically encourages first the reading of Where the Wined Begins if possible.
Wayne Wilson
Cabot, Arkansas
June 2011 - September 2012
