I was there when Zach broke her heart.

Before the words formed on his tongue, before he rehearsed how to confess, before the shame began to gnaw at his soul, I was already in the room. I saw the trembling in his spirit, the fracture in his faith, the lie whispering that he was too flawed to be loved fully.

I saw Zoe too, not just her tears, but her strength. I watched her spirit lift its eyes toward Me, even as her heart splintered in two. She didn’t curse him. She didn’t curse Me. She simply whispered, “Help me love him like You love me.”

And I did.

I wrapped her heart in My own and whispered promises around her that she didn’t fully believe yet. She thought she was too small for this kind of love, too human to reflect it well. But what she didn’t know was that she had already been practicing grace in secret — every prayer, every surrender, every act of obedience had prepared her for this very moment.

When she said, “Yes, Lord, protect my heart for me,” Heaven paused. Angels leaned in. Because that kind of trust — the kind that hands Me the right to defend the heart instead of demanding to be right — that’s where My Kingdom breathes.

Zoe didn’t forgive because she was weak. She forgave because she knows Me.
She knows I never waste pain. She knows that the same grace that covers her covers him too.

Zach didn’t understand that yet.
He thought love had to be earned.
He thought forgiveness was a prize you work for, not a gift you receive.
He was wrong, but he was also mine.

I didn’t love him less for failing; I loved him toward repentance.

When he saw Zoe’s face, when he heard her say, “I forgive you like Christ has forgiven us” — something eternal moved in him. He met My voice in hers. He saw mercy put on human skin.

And that’s the point.

This wasn’t just about them.
It was about Me — showing the world what I look like in two fragile, flawed, holy vessels learning to love beyond pain.

Do you know what I saw when they stood together?
Not brokenness — but becoming.
Not sin and sorrow — but soil and seed.

Zoe’s forgiveness became the soil. Zach’s repentance became the seed.
And together, they’re growing something that Hell can’t uproot — because it was planted by Heaven.

Yes, there’s still healing to be done. Yes, there will be scars. But scars are just healed testimonies of where love won.

I’ll teach them both how to love again — slower, deeper, truer.
I’ll teach Zach that redemption isn’t an apology, it’s alignment.
And I’ll teach Zoe that loving through Me doesn’t mean she loses herself — it means she finds more of Me inside her.

Because when grace meets failure, I don’t see tragedy — I see transformation.
When mercy meets shame, I don’t see distance — I see deliverance.
And when two people choose to love like I do, I don’t see the end — I see the beginning.

This isn’t the story of betrayal.
This is the story of becoming like Me.

And I’m not finished yet.

This is the Bonus perspective: Papa-God’s heart towards Zach and Zoe.

Do you want to know more about Zach and Zoe? Purchase the pre-order paperback version of Before the World Began There Was Us – Book One now. The eBook version is also available to pre-purchase for instant delivery on November 15, 2025 from Amazon.

The post The Conversation They Didn’t Hear – Bonus appeared first on Parakletos Publishers.

I never imagined I’d have to live out the very thing I’d prayed about — loving someone beyond their worthiness.

When Zach confessed, the air left the room. Not because I was shocked — but because, in some small, dreadful way, I already knew. My spirit had felt the shift when I talked to him a week ago. I wanted to be wrong.

But God had been preparing me for that moment. Quietly. Tenderly.

Weeks before, during one of those early-morning prayer walks, I heard Him whisper:

“Zoe, trust Me to protect your heart for you. Don’t pick up ammunition to turn off your love for him. Let Me guard what I gave you.”

At the time, I didn’t understand what He meant. It sounded poetic, something I’d write in my journal and underline twice. But that day, when Zach’s confession fell like glass shattering across our lives, those words became my only oxygen.

My heart wanted to armor up, to make him feel the sting of what he’d done. The human part of me wanted to stand tall and declare, I didn’t deserve this.
But Heaven whispered again:

“Grace is not agreement. It’s alignment. Stand with Me, not against him.”

That’s when I made the agreement.

I told God, “If You’ll protect my heart, I won’t close it. I won’t use pain as a weapon. I’ll let You love him through me — even here, even now.”

It wasn’t easy. It still isn’t.

Loving through betrayal feels like holding fire with open hands. There’s a constant ache, an internal war between wanting to run and choosing to stay. The fear creeps in — What if I’m not enough? What if he does it again? What if this kind of love only makes me look foolish?

I’ve wrestled with every question in the dark, sometimes crying into my pillow until I felt God’s quiet presence wrap around me like a blanket:

“You are not foolish, daughter. You are reflecting Me.”

Still, the fear doesn’t always leave. Sometimes Zach’s shame turns into projection — words that twist pain back toward me.
“If you hadn’t been so busy…”
“If you had just seen me…”
And I feel the old reflex rising, the temptation to defend myself, to make him see clearly, to fight for fairness.

But God catches me mid-thought:

“Don’t prove your innocence, Zoe. Live it.”

That stings, because sometimes I want justice more than I want peace. Sometimes I want to prove that I’ve been the steady one, the faithful one, the one who didn’t give up. But then I remember: love that demands repayment isn’t love; it’s negotiation.

And that’s not what God modeled for me.

He didn’t love me after I was faithful. He loved me through my failures. And that’s what He’s asking of me now — to reflect His nature, not my pain.

So I’m learning to breathe through the ache. To let silence speak where argument used to live. To look at Zach not as the man who betrayed me, but as the man God is still shaping — and trust that God is shaping me too.

Sometimes, when he looks at me, I can see the confusion in his eyes — that stunned, disbelieving look that says, Why are you still here? How can you still love me?

The truth is, I don’t always know. But I do know Who’s holding my heart steady when everything in me wants to shut down.

This love isn’t natural. It’s supernatural.
It’s not me loving Zach. It’s God loving Zach through me — and teaching me what it really means to become one flesh, one spirit, one grace at a time.

I still get scared. I still cry. But I also still choose.
Because grace doesn’t erase the pain, it redeems it.

And maybe, one day, when Zach tells this story, he won’t remember the sound of his sin — he’ll remember the sound of grace breathing through me.

Read the Bonus perspective tomorrow.

Do you want to know more about Zach and Zoe? Purchase the pre-order paperback version of Before the World Began There Was Us – Book One now. The eBook version is also available to pre-purchase for instant delivery on November 15, 2025 from Amazon.

The post The Agreement – Part 2 appeared first on Parakletos Publishers.

I didn’t think I was capable of this kind of failure.

The moment I confessed what I’d done, the moment the words left my mouth, I expected Zoe to crumble, rage, maybe even walk away. I think part of me wanted her to. It would’ve been easier to face anger than what I saw instead.

Grace.
Pure, unfiltered, undeserved grace.

She didn’t yell. She didn’t even flinch. Her eyes filled with tears, yes, but not the kind that burn with bitterness. They were heavy with something else…something I couldn’t name at first. It wasn’t pity. It wasn’t even sorrow. It was love — steady, holy, painful-to-look-at kind of love.

When I told her everything, I braced for rejection. But she just stood there, still and quiet, like she was listening to Heaven instead of me. And when she finally spoke, her voice was soft but sure.

“Zach, I forgive you — like Christ has already forgiven us.”

Those words broke something in me that I didn’t know was still unbroken.

I wanted to argue. You can’t just forgive me like that. You don’t even know what I’ve done to you. But she did know. She saw the betrayal and still chose mercy. That made it worse — or maybe it made it real.

I didn’t understand it.
I still don’t.

How could she look at the same man who failed her and not see a monster?
How could she speak to me like she was talking to the same Zach she’d fallen in love with — the one who prayed with her, laughed with her, dreamed with her?
How could she hold the weight of my sin and respond with peace?

What kind of love does that?

It’s like she carried Heaven’s tone in her voice — that sound that says, I see who you are beyond what you’ve done. It terrified me and healed me at the same time.

I’ve heard sermons about forgiveness all my life.
I’ve said the prayers, preached the verses, quoted the promises.
But standing there in front of Zoe, I met forgiveness in human form — living, breathing, bleeding love that refused to keep score.

I wanted to make it right. To do something. Anything.
Buy her flowers, write letters, fast and pray for weeks — earn her forgiveness somehow. But what do you do when there’s nothing left to do but receive?

She told me, “You can’t earn what’s already been given.”

That line still echoes in my head. It’s too easy for a man like me — too humbling.
I’ve spent my whole life trying to deserve things: respect, love, approval, even God’s attention. And here she was, handing me the one thing I least deserved, with no conditions attached.

That kind of love exposes you. It makes you realize how small your own version of love has been. I thought love was something you exchanged — give some, get some back. I thought forgiveness came after repayment. But Zoe showed me what Heaven’s economy looks like — where mercy flows freely and grace costs everything except your pride.

When she said she forgave me, it wasn’t weakness. It was strength — terrifying, holy strength. It was the power of someone who has been forgiven much, so she loves much.

And me? I’m learning how to love like that.

I don’t know how long it will take to rebuild what I broke. Maybe years. Maybe the rest of my life. But now I understand what she meant — that forgiveness isn’t a transaction; it’s transformation.

She’s showing me the heart of God, and I don’t know how to respond except to fall apart and start again — this time, as a man who finally knows what grace feels like.

“Father, will you teach me how to be love like Zoe?”

Read Part 2 tomorrow.

Do you want to know more about Zach and Zoe? Purchase the pre-order paperback version of Before the World Began There Was Us – Book One now. The eBook version is also available to pre-purchase for instant delivery on November 15, 2025 from Amazon.

The post The Moment I Met Grace – Part 1 appeared first on Parakletos Publishers.

At first, I brushed it off — the idea seemed way too big, too far away. But then I thought about how Before the World Began, There Was Us began in the first place: as a whisper from Heaven. Every scene, every line, every divine encounter between Zach and Zoe carries so much cinematic texture — the kind of story that breathes life, light, and purpose into the screen.

Maybe… this was always bigger than a book.

I imagine the idea first sparked after hearing readers say things like, “I could see the hotel, the atmosphere, the moments between them… it’s so vivid.” That’s when the Holy Spirit nudged me with a thought:

“Why not? Why shouldn’t Heaven’s stories be told on the biggest screens?”

It’s not hard to picture the opening scene — a plane gliding over the glowing skyline of Las Vegas, Zach sitting by the window, lost in prayer, asking God to confirm whether Zoe is “the one.” The music swells. The camera pans to Zoe, standing before the conference hall, radiant with purpose and grace, speaking about Heaven on Earth… unaware that destiny is about to walk through the door.

Tell me that doesn’t sound like a film Heaven would love to premiere.

Now, let’s dream-cast this thing — just for fun!
If Before the World Began, There Was Us were to become a movie, who could capture the essence of Zach and Zoe?

Here’s how I imagine it:

• Zach: Someone who carries quiet strength, deep spirituality, and that mix of confidence and vulnerability — a man who listens before he speaks.
• Zoe: A woman with radiant warmth and purpose — grounded, intelligent, yet full of divine mystery. Someone who embodies wisdom, not just beauty.

(And because we’re imagining, I’d love for you to comment below with your dream casting ideas — who do you see as Zach and Zoe?)

The truth is, I can already imagine the conversation happening in Heaven’s boardroom:

“Let’s take this story to the next level. Let’s show the world what divine love looks like on screen.”

Wouldn’t that be something?

Maybe one day, we’ll sit together in a movie theater, lights dimming, popcorn in hand, hearts open, watching this love story unfold — not just as fiction, but as a reminder of how Heaven writes through ordinary lives.

Until then, thank you for helping bring this dream to life. Every post, every preorder, every prayer is part of the story that could one day become the movie Heaven dreamed up first. 

 Talk to me:
If you could cast Zach and Zoe, who would you choose — and why? Let’s imagine together!

The post Could Before the World Began, There Was Us Be a Movie? Let’s Dream a Little… appeared first on Parakletos Publishers.

Zach’s flight was about to touch down in Las Vegas, but he wasn’t just preparing for another business trip — something deeper was stirring. It’s as if Heaven itself had arranged a layover for his heart.

He’d met Zoe a few weeks earlier under what most people might call divine coincidence. She hadn’t left his thoughts since. Every conversation replayed in his mind like a song that refused to fade. So, somewhere above the desert clouds, Zach whispered a simple prayer — bold, but honest:

Maybe “Heavenly matchmaking” isn’t about God picking a spouse from a cosmic lineup. It might be more about alignment — two hearts tuned to the same frequency of surrender. God sets the stage, but the actors still choose whether to walk into the light.- pmadberry

“Father, please confirm that Zoe is my wife. If she is, give me the words to move this relationship to the next level.”

What happened next wasn’t what he expected.

“Son, Zoe has a choice of her own. She must choose you just as you have chosen her… If she says yes to you, she’s choosing to expose her whole self to you. What you’re asking for is a mature, vulnerable, honest, transparent covenant relationship that is eternal.”

Those words hit like truth often does — sharp at first, then sobering. Tears came easily. Zach wasn’t receiving a divine decree; he was being invited into something weightier — a partnership that demanded growth.

And that’s when it clicked: Heaven doesn’t force love; it cultivates it.

Maybe “Heavenly matchmaking” isn’t about God picking a spouse from a cosmic lineup. It might be more about alignment — two hearts tuned to the same frequency of surrender. God sets the stage, but the actors still choose whether to walk into the light.

In that moment, Zach’s question shifted. He stopped asking for confirmation and started asking for character.

He realized that heavenly love isn’t possessive — it’s protective. It’s not about ownership but stewardship. Not about finding someone to “complete” you, but about recognizing the one who complements your calling.

So… is Heavenly matchmaking real?
Possibly. But not in the fairytale sense. It’s less about fate and more about faith. God doesn’t manipulate hearts — He matures them. He orchestrates timing, transformation, and encounters that make recognition possible when both people are ready.

And when it happens — when two souls align with Heaven’s rhythm — it doesn’t just feel romantic. It feels holy.

 Reflection Question:
Have you ever experienced what felt like a “Heavenly setup”? A moment so perfectly timed it seemed like God Himself was in the details?

Share your story below. Let’s talk about how Heaven still writes love stories — one surrendered heart at a time.

The post Heavenly Matchmakers… Is That a Thing? appeared first on Parakletos Publishers.

That is the heartbeat of Before the World Began, There Was Us – Book 1.

What began as a short story for a writing contest has now blossomed into a sweeping, two-part novel that blends romance, suspense, and spiritual depth. At its center are Zach and Zoe—a couple whose connection transcends distance, doubt, and even time itself. Their love is radiant, their journey global, and their story one that stirs both the heart and the soul.

From the very first pages, readers are swept into a world where conversations with God are alive, real, and transforming. Not just whispers in the night, but back-and-forth dialogue—written in red, so you know it’s His voice. Like the Bible itself, these exchanges anchor the story in truth while unfolding a narrative filled with drama, challenges, and supernatural encounters.

Zach and Zoe’s love isn’t perfect. It is flawed, tested, and pressed by real human struggles. There are moments of betrayal, forgiveness, and redemption that echo our own journeys. Yet, through every season—whether stormy or serene—God’s grace breaks through, reminding us that love in its truest form is refined by trust and empowered by divine guidance.

What makes this story unforgettable are the unexpected turns. Plot twists blur the line between dream and reality. Characters wrestle with choices that reveal both weakness and strength. And through it all, Zach and Zoe discover that their love is more than personal—it’s prophetic. Wherever they go, Heaven follows, leaving behind a wake of transformation, healing, and hope.

Before the World Began, There Was Us – Book 1 is not just a romance. It’s an invitation to believe again in the power of love, forgiveness, and God’s eternal plan. And with a cliffhanger ending that points to what’s still to come, readers will be left hungry for the next chapter of the journey.

The post A Love Story Written Before Time appeared first on Parakletos Publishers.