Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: Telephone (07/17/08)
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TITLE: Reign Man | Previous Challenge Entry
By Mary Alice Bowles
07/24/08 -
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A knock on my door brought me from a troubled sleep back inside the shadows of a dark and stormy night. Now who could this be? I lived five miles from my nearest neighbor in the hills of Tennessee. I shook my head, rubbed my eyes, and then turned to look at my big red-lettered clock there beside my bed. It read 3:30 am.
Earlier that Saturday evening I had gone to bed so I couldn’t think about mom anymore.
She had been dead now for two whole months and it felt like yesterday. That day in May as I stood beside her casket, looking down on her beautiful face, I knew my life would never be the same.
I could not open that door because I remembered my brother James’s last and final words as he headed out on a week-end fishing trip with his best friend, John, “Missy, don’t open that door for anybody, not even your best friend". He still treated me like I was 2 instead of 22.
I switched the flood lights to on and unlocked the lock at the same time, leaving the safety chains in place. I opened the door as far as I could. There was a young man standing there with the rain dripping off his wide brimmed hat and collecting in puddles down around his shoulder length black hair. He said, “Mam, I am so sorry to bother you at such an early hour, or should I say, such a late hour"? He smiled from ear to ear, as the rain made little wimpy trails down his perfectly tanned face. He said, “I swerved to miss a deer and ran off the road about a half a mile from here, and I do need desperately to use a telephone. I tried my cell and it says, “service unavailable”. I said, “Sir, would it be ok with you if I just reached my cell through this little crack”. His smile turned into a giggle as I heard him say, “That’ll work”!
I ignored the sun and all the blue skies as I drove to church that morning, feeling so alone
and afraid, I ask myself, “Why am I here”? “Does God really hear me when I pray”? Anyway, our pastor is out of town on vacation and I should have just stayed home in bed.
The church service started right on time and the singing was beautiful as usual. As Deacon White came to the podium, a door opened to the right of the pull-pit and in walked a tall straight figure of a man. His jet black hair hung just to his shoulders, his smile ended in two beautiful dimples, and in his big strong hands he held the Word of God. Deacon White said “Randall, would you like to introduce yourself”? As he started to speak, his stare captured mine and a hint of amusement crinkled at the corners of those beautiful big brown eyes.
“Good morning everyone, my name is Randall Franklin, my friends call me, Randy. I have been sent to preach for you all while Pastor Edwards is on vacation. Please turn in your Bibles to Ecclesiastes three”. Slowly he started to read:
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die. He read it all, telling about all the times in his life when he had reflected on this beautiful reading. He went on to tell us that “we are never alone, God is with us through every season of our life and we have a purpose”. He said,” God hears every prayer we pray, even a whisper”. Just remember, I would like to add this before I close, Jesus said, “I will go with you always even unto the end of the world”.
The service ended and everyone got in line to shake his hand, I was the last one in line. I looked him straight in the eye and said, “that was such a beautiful sermon, it really lifted my spirits and made me want to live again”. I started to leave, but instead I turned around and said, “There is someone I would like for you to meet, would you be so kind as to have dinner with me and my brother, James”? He said, “I would love to and it is not like I do not know where you live”!
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