by Pat Simmons
“God, please fulfill this promise You gave my grandmother,” Adrian muttered, then faced Brecee. “It’s time.”
“I know.”
Stepping out of the pew, Adrian joined the others making their way down the aisle to the altar for prayer.
When a minister approached Adrian and offered to pray for him, he answered, “I want to be saved, whatever it takes.” He almost added that he wanted the same power God had given his grandmother.
“If you have repented of your sins, then you may be baptized in water and in Spirit, in Jesus’ name.” When Adrian consented, the man told him, “After prayer, another minister will guide you to the changing room.”
Adrian waited his turn to use the dressing room to change out of his designer suit and shoes into a white T-shirt, khaki pants, and crew socks. Next, he was led to the baptismal pool. He thought about his grandmother again. As he descended into the water, all he could think about was the promise.
In the pool, another minister—a short man—instructed him to cross his arms over his chest. Groping his T-shirt, the small man spoke in a loud voice, “My dear brother, upon the confession of your faith and the confidence we have in the blessed Word of God concerning His death, burial, and grand resurrection, we now indeed baptize you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins, and you shall receive the promise of His Holy Ghost and speak in other tongues. Amen.”
He was pushed underwater then swiftly pulled to his feet. There seemed to be an explosion of something he couldn’t explain being released from his body as praises spilled forth from his lips.
In the background, it sounded like angels were shouting and rejoicing with him, or maybe it was the congregation. It didn’t matter. An unending stream of “Hallelujah” erupted from his mouth. Then he heard it—the heavenly language—and felt a power take over his mouth, twisting and manipulating his tongue. It was like an out-of-body experience, and it continued as he was nudged back into the dressing room and asked remove the wet clothes. Somehow, he went through the motions of drying off and getting dressed again while the heavenly language continued.
“Praise Jesus, my brother,” a minister said to him. “He dwells in the midst of praise. You are now a new creature in Christ. This is just the beginning of your salvation.”
I can’t do it, Brecee thought as she entered the church’s prayer room. There was no way she could shut down the Holy Ghost to hurry Adrian along to go to a softball game. His spiritual rebirth was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
She texted one of the coaches, a cardiologist, to tell her she wouldn’t be able to make it. You need to find a sub for the sub.
He responded, Don’t worry about it. We always have plenty willing to play, whether they can play or not.
Tears streamed down Adrian’s face as he lifted up his arms in praise. Brecee had been there and done that. She understood that repentance and praise alike often came with tears. Her heart fluttered as she listened to Adrian speaking to God in a heavenly tongue.
Shae had followed her to the prayer room and now stood beside her. As Brecee began softly singing “How Great Is Our God,” her sister harmonized with her.
Soon, several other recently baptized individuals were ushered in, singing praises and speaking with Jesus in His language of heavenly tongues. Somehow, in the crowded room, Adrian found privacy in a corner as he uttered to God nonstop. She and Shae worshipped with him and others from afar.
Suddenly, a thunderous sound of praise exploded in the room, bringing to mind the praise coming from the elders standing around the throne of God, as described in Revelation. Losing track of time, Brecee took a seat and whispered prayers to God until she felt a presence behind her.
Opening her eyes, she saw Adrian wiping his eyes and shaking his head. H is countenance had changed. Gone was the proud, self-confident man she'd met weeks ago. God had transformed him, and the expression on his face could be described only as “awestruck.”
“Is this what my grandparents experienced?” He looked at her with glazed eyes. “I got it,” he whispered. “The Holy Ghost was my promise, just like the Bible said.”
“Yes, just like the Bible said,” she repeated softly as Shae, now joined by Rahn, stepped closer to congratulate Adrian.
“Now what?” he asked Brecee.
“You keep serving God, reading your Bible, increasing your prayer time, and coming to church as much as you can. Anything else you need to know, the Lord will speak it to you,” Brecee said as Adrian wrapped her in a hug.
Shae and Rahn waved good-bye, leaving them to share a private moment. “I thank God for you,” Adrian whispered over and over again.
“I thank Him for you, too.”
When Adrian finally seemed composed, they left the church hand in hand, with smiles on their faces.
“I’ve got to tell somebody,” Adrian said excitedly.
“I know.” She grinned. “When God moves in your life, you can’t keep it to yourself.”
Adrian helped her into his car, then got behind the wheel. But instead of starting the ignition, he pulled out his smartphone and called his parents. Based on hearing only his side of the conversation, Brecee could tell that they were congratulating him, but they probably didn’t understand how big a deal it was that he had received a portion of God’s Spirit.
Next, Adrian called Dolan, and the excitement exploded from his mouth. It was amusing to hear him pick up speed with each word, and Brecee almost expected him to start speaking in tongues again. When Adrian faced her, his eyes sparkled, and his face glowed with happiness. One more minute, he mouthed.
“Take your time,” she whispered with a smile. “This is your day of rebirth.”
He seemed to take that as the go-ahead to fill Dolan in on every detail, leaving nothing out. As she watched and listened to him, Brecee was certain her father would have liked him. She’d heard him speak plenty about the importance of finding a godly man. “Don’t bring home a man who doesn’t love the Lord or listen to Him, because he sure won’t listen to you,” he’d say, citing the example of Pontius Pilate dismissing the intuition of his wife in Matthew 27.
“Are you serious?” Adrian said with a frown, pulling Brecee out of her reverie.
“What?”
“Dolan wants to know if I’m still going to the softball game.” He grunted. “I told him the answer is no. Then he asked if Dr. Reed would be playing, because, if so, he was thinking about going and taking Laura.”
Brecee giggled and grabbed the phone. “Hi, Dolan. I got sidetracked today and it was worth it, but Dr. Reed isn’t on the softball team. She’s busy with a ministry event at her church this afternoon.”
“Oh.” His disappointment was obvious. “I wanted to thank her....”
“Call her,” Brecee encouraged him. “I’m sure she gave you her card.”
“You gave me your card, too, but my ugly cousin threatened to harm me if I used it.”
“You know I can hear you,” Adrian teased.
Brecee leaned over, and he met her with a soft kiss before she got back on the phone. “I’m sure she’d like to know how Laura is doing.”
Adrian grabbed the phone. “Just call her, cuz. Right now, my beautiful lady and I are going out to celebrate my new birth. Talk to you later.” He ended the call, then gazed adoringly at Brecee. He kissed her hand. “I love you, and I love God. My life is so good right now. The only thing that will make it better is a hearty meal. Suddenly, I’m famished.”
Seated in a restaurant booth half an hour later, Brecee could hardly eat as she listened to Adrian express his deep feelings about what had happened at church that morning. Even though she’d barely picked at her food, Adrian ordered a slice of cheesecake for them to share. While they waited for their server to deliver dessert, he reached across the table and took her hands. “Thank you for coming into my life. I don’t know if I ever would have come to salvation otherwise. You’ve changed me.”
Tears welled in he
r eyes. “No, Adrian—God changed you. Thank you for letting me be me. I can’t wait to call my family and share your good news with them.” She grinned as she envisioned the praise parties over a saved soul that would take place in the various Carmen households that night.
“Why wait?” His eyes took on that sparkle of excitement again. “Let’s call them right now, and I’ll share the news myself.”
How could she deny him the pleasure? She called Stacy and asked her to set up a conference call with everybody, including Uncle Bradford. “I’ve got some exciting news,” she told her.
“That news better not be that you’re engaged!” Stacy declared in her typical authoritarian tone.
Not yet, Adrian mouthed to Brecee.
You heard that? she mouthed back, and he nodded.
When the decadent-looking slice of cheesecake was placed before them, Adrian blessed it, then forked off a bite and fed it to her. “Have I told you today that I love you?”
Closing her eyes, Brecee let the words seep into her heart. “Yes, but there’s no limit. I love you, too.”
“Do you think your family will be excited at the news?” he asked. “Mom and Pops didn’t think it was that big of a deal.”
Her heart ached for him. “You don’t know the Carmens,” she told him. “God saved you. Not everybody wants to be saved, and that’s the reality. But you made the choice, and it’s a huge deal.”
When they’d polished off the cheesecake, Adrian paid their bill, then helped Brecee to her feet and escorted her out to his car, kissing her ear repeatedly until she giggled.
As Brecee fastened her seat belt, Stacy texted her the conference call number and ID. She put Adrian on speakerphone, then typed in the number and code, then waited to be announced.
Her family started speaking all at once.
“Brecee, what have you done now?” Uncle Bradford asked.
She grinned at Adrian.
“You said you’re not engaged,” Stacy put in.
“Excuse me,” Brecee said, cutting them off. She’d waited patiently for Adrian to profess his love; she didn’t want to put the pressure on for him to propose. “Adrian and I are on speakerphone, and it was his idea to call you.”
“It’s a little unusual to do this in front of the whole family over a conference call, isn’t it?” Uncle Bradford asked.
Brecee groaned. “Uncle Bradford, hush. Okay, Adrian, it’s your turn.”
She jumped, startled, as he shouted, “Everybody: I received the Holy Ghost!”
The jubilant shouts of “Praise the Lord!” were so immediate that Adrian laughed.
“I told you,” Brecee mumbled.
“Congratulations,” her mother said with a sniffle. “What wonderful news. You’ll never regret giving your life to Christ. My husband used to say—”
“Don’t bring home a man who doesn’t love the Lord or listen to Him, because he sure won’t listen to you,” the sisters recited in unison.
“Amen.” Adrian nodded. “I’ve got a lot to learn, but I don’t want to disappoint God, my grandmother, or Brecee.” He reached for her hand.
How was it that she kept falling more and more in love with this man?
“Even though I’ve been filled with God’s Spirit, I’m still hungry to learn more about my grandparents. Mr. Carmen—’’
“You can call me Brother Carmen now,” Uncle Bradford said with a chuckle.
“Thank you.” Adrian choked. “Are you sure there’s nothing more you can find out about the female coworkers your father mentioned? Brecee and I found a bunch of letters and some photos in my parents' attic. Only one lady who lived in Philly was mentioned.”
When he sighed, Brecee could feel his frustration. He had received God’s promise, bur he wanted more.
“My father repented and was baptized in water and by the Holy Ghost at Pentecostal Bridegroom Temple,” Uncle Bradford recalled. “Since then, our families have worshipped at sister churches. I don’t ever recall him introducing us to the person responsible for leading him to salvation. But God knows all answers, and if He wants to share them with you, He will. In the meantime, praise God that you have your ticket for the rapture.”
Adrian seemed to accept her uncle’s counsel, but something deep down inside of Brecee told her that the Holy Ghost had just cracked open the door for Adrian’s hunt.
Chapter Twenty-One
T
he next morning, Brecee strolled through the emergency department with a smile on her face. She was in love. Adrian was in love...with her. She blinked at the giant floral arrangement on the reception counter. “Wow.” Adrian had outdone himself this time.
She reached for the envelope, but Teresa the triage nurse stopped her. “Not today, Dr. Carmen. Those are for Dr. Reed.” She winked.
Regina? Huh. Had she been that caught up in her own love life that she’d failed to notice? Or had Regina been holding out on her?
“Do you two have a competition going on or something?” Teresa asked. “No one else in the department has received flowers since Valentine’s Day, including me—and mine came from my dad.” She rolled her eyes. “Dr. Reed knows they’re here, but she's been too busy to pick them up. Do you want to take them back to her?”
Laughing, Brecee shook her head. “And deprive Dr. Reed of your teasing? Nah.”
Teresa was right—it was a madhouse in the emergency department. But no surprise there. It was Monday, after all.
As Brecee signed her name on the board to let everyone know that another attending doctor had arrived, the charge nurse, Ashley, quickly briefed her on the current patients and who was supervising their care.
A few hours later, when things finally slowed down, Brecee took a seat in the doctors’ charting room. After several minutes, Regina sauntered in. “Guess who sent me flowers.” She was actually blushing.
“Let me see,” Brecee said, playing along. “Here’s a wild guess: Dolan Cole.”
Regina’s eyes bulged. “How did you know?”
Brecee relayed the conversation she and Adrian had had with him the previous day, then shared the news of Adrian’s receiving the Holy Ghost.
Jumping up, Regina had to stifle her shout of jubilation. “Yay! Hallelujah.”
Brecee beamed. “Girl, I love that man.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.” Regina glanced over her shoulder, as if to make sure no one was coming through the door. “There's more. Dolan asked me out on a date.”
“Are you considering it?” Brecee eyed her friend.
“I am.” Regina sat back in her chair and crossed her legs. “His love for his daughter drew me to him, even if it was way over the top, but that’s a dad for you.” Regina snickered. “He is incredibly good-looking, but....”
Usually, whenever Regina said “but,” she was at the point of overanalyzing a simple dilemma. She hadn’t made a vow to God, per se, but she might as well have made one to herself about dating an unsaved man.
“I’ve been unequally yoked once already. Never again. I’ve held off from fellow doctors and other men, but I really would like to get to know Dolan.” She paused. “That scares me, because I can see my feelings getting in the way of my following my Holy-Ghost protocol. But now that Adrian has surrendered to Christ, maybe Dolan will follow his lead.”
“That’s a hope and prayer,” Brecee told her, “but we’re still our sister’s keeper. I don’t want to see you fall any more than you want to see that happen to me. That’s why you have been holding me accountable for my behavior with Adrian.”
She smiled. “And he’s been nothing but a perfect gentleman. Not once has he questioned why I won’t invite him in. I may be grown, at thirty-one, but I know temptation when I see it, and Adrian is six feet three or four inches of it.” She paused. “Would you like to consider double dating while you decide whether Dolan is worth your time?” She glanced up and saw Ashley approaching the room to brief them on their latest admissions. Their respite was over. Any further talk o
f love and happiness would have to wait. “Just think about it.”
On Monday afternoon, Adrian found himself with some downtime after a repeat client drove off the lot in a new car. He decided to call Dolan.
Not long into the conversation, he invited his cousin to attend church with him the following weekend. “What do you have to lose, man?”
“For one thing, sleep,” was Dolan’s response.
Adrian smirked. He could relate to that excuse, because he had been just as stubborn. But there was more than one way to get to his cousin. “Okay, then I guess I’ll ask my little cousin if she would like for her daddy to go to church.”
“Don’t use my kid,” Dolan threatened.
“Why? It's worked before.” Adrian snickered. “Don’t you think God deserves a thank-you for Laura’s recovery from that bee sting? She could have....” Adrian didn’t want to think about what might have happened, much less mention it.
“I did thank Him,” Dolan said. “Hold on. I’ve got another call coming in.”
“Go ahead,” Adrian told him. “We’ll talk later.”
Under an hour later, Adrian received a text from Dolan while he was on the showroom floor, greeting some potential customers. When the couple stepped aside for a private conversation, Adrian read his message.
I’ll be at church on Sunday.
Huh? Adrian had to reread the message. Lord, did You do that? He had to know what had turned Dolan's no into a yes.