By Paths Untrodden

For the last fifteen years, Hans Peterson has been the beloved pastor of tiny St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Sandy Ford, Nebraska. But now things are not so good. For a year, Hans has struggled to recover from the sudden illness and death of his wife. When a friend returns to town and the friendship becomes something more, the tension builds as church leaders perceive a relationship unseemly for their pastor. Can Hans find a way to emerge from his own dark night and still be true to his calling?

For the last fifteen years, Hans Peterson has been the beloved pastor of tiny St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Sandy Ford, Nebraska. But now things are not so good. For a year, Hans has struggled to recover from the sudden illness and death of his wife. Now a single father of two teen-age girls, he can barely get through each day. Even the matriarch of the church, Anna Lawton, one of his closest friends and allies, finds that her efforts at help are not effective. Neither are the stumbling, but well-intentioned efforts of the leaders of the church. Things begin to improve for Hans only when Tamique Higgins returns to Sandy Ford for an extended stay with her parents. She is on a leave of absence to figure out her own way forward from corporate burnout. When in high school, Tamique was mentored and befriended by Jennifer, Hans’s late wife. Hans and Tamique reconnect over memories of Jennifer and find that their mutual support begins to breathe life into their dry bones. Their growing relationship also generates tension with the leaders of the church. Their support for Peterson erodes as they observe a relationship they perceive as unseemly for their pastor. Can Hans find a way to emerge from his own dark night and still be true to his calling? Honorable Mention in the Deep River Publishing 2012 Fiction Contest

James K. Honig has been a pastor in the Lutheran church for 25 years, serving parishes in Missouri, Florida, and presently in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. He has studied fiction writing with Hollis Alpert, novelist and film critic for the New York Times and Saturday Review. He has also studied at the Graham School of the University of Chicago. While serving as pastor, he has been active in community and denominational leadership. James is a native of western Nebraska and received his bachelor’s degree in speech and theater from Concordia College in Nebraska and the Master of Divinity and Master of Sacred Theology degrees from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. He enjoys speaking and leading workshops at conferences and facilitation of congregational leaders.