A Gate Called Beautiful

CLAUDIA, a young beggar woman calls out to the people walking past. She sits along the roadside, a young dark-haired woman, in ragged clothing. As she hears the clink of coins drop into her cup, her eyes light, and a smile forms on her face. She notices children crossing the street laughing, and quickly pulls her twisted foot beneath her tunic. For a brief moment, the expression on her face is solemn, while her eyes are drawn to a small boy’s parents who walk away from her without looking. And then she looks up, and the sun’s rays warm her. She remembers ANNA, the old, crippled woman who raised her on the streets. She thanks God that Anna taught her about the heavenly Father who would never desert her. Maybe YESHUA would heal her, as he healed her friends? MALACHI, deformed from birth was now working for a family as a servant. And RUTH, cured from a disease, was back with her family after she reached out and touched Yeshua. The amazing things Yeshua did spread throughout Capernaum. Claudia hoped Yeshua would heal her too, but she’d had difficulty getting near him, past the crowds. And now he was gone, having left in a boat. She follows the crowds out of Capernaum to find Yeshua. At night, darkness closes in on her, and she meets her greatest foe, loneliness. But, her prayer reveals God’s presence and care, and she knows a day will come when she’ll be free of her troubles. Her trust is in a God bigger than the greatest of her difficulties. Seth notices the young woman on the streets and wants to give her coins for her cup. He’s drawn to the radiance in her eyes and her bright smile, despite her unfortunate circumstances. He sees a beautiful heart in the young woman beneath the torn and ragged clothes and dark strands of uncombed hair and wants to help her. As he crosses the street, he looks back. His heart sinks, when he realizes she’s gone. He never fathoms, that this young woman is the one God intends he’ll someday bring home as his wife.

CLAUDIA, a young beggar woman calls out to the people walking past. “Alms for the poor!” She sits along the roadside, a young dark-haired woman, in ragged clothing. As she hears the clink of coins drop into her cup, her eyes light, and a smile forms on her face. She notices children crossing the street laughing, and quickly pulls her twisted foot beneath her tunic. For a brief moment, the expression on her face is solemn, while her eyes are drawn to a small boy’s parents who walk away from her without looking. She wonders. “Are they the ones who wouldn’t keep me?” And then she looks up, and the sun’s rays warm her. She remembers ANNA, the old, crippled woman who raised her on the streets. She thanks God that Anna taught her about the heavenly Father who would never desert her. Maybe YESHUA would heal her, as he healed her friends? MALACHI, deformed from birth was now working for a family as a servant. And RUTH, cured from a disease, was back with her family after she reached out and touched Yeshua. The amazing things Yeshua did spread throughout Capernaum. Claudia hoped Yeshua would heal her too, but she’d had difficulty getting near him, past the crowds. And now he was gone, having left in a boat. She follows the crowds out of Capernaum to find Yeshua. At night, darkness closes in on her, and she meets her greatest foe, loneliness. But, her prayer reveals God’s presence and care, and she knows a day will come when she’ll be free of her troubles. Her trust is in a God bigger than the greatest of her difficulties. Seth notices the young woman on the streets and wants to give her coins for her cup. He’s drawn to the radiance in her eyes and her bright smile, despite her unfortunate circumstances. He sees a beautiful heart in the young woman beneath the torn and ragged clothes and dark strands of uncombed hair and wants to help her. As he crosses the street, he looks back. His heart sinks, when he realizes she’s gone. “Seth.” His father speaks quietly. “We need to take down the tents.” “Yes, father. It’s time for us to go.” He never fathoms, that this young woman is the one God intends he’ll someday bring home as his wife.

Kara McKenzie was born in the early 1960’s in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan in the Upper Peninsula, not far from the Mackinaw Bridge. She was told a parade was stopped so her mother could get through to the hospital in time for her to be born. Maybe, this was a sign that life would open a few possibilities for her. Kara was the middle child of three and lived on a small island on Lake Huron. Her parents, siblings and her enjoyed biking, fishing, walking the island and spending time together on the lake as a family. She enjoyed watching the sunsets on the lake and listening to the waves lapping against the shore in the evenings. Winters were spent skating on open patches of ice, snowmobiling, skiing, and sledding down the hill next to their home. Kara loved reading books of many different genres. From the time she was little, she was writing. Her father used to ask her where all the pens went, and everyone laughed when she produced a handful of them. Her husband had the same experience when their car was totaled, and he found about fifty pens scattered in places all over the vehicle. Kara worked hard during her high school years doing various jobs, including waitressing at a local restaurant in a nearby town. Although, generally quiet and introspective, Kara liked people and enjoyed friendships and the people she met in her work relationships. Her close friends would describe her as kindhearted, generally optimistic with a gentle sense of humor. Kara graduated from LSSU in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan with an Early Childhood Associate’s Degree and from NMU in Marquette, Michigan with a degree in Education. During her college years, Kara grew in faith through her experiences with prayer and in studying God’s Word. It was during this time, Kara accepted Christ as her Savior, what she would consider the most important decision she ever made. Kara and her husband met at the college they attended in the Upper Peninsula. They married and moved to Richmond, Virginia for four years where Kara held a teaching job. Her and her husband had two children who were to bring many happy experiences to their lives. Her family moved to Lower Michigan soon after the children were born, where Kara took time to stay home with her daughter and son and care for them in their early years. A few years later in 1993, she took a teaching position at Climax-Scotts Schools in the small farming town where they lived, and she’s been working there ever since. Kara has attended gracespring Bible Church for close to twenty years. She’s enjoyed Bible study and the fellowship she’s gained from the experiences there. She’s helped with Vacation Bible School when her kids were young. She volunteers for the Women at Risk (WAR) organization, which helps keep women and children off the streets, by training the women in trades so they can support themselves. Kara has also helped a teacher friend with The Good New’s Club after school in her classroom for the past five years. A turning point in Kara’s life was when she began writing novels in the early 1990’s. After her first book was written, she realized how much satisfaction it gave her to accomplish this task and has been writing novels ever since. Her parents, family and friends have supported and encouraged her to grow as a writer.