Journey Of Faith_A Contemporary Christian Romance Read online

  “Thanks. Will you text me the address of the inn? I’ll meet you there at six.”

  “Serenah will meet you. I have to go into town.”

  “Okay. Sounds good!”

  Hanging up with the pastor, I immediately texted my boss at the gift shop and let her know I wouldn’t be in for the next week. I had already given her the heads-up about everything going on and she was understanding. Straightaway after sending the text, I went into my bedroom and began to pack my suitcase. This was going to be the break I needed for my music career.

  With a prayer answered and a dream coming true, I was now on my way to Diamond Lake.

  Chapter 12 - James

  LATE ONE EVENING, I WAS about to take out my ear buds for the night when my song came on my playlist, Reckless Love by Cory Asbury. Cranking up the volume, I used the mop handle for a microphone and busted out in dance as I swayed and sang along to the music. Letting the music wash over my entire being, I poured out my praise to the Lord in the stillness of the night.

  As the song concluded, I slowed my dancing and took out my ear buds. On the tip of my mind was all that God had done for me. He knew me more than anyone on the face of the planet, and yet He still loved and loves me and gave Himself up on Calvary’s cross. That truth was one I was realizing more with each day. It was overwhelming to see how God was so good to me when I never did a single thing to deserve it.

  Mop in hand, I crossed the bathroom floor and set it inside the bucket. I caught my reflection in the mirror above the sink a few feet away. Closing the distance between myself and the sink, I placed my hands on each side of the sink and looked at my face. I wasn’t the young kid I used to be. I had finally begun to grow up. Lowering my head and eyes, I prayed.

  “Thank You, Lord. You have been so good to me and I haven’t ever deserved it. Even with all the wrong I’ve done, You have loved me all along. You truly are a good Father.”

  Just then, a faint voice singing carried through the closed bathroom door. Slightly startled, I checked my phone. It was quite late, and for someone to be at the church building this late at night was unheard of in all the time I had been working there as a janitor.

  The thought entered my mind that I was going crazy. Giving myself a good few shakes of my head, I listened for it again.

  It was still there.

  Grabbing the mop and bucket, I exited the bathroom.

  The voice grew louder, the words clearer.

  It was a woman, and the song was Reckless Love. Things were getting very peculiar. How could there be a woman in the church this late at night and singing the song that meant the world to me and I’d just heard on my playlist? I shook my head. This wasn’t right. Continuing away from the voice, I headed to the janitor’s closet.

  The music didn’t cease by the time I finished putting the mop and bucket away, so I headed to the sanctuary to see who it was.

  My heart pounded with each step closer to the sanctuary, the voice becoming clearer, more beautiful than previously. I had to learn whose angelic voice this was before I left for home.

  Chapter 13 - Faith

  FINISHING THE SECOND RUN-THROUGH singing acapella with my eyes closed, I was startled by the sudden sound of clapping. Immediately, I opened my eyes and turned red as a strawberry at the appearance of a man walking up the aisle toward the stage. My heart raced.

  “That was absolutely wonderful. Are you performing next week at the festival thing?” He came closer to the stage and then started up the stairs.

  “Stop!” I said, raising a hand. Backing up a step, I shook my head and grabbed my pepper spray, whipping it out. I pointed it at him with a trembling hand. “Who are you? What are you doing here?”

  He raised his hands and took a step back.

  “Whoa. My name is James. I’m the janitor.”

  My nerves settled a measure hearing he was merely a janitor, not someone trying to hurt me. “Oh. Well, I’m Faith. And yes, I’m performing at the festival. I’m practicing, and I like to do it alone and without an audience.”

  James laughed. “Hate to break it to you, but you’ll be performing in front of an audience.”

  “Yeah, well not today.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “All right. Touché. Hey, Faith. Could you put the pepper spray away, or did you plan on still spraying me with it? I have contacts in right now, so I’d really rather not be sprayed.”

  “Sorry.” Relaxing, I put it back into the holster on my hip.

  His eyes stayed on it.

  “You carry pepper spray into a church for any particular reason?”

  “Well, yeah. Protection.”

  “Protection against what? You’re in a church.”

  “Don’t you watch the news? It’s a crazy world out there. There’s no safe place anymore. I carry it everywhere.”

  “Okay.” He smirked, shaking his head.

  “What?”

  He shrugged, then turned and started walking off the stage back down the steps. “I agree that the world is pretty crazy out there, and protection is good, but I have a feeling you’re just buying into the media’s scare tactics on this one.”

  Crossing over to the edge of the platform, I leaned over. “The threat is real! We have enemies everywhere!”

  Stopping, he turned around and looked right into my eyes. “The real enemy we should be worried about exists within each of us. It’s our flesh and the three great temptations. The lust of the eyes, the lust of the body, and the pride of life. Giving in to temptation is the real threat we face every single day, not some psycho running into a church and shooting it up or mugging us.”

  As he continued to walk down the aisle to leave, I felt convicted by his words. Seeing him almost at the doors, I hurried off the stage and caught up to him. Pulling on his arm, I turned him to face me.

  “Why are you the janitor? You should be preaching.”

  He shook his head, and his mind seemed to go elsewhere for a moment. Then he looked at me again. His brown eyes cut through me. “You should probably get back to practicing. It’s kind of late, and I’m headed home, so you will be alone.”

  He left out the doors of the sanctuary and I returned to the stage. As I continued to practice my singing, I thought more about what he’d said and I couldn’t get it out of my mind. I began questioning myself and wondering if I was indeed more concerned about a rare and freak accident happening to me than I was about the true enemy who lived within—the flesh and the temptation of sin.

  Chapter 14 - James

  GETTING HOME THAT EVENING, I tossed the keys on the counter and walked over to the fridge. Opening the mouth of the carton of orange juice, I gulped down a few big swigs and wiped my mouth with the sleeve of my shirt. It was a lonely life living in a big house like this, but one perk was not having anyone upset about drinking out of the carton.

  I put the orange juice back into the fridge and pulled out two Hot Pockets, tossing them into the microwave. As I waited for my food to cook, I thought about Faith on that stage singing, her eyes closed, her fists balled up as she poured out her praise to God. I found it beautiful to see such an intimate side of her without knowing her in the slightest. Her heart was interlaced with God, and that was attractive.

  Beep! Beep! Beep!

  I carefully pulled the hot meat pockets out of the microwave and onto a plate. Taking the plate of food over to the kitchen table, I pulled my Bible out from the middle and opened to the first book of Samuel, the book of the Bible I was studying in my evenings after work. I read for a while about Saul and David, and then I came to a passage that nudged me in the spirit to stop and ponder.

  David asked Ahimelek, “Don’t you have a spear or a sword here? I haven’t brought my sword or any other weapon, because the king’s mission was urgent.”

  The priest replied, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here; it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want it, take it; there is no sword here but that one.”
>
  David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.”

  1 Samuel 21:8-9

  Recalling the fact that David had been the one who’d had victory over Goliath earlier in the book of Samuel, I found a connection. God had given victory to David back when he fought Goliath, and that victory was still serving a purpose far later in his life. Applying the truth of the story in the Bible to my own life, I thought of the victory God had given me over drugs. Then, I thought of Alex and how we’d had a run-in last month at the church. Maybe this victory I had over drugs was my Goliath’s sword? Maybe now was a time in which the past victory could be coming into play?

  As I climbed into bed that night, I thought more of Alex and the passage I had read that evening in Samuel. Praying as I drifted to sleep, I asked God to show me the way in regard to Alex. Then, just as I was about asleep, Faith invaded my thoughts. With those gorgeous blue eyes shimmering in the lights shining down on stage, she was beautiful. I smiled and fell asleep.

  Chapter 15 - Faith

  WAKING UP TO THE VIEW of Diamond Lake right outside my window was not only a refreshing change of scenery from my one-bedroom apartment window in Colville but a reminder of last night. My unique conversation with a mysterious, yet attractive stranger. The words James had spoken were still lingering in my mind as I took a seat at one of the tables in the breakfast area of the inn. Sitting in my pajamas while I drank my coffee, I recalled his words. He was not only insightful, but he held a gentleness and depth in his eyes that intrigued me.

  Serenah joined me at the table, pushing over a plate of eggs, toast, and hash browns.

  “How was your evening at the church practicing?” Serenah inquired as she buttered her toast.

  “Good. I had an unexpected visitor.”

  She tilted her head with a confused look, then she softened as a light bulb must’ve gone on. “Oh, James! I didn’t even think about his being there. I’m so sorry we didn’t mention him. I think I was a little distracted by Emma’s fever.”

  Shooing the air with a hand, I shrugged. “It’s not a big deal. Is Emma okay now?”

  “Yes. She’s resting now. Anyway, how’d it go with James?”

  “It was okay. I did almost pepper spray him.”

  “Oh, wow! That would’ve been bad. Really bad.”

  “Yes, it would have. He seems really in tune with God.”

  “Oh, yeah? What’d he say?” Serenah seemed quite interested.

  “Well, once he saw me with the pepper spray and I explained my paranoia, he made a comment about our real enemies not being people shooting up churches but instead within each of us. You know, like the temptations we have every day are a much bigger threat to us.”

  “That’s pretty deep, but I’m not surprised. He’s a thinker.”

  “You know much about him?”

  Shrugging, she finished a bite of toast, then picked up her cup of coffee. “He doesn’t really talk much to anyone but Charlie. I’m surprised he talked to you. He usually avoids conversation.”

  Curious to learn more about James, I scooted closer to the table and leaned in. “What more can you tell me about him?”

  After taking a sip of her coffee, she paused, then said, “He’s the son of our associate pastor, Ed, who passed away. I know James went to seminary for a while. He’s been working at the church as our janitor for over a year now.”

  “Went to seminary? So that explains some of the depth. Why is he a janitor then, instead of in ministry? Did he not finish seminary or . . . ?”

  Raising a hand, Serenah shook her head. “I can’t go into details with you. But if you’re curious to learn more about the guy, talk to him. He lives just down the road.”

  “Okay. Maybe I will.”

  After a brief silence, Serenah changed the subject. “Jessica and Kirk, he’s the youth group leader, will be coming over for dinner and games tomorrow night. We thought it’d be the perfect chance for you to meet him and his wife. He’s a really nice guy.”

  “That sounds like it should be fun.”

  As I ate my breakfast that morning and looked out to the lake, I thought more of James. I hadn’t dated anyone since Victor, and I’d had my fair share of chances, but I just always found a reason to back away from every potential man who had come into my life. I feared rejection and being let down again like I had been with Victor. The blow he dealt to my heart wasn’t an easy thing to get over, and I wasn’t sure if my heart had the stamina to handle another Victor.

  Chapter 16 - James

  MIKEY, THE OWNER OF THE mechanic shop in Newport, gave me an awesome deal on an oil change and tune-up for Zeda the next day. Getting into the driver seat, I turned the key over and let the engine hum as I traced the steering wheel with my thumbs. I still couldn’t get over how I had come to get the car last year from Mark. Having my dad’s car was a blessing I thought of daily. I loved having it, but I would give it up in a second to get just five more minutes with my dad.

  On my drive home, I drove through Newport and happened to spot Alex sitting on a bench. Parking alongside the sidewalk about twenty yards away from him, I decided to go talk to him. He had been on my mind a lot in the last month since I’d seen him behind the church, and only more so after last night’s passage in Samuel about David acquiring that sword. This was a chance to help him. I had to do it.

  Working up the nerve, I finally got out and walked up to him.

  His eyes lifted from beneath the gray hooded sweatshirt he was wearing. His hands were deep in his pockets.

  “What do you want, church boy?”

  I sat down beside him, looking straight.

  “How are you, Alex?”

  “You don’t care, dude. Stop pretending. Don’t worry. I’ll stay away from your precious church.”

  “Listen, I do care about you.” Turning to him on the bench, I looked squarely at him. “Cutting you out of my life was probably the most difficult decision I had to make. I did it to get clean. Why don’t you get that?”

  “Yeah, I get it. You had to get clean, and now you live this perfect little life and have a nice car. Awesome for you. Grats on your perfect life.”

  “My dad is dead. That’s why I have the car.” Shaking my head, I sat back on the bench and stared forward. “You want to victimize yourself and pretend like you’re the only person in the world with turmoil. Fine. But I’m not going to feel guilty about it anymore.”

  Getting up, I went back to my car and slammed the door as I got in. I turned the key over as I stared out the windshield at Alex. I felt heartbroken for him, but angry at the same time. My soul was heavy with sorrow, knowing that Alex was only one decision away from a real and thriving relationship with God. God, who could breathe life into his dry bones and bring joy to his world that he hasn’t known.

  On my drive back to my house, I prayed for Alex. I prayed for him to find Jesus, to experience His never-ending love. As I turned onto my street, I saw the pretty gal with an amazing singing voice from last night. Smiling as I recalled her singing Reckless Love, I pulled over.

  She stopped and looked over at me.

  “You need a ride?”

  “No, that’s okay. I was just walking.”

  “Okay. You practicing again tonight?”

  She tilted her head. “I don’t know. Will you be there?”

  “Ouch.”

  She stopped walking and looked at me. “Sorry. I didn’t mean it as rude, but like I’ve already said, I don’t like an audience. The whole reason I’m here a week early is to practice without anyone watching.”

  “Okay, I can understand that. I’ll vacuum in the sanctuary right at six tonight and then steer clear of it the rest of the evening. No audience.”

  She smiled. “Thanks.”

  “No problem. I’ll see you around . . . or wait, I won’t?”

  A laugh escaped from her lips as she threw her head back. “Oh, stop. I’ll see you on Sunday, I’m sure.”

  “Okay.”

  Pullin
g away from the side of the road, I couldn’t stop smiling. Not only did Faith have a great singing voice, but she laughed at my lame attempt at a joke. I liked that. Glancing in my rear-view mirror to get one more look at her, I couldn’t help but feel warmth crash over my heart. There was something about her that was special. I could sense it. I could feel it.

  Chapter 17 - Faith

  THE CLOCK IN THE KITCHEN struck six o’clock, and I thought of James being in the sanctuary, vacuuming the floors. I hadn’t prodded and poked into learning more about him earlier that afternoon when he had pulled over on the side of the road. I also didn’t admit to him that I was only walking alongside the road because I had gone over to his house to talk. Our conversation was brief, a few minutes of time, and yet, I couldn’t stop thinking about how good he looked in a pair of jeans and a white shirt.

  “What are you smiling about?” Serenah asked with a light and curious tone as she walked into the kitchen.

  “Oh, nothing. Hey, do you want me to pick anything up from Newport while I’m out?”

  “We are out of cookies. I know Kirk has a sweet tooth, so if you could grab a bag of them for tomorrow, that would be great.”

  Grinning, I nodded. “My dad was like that.”

  Walking over to the island in the kitchen, I picked up my purse and folder of music.

  “Faith?” Serenah asked, walking over to me.

  “Yeah?”

  “There was a man who called the inn for you.”

  “Oh?” I asked, confused. “Who?”

  “Victor?”

  My heart sank.

  Raising an eyebrow, I did my best to not seem affected by it. “Really? He called here?”

  “Yeah. He was asking to speak to you. Are you in a relationship with this man?”

  “Uh, no.” The idea was absurd after what he had done to me. “Don’t worry about it, though, and if he calls again, just tell him I’m not staying here.”

  She looked uncomfortable with the notion. “Are you in trouble?”