Celebrity Pastor by Creston Mapes

Author:Creston Mapes [Mapes, Creston]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-06-10T00:00:00+00:00

NEIL HAD TOPPED off his Scotch and pulled the glass doors closed to the den. He sat in an oversized leather chair with his socked feet up on the matching ottoman—thinking, thinking, thinking. While he did so, he mindlessly sipped his drink and scrolled through all the new followers and comments and notifications on Instagram, which was somewhat bolstering, considering the circumstances. Sixteen new followers since last time he’d looked a little while ago: at closer examination, several of them quite attractive. Of course, he didn’t follow back, he hardly ever did. The goal was to have a gazillion followers and only be following a few key celebrities, with whom he appeared to be the closest of friends.

He turned off the phone, dropped his head, sighed, and rubbed his eyes.

It was one thing to run into Don Crane at the restaurant . . . for Devina to put the puzzle pieces together and learn who “Saul” really was, which he was guessing had happened by now. That could have been smoothed over. In fact, he guessed Devina would not say a word about it. After all, she wouldn’t want to give up all Saul did—and would do—for her.

But now Darren McQue had stepped into the picture.

He’d come to their home ranting and raving.

He’d apparently followed Neil and Devina earlier that night and had the nerve to call Becky and blab about it.

Becky was furious, and for good reason. But Neil felt he could contain that, too. Because, similar to Devina, Becky had grown accustomed to fine things, to getting whatever she wanted. Nice cars. The finest clothes. Anything they’d wanted for the houses. Jewelry and purses and shoes galore. And Neil believed with every fiber of his being that she would never jeopardize the lake house; that had become her baby, her passion, her obsession. Plus, Becky had become a celebrity in her own right, thanks to her association with Neil. She had her own following, which, whether she realized it yet or not, was powerfully addictive.

Reluctantly, Neil recalled the good times he and Becky had had with Darren and Nicole McQue. How close they’d been. How their families had bonded.

That was before.

It was when the church was just taking off, just starting its ascent. It had become immensely popular locally, but not nationally. It was before Pastor Neil Gentry and his wife Becky had become renowned celebrities.

There was indeed a clearcut before and after.

Neil pictured the ‘before’ with grainy, old-fashioned, slow-motion images in which everything was refreshingly innocent and pure and well-intentioned. Yes, the church had grown quite large, but all of their hearts and souls had been so on fire for God. His motive and sole desire back then had been to share the life-changing truths of the Bible in ways that people could apply practically in their lives.

Boy, had it worked.

He pictured the ‘after’—the now—with high-tech color, lights, video, and flash, comical skits, loud music, fog machines, and him—appearing in the spotlight when the smoke cleared. On stage.

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