Brother Word (30 page)

“What’s the DA’s plea bargain look like?”

“I don’t know all the particulars; they’ll be contacting you soon, no doubt. But from what I gather, unless you want to pursue aggressive retribution, Ms. Harris will plead guilty to attempted murder and get anywhere from three to five, seeing as she’s a first-time offender.”

Chance nodded, drinking the last of his orange juice. “I don’t really care about aggressive retribution; I’ve already told the DA that. I just want Jucinda to get some help.” He set his glass down firmly. “And stay out of my life.”

“I hear you loud and clear, Chance. I’ve talked to Chief Dobbs in Ruston. Seems Ms. Harris is well connected in that town, but Dobbs and I go way back. Even when she finally gets out of prison, she won’t be causing any more problems for you down there.”

TRAVIS FELT THE EYES
of his coworkers locked onto him as he made his way to his cubicle. These were different stares than the ones he’d been receiving when he wrote the first mystery-man article. He’d rather liked that initial attention—the world of newspaper reporting was rife with jealousy and envy, and it had felt good to be the top dog for a while.

But Thursday’s article, where he’d included Chance Howard’s unedited statement at the conclusion of an unarguably pro-Christian article, had shifted those envious stares to looks of curiosity and concern, even pity. Ryman Wells had questioned the writing of such a radically Christian article, but Travis had debated (to his own surprise) the need to include the Christian slant as a precursor to his next story, which centered on the dramatic increase in the area’s church attendance over the last month.

Travis, of course, wanted nothing to do with churches or articles covering church attendance, but what choice did he have? Even though Chance Howard had not openly threatened to expose his plagiarism on previous articles, the warning clearly had been implicit. And such an exposure would have ruined Travis’s career, right as it was taking off. So if one or two pro-Christian articles were necessary to make Chance Howard go away, then so be it. But the stares from his coworkers . . . Writing such an article was almost as if Travis had declared that he, too, was a born-again Christian.

Objectivity in news reporting had subtly shifted to a liberal slant. While the industry outwardly applauded the idea of family values and Judeo-Christian ethics, such feel-good stories did not sell newspapers or garner high television ratings. The search for the next gripping national scandal like the O. J. Simpson trial or the Clinton-Lewinsky affair constantly lurked in the minds of everyone in the industry. While media figureheads outwardly deemed such scandals deplorable and shameful, inwardly they relished boosting their ratings with saturated coverage.

Travis’s story about a delusional, mysterious man popping up in various small southern towns, “pretending” to heal people, had initially captured the interest of this news feeding frenzy, at least in South Carolina. But if in fact the story turned out to be nothing more than an honest Christian man believing God to heal diseases and periodically seeing miraculous results, where was the scandal in that?

As it was, Travis needed to write his story on the rising church attendance for Tuesday’s paper, and he’d barely begun. His weekend had been spent, as usual, lounging on his couch with a remote control in one hand and a Doritos bag in the other. His intentions of attending a church service on Sunday morning to obtain a firsthand account of the increase in attendance were just that—intentions. More specifically, his body had screamed bloody murder at the thought of getting out of bed before noon on a weekend. So it was on to plan number two.

His fingers now danced atop the keyboard as he scoured the Internet search engines for anything on church attendance. There was usable data, of course, but nothing
specifically
highlighting Richland County. He needed a firsthand account, someone who went to church every Sunday in the area and could give him what he needed.

With a sigh, he reached for his telephone and dialed his sister Andrea’s number. As the saying went, desperate people will do . . .
desperate
things.

ANDREA WAS HELPING
Eddie read aloud from a primer when the phone rang.

“Keep on, Eddie—you’re doing a great job,” she said, patting him on the back as she reached for the phone.

“Andrea?”

“Travis?” She was surprised to hear her brother’s voice on the other end. “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah. Why you ask?”

“How often do you call here, Travis? Usually,
I’m
the one having to call you. Anyway, I thought it was wonderful what you wrote in your last article. Bravo for Brother Word!”

“Yeah. Speaking of that story—I’ve got to do a follow-up on a related topic. People are saying there’s been an increase in church attendance around Richland County over the past month, particularly at services where people are prayed over to receive healings.”

“There
has
been an increase! Oh, it’s been the most wonderful thing—James, Eddie, and I have started attending Faith Community Church, and every week the sanctuary is just overflowing with people. There’s talk that the church might have to schedule another service in the afternoons just to accommodate the crowds. Plus, we’ve
personally
been invited to share in several healing crusades in the last three weeks. Churches and stadiums have been packed out, and Eddie’s testimony has been—”

“Slow down, Andrea. You’re talking faster than I can write.”

“Faster than you can write? Are you taking
notes
, Travis?”

“Well, you’re giving me some good information here, and I figure I’d use it as deep background to my story.”

“Oh, I get it now. So
that’s
why you called. I knew there had to be some ulterior motive. Well, I won’t let you use my quotes as your ‘deep background,’ baby brother. What’s happening here in South Carolina is bigger than some newspaper story, and you of all people should know that.”

“Andrea, it’s not like I’m using you or anything. Didn’t you once tell me I should also report this story from the side that
believes
? That’s all I’m doing now—getting a firsthand account on church attendance from someone who should know.”

“You want a firsthand account? Okay, you’ll get one. James, Eddie, and I are going to Bible study tonight at Faith Community, and you’re coming with us.”

“
What
? I don’t have time for—”

“Then I suggest you make time, Travis. You want to report on church attendance? Try reporting on one thousand people showing up on a Monday night for a Bible study on divine healing. I doubt that’s ever happened around these parts, and if you’re writing a story on it, I’d say you have an obligation to be there.”

She heard Travis sigh audibly on the other end of the line. “We’ll pick you up at five-thirty. Don’t keep us waiting.” She hung up the phone before Travis could protest.

Chapter Fifty-three

S
O THEN FAITH COMES
by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God,” Pastor Alonzo Gentry began, opening his Bible and looking out among the congregants. “Sister Dana, thank you for that wonderful solo. How many in here have tried Him and know Him?”

Bible study at Faith Community was held on Wednesday nights, but Gentry had started conducting special Bible study services to specifically address the growing questions people were raising concerning divine healing. It had come to Gentry’s attention that all over the city people with infirmities, or in wheelchairs or otherwise handicapped, were being stopped on the street and prayed over. While he was encouraged by the believers’ zeal, he wanted to ensure such fervor was balanced with a proper understanding of the scriptures concerning healing.

“I know that we’ve all been using Mark 16:18 as a foundational basis for laying hands on the sick and healing through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And, glory to God, we
are
seeing people healed, but I want to remind us to stay focused to the heartbeat of God, which has always been . . .
souls
. Soul-winning. Healing the sick is a
sign
that follows them that believe to draw unbelievers into the Kingdom of heaven. But in that same chapter of Mark’s gospel, verse 15, Jesus opens His teaching with,
‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every man.’

“Healing the sick merely for healing’s sake is not God’s intention. However, healing the human heart and drawing unbelievers to His love
is
.” He glanced down at his Bible. “Now, the fourth chapter of Ephesians tells us that God has endowed believers with gifts of the Spirit to equip us for the work of ministry and for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

“The work of
ministry
,” he repeated for emphasis, “means that we must be mindful to spread the gospel whenever we’re in public, praying for people. Throughout my experience in ministry, I’ve seen revivals come and go, with great signs and wonders drawing thousands to crusades. All too often in these revivals, too great an emphasis is placed on giftings and outward demonstrations of the Holy Spirit. However, when the signs and wonders start appearing less frequently, the attendance usually drops off and the enthusiasm wanes for the things of God. We’re not going to let that happen with
this
revival.

“I’m excited to see front-page newspaper articles glorifying God for healing people through Chance Howard’s hands, but I’d like us all to remain focused on spreading the
gospel
, not just performing healings. You see, with healings, there is no cut-and-dried method—it’s a matter of faith between you, the person you’re praying for, and God’s will for that particular situation. But we will
always
know the will of God as it relates to the church, and that is to go throughout all the world, making disciples and baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is the Great Commission Jesus empowered us to do. I am thankful that we currently have twenty-one churches throughout Richland, Sumter, Lee, Clarendon, and Florence counties that have already enlisted in our outreach effort. While the highlight of our crusades is when we pray for the sick to receive God’s healing, we should strive to see more people receive Christ as Lord. People will come to these crusades as a result of the media attention, and when they come, let’s shower them with the true love of the Lord, alright? Whether they’re coming to see a show or strictly out of curiosity, let’s become living, breathing examples of the wonderful love of Jesus Christ. Amen?”

“Amen,” the congregants shouted in chorus.

“In fact,” Gentry continued, “let’s all take a moment and pray for each other right now. I’m so thankful that we have strong intercessors at all these churches, praying for the success of this revival, because
nothing
is birthed in the Kingdom without prayer. However, I want to make sure this move of God gets down into the hearts of everyone involved, not just the intercessors. I’m praying for a move of God in your personal lives that will affect your family life at home, on the job with your coworkers, and everywhere else in between. I’d like everyone to take one person by the hands, and begin to pray for that person. Pray that God would touch your brother or your sister in His own special way and reveal to them how to not only minister healing to the sick but salvation to the lost. Amen?”

TRAVIS HAD BEEN HALF ASLEEP
throughout most of Pastor Gentry’s teaching. The last thing on his personal wish list was sitting through some boring Bible lesson, and if he hadn’t been brought here against his will, he would’ve ditched this service a long time ago. He could not understand why people felt compelled to sit for hours and let someone either preach hellfire and brimstone at them (which at least could be lively) or lecture from an antiquated book written thousands of years ago. After listening to Pastor Gentry’s style, Travis had found the preacher to fall into the latter group.

Bo-oo-oring . . .

A small nudge to his ribs caused him to slowly open his eyes. He turned to his right and saw Eddie, trying to get his attention.

“What?” Travis whispered, leaning down to his nephew. Maybe Eddie needed someone to take him to the restroom or get a drink of water. Young kids always needed to make such pit stops.

“I’m s’posed to pray for you,” Eddie whispered back.

“What?”

“I’m s’posed to pray for you,” Eddie repeated, this time more insistently. Travis blinked a couple of times, trying to get rid of the sleep-induced fog blanketing his brain. Eddie was supposed to . . .
pray
for him? He looked to his left and saw Andrea and James facing each other in the pew, holding hands with their eyes closed. Their lips were moving softly; it was safe to assume they were praying for each other. Travis looked behind and all around him—everyone seemed to have paired off and was praying for one another.

Clever
, Travis thought.
Audience participation . . .

Eddie was now pulling on his sleeve. “Uncle Trav, I’m s’posed to—”

“I know, I know.” Travis sighed. What harm was there in letting Eddie pray for him? Travis would be surprised if the little seven-year-old knew anything more than
“now I lay me down to sleep . . .”

“Alright,” Travis said, turning in the pew and taking Eddie’s small hands in his. “You can pray for me.”

Eddie beamed and scrunched up his face muscles, as if in deep thought. He stayed like that for about a half minute, then he began to pray.

“Daddy God, I know You’re listenin’ to me, ’cause You always do. I’m here with my Uncle Trav. He’s my favorite uncle, y’know.”

Travis grinned and closed his eyes, taking great pride in knowing Eddie favored him over his brother, Maynard.

“I like hangin’ out with my Uncle Trav, but . . . but . . .” Eddie’s little voice quivered. “But sometimes I get scared for him. He don’t know You as Daddy God yet, and Mommy says everyone that don’t know You will go to hell.”