Angels of Humility: A Novel (17 page)

“Fifty thousand dollars? They’re offering me $50,000. Lord, what will I do with that kind of money?”

Her thoughts were interrupted by Pastor Paul knocking on the door. Of course he never went anywhere without his little black cohorts surrounding him. The first thing he saw was the hand-lettered “Jesus Loves You” sign over the window. He shook his head. It reminded him of the guy at the sports arena with the rainbow-colored wig and the John 3:16 sign.

She invited him in.

“What happened to your window?”

“Someone’s not too happy with me right now, lots of someones, actually.”

“That’s terrible. It just shows how emotional some people can become over these sticky issues. Everyone has strong feelings about your land, that’s for sure.”

“Please sit down, Pastor. I’ll get some coffee,” she motioned toward the couch and went to the kitchen. Paul didn’t set out to read the letter, but it was laying face up on the coffee table. He could read it without even leaning forward.
Fifty thousand dollars! Unbelievable, no wonder she wants to sell to the jail
. Sarah returned and handed Paul the cup.

“I assume you’re here to follow up on our conversation a few days ago. The Lord has just showed me specifically that I’m supposed to sell to BCCF. Just today.”

Right
, Paul thought,
and I bet He had fifty thousand reasons
. “Well, I’m sorry to hear that. The potential for good for God’s Kingdom that a new and larger church facility could produce is incalculable.”

“Oh, but the Lord has a plan for this land, and I’m just following it. I really have no say in the matter if I want to be obedient. It’s like you said, ‘For such a time as this.’”

He set the cup on the coffee table next to the letter. Sarah didn’t see him roll his eyes as he let out a sigh. “Well, I’d encourage you to continue to pray about it,” he said, trying to conceal his growing aggravation.

“Oh, I have. A lot. And the Lord answered just today.”

“Sarah, I don’t mean to offend you, but you are a new believer. I don’t doubt your sincerity, but many times people
think
they’ve heard the Lord and it’s not the Lord, especially if they have strong feelings about one particular option. It’s easy to believe that option is from the Lord because we want it so badly.” This statement caused the demons to snicker wildly among themselves. “All I’m saying is, maybe you could keep praying and some of the ladies from the church could drop by and talk to you about it.”

“Oh, no. I don’t need to keep praying. I
know
I heard from the Lord.”

Paul sat silently in the chair. When he could think of nothing else to say, he stood to his feet. “Well, have a good day,” he said curtly and headed for the door.

Sarah signed the contract and walked to the post office box whistling.
Lord, bless this endeavor
, she prayed as she dropped in the letter. A wave of peace swept over her as she heard it clunk on the bottom. She reveled in the feeling for a few moments, then headed for Barbara’s house.

Joel gave Malta a high five.

Paul was fuming when he left Sarah’s. Saldu tried to calm him. “Paul, Father brought you to this church for a purpose, and the enemy has distracted you. Your five-year plan isn’t the Lord’s five-year plan. And you shouldn’t be fighting this jail, either. You’re not in Bradbury to win a popularity contest; you’re here to do the will of God. You’ve compromised His truth because of your need for love and acceptance, not just with the church people, but the whole town.

“Think of your life this way. God is looking down at you from Heaven. You’re at the top of a ski slope and there’s a mile of virgin snow beneath you. You shove off and with the Lord’s help you ski successfully to the bottom. Not only are your tracks visible from Heaven, but you leave a trail for others coming behind you to follow. Because of you, they find their way, too. This speaks of the potential for your life to have Heavenly and earthly impact.
³

“Paul, the Lord has made you a leader and He has great plans for your life. You’re very charismatic and people will follow you, but your challenge is to step out of the way and point them to Jesus, not to keep them huddled around you like a fan club. Give up all honor like Jesus did; seek honor from God only, empty yourself, count yourself as nothing so that God may be exalted and may be all. There is an irrefutable rule in God’s Kingdom: Those who seek exaltation never receive it.”

When Saldu stopped, Paul’s little black soulmates immediately helped him key in on the part of Saldu’s message about leadership.

“You’re a leader, Paul, and your five-year plan is nothing short of brilliant,” whispered Deception. “It’s like God dropped a heavenly blueprint in your lap to teach you how to grow the church for maximum eternal impact.”

“Forget the plan,” urged Saldu. “To be truly great in the Kingdom of God, you must be humble and passionately in love with the King. Like Mary at Jesus’ feet, you need to be content to sit and wait on Him.
⁴
You should hang on His every word. You must be willing to look foolish in the eyes of your peers as you proclaim boldly what God has told you to say and do.”
⁵

“Now about that jail, Paul,” said Manipulation, sidestepping Saldu’s comments, “I’ve got an idea to thwart that thing that can literally make you the town’s savior. You’ll have hundreds of people skiing behind you, following your godly example.”

Paul bit: hook, line, and sinker. He drove straight to Clarence Harvey. “That’s right. I saw the letter. They’re offering her $50,000 for the land.”

“Fifty thousand dollars?” Clarence cursed under his breath. “That’s more than twice as much per acre as most property around here is bringing. Of course she’ll sell. She’ll never get that price again, not in her lifetime.”

“Maybe she could,” whispered Deception. “Maybe she could,” repeated Paul.

“What are you talking about?”

“Maybe we, the town, could do a fundraiser. If we raised $50,000, she’d have no reason not to sell to us.”

Clarence paused; his business mind evaluated the feasibility of the idea. A big smile spread across his face. He slapped Paul on the shoulder. “I like your style. That’s a great idea, buddy!” Paul smiled and reveled in the affirmation of an older father figure.

“I’ll get on the phone with some businessmen who have fairly deep pockets. I’ll get Gary to print some posters and flyers, and maybe I’ll do another billboard.”

“We can take a special offering at church this Sunday. I’ll swing by Sarah’s house and tell her the good news.”

“Great, give me three hours, and I’ll have this campaign in full swing.”

“I’m on my way to Sarah’s.”

Paul knocked and knocked, but Sarah wasn’t there. He went back to the church and tried to call several more times.
She doesn’t even have an answering machine. I’ll have to call later in the evening
.

Sarah was at Barbara’s recounting the story with great excitement. “And then I found the letter yesterday in the bottom of a box that had been in the basement for who knows how long. George’s father was practically given the land by a minister. And George’s father wasn’t even a believer, as far as I know. George had one brother, but he was killed in the war, so the farm passed on to George. Now it’s mine, or it was until about an hour ago when I mailed the contract. And when I dropped the letter in the mailbox, I felt such a peace inside, like a warmth. It’s hard to explain. All I know is that I was desperate. I couldn’t take much more stress. I still can’t believe how it all worked out.”

“That’s an unbelievable story. God is so creative. You did the right thing, but….” Barbara hesitated. “It was really ugly at church this Sunday. You know how the people around here are gonna feel. Even if they heard your story, the spiritual significance would be lost on most of them. They’ll just think you’re looking out for your own interests, you money-hungry old coot,” said Barbara, assuming a different voice and shaking her finger at Sarah. They both laughed; then Sarah turned serious again.

“Well, I don’t know how bad it will get, but I have God, and I’ve got you, my friend, and I have the unwavering belief that I was following God’s will. Surely that will be enough.”

“It will be, but still no guarantees it will be easy.”

Sarah convinced Barbara to let her help unpack as they talked. First they unwrapped dishes for the china cabinet. Then they finished unpacking the guest bedroom as they chatted and learned more about each other’s pasts. Much to Hugo’s delight, they even found the doggie biscuits. Barbara helped Sarah up and rubbed her back. “Oh, it’s 11! That’s way past my bedtime. I’ve got to go.”

At home her phone had been ringing all evening. Pastor Paul finally gave up and went to bed at 10:45.
I’ll call first thing in the morning
, he thought.

The ringing woke him the next morning.
Why did I set the alarm so early?
After a few seconds he realized it was the phone.

“This is one of your church members, Alicia Moore. My husband, Jim, he doesn’t go to the church, but, well, he’s been rushed to the hospital with a heart attack….” Her voice cracked. “Would you come to the hospital now? I’d be very grateful.” Paul glanced at the clock 6:35.

“Sure, I’ll be right there.” He started praying silently for Jim as he dressed and ran to his Toyota.

Jim was in surgery when Paul arrived. He spent the next few anxious hours with Alicia and the kids in the waiting room. His prayers were a great comfort to Alicia, and he was unaware that they had helped her husband to survive his operation. Then she told the whole story of the heart attack. He even continued listening attentively when she told the story of their courtship—they had started dating at the senior prom. When he glanced at the clock on the wall, it was 10
a.m
.
Oh my gosh, I need to call Sarah
. He excused himself and stepped into the hall.

Sarah had just completed her prayer walk and arrived on her porch when she heard the phone ringing. By the time she unlocked the door, it was silent.

Paul tried again in an hour, but Sarah was finishing yesterday’s laundry in the basement and didn’t hear the phone over the dryer.

When Paul finally left the hospital, he swung through downtown. Clarence and his assistant had been busy. It was less than 24 hours since he’d conceived the fundraising idea, and already there were posters on every utility pole and in every store window, and several kids were at the intersection with cans collecting change from passing motorists.

A sick feeling welled up from his gut. He needed to talk to Sarah right away. He turned his car around and headed toward her house, praying all the way.

As Paul stood on the porch and knocked, he felt himself sweating.
Please God, she can’t have already sold the land. It’s been less than 24 hours
.

Sarah opened the door. He tried to read her face when she saw who it was. He sat down at her invitation. Where to begin?