Brother Word (33 page)

He chuckled. “That’s what I said, right? I figured that after all the times you spent following me around, the least I could do was return the favor. Listen, there’s three more hours until intercessory prayer starts. Are you hungry?”

“Starving. I’m always hungry after Sunday morning services.”

“Good. Would you care to join me for a late lunch?”

“Sure. I don’t have a particular taste for anything, so . . .”

“Oh, I already have a place in mind,” Chance said. “Know how to get to Five Points Diner?”

Chapter Fifty-seven

Y
OU’RE LOOKING GOOD
. . . I mean, um . . .
better
than the last time I saw you,” Lynn observed, between bites of her hamburger.

Chance nodded. “I’ve spent some time out on the water, letting my body heal. I’ve had a lot of time to think, too. You know, the past two years have been crazy for me, and there were times when I just wanted to give up. But every time I would get to that point, every time I didn’t think I could keep putting one foot in front of the other, God would let me pray for someone and I’d see that person get healed. An instant miracle, right before my eyes.”

“Like when you prayed for me.”

He nodded. “You never forget someone’s face at that exact moment when they realize God has healed them. I can’t even describe how many ways the human face can express wonder. Anyway, God would let me see someone get healed, and I couldn’t shake the truth that someone’s life had just been forever changed, and I played a small part in that holy experience. And then I’d remember how Nina would always tell me God was going to use me in the area of divine healing. She was right.”

“Everything Nina told you has come to pass, hasn’t it?”

He nodded again, taking a long pull from his root-beer bottle. “It’s the most humbling feeling in the world, you know? Being used of God, being
chosen
of God to do a task that seems so great, so much bigger than you.”

“I know how you feel, Chance. The call of God is supposed to make you feel a combination of things—somewhat fearful, excited, and alienated from everyone who can’t see or understand your vision. The reason why the call is so great is because God’s strength is made perfect in our weaknesses. The areas where we lack resources and abilities are the areas where His glory shines brightest.”

“I can understand that. And I know I’ll always miss Nina and the joy she brought to my life. But . . . but I realize that I can’t waste the gift anymore. I can’t waste the gift she played a huge part in developing within me, a gift that I know will help so many increase their faith in God. Not only would that be a tragedy, but it would mean Nina died in vain.”

They were both quiet for a few minutes as they finished their meals, politely declining when their waiter asked if they wanted dessert.

“I take it Florence isn’t here,” Lynn said once the waiter had left, referring to the waitress who had identified Chance for the newspaper.

“No. I overheard her saying she didn’t work on Sundays. Trust me, if she were here, you’d have heard her a mile away.”

“She was that bad?”

“She wasn’t that bad. If you could fit a muzzle around her mouth, she’d actually be quite charming.”

Lynn smiled. “I didn’t know you had a sense of humor.”

Chance shrugged. “I haven’t had much to laugh about lately.”

“Maybe that could change.” Lynn looked at her watch. “We should get going, especially since I need to stop by my place and change.” She glanced at Chance, who was sporting a travel-comfortable athletic windbreaker warm-up. “Did you want to go back to your hotel and change, too?”

“I haven’t booked a hotel yet. I called from the airport, right after I landed. I do have a suit in my garment bag, in my rental car.”

“Oh. Oh . . . well, you could change at my place, if you want.”

“Come back to your place? What would Pastor Gentry say about that?”

Lynn felt herself blush. “Oh . . . I didn’t mean anything by that . . . I just . . . well, I thought that since you hadn’t booked a—”

“Relax, Lynn,” he cut in, smiling. “I was joking.”

“Oh. Well, warn me the next time you’re going to tell a joke, okay? I’m still getting used to the idea of you having a sense of humor.”

THEY ARRIVED AT
Faith Community Church at ten minutes to six. The parking lot was already filling with cars, as people from all over the area were coming to intercede for the healing crusade.

“This is amazing,” Chance remarked, looking at the scores of people heading into the church. “And they’re all here, believing to see the miracle-working power of God.”

“What God is doing here is incredible,” Lynn agreed. “Church attendance throughout eight counties is up twenty-two percent. People are stopping the handicapped out in public, praying the Word of God over them. We’ve bought over two pages of advertising space in the
State
, inviting the sick to come out and be prayed over. The response, as you can see, has been overwhelming.”

“This is how it must have been in the days of the early church, in the book of Acts. At least on a small scale, anyway.”

“It won’t be on a small scale for much longer. We’re hearing from churches all up and down the East Coast and as far away as California. The gospel is spreading and affecting even the staunchest of atheists. It’s kind of hard to doubt when cancerous tumors are disappearing and blinded eyes are being opened.”

They got out of the car and started to walk inside.

“Wait,” Chance said, stopping. “I’d like to walk around outside for a while.”

“You really do have a thing for the outdoors, huh?”

“I just like to pray surrounded by nature. There’s something about looking up at the sky and . . . I don’t know. I just prefer praying outdoors.”

“That’s fine. But at six-forty, come inside and ask to be taken to Pastor Gentry’s office. I’ll inform Brother Roger—he’ll be the Secret Service-looking brother in the front foyer—to take you there.”

“Pastor Gentry’s office?”

“With your healing gift, I think you’d be best utilized in the altar workers ministry tonight. But I won’t be able to get you there without Pastor Gentry personally knowing about it beforehand.” She patted him on the shoulder. “Highly gifted or not, we conduct our healing crusades decently and in order. We can’t have just anyone at the altar, laying hands on people and praying for them. They have to be checked out, you know.”

“Even me?”

She started to walk away, but turned back around and winked. “
Especially
you. But don’t worry—I know an awesome man of God when I see one. And you are one awesome man of God, Brother Word.”

Chance watched her walk inside before turning and walking the outer perimeter of the church.

Faith Community Church encompassed forty thousand square feet, with the main sanctuary housed at the center of the property. The surrounding area had been built on a tract of farmland on the outskirts of West Columbia, with trees and shrubbery lining the property to the south. It was an awesome structure, Chance thought, as he began meditating on the tenth chapter of Luke, the passage of scripture where Jesus sent His disciples out as laborers into the harvest.

Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you . . .

As Chance turned the northwest corner of the building, he looked up and saw that the sun was setting in the eastern sky.

He paused, taking a deep breath before slowly exhaling. A calmness flowed within him then, a peace that let him know everything from now on would be alright. Looking at his watch, he saw that it was six-thirty-five, so he started back toward the front of the church.

Wait . . .

He paused as the voice of the Lord spoke clearly to his spirit, prompting him not only to wait but to look to his left and right. People were flocking to the church’s front doors in droves, some praying loudly, others pushing others in wheelchairs, but all seeming to have a spirit of expectancy. Chance began walking back toward the parking lot, against the rush of the crowd, sensing the leading of the Holy Spirit.

What, Lord?

No stranger to the leading of the Spirit, Chance had been instructed by God many times before, during all those times he’d prayed for someone’s healing. As a result, his sensitivity to the Spirit had heightened dramatically.

As he approached a light pole in the center of the parking lot, Chance stopped, sensing he had come to the place.

There was a lone car idling off to his right, which struck him as strange since it was the only car amidst the sea of vehicles with its engine still running. The person in the driver’s seat seemed to be slumped forward, head resting against the steering wheel.

Is that guy just sleeping? Is he dead?

Chance began walking toward the car, quickening his gait since he didn’t want to be late for his meeting with Pastor Gentry. Ten yards away, he noticed that whoever was behind the wheel was wearing a white baseball cap with an orange splotch in the middle of its front.

Five yards away, Chance saw that the orange splotch was a . . .
paw
. It was a Clemson Tigers baseball cap.

Chapter Fifty-eight

C
HANCE CAUTIOUSLY APPROACHED T
he sedan from the rear. As he neared the passenger-side door, he could tell that the man inside was indeed . . . Travis Everett. But why would the reporter be
here
?

Chance looked at his watch. Six-thirty-eight.

He rapped on the window, hard, causing Travis to slowly raise his head and look to the right. A look of surprise came over him when he saw Chance standing there. A second later, the window rolled down.

“You getting the scoop on some story I should know about?” Chance asked, crouching down to see Travis better. He noticed Travis’s eyes were red and puffy, with severe bags underneath. The reporter’s clothes had two-day-old wrinkles in them.

Travis shook his head. “No story here. I’m just . . . well, I just . . .” He looked away from Chance. “I really don’t know
why
I’m here . . .”

“How long have you been here?”

“I came here around three. Service was over by then, though.”

“Another service is about to start in fifteen minutes, though.”

Travis rubbed at his eyes. “Yeah, but that’s strictly for the healing stuff. Lames and cripples—people like that. I was just tryin’ to come to the regular worship service.”

Chance knew there was
nothing
regular about Faith Community’s services, but he kept that comment to himself.

“Why were you coming to the morning service?” he asked instead.

Travis shrugged. “Curious, I guess. Eddie, he told me . . .” He shook his head. “Doesn’t matter, anyway. You wouldn’t understand.”

Chance looked at his watch again. Six-forty-five. Pastor Gentry would just have to wait. “I wouldn’t understand what?”

“Nothing,” Travis mumbled, though loud enough for Chance to hear. “You don’t even know who Eddie is.”

“I know who Eddie is,” Chance spoke up. “He’s your nephew. I prayed for him at Five Points Diner two months ago to receive hearing in his ears and strength in his ankles.”

Travis gave Chance an incredulous look. “Y-you remember?”

“Of course I remember. I
never
forget the ones God heals using my hands, especially the children.”

“Yeah, but how do you know it was
God
? What if Eddie’s healing was just one of those unexplainable medical mysteries?”

“And what if it wasn’t? What if God healed your nephew because of his parents’ faith? What if that
faith
was the key that unlocked God’s healing power?”

Travis began shaking his head. “I can’t accept that . . . you can’t prove it to me . . . nobody has ever proved that to me.”

“Nobody needs to,” Chance gently responded.

“What?”

Now faith is . . . the evidence of things not seen . . .
“You proved it to yourself by showing up here this afternoon. Why would you be
here
, of all places, in a parking lot by yourself?”

Travis remained quiet.

“I believe God has been tugging at your heart. I believe the same way you pursued your mystery-man story is the same way God has been pursuing your heart. No man comes to Jesus unless the Father draws him, Travis. Are you telling me that you can’t feel the Father drawing you to His love?”

There was no answer from Travis, and Chance sensed the moment of decision had arrived—the moment in every person’s life when a decision about the gospel of Jesus Christ
must
be made. One either rejected the gospel or accepted it—neutral was not an option.

“Travis, there is one way I can show you how real all of these healings are, but you can only see it by faith.”

“Faith . . .” Travis whispered, now breathing heavily.

“Faith,” Chance repeated. “That’s the key.”

An eternity seemed to pass before Travis finally lifted his head. “Alright. I’m willing to try.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Alright then, come on,” Chance said, standing back up to full height.

“Where are we going?”

“Inside. You can receive Jesus by faith anywhere, but since we’re here we might as well do it among the company of believers.”

Travis got out of the car and walked around to where Chance stood. “Inside? But like I said, that service is for people who need to be healed.”

Chance put his arm around Travis. “That’s exactly right. But it took me two years to learn a truth of God’s love. You see, you
do
need to be healed. And so do I. And do you know where the greatest healings take place?”

Travis shook his head.

Chance touched a finger to Travis’s chest, and then his own. “In the heart.”

Chance took one last look at the sunset as they walked across the parking lot to the front doors of the church. The heavens had never looked more magnificent.

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