The Missing Piece

Asher was raised by his grandmother, Liz “Sweetiepie” Davenport, for the majority of his life. He was abandoned by his mother who fought most of her life with a drug addiction and then died from breast cancer. His father was in his life off and on until Asher was thirteen. He left him to pursue a dream of being a world-famous bass player. He also had a drug problem. As a young boy, Asher answered the calling on his life. He developed a talent for teaching and mentoring other youths at age nine and became VBS Youth Director at his grandmother’s church at age eleven.

Asher had an average life growing up. He played football in the streets with other boys in the neighborhood. He helped design and build a tree house with his best friend, Tommy. But things got hectic after Tommy was shot to death in front of Asher over a starter jacket. After losing his best friend, everything changed. He started missing school and church until he got kicked out. He also got a girl pregnant. He thought he was a man until he found out that the child wasn’t his. He got back in school and finished but he never went back to church again. Asher had given up on God. He had a hole in his life that nothing he did could fill—no sports, hobbies, girls, working two and three jobs—nothing. But he knew what was missing in his spirit. He wouldn’t admit it.

Asher was like everyone’s big brother. Since a young child, even adults would call him the “Quiet Giant.” But no matter what was said to him, he would run from the calling. He would fight it. Even though he knew that he was different from other young adults, but he had a praying grandmother and he would soon learn that you cannot run from God forever. The prodigal son always returns home.

Preview the opening pages to get a feel for the characters and tone.