Keys: Portraits of Trials and Truth

Keys: Portraits of Trials and Truth is fitting as the title for this trilogy of fictional short stories because of how the grace of God unlocks the door to the goodness within the heart of each central character. Their experiences allows them to become free from the bonds of pride fullness, self-indulgence, low self-esteem, the fear of failure, as well as egomania and cynicism.

In Waiting, Paul has become an impatient, status-driven millennial who seems to only be concerned about how best to advance his career after losing the one person that helped keep him morally centered. The change in his personality since losing her has alienated him from close friends and family in favor of less reputable characters. Then one day when he feels his days may be numbered, he meets an old military veteran in the most unlikely of circumstances, and what follows would change his life forever.

In Will to Soar, Will Saxby agonizes over what he feels is his "fatal flaw" and can't get past a low opinion of himself, even though he is surrounded by friends and associates in his life that see him entirely differently. When he decides to make a last ditch effort to post for his dream job with help from his mentor and other associates, he is also aided by the dramatic appearance of characters whose own tragedies make his problem seem miniature in scope but whose testimonies and council allows him to see, in dramatic fashion, the man God also sees in him.

Inside the Orchard is a story about an overachiever who also suffers from egomania. Edith is so driven that she has become one-dimensional and fixated on a romance with one of her law school professors that can never be realized. She is an A-lister and academic powerhouse by reputation, whose cynical and manipulative nature becomes her calling card. However she's forced to see the world through the eyes of someone who is the polar opposite in appearance and disposition. Someone who is gifted in her own right who chooses to align herself with Edith, in spite of her attitude toward her, because of something quite remarkable that they both share.