Bio: David Spaugh was born and raised in Sherman, Texas, and graduated with a BSBA from The University of Texas at Dallas. David has established a successful finance career that has led to senior leadership. David considers his faith in Jesus, his wife, and his family most important. David aspires to grow God's kingdom daily through his passion for writing. If David isn’t playing with his young children, he'll be with friends and family talking about Jesus around a fire, working on new creative projects, or watching football with his wife. "Here in the Not Yet" is David's first novel.
Acknowledgments
Writing a book is the most challenging thing I’ve ever pursued relative to the amount of work, time, and learning required. However, writing this book has taught me to be a better storyteller. More importantly, this pursuit has taught me valuable life lessons in patience, work ethic, perseverance, and commitment to a goal larger than I ever thought possible.
My first acknowledgment belongs to our Heavenly Father in Heaven and His Son, My Savior, Jesus Christ. It took me thirty-three years to figure out why I’m here, why we’re all here, and it’s simply to glorify The Most High and believe in the One whom He has sent to reconcile us back to Him. To say we “believe” is an action and should impact every decision and everything we do. It is necessary to follow Christ deliberately. To obey our Father in Heaven and keep His commandments must be the primary driver in life if we are to call ourselves “Christians” - I must love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, and mind and love my neighbor as myself. - Matthew 22:37-40
“Love is not an affectionate feeling, but a steady prayer for the loved person’s ultimate good as far as it can be obtained” - C.S. Lewis
None of this would have happened without my best friend and wife, Paige. She was the inspiration behind many characters and also the inspiration behind the story itself, given our personal love story picked back up in a lovely town in Ridgefield, Connecticut. Paige stood by me through every day of writing, editing, and proofreading my manuscript. She’s sacrificed so much over the ten years it has taken to finish this stop-and-go love-hate relationship I’ve had with this book! She’s certainly been the greatest believer in me, particularly when I didn’t believe in myself. I’ll never forget Paige telling me after I bought a piano keyboard that “I would never make it as a writer unless I focused all my energy on the thing I claimed to love rather than spending my time on other pursuits” - that paraphrased conversation forever changed my trajectory and made me commit to this story and, hopefully, to many other stories going forward.
To my family. Momma: for always being the person I could turn to during those dark and desperate years. Thank you for loving me and teaching me about Scripture. To my Dad, thank you for showing me what it means to be a man by taking responsibility and showing me how to be a father to my children. You sustained me in ways that I never knew I needed. To my Sisters, thank you for loving your little brother and always being there for me whenever I call. No matter the situation, I call, and you both come running.
Finally, to all those who have been a part of the journey: Thanks to the ultra-talented Danny Hankner and Caleb Hensley from the Story Unlikely team, who created a powerful cover design (the red creature’s eyes are taillights to those who read this far). Special thanks to Aquinnah Bree and Dr. Carl Thompson, my ever-patient and brilliant Editors. Thank you to my readers, friends, and family who took time out of their busy schedules to read a simple story by a simple man from Sherman, Texas. I hope this story has met your expectations and inspired you to find comfort here in the already but not yet (research the Already, Not Yet framework in Christian Theology for context). God bless you all!