Wonders In The Deep
So here I am again.
I’m standing at the base of a giant mountain. It’s one that has taken countless hours of devoted time, tremendous hard work, and a lot of my own soul poured out on paper. It was first started as a thought, a dream, and put to a keyboard beginning May 12, 2020. Now, finally, after all this time, I’d like to take the sheet that covers it and toss it away. I’d like to share with you a little bit about my newest novel, Wonders In The Deep. I cannot put into words how excited I am to release this book. It would be a tremendous honor and privilege to do so.
People say you should write about your passions. That is exactly what this novel is about. Passionate subjects as my love for the sea, the coast, sailing, the physical creation God has blessed us with, they are all mixed together with the messages that my life mission is all about now. Love, life, loss, God, purpose; I love to write about things that will make people think and actually get the gear in their head to turn. Some messages in the book are deeply woven. Some are blatant and surface level. The churning of the ocean deep has given me a proper picture to model the thin lines of silver thread that wove this book together. I admit it. Some are tremendously deep.
I suppose that I also become obsessed with writing a book of dual media. Yes, the written words of the pages will speak to many, hopefully thousands. But behind the scenes of black and white lie many pictures of imagery- something I love. While the words may tell the story, imagery throughout the book gives a better and fitting base for the story to set upon. It is a foundation- a strong one. I imagine that I could also write a booklet on the significance of the objects and the images I describe in this novel. Maybe someday that could happen, but I appreciate what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13:12- “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face:” Honestly, I would like to keep things a little foggy for now. Though Paul is referencing something different, another point and another subject, sometimes we see better when we strain to look through the dark glass. We devote more energy to see what lies there. Leaning forward, we rub the glassy surface, polish it, yearn to see what lies within. We learn more that way. Sometimes the imagery we are standing on permits us to read the words with more understanding. Either way, I’m sure you will be pleased to read this book more than once, as I am on my sixth time through myself. I truly believe you will glean from something each time you pick it up.
And then, of course, is the hidden message I shout from the rooftops. God is always there. He is never too far. We have the daily opportunity to come into his love, affection, and relentless devotion if we choose to.
Being full length, a hefty read, I also feel this novel is well rounded. There are little hints of those I love woven into the characters. There is a little bit of myself there too. Without giving away too much of the juicy meat the story holds, when I read Wonders In The Deep, I see a lot of what I’ve learned as a Christian man, the powerful lessons that God has taught me during my walk with him. I guess it is my way of sharing what God shared with me, the truths that he has showed me, the love that he has lavished me with.
One of those lessons is based on a favorite passage. It is the one that the novel is named after. You can read the full chunk on your own, but Psalms 107:23 quickly says this:
“They that go down to the sea in ships,
that do business in great waters;
These see the works of the Lord,
and his wonders in the deep.”
It is my heart cry that I could take what God showed me in this passage, over the long and hard years of my life, and bless you with it. It is a truly amazing story, a timeless one, a breathtaking one, full of power and beauty. Yes, I’m a romantic at heart, and there is plenty of that in there too. But in all reality, I think of it more as a love story from God to man, and what he can do with the beating, human heart.
I hope you will read it.
With love and in Christ,
Chuck Carr