Strongholds

by Vanessa Davis Griggs

  “She just got kicked out of a home where she was staying with this lady who doesn’t care much for our church. That’s why she brought all of her suitcases with her. She came here first, I suppose while she figures out what to do or where to go next. She keeps saying that she’s tired. I can imagine. She’s almost seventy years old—too old to be on the run, that’s for sure. And she has a biological mother, ninety years old, she doesn’t even know exists. A mother, who incidentally, could and would give anything to meet her before she dies.”

  “So what do you want to do?”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yeah,” Pastor Landris said.

  “You’re not going to like it,” Johnnie Mae said.

  “Yeah, I have a feeling.” Pastor Landris laughed. “But go ahead. Tell me.”

  “I’d like to bring her home with me,” Johnnie Mae said. “I have to pick up Princess Rose from the bus stop shortly, so I need to get home anyway. But I wouldn’t dare chance letting Memory go to a hotel. We may never see her again. If I take her home with me, I can call Sarah or Lena, see what they want me to do, how much they want me to tell Memory, if anything. Provided this really is Memory. Confidentiality-wise, this is tricky. I probably shouldn’t tell Sarah I’ve possibly seen Memory, but I can’t tell Memory the truth about Sarah without Sarah’s consent. It’s a catch twenty-two.” She sighed. “I’ll just take Memory home with me first, and then, we can go from there.”

  “Okay.”

  “Okay? You mean, for real okay? Or there’s just not enough time to argue about it okay?”

  “Whatever you think is best, okay. Okay? You’ll figure out ethically how to accomplish this.”

  She let out a chuckle. “Okay then. Well, let me get back down there.”

  Johnnie Mae left in a hurry.

  When she arrived back in the conference room, Memory was gone. “Oh no. Where did she go?” Johnnie Mae ran out of the room to Monica’s desk. No Monica. “Where’s Monica?” She looked over behind Monica’s work station—the suitcases were gone. She went down the hall looking. “Have you seen Monica?” she asked someone with a stack of copies in her arms.

  “Yeah. She was helping this elderly woman down the hall about ten minutes ago.”

  “This way?” Johnnie Mae pointed to her right.

  “No, the other way,” the woman with the copies said as she pointed out the direction using her head.

  “Toward the doors leading outside?” Johnnie Mae asked.

  The woman nodded.

  “Thanks,” Johnnie Mae said. She started down the hall. She saw Monica and Memory coming toward her. She exhaled. “Hi,” Johnnie Mae said in the calmest voice she could muster. “I was getting worried about you,” she said to Memory.

  “I had to use the little girl’s room. This young lady here was helping me find my way around. This is such a big place. I was afraid I would get lost. Then somebody would have really had to come searching for me.”

  “We can’t have that. That’s great. I’m glad Monica was such a help. I didn’t see your suitcases anymore, and I was thinking you’d given up on waiting for me to come back and had left me hanging,” Johnnie Mae said as they walked back slowly.

  “Oh, I’m sorry, Sister Landris,” Monica said. “I didn’t know where you went or how long you would be gone. I moved her suitcases into the storage room while we were away. I didn’t want anybody to take anything, not that they would, but you never know.”

  “Oh, yeah. You were absolutely right to protect Ms. Robertson’s belongings while you helped her.”

  “Yep, cause that’s all I have left except for what I have in my storage unit. But it’s practically all my clothes, so if something happened to those, I would be in a mess. Especially now that I don’t even have a place to lay my head.”

  “You know, Ms. Robertson. I was just thinking about that. And I was coming back to tell you that my husband and I would like for you to come stay at our home for a few days.”

  “Oh, I couldn’t do that. I didn’t come here to try to sponge off anybody or get a handout. I just needed to talk, and God led me here. That was all.”

  “See, that’s what I mean. I believe God sent you here as well.” Johnnie Mae swallowed so hard and loud, she thought both Memory and Monica heard her do it. “I can’t explain right now, but it’s just something I believe God desires for me to do.”

  “But I would be imposing,” Memory said. “And I can’t do that. But if you would drop me off at a hotel, I would appreciate that.”

  They reached Monica’s work area.

  “Ms. Robertson, I believe you and I need to talk some more,” Johnnie Mae said as she spoke rather fast. “There are some things God has revealed to me that I feel I must share with you. But here’s the thing: I usually pick up my daughter from the bus stop around three-fifteen. I figure if we leave now, I could get her, then we could go to my house, and we could finish our conversation there. Pastor Landris and I would love to have you as our special guest for dinner tonight.” Johnnie Mae shifted her weight to her other leg. “Please don’t turn me down. You’ll make me think you don’t like me, or that I did a lousy job counseling with you so far, and you’re trying to get away from me.”

  “Well, that’s definitely not the case,” Memory said. “Now, the old me would have jumped at an invitation like this: free room and board with free meals for a few days. But something’s changed. I’m not the same creature I used to be.”

  “Ms. Robertson, I’m sorry, but I’m not going to take no for an answer.” Johnnie Mae turned to Monica. “Monica, please get Ms. Robertson’s luggage out of the storage closet. And if you would, could you call one of the guys hanging around here to come and take them to my car.”

  “Of course, Sister Landris. Maybe Trent’s still available.” Monica said, speaking Trent’s name just a little too lovingly.

  “I don’t mean to sound too bossy, but could you hurry? I don’t like my daughter having to wait on me after she gets off the bus.” Johnnie Mae did that more for effect for Memory’s benefit than anything. She then turned to Memory. “You can’t be too careful with your children these days. Things aren’t like they used to be when you could trust that nobody would dare snatch them up, let alone harm or kill them.”

  “It is a different world we live in, that’s for sure,” Memory said. “So, I won’t make you argue about whether I should go home with you for now. I’ll go willingly, and we can finish our talk. You can always take me to a hotel or the bus station afterward.”

  Johnnie Mae slowly released a sigh of relief. “Absolutely.”

  After they picked up Princess Rose, Johnnie Mae and Memory went to her house. Johnnie Mae knew she couldn’t call Lena or Sarah until after Pastor Landris came home. That way, she could be certain someone was watching Memory, until she knew what direction to take next.

  “So Elaine,” Johnnie Mae said as she was fixing dinner and had Memory and Princess Rose in the kitchen with her. “You have a daughter, granddaughter, and a great-granddaughter. Where do they live?”

  “Last I saw them, my daughter and pregnant granddaughter, they were living in the Atlanta area,” Memory said. “I’m sure you’ve probably been to Atlanta many times.”

  Johnnie Mae smiled. “Yes. Pastor Landris used to pastor a church there several years back. I’m quite familiar with Atlanta.”

  “He was the pastor of a church in Atlanta? I wonder if he ever knew any of my people?”

  Pastor Landris came in the house just then. “Family! I’m home,” he said.

  Johnnie Mae smiled at Memory.

  Princess Rose ran to meet her stepfather. “Daddy Landris is home!” she said. “Hey, Daddy Landris! What did you bring me?”

  “What did I bring you? You mean, I’m not enough?”

  Princess Rose laughed. “Of course you are. But what did you bring me?” she said as he tickled her and made her laugh out loud.

  “Good evening, I’m Pastor Landris.”

  “You kno
w I know you,” Memory said. “I have truly been blessed by your teachings, Pastor Landris. You prayed for me once when I came to the altar, the first time I came to the church, actually. God changed my heart. I can’t explain how it happened, but it happened.”

  “Most folks can’t explain how a microwave works either, but that doesn’t stop us from using it,” Pastor Landris said. “I hear you’re going to grace us with your presence for a few days.”

  “Oh, that’s your wife talking. I haven’t agreed to any such thing. Dinner was the extent of my commitment,” Memory said.

  Pastor Landris leaned over and spoke quietly, “Now, you wouldn’t want to disappoint my lovely wife, would you? We would love your company. We have several guest rooms in this house, as I’m sure you can imagine from the size of it. It’s things like this that I believe God wants us to do for one another.” He glanced over at Johnnie Mae as he spoke that last sentence.

  Memory smiled as she sipped the hot tea. “Your wife showed me the rooms. And I wouldn’t want to hurt her feelings. But I don’t want anybody getting the wrong idea either. I didn’t come to y’all’s church trying to mooch off anybody or to run a scam. I came to confess some stuff, and to be honest, I still haven’t gotten but half of it off my chest yet. But I promised God I would confess my sins so I can have that off me and I can start with a clean slate. Then I’m going to try to make some things right with some people I’ve wronged. Don’t quite know how I’m going to manage that, but I’m going to trust God. For once, I’m going to walk by faith and not by sight and trust God to order my steps.”

  “Well, all right then. So you’re at least going to stay the night, right?” Pastor Landris said.

  “When you put it like you just did, I suppose I have to. As long as you know I’m on the up-and-up. I wouldn’t dare put myself in a position to mess with God’s anointed ones. Not now. I have enough to have to pay for as it is already.”

  “You do know that God will toss all you’ve done into the sea of forgetfulness. He will give you a new beginning. He is the God of a second chance and of new beginnings.”

  “God might forget about it, but a lot of these people I know write stuff down just to be sure they don’t forget junk you’ve done to them.” She drank some more of her tea. “But like I said, I will stay the night. Maybe the anointing here will give me the strength I’m going to need for this journey I have ahead of me.”

  While Pastor Landris kept Memory and Princess Rose entertained Johnnie Mae went upstairs to her bedroom to call Sarah.

  “Don’t be giving me hypotheticals. I believe you know where she is. Bring my child home to me, please,” Sarah said after Johnnie Mae explained in her own way what was happening. “I don’t know how much longer I have. But I have to see her with my physical eyes before I leave this earth. If the Lord is willing, I have to see her. So if you’ve found her, catch a plane first thing in the morning, or if you must drive up, then drive. But bring my child home to me.”

  “Okay, Sarah. But I need to know if I do see her, how much you want me to tell her about who you really are.”

  “Tell her whatever you need to tell her to convince her to come. Everything, if you have to,” Sarah said. “I don’t see any other way you’re going to get her to come unless she knows the whole truth. I don’t care how much you tell her, just get my child to me. That’s all that matters to me at this point. I’m too old and too frail to come there, or else I would charter a plane and be there tonight. I’ll get you whatever money you need to do whatever it takes to get her here, just please, Johnnie Mae…please, I don’t have time for hypotheticals. If you know where Memory is right now, please bring my child home to me.”

  “Okay, Sarah. But what about Lena?” Johnnie Mae asked.

  “I’ll tell Lena what’s possibly going on. I know she doesn’t trust her mother any farther than she can throw her. But we’re just going to have to work this out. I’ve come too far to turn around now. You know what I’ve been through to get to this point. I’m too close to let anything or anyone stop me. You know this has to be God working this out. And I don’t believe He brought me this far to leave me now. Call me and let me know when to expect your arrival. I’ll be waiting.”

  “All right. If I find her, I don’t know whether we would actually fly or drive. My due date is not for a couple of months. And I feel fine to travel.”

  “I know I’m asking a lot of you. And maybe I’m wrong to be doing it—”

  “No, Sarah. It’s okay. I understand how much this means to you, more than you’ll ever know.”

  “Johnnie Mae?”

  “Yes, Sarah.”

  “Is there anything too hard for God?”

  Johnnie Mae laughed. “No, Sarah. God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we can ever ask or think. I know this much for myself. There is nothing too hard for God. Nothing!”

  “Yeah. I’m starting to see that myself as well. Praise God from whom all blessings flow. My child is coming home. For whatever reason, you’re holding back what you know. But I know my child is coming home! Thank you, Lord. After almost seventy years, my child is coming home! You’re bringing my child back to me. Memory is coming home.”

  Chapter 34

  Is any thing too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life….

  —Genesis 18:14

  Pastor Landris reflected back on the past few months. He had begun a series in January called Strongholds. Here it was June and that message, as a Word from God should, was still having a profound effect on people’s lives. As he stood to speak on this Sunday morning, looking at this vast congregation, he saw more than just faces when he looked into the crowd. These were the faces of people hungry for God’s Word, people in expectation of the Word of God to assist them in their everyday lives.

  People like Dr. Xavier Holden and his wife, Avis, who were sitting on the front row to his right. On the left side was Bentley Strong holding the hand of his pregnant wife, Marcella. Pastor Landris couldn’t help but notice and smile at how happy that couple seemed as they sat there waiting for him to begin. Sapphire was a few rows behind Johnnie Mae, and next to her sat Charity. Sapphire and Charity could be seen together quite often these days. Pastor Landris believed that was a good thing. In fact, it fell right in line with his message for the day: preserved fruit.

  “I happen to like fresh fruit,” Pastor Landris began. “The other day, I went to the refrigerator and took out a container of strawberries. Inside the container were various sizes of strawberries, but what immediately caught my attention was how a few of those beautiful strawberries had started to go bad. My first thought was to get the bad ones away from the good ones as quickly as possible. You see, I knew the bad ones, alongside the good, would cause the good ones to go bad that much faster. I can’t explain precisely why that is, although I suspect it’s because of the convenience of transferring. But we do know this to be a scientific fact.”

  Pastor Landris paced a few steps to his right. “For the fruit that was going bad, I understood I could cut off the bad parts and keep what was worth saving. But for those too far gone, I knew my only option was to throw them away. That’s when I heard God say, ‘Just like the good fruit and the bad fruit here, that’s how people must be attentive regarding who they hang around.’ You see, although there was good fruit in there with the bad, the good fruit—as wonderful as it looked and was—could never turn the bad fruit back to good.” Pastor Landris shook his head.

  “But the bad fruit, if continued to be left around and with the good fruit, could definitely infect the good fruit and cause it to go bad. A few months ago and for several months, I taught a series on strongholds. Many times people who are trying to live right—those producing good fruit—believe they can hang around, run with, and even be bosom buddies with people in their environment and on their terms who are sin infected. They think they can change them. Now, I’m not saying those who know the way shouldn’t
be witnessing and ministering to those who don’t know that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and that no man comes to the Father except by Jesus. So I want you to hear me good.” Pastor Landris walked down the steps to be closer to the congregation.

  “What I’m saying is if your fruit is good, you have to watch being around fruit that is rotting or already rotten. Hear me again. Good fruit cannot turn bad fruit to good; but bad fruit can, if left around for too long, affect good fruit in negative ways and turn it bad. One little bruise. One small spot. A little mold. Another spot.” He walked back up the steps. “But there is some good news! Somebody say good news!”

  “Good news!” the congregation shouted.

  “I’m talking good news with a capital G and a capital N; I’m talking the Gospel Good News.”

  Members of the congregation began to clap and stand to their feet. Pastor Landris took out his handkerchief and wiped the sweat off his forehead.

  “The Good News is that the Holy Spirit is able to protect and preserve. And protected and preserved fruit can withstand being around bad fruit without being affected in the same way as good fruit that hasn’t been preserved. So for all of you who have been and are still wrestling with various strongholds, you might need to check who you’re choosing to hang around. Check and check often.”

  Fatima Adams looked to the man sitting on her right. She smiled. Trent Howard grinned back at her.

  Pastor Landris began to scan from right to left as he continued to preach. “Jude verse twenty-four says, ‘Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.’ This verse,” Pastor Landris said as he bounced, “should have you shouting right now. Oh, can’t you just see Jesus presenting you faultless because all of the bad parts have been cut away? Jesus able to present you faultless because you’re saved…because you were kept…because you’ve been preserved by His grace.”