All eyes fell on Cassandra and JT said, “I know that you saw her sitting with me this morning and assumed that she had simply taken me back yet again. But not this time, and I can’t tell you how much that hurts.” Tears streamed down his face. He pulled his handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped his face. “We have become friends and that’s more than I could have ever hoped for. She came here today to support me. Can you imagine that? After all I’ve done to her, she didn’t want me to go through this alone.” He looked to heaven, shaking his head and then he turned back to the people. “I am a man that has truly been blessed by God; I just didn’t know it until it was too late. It took being forsaken by the Lord for me to turn my life around.
“I came here today, because I don’t want you to go through the suffering my family has endured. I don’t want you to miss God. As your pastor, I realize that I have failed you and that is why I am formally stepping down from my pastoral position at Faith Outreach.”
His members began to cry. JT held up his hand. “No tears, okay. This is not goodbye. I am not leaving God. I am more determined than ever to serve the Lord. I have fallen in love with Him all over again. But now it is time for me to allow God to lead me. I do not want to hinder God’s people by being somewhere I’m not supposed to be.” He turned to Elder Unders and said, “From this day forward, I don’t want you to call Unders elder again. He is now your pastor.”
Cassandra sat Lily in her carrier, stood up and clapped for Pastor Unders. The other members of the congregation followed, as they stood and clapped for the elevation of this Godly man.
When the congregation had quieted down, JT said. “I only ask that you pray for me and my family. We are on a journey toward God and will need all the prayers we can get to stay grounded and rooted in the Lord. I have been cleansed by God and I want to stay that way.” JT put the mic down, left the pulpit and sat back down next to his wife. The congregation stood up once again and shouted praises to the Lord as they clapped for the cleansing of JT Thomas.
He and Cassandra stayed until the end of the service. Pastor Unders preached a soaring message on forgiveness that touched the hearts of many within the sanctuary. When they were about to leave, Bishop Turner came down from the pulpit, hugged JT and then turned to Cassandra. “Can I talk to you for a moment?”
Cassandra started to turn away from Bishop, but JT whispered in her ear, “Remember Pastor Unders message, Honey. You’ve got to forgive.”
She turned back to Bishop and asked, “Why weren’t you up there confessing your sins today?”
“I guess I’m not as brave as your husband. I’m praying that God helps me in that respect. But it doesn’t change the fact that I love you and have since the day you were born,” Bishop said with his hat in his hand.
“Well, I’m hungry, so if we’re going to talk, it needs to be over a steak,” Cassandra said.
“JT, will you be okay if I steal your wife for the afternoon?” Bishop asked.
JT picked up Lily’s baby carrier off the floor as he told them, “You two have a lot to talk about. I’ll catch up with Cassandra later.”
As JT walked out of the church two men followed him out the door. One of them said, “Pastor Thomas, can we speak with you for a moment?”
JT stopped, put Lily’s carrier down and shook hands with the men. “What’s up?”
“I’m Lloyd and this is John.” He pointed to the man standing next to him. Anyway, we’ve been going through a lot of the things you talked about today, so John and I were wondering if we could come to your house to join you for Bible study?”
“Elder Unders might not want you guys to have Bible study with me.”
John asked, “If we check with Elder Unders and he thinks it’s okay, are you willing to help us?”
JT didn’t respond.
Lloyd said, “Please, Pastor Thomas. We want to be right in the eyes of God. But we need help from someone who knows what it’s like to fall from grace. Will you help us?”
JT nodded. “If Unders says it’s okay, I would love to have you guys join me for Bible study.”
“Thanks, Pastor, we appreciate it,” John told him as the two men walked away.
As JT walked toward his car, the clouds that were in the sky receded as the brightness of the sun beamed down on him. The Lord in all his glorious majesty sat on the throne looking down to earth. The angels gathered around the throne, anxious to see what on earth had caught the attention of the Holy One. A man was walking away from a church building, headed toward a ten year old Pontiac. He was effortlessly carrying a baby, but what caught the angels’ attention was the countenance of the man. They didn’t see this on humans very often, but when they did, it was usually shouting time in heaven. The man, the angels recognized had died to his own desires and was now at peace with God.
Pointing toward the man, the Lord smiled and said, “This is my beloved servant, in whom I am well pleased.”
THE END
(Of this book)
Don’t forget to join my mailing list:
http://vanessamiller.com/events/join-mailing-list/
Join me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/77899021863/
Join me on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/vanessamiller01
Vie my info on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/vanessamiller
You were reading Forsaken, book 1 in the Forsaken Series
Here is a list of the other books in the Forsaken Series
Forgiven
http://www.amazon.com/Forgiven-Book-2-Forsaken-ebook/dp/B004Z20EFA/ref=sr_1_8?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1383843100&sr=1-8&keywords=Forgiven
Forgotten
http://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Book-3-Forsaken-Series-ebook/dp/B008190DG8/ref=pd_sim_kstore_2
AUTHOR BIO: Vanessa Miller
Vanessa Miller of Dayton, Ohio, is a best-selling author, playwright, and motivational speaker. Her stage productions include: Get You Some Business, Don’t Turn Your Back on God, and Can’t You Hear Them Crying.
Vanessa has been writing since she was a young child. When she wasn’t writing poetry, short stories, stage plays and novels, reading consumed her free time. However, it wasn’t until she committed her life to the Lord in 1994 that she realized all gifts and anointing come from God. She then set out to write redemption stories that glorify God.
To date, Vanessa has written four complete series and one single title mainstream book. Her readership steadily grows with each new release as she is a consummate promoter of her works. Vanessa believes that each of her books touch the heart and soul of readers across the country in a special way. It is, after all, her God-given destiny to write novels that bring deliverance to God’s people. These books have received rave reviews, winning Best Christian Fiction Awards and topping numerous Bestsellers’ lists.
•Essence Bestsellers’ List March 2008; May 2008 (Former Rain)
•Essence Bestsellers’ List September 2008 (Rain Storm)
•Black Expressions Book Club Alternate Selection 2007, 2008, 2009 & 2010
•#1 Ebook for fiction on Amazon.com November 2010 (Long Time Coming)
•#1 on BCNN/BCBC Bestsellers’ List November 2010 (Long Time Coming)
Vanessa is a dedicated Christian and devoted mother. She graduated from Capital University with a degree in Organizational Communication. In 2010, Vanessa was ordained by her church as a minister. Vanessa believes that God has called her to minister through her writings and help readers rediscover their place with the Lord.
Most of Vanessa’s published novels depict characters that are lost and in need of redemption. The books have received countless favorable reviews.
“. . . Heartwarming, drama-packed and tender in just the right places.”—Romantic Times Book Review.
“Recommended for readers of redemption stories.” –Library Journal.
www.vanessamiller.com
Former Rain-Forsaken Box Set Page 41