Saved to Serve Series 4: U-N-I-T-Y by Sharel E. Gordon-Love

Author:Sharel E. Gordon-Love [Gordon-Love, Sharel E.]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Urban, Christian, 90 Minutes (44-64 Pages), United States, African American, Genre Fiction, Literature & Fiction
Amazon: B0136U0U3W
Publisher: Peace In The Storm Publishing
Published: 2015-07-30T04:00:00+00:00

Getting through the home going service for Sis. Martin was very difficult for all of us and I knew God had to be with us. I had a hard time wrapping my mind around the task of eulogizing someone who knew me since the day I was born, so I found myself being directed away from what I was prepared to preach and allowed my heart to lead me.

Sharing my memories about her as if she were still physically present soothed my grieving spirit, and the laughter from those who attended spurred me on to share the time she caught me behind the church with a girl when I wasn’t old enough to know what I was supposed to do with one. I was only 7 years-old at the time. Instead of telling my parents, she grabbed me by one of my ears and told me in her big teenager voice, “Carlton, you know you know better! Let me catch you out here again and I’ll spank you before I tell on you, now get in that church.” Needless to say, as I began to recall my relationship with Sis. Martin, I realized that throughout my life, she was bailing me out of one trouble or another. She had been a great help to me along my life’s journey and I expressed that. “I prayshe was that and more to those of you assembled here today,” I stated before turning the service into the hands of the funeral parlor attendees as we prepared to lead the casket out of the church to head for Sis. Martin’s final resting place.

It wasn’t lost on me that Sis. Bailey slipped in and sat in the last pew in the nearly full church, or that she left just before the service concluded. I didn’t look forward to my meeting with her concerning the impending birth of her child that only reminded me of how much things had gotten out of control under my leadership in the church.

~~~~~~~~

For two weeks following Sis. Martin’s funeral, I could not bring myself to preach on Sunday morning. Not sure if it was the fact that I was missing my faithful member or that the pressing need to share God’s Word was gone. I still loved the Word and studied it daily, but the dark, palpable void I felt refused to go away…I just couldn’t shake it.

Thoughts of resigning as pastor of Mount Zion plagued my every waking moment and I refused to take any new appointments with the members or anyone else. I figured, if nothing new was brought to my attention, somehow I would be able to work through all that was on my mind already…until Sis. Martin’s daughter, Terri, showed up unexpectedly before a Wednesday evening bible study. I was closing a document I had open on my computer when she stuck her head into my partially opened office door while lightly knocking on it.

“Excuse me, Pastor? Can I talk to you right quick?”

“Come on in, Terri…leave the door open,” I told her as my cell phone began to ring.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.