All 5 Uses

earnest
in
Heaven Is for Real
(Auto-generated)

Well, they sang 'Jesus Loves Me' and 'Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho,— he said earnestly.†
Chpt Prol.

earnestly = sincerely or seriously
"Daddy?" Colton looked at me earnestly.
"What?"
He gazed at me and didn't move his eyes from mine. "Daddy, you know I almost died."
Chpt 9 *

earnestly = seriously
He nodded, eyes wide and earnest.†
Chpt 13

earnest = sincere or serious
Colton peered earnestly up into Harold's face and said, "It's going to be okay.†
Chpt 21

earnestly = sincerely or seriously
And when Colton and Cassie offered prayers in their plain, earnest way, it seemed that God answered.†
Chpt 23

earnest = sincere or serious

Definitions:

(1) (earnest)
characterized by sincere belief

or:

intensely or excessively serious or determined
(2) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)
Earnest can also be used as a name (variant spelling of Ernest), or to signify the seriousness of a pledge made (as when earnest money is included with an offer to purchase a home).