Part 1 (1/2)

The Impressionist.

Tim Clinton, Max Davis.

Foreword.

Power of a Story.

By Karen Kingsbury.

I was at the front of a line of reader friends after speaking in Roanoke, VA, at an Extraordinary Women event when a woman stepped up and started crying. ”How is Ashley?” she searched my face, completely sincere.

”Ashley?” I blinked. Did I know the woman? Had we met before?

”Yes!” The woman seemed almost frantic. ”Ashley Baxter.”

I smiled. Ashley Baxter is a character from my Baxter Series. ”Well...the stories are fiction. You know that, right?”

The woman hesitated. Her eyes drifted to a spot near the back of the room. ”Well,” she looked at me again. ”I guess I do know that deep inside. I mean, I took her name off the prayer list at church. But still ...” her eyes lit up again. ”I was hoping for an update.”

This is the power of story.

As a novelist I've seen that sort of thing over and over and over again. G.o.d puts a story on my heart and He uses it to touch the hearts of other people. Through story we are teachable. We allow truths to enter through the back door of our hearts. Every now and then the message in a story is so unforgettable it almost becomes real.

Like Ashley Baxter.

Tim Clinton is that sort of storyteller. He has a lifetime of truth about faith and relations.h.i.+ps and how G.o.d wants us to live. His ministry changes lives for the Lord daily. G.o.d is using Tim Clinton to change this culture for Christ on a number of fronts.

But in this-his first novel-he tells you a story.

I'm honored to introduce to you the latest way you can learn from Tim Clinton. Settle in to The Impressionist and its beautifully written lessons. Let G.o.d speak to you between the lines.

Who knows?

You just might remember the journey forever.

#1 New York Times Bestselling novelist Karen Kingsbury is America's Favorite Storyteller. She has nearly 25 million books in print and her last dozen t.i.tles have all topped bestseller charts. Karen is also a speaker at Extraordinary Women events around the country. She is a fan of Tim and Julie Clinton and everything they stand for. Karen lives in Nashville, TN., with her husband Don and their five sons, and nearby their daughter, Kelsey, who is married to Christian Recording Artist Kyle Kupecky. You can learn more about Karen Kingsbury at .

Dedicated to James Edward Clinton, who first taught me about the love of G.o.d and the truth that is in Christ. A faithful father, husband and pastor extraordinaire, he brought healing to all he encountered, teaching others to become the masterpiece G.o.d created us to be.

”Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.”

-Nehemiah 4:14.

1.

”So what are you trying to say Paige?” My voice began to elevate. ”Go ahead. Spit it out! What cha got? I can take it!”

She snapped her head toward me, eyes piercing. ”Just forget it Adam, all right. I don't want to fight.”

”You don't want to fight?” I laughed. ”You started this for crying out loud!” Frustrated, I jerked opened the refrigerator and stared inside while drumming my fingers on the door.

”I hate it when you do that.”

”Do what?”

”Stand there with the refrigerator door open. You're letting all the cold air out. Make a decision or close the door.”

”You want it shut? Well fine!” I slammed the refrigerator door so hard bottles knocked over inside and several family pictures jarred loose from their magnets and fluttered to the floor. Paige flinched backward, stunned by my outburst.

”That wasn't very smart,” she said.

”There you go again!” I shouted. ”Criticizing! That's all you do anymore!”

”I wasn't criticizing, just stating a fact. The last thing we need right now is to buy a new refrigerator.”

”What's that supposed to mean? You know how hard I work!”

”You?” she said. ”I work hard too.” Then Paige did what she usually does when she's upset. She started cleaning. I hate it when she does that. She turned on the faucet and began was.h.i.+ng our breakfast dishes while staring off into s.p.a.ce. I hate that too-when she checks out on me like she wishes she were somewhere else. But don't be fooled, Paige knows exactly what she's doing. She's pus.h.i.+ng my b.u.t.tons. It gives her a sense of power. I moved to her side, looking down on her, violating her personal s.p.a.ce, pus.h.i.+ng her b.u.t.tons.

”We have a dishwasher you know,” I said.

Paige didn't respond, just kept was.h.i.+ng.

”Oh, now you're silent?” I barked, pressing. ”You know it drives me crazy when you clam up like that-get me all worked up and then shut me out! It's a game to you isn't it?” Giving in to rage, my mouth couldn't stop. I was on a roll, a runaway train out of control. ”You're sorry you married me, aren't you? Just admit it! It's true! I know that's what you're thinking-how disappointed you are in me.”

”I never said that.”

”You don't have to, Paige. It's written all over your face!”

Paige slammed down a plate into the sink shattering it. ”Fine,” she cried out, ”I'm sorry I married you! There, I said it! Happy now?” She turned away from me to gaze out the kitchen window. Wetness formed in the corner of her eyes and her bottom lip began to quiver. ”It wasn't supposed to be like-” She cut herself off before finis.h.i.+ng the sentence and began carefully picking up the broken pieces of plate and placing them in the trash canister under the sink.

Clutching her shoulder, I spun her around to face me. ”What Paige?” I demanded. ”It wasn't supposed to be like what?”

She pushed herself away from me, stronger, forcefully. ”This okay! It wasn't supposed to be like this! I can't take this anymore! Something's got to change Adam.”

”Change!” I yelled back. ”What do you mean? ...Oh, you mean me, right? I've got to change?”

”Hey, if the shoe fits!”