by Pat Simmons
Christian chuckled, watching Jada go next and read her note, “I will give you a crown.” She unfolded a thick paper gold-foiled crown with elaborate designs. Christian would have to give serious thought to hiring his intern after she completed school.
Bethani picked a bigger box. “The New Jerusalem has streets of gold and a crystal sea,” she read, admiring a three-dimensional pop-up castle that looked like clear plastic. Bethani’s face reflected the awe of the gift.
“Ah. That’s the Holy City mentioned in Revelation that Jesus has gone to prepare a place for those who love him—the saints,” Christian explained.
“Your turn, Mommy.” Jada dragged a box to her. Inside was the message, “Walk with me.” She lifted the tiniest baby shoes Christian had ever seen.
“You too, Mr. Christmas.” Darla dumped a random box in his lap. Christian hesitated—after all, this was all for their sakes—but everyone encouraged him, so he did.
His message read, “You shall fly like an eagle.” Christian was sure once the puzzle pieces were put together, it would be an eagle. He said, standing, “I like my gift from Jesus.”
“Me too,” they shouted in unison.
“When we go to church later, we can thank Him.” One by one, they gave Christian a hug and headed up the stairs. “Merry Christmas, babe.” He brushed her lips with a kiss.
“Merry Christmas.”
He pulled an envelope out of his pocket and handed it to her. “I know I could give you money and other material gifts, but I wanted it to be special. It’s a love letter.”
Sucking in her breath, Joy’s eyes filled with tears. She hugged the envelope to her chest. “Thank you for sharing a Christian experience of Christmas with us.”
While she thanked him, Christian took his time to appreciate her eyes, lashes, and the shape of her nose, her flawless skin, and her tempting, pouty lips. He played with the curls in her hair. “Something tells me God has many gifts for us.” After a final kiss, he grabbed his jacket and left. Behind the wheel of his car, Christian grinned. It was a holy night indeed.
***
By the time Christian arrived at Joy’s house later that morning, the children had been up for hours, opened the remaining gifts and took turns holding Baby Jesus. There was even a baby bottle. Joy turned off all the human function until they returned from church.
Between hearing the evidence of God filling her with the Holy Ghost and Christian’s love letter, Joy could hardly sleep. Throughout the night, she mumbled, “Hallelujah,” then that morning, Joy reread Christian’s letter.
Miss Knight,
You are the joy of my life. Since the moment I saw you, before God even told me you were special, my heart knew it. I’m sorry you had to experience some rough patches, especially with Jada’s father, but that proves he was never meant for you.
I don’t care about your past— I have one, too—. I care about you here and now. I love you as if you’ve always belonged to me, and I hope God will show you my love is sincere.
By the way, whenever you want something with more bling than a love letter, I know a jeweler. Merry Christmas, and I look forward to all the memories we’ll make in the new year!
I love you, babe,
Christian
Joy inhaled his words. Their heartfelt love happened so fast in a short period of time, but it was real. She was no fool. A good man was hard to find, and he found her, so she wasn’t going to push him away with any doubts.
“You look pretty.” Christian’s baritone voice snapped her to the present.
She blushed and complimented him. It was the first time she had seen him in a suit. Joy had to push back the naughty thoughts that wanted to surface. In the past she chose not to be an active Christian, but as of midnight, the choice was all hers to live for Jesus.
“Hi, Mr. Andersen.” Bethani skipped down the stairs, carrying the small pink Bible her mother had given her. She held it up for Christian to see. “I read in Acts that a servant of the Queen of Ethiopia requested to be baptized when he saw water. Can I get baptized at church?”
Christian tweaked her nose. “Pastor Peyton will stop service to baptize folks.”
“Wait a minute. I did her hair the other day,” Joy intervened.
“They have swimming caps for the ladies and a white change of clothing. It’s worth it,” Christian said.
Joy thought about it. She had no reason not to go all the way. “Then I guess I’m getting baptized, too.”
“Yay, Auntie.” Bethani hugged her, then Christian. “I’m ready!”
“Let’s not keep Jesus waiting.” Christian ushered everyone out the door once they had put on their coats. The ride to Christian’s church was a chatty one as the children talked about their Christmas gifts.
“Thanks for not letting me spend so much money on a commercial Christmas.” Joy reached for his free hand.
Bringing it to his lips, Christian brushed a kiss across her hand. “No problem, babe.”
As the Christmas music played from the radio, Joy began to second guess her decision to be baptized. Besides the hair issue, she couldn’t swim. What if she caught a cold? She had no shortage of excuses. Bowing her head, Joy said a quick prayer, Lord, help me not to be afraid. You’ve opened the door for me. Please help me to walk through it to receive all Your blessings…
“Amen,” Christian said as she opened her eyes.
“How did you know?”
“I’m in tune with you. When you bowed your head, I figured you were praying about something. You want to share?” he coaxed her.
Not with listening ears, she mouthed. Christian nodded he understood and kept driving while holding her hand.
Soon Christian exited off the highway and turned into the parking lot of Salvation is Free Church. It wasn’t a mega church, but neither was it a storefront. Judging from the packed parking lot, the members didn’t miss their Christmas service.
He parked then came around and helped everyone out. Carrying Shane in one arm, Christian held onto Joy’s hand. “Nervous?”
“Yes,” Joy admitted.
“I can’t speak for the devils that show up occasionally, but for the most part, everyone here is serious about their free salvation. If you decide to join, you will be one more member in the body of Christ.”
From the front door to the pew, the bright smiles and warm greetings relaxed Joy. As they joined Christian’s family, his mother reached for Shane and insisted Jada and Darla sit by her.
Joy didn’t see much resemblance between Christian and his brothers except their build. They were handsome. In the pew, Christian immediately knelt and prayed. Surprisingly, Bethani copied as if she was in her element.
The songs were energetic and the church prayer was moving before Christian’s pastor came to the pulpit and welcomed visitors. Then he didn’t waste any time getting into his sermon. “Merry Christmas this morning and God bless you. I want to remind you about the most expensive gift today. As a matter of fact, it was a rather pricey sacrifice. King David said it best in 2 Samuel 24:24: ‘Neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing.’ God wrapped Himself in the flesh and called Himself Jesus. All this so we can have the gift of eternal life. Your cost is to commit to walking a faith-filled life. So what is it going to be today?” He cited more scriptures.
“Before we dismiss today, I want to leave you with this: God has given you his best. Give Him your best today. The Bible says in Acts 2:38, ‘Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.’” Pastor Peyton paused. “Will that be you today? Will you repent? Will you come?”
“Let’s go, Auntie,” Bethani said, nudging her. The girl’s eyes were filled with excitement.
“This is it, babe,” Christian whispered.
Joy swallowed. She wanted to go, but excuses were coming back. Mainly, did she want people staring at her? Joy dismissed the doubts and
stared into Christian’s eyes. “Will you walk with me?”
“You didn’t even have to ask.” Squeezing her hand, he followed her out into the aisle. He set his pace by hers. Soon, they were standing in front of a minister, asking for prayer and requesting to be baptized on the spot. All around her, people were praying, calling out to the Lord, even the instruments seemed to be speaking to God.
She and Bethani were ushered into a room to change into white garments, including socks and a swimming cap. Next, they were led to the pool where ministers were waiting. Bethani went boldly in front of her. Joy hesitated, reminding herself she didn’t know how to swim.
She banished the thought. She had come this far. She was confident the Lord would take it from there. The ministers instructed the candidates to cross their arms on their chests. The minister began, “My dear sisters, upon the confession of your faith concerning the blessed Word of God, concerning His death, burial, and resurrection, we now indeed baptize you in the name of Jesus for the remission of your sins and you shall receive the Holy Ghost.”
Since God had already given her the Holy Ghost, Joy braced for the submersion. When she came up, the first word out of her mouth was Hallelujah, then she began to speak in tongues again.
On Christmas Day, she could surely say she had been born of the water and Spirit. Things were a blur after that. Once she changed back into her clothes, her children and Christian’s family surrounded her. Lifting Joy off her feet in a hug, Christian whispered in her ear, “Think about the jeweler.” She relished in the moment; more spiritual and physical gifts were coming.
Epilogue
A Christian Christmas would be embedded in Joy’s heart forever. It had brought her closer to God. Four months later, Joy was treated to a romantic elaborate Christian proposal that culminated in a destination wedding in Aruba. Before exchanging their wedding vows, Christian sent Bethani, their flower girl, to deliver a gift.
Sweetheart, how can I ever say thank you for being my wife in a few minutes? As of this day, you will never come up short— in money, love and material blessings. I would like to add to our family, but I can understand if you think it’s too much considering the four Andersen children. Enclosed is a copy of the papers I filed to adopt them, too, in addition to Jada. It’s no surprise Langston had no problem with giving up his parental rights. I love you and I can’t wait to meet you at the altar.
Love your husband-to-be,
Christian
Joy’s eyes blurred as she folded the letter. Taking a deep breath, she stood and smiled. “Tell the organist to start the music. Let’s get this show on the road.”
Biography
Pat Simmons is a self-proclaimed genealogy sleuth. She is passionate about researching her ancestors, then casting them in starring roles in her novels. She hopes her off- beat method will track down distant relatives who happen to pick up her books. She has been a genealogy enthusiast since her great-grandmother died at the young age of ninety-seven years old in 1988.
She describes the evidence of the gift of the Holy Ghost as an amazing, unforgettable, life-alternating experience. She believes God is the author who advances the stories she writes.
Pat has a B.S. in mass communications from Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts. She has worked in various media positions in radio, television, and print for more than twenty years. Currently, she oversees the media publicity for the annual RT Booklovers Conventions.
She is the author of eight single titles and several ebook novellas. Her awards include Talk to Me, ranked #14 of Top Books in 2008 that Changed Lives by Black Pearls Magazine. She is a two-time recipient of the Romance Slam Jam Emma Rodgers Award for Best Inspirational Romance for Still Guilty (2010) and Crowning Glory (2011). Her bestselling novels include Guilty of Love and the Jamieson Legacy series: Guilty by Association, The Guilt Trip, and Free from Guilt. Look for The Guilty Parties presents The Acquittal in 2013.
Pat has converted her sofa-strapped, sports-fanatical husband into an amateur travel agent, untrained bodyguard, and GPS-guided chauffeur. They have a son and daughter.
Pat’s interviews include numerous appearances on radio, television, blogtalk radio, blogs, and feature articles.
Please visit Pat at www.patsimmons.net