Not Without Purpose

by Phil Sims

As the conflict in Vietnam ends, twenty-eight year old Eric Sanderson returns home. He dropped out of college and joined the US Marines to get revenge on the Vietcong for what they did to his best friend, Bennie Parker. Now that it's all over, he finds himself disillusioned, depressed, and haunted by what he had experienced over there. As he walks through downtown Monroe, North Carolina-his hometown-he meets an old high school classmate, Johnny "Slick" Matthews. After sharing a drink and talking about old times, Johnny gets a phone call from his boss, calling him to a meeting. Johnny talks Eric into going along, thinking his boss, Jake Larson, could use a good man like Eric. Unbeknownst to Johnny, Larson called the meeting to make an example of one of his employees-and Johnny and Eric leave the meeting with a dead man in the trunk of Johnny's car. They drive west, into the mountains to find a place to dump the body as Larson ordered. But they choose the exact location where a pair of Boy Scouts is set to begin a weekend hike on the Appalachian Trail-and the two brothers observe the men as they dispose of the body. A young marine is challenged to believe, a teen's obedience to God is tested, and a small North Carolina mountain town is brought to its knees in prayer. Sometimes things go very wrong, but never without God's permission and never without purpose.

196 pages, Paperback

First published June 15, 2012

About the author

Phil Sims, a Vietnam veteran, served in the US Navy for seven years, five aboard the aircraft carrier the USS Midway CVA41. He is a Boy Scout scoutmaster and a member of the Gideons International. Phil and his wife, Alma, reside in West Monroe, Louisiana. They have three grown children and six grandchildren.

Reviews

[Susan Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joyce said it all: Strong belief in God & how He can change & guide one's life and the important skills of life Boy Scouts can provide. Great plot and characters!

[Joyce Gilmour · Rating 4 out of 5]

If families are looking for a book with a Christian message, then this is it. Phil Sims shares his love for Boy Scouts and his love for God, through a story that involves two young men and the decisions that they make, which affect a number of other people. It is so refreshing to read a book that can teach the art of decision-making with God at the center of those decisions. There is some violence within the book, so parents should pre-read this book to determine if their teen can handle it. (Trust me, it is nothing compared to most of the video games that many young people are playing these days.) The characters are believable… and could be your next-door neighbors. Phil Sims has done a nice job of offering his readers mystery, suspense, and a way to find hope in this world, which so often seems to be without hope. I definitely would read more books by this author.