Jim mulled over the conversation as he went to his desk. Today was going to be devoted to his column on Angela De La Cruz. Just to be fair, he first called Holcombe, but the councilman shot a forceful “no comment” at him and ended the call.
“So, that’s how you want to play it, Larry?” Jim said to the thin air as he hung up the phone. Little did Larry know that saying “no comment” to Jim was like challenging him to a duel. And Jim was an expert swordsman.
WHAT LARRY HOLCOMBE DOESN’T WANT YOU TO KNOW
By James T. Mitchell
Recently re-elected Emerald Valley Councilman Larry Holcombe has a secret he doesn’t want you to know.
People who voted for him in 2004 may remember Holcombe’s fliers showed a family portrait of him, his wife, and their daughter Angela. Oddly enough his daughter disappeared from his campaign literature this year.
Now we know why.
According to a close friend of Angela’s, her father made the now 22-year-old change her name because she was getting into trouble with the law and Larry didn’t want his image tarnished.
Way to go, Dad!
But wait, the story gets better.
Jim wrote about Larry’s real reason behind his support for Measure B, careful to leave out Delores Holcombe’s name. He would never burn a source. Besides, she might have some good information for him in the future. Jim reworked the ending three times before finding one he liked.
When Larry Holcombe ran for office, he talked a lot about the lack of integrity among public officials.
Larry seems to be lacking his as well.
James T. Mitchell offers unsolicited parenting advice on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays full-time starting July 4th. He can be reached at [email protected]
Pleased with his work, he told Ken his column was in. Ken read over it and congratulated him on the article. As a reward, Jim took off early for lunch and went to the break room to get his lunch from one of the two refrigerators, then went outside to eat.
Halfway through lunch, Melissa came up and asked if she could join him.
“Sure.”
She sat down and they made small talk as they ate. He told her about Jeremiah chewing out Dan over their article and about what he said in his column. She told him about a story she was working on. Then she shifted subjects.
“I wondered if you would be willing to come to my church this Sunday?”
Jim was taken aback by the request. “I thought I mentioned yesterday that I wasn’t a saint.”
“Yeah, I know. It’s just that at New Creation you saw what shouldn’t happen at church. I was thinking you might want to see a healthier way to think about worshipping God. Besides, I thought you would be up to the challenge.” Melissa seemed determined to rebut Jim’s snide comments with some of her own.
Jim was silent in thought for a moment before responding. “OK, I’ll go. Just don’t expect to convert me or anything.”
“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll leave that up to God. That’s His job anyway, not mine.”
And before the lull in the conversation could become awkward, Melissa moved the discussion onto other matters.
12
9:57 a.m. Sunday, June 22
As Jim left his loft Sunday morning for the 10:30 a.m. service, he did not have high expectations for what Melissa’s church would be like. What he remembered about his few visits to his Uncle Phil’s church was the aura of antiquity that enveloped the place. From the New England-style building to the hard-backed pews to the hymns from the language of Shakespeare to the long-winded and dry preaching, nothing sat right with him. It all seemed like an act, an old ritual people performed every week for tradition’s sake and little else. Phil told him things had improved since his childhood visits, but Jim hadn’t been prompted to return to church. Until now.
When he arrived at the address Melissa had given him, he momentarily thought he was at the wrong place. Hill Pointe Community Church in downtown Pomona was nothing like what Jim was expecting. The building looked more like a performing arts center than a house of worship. The main building had a glass front, which housed the lobby. Next to what Jim had mentally dubbed the “mega-chapel” were several small buildings Jim guessed were the classrooms for Sunday school classes.
About 10 minutes early for the service, Jim was thankful there were several spaces up front reserved for visitors in the lot dotted with metal basketball hoops. Parking his car and setting the alarm, he scanned the area outside the front doors for his coworker. Melissa saw him first and waved. Jim nodded his head and walked toward her.
“So, is this what you were expecting?”
“Actually I was expecting a little white church with stained-glass windows and a steeple.”
“Boy are you in for a surprise.”
Melissa took the lead as they entered. Right inside the door, a man dressed in a powder-blue polo shirt and khakis handed Jim a bulletin. Jim looked around the lobby and noticed he was more dressed up than anybody in the room was. Excusing himself, Jim went to the men’s restroom, removed his tie and undid the top button of his shirt. He folded the tie up and quickly ran to his car to place it into the messenger bag behind the front seat.
When Jim returned, Melissa noticed the tie was missing. She apologized for not telling him about the church’s semi-casual dress standard. They entered the sanctuary through the center set of doors. Jim paid close attention as he walked inside. The floor was carpeted a subdued color, and padded pews divided the sanctuary into two sections, one to each side of a main aisle. Jim quickly estimated there was room for about 700 or so people to worship in the facility. Jim admired the high-quality set-up as he scanned the stage. Its layout was definitely tailored to the needs of a band. The drum set was flanked by an electric keyboard and two guitar stands, and there were also four microphone stands set up toward the front.
“My family is up there.” Melissa pointed toward the front of the sanctuary. “Mind if we sit next to them, or would you rather say ‘hi’ after church?”
“Now seems as good a time as any.” Jim motioned Melissa forward. “Lead on.”
As they proceeded to the row where her family was sitting, Jim asked about the size of the congregation.
“We have about 1,000 people who attend one of our two Sunday services. The church just finished building this place last fall, and we moved in just before Thanksgiving. The worship center will hold almost 800 people, so even if we move to three services someday, we definitely have space to grow.”
The Jenkins family was sitting in the fifth row from the front. Melissa introduced Jim to everyone as they found their seats.
“This is my mom, Valerie, and my dad, Martin.” Jim leaned over Melissa to shake their hands.
Melissa turned around and pointed across Jim. “And this is my sister, Elizabeth, and her husband, Timothy.”
Jim shook hands again and sat down. “Didn’t you say something about having a niece?”
“Rebecca is in Sunday School right now. We’ll see her after the service.”
Valerie leaned forward to talk to Jim. “So, Lisa says you have worked at the paper for eight or nine years.”
Jim was confused. “Lisa?”
“Mom.”
“Oh, I’m sorry dear.” She apologized to her daughter before turning back to Jim “You see, we used to call her Lisa when she was younger. But when she grew up, she started going by Melissa. Sometimes I forget.”
“I started going by Melissa when I was 8. That was quite a while ago, Mom.”
“Yes, I guess you’re right, dear.”
After a momentary pause, Jim answered Valerie’s original question. “I started at the Courier in June of 2000, so it’s been eight years ago this month.”
“And how do you like it there?
“It’s a good job. The hours aren’t the best, but I’m sure Melissa has told you all about that.”
“Yes, she has.” Valerie changed the subject. “I noticed you were checking out o
ur sanctuary when you guys came in. That’s the way we were when we first saw the place done. Just amazed.”
“Ma’am, I haven’t been inside a church since I was 16. And that church sure didn’t look like this.”
Melissa could sense Jim was uncomfortable, and she was thankful when the worship band took the stage and began playing.
“Church, let’s stand as we worship the God who loves each one of us.” Almost everybody accepted the worship leader’s invitation, and Jim noticed the song lyrics flash up on two screens on either side of the stage.
While everybody else sang, Jim just stood, listened and compared the worship to what transpired at New Creation. And while the music may have had the same upbeat tone, the content was worlds apart. Instead of highlighting how wonderful I felt about getting to hang out with God, these songs emphasized the need for respecting God. The songs focused on praising and worshipping the Ruler of everything. Jim noticed God’s love and compassion were major themes, but that was balanced with the proper respect for Him. All in all, Jim found himself enjoying the music even though he didn’t participate.
After three songs, the band left and a man in his late 40s walked onto the stage. He was fairly tall and in good shape. He had genuine charisma and a healthy sense of humor, which shone through even during the announcements.
Melissa leaned over and whispered in Jim’s ear. “That’s Pastor Will.”
Jim looked at his bulletin and noticed underneath the sermon title the pastor’s name in bold letters: Lead Pastor, Will Palmer.
As the announcements continued, Jim examined the church bulletin. He was impressed with its quality. Jim remembered the old church bulletins as something with a random photo on the front and the order of service typed inside. This program had professional graphics and a high quality layout, which surprised him.
Jim tuned back in just as the pastor began his sermon.
“What would you be willing to do for $500? Think about it for a second. What would you do for 500 bucks? Maybe you’re saying, ‘Hey Pastor Will, I’d paint your whole house for 500 bucks’. Actually, my house does need painting. Any volunteers?” Will paused as light laughter bubbled up from various pockets of the congregation.
Jim groaned inwardly, fearing the pastor thought he was some sort of stand-up comedian. But Jim decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and listen to the rest of the introduction.
“I’m just curious as to what you would do for that kind of money.” Will waited for the laughter to die down. “What kinds of sacrifices would you make if you knew you would get a few hundred dollars in the end?”
Will then went on to talk about how he had made a deal as a kid with his dad to straighten up his room daily for six months in order to earn some vacation spending money. People chuckled at various points during the story. Then he tied the story into living the Christian life.
“I learned two things from that experience. One, a clean room can be a good thing. And two, the really good things in life are gained through sacrifice. Whether it’s vacation money, GI Joe action figures, a college education or marriage, if it is good, it comes with a price tag that includes more than just dollars and cents.
“The Christian life involves sacrifice, too. To become a Christian and to live the Christian life faithfully, you will sometimes be required to sacrifice some earthly possession in order to live for God. On certain occasions you may be called upon to sacrifice some earthly treasures and comforts to help contribute to building’s God’s kingdom on earth. Don’t worry, though, the return on your investment will be well worth it.”
The sermon was focused on the gospel account of the rich young ruler. Jim had never heard the story and was impressed by the presentation. The pastor was a good speaker who gave a sermon in a conversational tone but did not shortchange content for a clever turn of phrase. For the first time in a church, Jim felt like he knew what the pastor was talking about, which was a long way from the emotionless sermons he heard from Reverend Hoskins at his uncle’s church many years ago.
The pastor talked at length about sacrifice. And, to Jim’s surprise, he told the lifelong Christians that this concept of sacrifice applied to them as well as to the non-believers who are called upon to give up some things when they accept Christ as their Savior. Jim took ample notes on the message, hoping to look over them later. Jim focused intently on the pastor’s words as he closed his message.
“Friends, in order for us to have a growing relationship with God, we must be willing to give some things up. Pride in ourselves or the demand for respect for our position need to take a back seat to our work for God. We need to be willing to sacrifice some things in order to serve the King of Kings. I asked you at the beginning of my message what you were willing to sacrifice for $500. I have another question for you. What are you willing to sacrifice for God? Take some time to think about it.”
Will left the stage and one of the other pastors came up to pray for the offering. Jim was thinking about the sermon as he took the velvet pouch from Melissa and passed it to Elizabeth. The service ended after the offering, and people filed out of the sanctuary. Melissa and Jim joined the departing crowd as her family stayed behind to talk to some friends standing nearby.
Jim pursed his lips. “Hmm.”
“And by ’Hmm’ you mean…”
“Well, I never thought I’d say this, but I actually enjoyed myself. I’m not going to become a convert or anything, but I liked what the pastor had to say. Gave me something to think about.”
“Glad you enjoyed yourself. Maybe you’ll come again.”
“We’ll see.”
As they arrived at the lobby, he explained he needed to leave. Saying good-bye, Jim made a quick exit.
A few minutes later, Melissa’s family joined her.
“What happened to Jim?” Valerie asked. “I didn’t think we were talking to the Hewletts for that long.”
Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders. “Jim said he had somewhere to be.”
“Maybe he didn’t like the service.”
Melissa sighed. “He said he did, but maybe he was just saying that. I’ll ask him again this week and see what he says then.”
As they were leaving, Elizabeth reminded people lunch was at her place this week. Their parents had started a tradition almost a decade prior of eating lunch together after church one Sunday a month. Since Melissa lived in a small two-bedroom bungalow with her friend Sarah from church, the hosting duties were traded off between her sister and her mom. It was a good way to stay connected as a family.
This month Elizabeth was taking a break from preparing the food. “Timothy’s cooking, so be prepared to take the leftovers home.” Everyone laughed.
As usual, Melissa was the last to arrive at her sister and brother-in-law’s three-bedroom, one-story house. She was supposed to return some tools to her dad, but she had left the box at home and had to pick them up from her house on the way.
Since it was warm, Timothy had decided to barbecue hamburgers and chicken on the charcoal grill in the backyard. He and Martin talked about work and church politics and watched the kids as they chased each other around the yard. Valerie, Melissa and Elizabeth were in the kitchen preparing a salad, heating up some frozen potato wedges and setting out hamburger toppings.
“Melissa, how long have you known Jim?” Elizabeth asked as she chopped up an onion on the cutting board.
Melissa placed the potato wedges on a cookie sheet. “He’s been at the Courier ever since I got there, but we never really talked to each other until we started working on a story a couple of weeks ago.”
“From his comment, I gather Jim is not a Christian?” Valerie asked while washing off and drying the red-leaf lettuce.
“No, he’s not.”
“So, why are you going out with him?” Elizabeth asked point-blank.
“What are you talking about? We’re not going out.” Melissa was surprised by the defensive tone in her voice.
“Oh, come on,
Sis! Like I can’t tell when you’ve got your eye on someone. I’ve known you your whole life. Subtle you are not. A little lipstick, alluring perfume, a snazzy new outfit, sitting up straight in church, laughing at all of Pastor Will’s jokes, even the stupid ones. Yeah, you’ve got a thing for him.”
“OK, you got me. I like him.”
“But what do you like about him? As far as I can remember, you’ve only mentioned him two or three times before you started working on this story, and every time you’ve made him sound like an arrogant jerk. So, why the change?”
“I’ll admit, he does have a big ego, but since I started working with him on this story, I’ve realized he’s funny and he’s a nice guy once you get to know him.
“I also like that we’re both reporters, and he gets what I do and why I do it. And he’s got deep, blue eyes and—oh man, what am I doing?”
Both Mom and sister chuckled.
“He is good-looking,” Valerie said. “But he’s still not a Christian.”
“I know, I know.”
“Listen, you do not want to date a non-Christian. It’s bad news. Remember Andy?”
Andy Kaiser was her first college boyfriend and a non-believer. Andy, who was 21 to Melissa’s 18, seemed like a nice young man at first. But he wanted to get more and more physically intimate. She spurned his advances and, after four months of dating, their relationship ended abruptly.
“He wasn’t a bad guy, for a nonbeliever. But that’s just it; you didn’t believe the same things. He didn’t believe in God and he certainly didn’t care about your purity. Shall I go on?”
“I get your point, but you know, Elizabeth, I’m not a dewy-eyed college freshman anymore. Besides we’re coworkers and you know how I feel about mixing work and romance. I just let my emotions get the best of me with Andy. I won’t let that happen again.”
Chasing Deception Page 10