Open Your Heart/Time Will Tell/Now Picture This (The Sierra Jensen Series 7-9) (Sierra Jensen Collection, Volume 3) [Hardcover]

Robin Jones Gunn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 3, 2006

Happenstance…or God’s Great Plan?

She’s the bold, free-spirited type. She’s cute, she’s fun, and she’s following God. She’s Sierra Jensen, Christy Miller’s good friend, ready for her junior year of high school! All twelve books in the popular Sierra Jensen series come together in four volumes to reveal the ups and downs of Sierra’s incredible God-led journey!

Volume Three: An exciting trip to Europe challenges Sierra to Open Your Heart to loving others without expectations. At the start of her senior year, only Time Will Tell the truth about Sierra’s friendships. And in Now Picture This, she wonders if her relationship with Paul is as picture perfect as she thinks!

Christy Miller knows a good friend when she meets her,

and so will you—Sierra Jensen is at it again!

Open Your Heart

What an adventure! Having Christy Miller invite Sierra on an all-expenses-paid trip to Europe was amazing—but that was just the beginning. Sierra never imagined she’d meet someone like Alex, a dark-eyed Russian college student who’s a Christian. Or that they’d all come face-to-face with disaster. Through it all, one question haunts Sierra: c an she learn to love others without expecting anything in return? Will she finally be able to open her heart to others—and to God?

Time Will Tell

Sierra’s senior year of high school is here, but after the great summer she just had, how can it be anything but a letdown? Sure enough, the year tanks big-time when the school issues her buddy Randy an ultimatum. Stuck in the middle—Sierra wonders, what’s right? Her friend or the rules? She longs to talk it over with Amy, but Sierra’s best friend still isn’t talking to her. What’s worse, she hasn’t heard a word from Paul! No doubt about it, this school year is totally frustrating! Will Sierra ever understand her friendships or God’s plans for them?

Now Picture This

Why can’t everyone just leave Sierra alone? All she wants to do is find a place to read the letter she just received from Paul—to soak in every word and memorize the photo he sent her—but Thanksgiving at the Jensen house means relatives everywhere! Sierra hides out, immersed in her ideas for Paul’s birthday and Christmas gifts, especially his requested gift: a photo of her. Sierra’s determined—the photo has to be spectacular! But a small voice of doubt nags at her. What does God think of her ignoring her family and friends this way? Is her picture-perfect relationship with Paul really all she thinks it is?

Story Behind the Book

“After writing the twelve-book Christy Miller series for teens, a new character showed up on the pages of the final novel. Her name was Sierra Jensen, and she was so compelling as a teenage character that readers began asking for a series about Sierra in order to hear more about her life choices. Our family had just moved to Portland at the time, and I found it easy to picture a sixteen-year-old like Sierra shopping at the local vintage clothing stores, hanging out with friends at a garage band concert, and serving at the homeless shelter on weekends.”

—Robin Jones Gunn

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robin Jones Gunn is a God-lover who can’t stop telling stories. And by the way, she’s still crazy about her husband after twenty-eight years and confesses their two kids turned out pretty good only because of the extravagant grace poured out on their family.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

one


SIERRA’S HEART POUNDED. Her pulse hammered in her ears. Gripping the armrests of her seat, she tried to scream, but no sound emerged.

We’re going to crash! This airplane is about to nose-dive into the freezing Atlantic Ocean! We’re doomed!

Instead of Sierra’s whole life passing before her eyes, only the events of the past few days flashed through her mind. She saw herself at Doug and Tracy’s wedding in Southern California. Her sister, Tawni, was catching the bouquet. Her good friend Christy was standing beside Aunt Marti, and all of a sudden they were inviting Sierra to go with the two of them to Switzerland.

Then Sierra saw herself in California, prompting her parents over the phone as they searched her messy room in Portland to find her passport. “Try looking on my desk,” she urged them. “Or maybe it’s in the bottom dresser drawer.”

These suggestions drifted from Sierra as she watched herself boarding a plane early that morning with her passport in hand.

Now, here she was, spiraling into the icy blue. Sierra screamed inside her mind. From far away, a familiar voice called, “Sierra, are you okay?”

She felt a soft touch on her right arm. The voice seemed to come closer. Sierra’s eyes fluttered open, and she gasped for breath.

“We’re getting ready to land,” Christy said from the seat beside Sierra. “Are you okay? You were talking in your sleep.”

Sierra blinked at Christy and took in her surroundings. Looking out the window, she could see the bright blue sky. The plane was confident and steady. In the seats beside Sierra, Christy and Marti were calmly preparing for the landing.

“That was an awful nightmare!” Sierra moistened her lips and caught her breath. “I thought we were going to crash.” She tried to act as if the idea was funny, but the terror of the dream still loomed over her. The details were too close to reality.

Sierra was actually on a plane headed for Germany. From there, she, Christy, and Marti would take a train into Switzerland. It really had been only a few frenzied days since Sierra had attended Doug and Tracy’s wedding in Newport Beach. After the wedding, Sierra had been invited to travel with Christy and Marti at the last minute. Only one part of Sierra’s dream wasn’t true–the plane showed no signs of spiraling into the Atlantic.

“Do you want a washcloth?” Christy asked. “I took one for you when they came by a little earlier. It’s probably cold now.”

Sierra opened the cooled cloth and held it over her face, breathing in the faint citrus fragrance. Lifting her long, curly blond hair, she held the washcloth against the back of her neck and looked down at her loose jeans. The mustard stain above her right knee was still there in the shape of an ivy leaf, left over from a deli sandwich she had eaten somewhere above Nova Scotia. When Sierra had tried to open a mustard packet with her teeth, a flying blob had landed on her leg. She rubbed at the stain with the washcloth. It didn’t help. The spot would probably be with her for the rest of the trip.

Because Sierra, Christy, and Aunt Marti had left for Europe from Marti’s house in Southern California, Sierra hadn’t gone home to Portland to pack the right kind of clothes for Switzerland in August. She also hadn’t been able to help her frantic parents when they couldn’t find her passport. Fortunately, her brother Gavin had located it behind the dresser, and Mr. and Mrs. Jensen had sent it to Sierra through an overnight delivery service. Now Sierra wished she would have had them send a few more things, like a second pair of jeans.

All the planning happened so fast. Sierra’s parents had been supportive when she called them and explained the invitation to join Christy and Aunt Marti. The Jensens were flexible, and since Sierra was the fourth of six children, they tended to be fairly relaxed about her adventures. But this time, even Sierra wasn’t sure what she had gotten herself into.

Christy pulled her shoulder-length nutmeg hair up in a ponytail holder and crossed her long, slender legs. Sierra noticed that Christy also looked a little uneasy. Maybe she was stiff from sitting on the plane for twelve hours. Or maybe Aunt Marti was getting under Christy’s skin the way Marti had already irritated Sierra.

“What time will it be when we land?” Sierra asked,
adjusting her seat belt.

“Eight twenty-seven,” answered Marti. “Remember, it’s morning here. We’ll only have an hour to make it through customs, retrieve our luggage, and catch our train to Basel.
We need to be quick about this.”

Marti meant business–all the time. Sierra wasn’t exactly fond of this petite, polished, and pushy woman. Marti had helped Sierra’s sister, Tawni, find a modeling job in Southern California, which made Sierra’s parents feel more comfortable about Sierra’s accepting this last minute ticket to Europe. From anyone else, such an extravagance might be unusual, but with Aunt Marti, money was only a method to accomplish her goals. And right now, it was Marti’s goal to get Christy to Switzerland so she could check out a college where she had been offered a scholarship.

“Here,” Marti said, opening her leather purse and handing Sierra and Christy a pack of gum. “Start to clear your ears now. We’re beginning to descend.”

“I don’t need a whole pack,” Sierra said. “I only want half a stick.”

Irritation showed on Marti’s perfectly made-up face. Not a hair was out of place, and her knit pantsuit didn’t show one wrinkle. How did she manage to look so good after this long flight?

Christy’s clear blue-green eyes shot a message to Sierra
to take the gum and hush up about it.

“Maybe I’ll keep the rest for later,” Sierra added quickly. “Thanks.”

She stuck half a stick of the wintergreen-flavored gum into her mouth and pondered the mystery of why she had been invited on this trip. All Sierra could explain to her parents was that Marti had three ticket vouchers. The third was supposed to be for Christy’s boyfriend, Todd, but he couldn’t take the time off work to come. Christy’s best friend, Katie, had broken her foot only a few days before. Marti hadn’t even mentioned bringing her husband, Bob, which Sierra thought was strange. And Christy said her mom turned down the opportunity because she didn’t know how she would handle such a long flight. That left Sierra. She didn’t mind being last choice, though. She was excited about the chance to do some more traveling.

“Do you feel rested at all?” Christy asked.

“A little. How about you?”

“I slept for about two hours, I think. Remember how hard it was to get over jet lag when we went to England last January?”

“I remember,” Sierra said. “They say it’s better if you stay awake the whole first day so you’ll be able to sleep that night.”

“That’s exactly what we’re going to do,” Marti said, her dark eyes checking Sierra’s and Christy’s seat belts to make sure they were fastened. “We’ll take a train directly from the
airport to Basel. After we check into the hotel, I’ve made an appointment for us to meet with the director of the school at two-thirty this afternoon.” She chewed her piece of gum
demurely.

“That doesn’t give us much time,” Christy said. “I mean, for any goof-ups.”

Marti gave her a long, raised-eyebrow stare. “We aren’t planning on having any ‘goof-ups.’ And do chew your gum with your lips together, dear.”

“I’m just saying I’ve done a little bit of train travel in
Europe before and–”

“–and I haven’t?” Marti questioned.

“I didn’t hear lunch mentioned in the schedule,” Sierra jumped in, hoping to lighten the tone. “When do we eat?”

“We’ll eat on the train,” Marti said firmly. “At least we’re in first class this time.”

Sierra knew Marti was still miffed that their airplane seats hadn’t been first class as she had expected. Marti had angrily confronted the clerk at the check-in desk, but the best the airline could do was guarantee Marti first-class seats on the way home.

“It looks as if it’s going to be a nice, clear day,” Christy said, nodding at the buildings, the highways, and fields rapidly becoming visible out their window. “It all seems socharming from up here. Really clean and quaint.”

“You don’t think it’s really like that?” Sierra asked. She noticed the runway coming into view.

“Well, I’ve never seen Germany or Switzerland. But some parts of France and Spain weren’t exactly postcard settings.”

Just as Christy finished her sentence, the plane’s tires bumped gently onto the runway, and the giant aircraft slowed. Sierra gripped her armrests and clenched her teeth,
waiting for the plane to stop. We didn’t crash, she thought. We’re here! It was only a dumb nightmare I probably got from rushing around to get ready for the trip. Or maybe from the pickles on that deli sandwich.

“Ready? Don’t forget your backpacks,” Marti urged.

Sierra and Christy exchanged glances as they undid their seat belts and reached for their packs under the seats in front of them. Sierra couldn’t help but wonder if Christy was having the same thought she was: A week with Marti mi...

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: Multnomah Publishers (July 3, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590525906
• ISBN-13: 978-1590525906
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 1.4 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #827,015 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

You are warmly invited to visit Robin's website at www.robingunn.com. Be sure to sign up for the Robin's Nest Newsletter and have a browse in the Online Shop.

Over the past 25 years Robin has written 70 books with over 4 million copies sold.

She started writing for teens when the girls in her church youth group challenged her to write stories for them. It took 2 years and 10 rejections before the first Christy Miller novel was published in 1988. Since then the tales of these Forever Friends have continued. The Christy Miller series was followed by the Sierra Jensen series, Christy and Todd the College Years and the Katie Weldon series.

As Robin's readers grew older they asked for more stories about characters their age. The 8 book Glenbrooke series was launched followed by the Sisterchicks(R) series and a variety of standalone destination novels including "Under a Maui Moon" and "Canary Island Song".

Join Robin Jones Gunn on her facebook public figure page where she frequently posts updates on her latest travel or writing adventure.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A satisfying read!, July 6, 2006

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Only You, Sierra/In Your Dreams/Don't You Wish (The Sierra Jensen Series 1-3) (Sierra Jensen Collection, Volume 1) (Hardcover)

This collection includes the first three books in the Sierra Jensen series written by Robin Jones Gunn.

Only You, Sierra introduces sixteen-year-old Sierra. Flying home from a mission trip in the UK, Sierra has met several new friends, including Katie and Christy, who readers of Robin's Christy Miller series will recognize. Normally outgoing and adventurous, Sierra is surprised to feel anxiety about her family's move to Portland, Oregon during the time she was away. A new home, new school, and potential new love interest challenge Sierra to reevaluate beliefs about herself that she has long taken for granted.

In Your Dreams finds Sierra watching over Granna Mae for a few days while her family is out of town. While it's difficult for Sierra to see her Granna's memory come and go, what seems to be a simple responsibility becomes more than Sierra bargains for when Granna Mae receives a call saying she needs immediate surgery. Meanwhile, Sierra tries to find a part-time job and wonders why, when she was the most popular girl at her old school, she is having such a difficult time making new friends in Portland.

Don't You Wish takes Sierra and her sister Tawni to spend Easter break at the beach with Christy, Katie, and their friends. When Tawni hits it off immediately with Jeremy, and even Katie pairs off with Antonio, an Italian exchange student, Sierra struggles with being jealous and feeling left out. She wants a boyfriend too. She tries to have fun and even learns to surf. But when Sierra witnesses Christy and Todd, to her the perfect couple, going through a difficult time in their relationship, she realizes everyone has struggles in their life. And she learns, as 1 Tim 6:6 states, that godliness with contentment is the greatest gain.

"Have you ever felt as if you were caught between two lives? The one you're living, and the one you wish you were living?" Sierra asks Christy.

Armchair Interviews says: Readers of all ages will understand Sierra's feelings and be ministered to by the timeless truths God reveals to her throughout this collection.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Book., February 29, 2008

By 

A Teens Review "A Teens Review" (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Only You, Sierra/In Your Dreams/Don't You Wish (The Sierra Jensen Series 1-3) (Sierra Jensen Collection, Volume 1) (Hardcover)

I loved this book. I will admit though, when I firt started reading it. I was thinking 'This book is going to be soo boring' But, the more I was reading it. The more I found I loved it. For any christian girl, or even a girl who wants to learn more about god. This would be an awesome book for them. It deals with a lot of the things that teen girls deal with. And the way Sierra Jensen handles all the things that are thrown at her, is awesome. She can turn and awful mistake, into a chance for god to use her.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lessons learned, November 10, 2011

By 

Chrystal Mahan - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sierra Jensen Collection, Vol 1 (Kindle Edition)

All books are intended for young adult readers. Being 36 years old, I would have to say that even as an adult I found them a lot of fun to read. I really like how they all have growing, coming of age, life lessons written in such a manner that many can related and understand. I think a lot of young adults can learn a lesson or two from these books.