“I know Jesus saved me, but from where I’m sitting, things are worse, not better.”
“Okay.” Brian nodded. “Maybe you’re trying to hold on to old ways. The question is: are you willing to give Jesus your life?”
Frustrated, Roman leaned in, teeth clenched. “What does that mean?”
“Stop living by your own rules.”
Roman had read enough of the Bible Grace gave him to know about rules. “Yeah, well, the Bible is full of commands. Most of them don’t make a lot of sense to me.”
Brian leaned forward, too, holding Roman’s look. “Here’s the good news, Roman. We’re under the new covenant, the one Jesus paid for with His own blood. When you say yes to Jesus, He gives you the Holy Spirit. The next time you read His Word with that in mind and some prayer, you’ll begin to understand. The Spirit is going to teach you and show you how it applies to your life. You’ll start recognizing God’s voice. You’ll know where you’ve gone wrong and how to get right with God. You follow His lead. Your life begins to change from the inside out.”
Roman shook his head. “You make it sound easy.”
“Simple.” Brian leaned back, never breaking eye contact. “Not easy.”
“You seem to have it all together, Pastor.”
Brian’s mouth curved in a wry smile. “Hardly.” His phone buzzed. “I need accountability as much as any man, maybe more.” He checked the message and tucked the phone back in his pocket. “Pastors tend to be targets for the enemy. You met a few of Satan’s helpers. Destroy a shepherd, and a whole flock can be lost.”
Curious, Roman shifted the conversation away from an experience he didn’t want to think about, let alone talk about. “How did you end up as a—what did you call it? A shepherd?”
Brian talked about his childhood in the Midwest, his farming family, growing up in the church, the pretty girl he met at a Christian event and married while at Bible college and lost all too soon.
The easy rapport surprised Roman. He found himself talking about growing up in the Tenderloin, shoplifting from corner markets so he had something to eat, his mother’s disappearance, moving from one foster home to another. “Jasper says I have abandonment issues.”
“No big surprise there.”
Roman finished the last of his coffee. “I never had a father.”
“You always had a Father. Now you can get to know Him.” Brian’s phone signaled another message. He checked it.
Roman glanced at the time and said a foul word out of habit. “We’ve been talking for two hours.”
Brian laughed. “Good to know we can. I’ve got to get back to church.” He stood and shrugged on his backpack. He stopped on the sidewalk. “How about next week?”
Roman was surprised the pastor was willing to go another round with him. “Sure. You name the time. I make my own schedule, but you have a job.”
Brian walked backward, facing Roman. “I’ll check my calendar and call you.”
“You need a ride?”
“I’m two minutes away. The church is a block down on the right.”
Roman didn’t see any steeple. “That’s an industrial building.”
“Yeah!” Brian grinned. “Low rent, plenty of space. Hey, do you play basketball? The youth group is playing tonight.”
“No basketball.” Roman sighed. “I used to do parkour.” Stretches and strengthening exercises had brought a lot of pain, but no improvement to his leg. It was a constant reminder he hadn’t imagined his trip to hell.
“Why don’t you come and look around on Sunday? No shirts and ties here. Service at ten.” Shifting his pack, Brian jogged across the street and disappeared down a driveway.
The meeting hadn’t gone as Roman expected. He’d felt at ease, as though nothing he might say would surprise Brian Henley. Maybe pastors had heard it all.
With the encouragement of her friends, Grace decided to launch an online business. She wasn’t convinced it would be enough to support her and Samuel, but it was a start.
“Good grief, girl.” Shanice was her biggest cheerleader. “High school honor roll, scholarship to UCLA, promoted from receptionist and secretary to office manager at a public relations firm in under four years! You have a lot going for you. You’ve got all kinds of marketable skills, honey. All you need is a little confidence. I tried to tell you that when you first lost your job.”
Grace’s friends had taken on the project at their most recent Sunday lunch.