A nasty neighbor who is sponsoring what could be an ugly anti-Mormon rally is just one of the concerns weighing on Bishop Jim Shepherd's mind. In his fourth year of service as bishop of the tiny Fairhaven Ward, he's also dealing with the death of one of his most faithful members and a variety of martial and emotional problems—some humorous, some dire—among the members of his flock. But there is also the joy of his wife, Tricia's pregnancy

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"Sam Carroll is living life in the fast lane--sleek cars, nice clothes, and lovely ladies have replaced the hospel values he grew up with, and he's going nowhere fast. But when a serious car accident brings his fun to a screeching halt, Sam is left comatose, aware only of his older brother reading aloud from the hundred-year-old journal of an LDS bishop, Moroni Chadester. As he drifts in and out of consciousness, the words begin to take root in Sam's...