Cherished (5 page)

“I remember you used to bug me about going to church. You were so on fire for God. But you said you haven't been going to church at all in Austin.”

Kelli felt a sudden sadness. What irony—Cedric asking her about church. As much as their mother had done for them, she hadn't raised them in church. It was her best friend, Brian, who'd invited her to go at the beginning of high school, and her whole world had changed. Lindell was away at college, but she got her mother to come now and then. Cedric, who was already working, always declined. She'd prayed for God to change his heart. Now here he was, on fire, involved in ministry. And she . . .

“I guess I kind of drifted during college,” she said.

“I can understand that.” He sat next to her. “I haven't had a chance to talk to you about the ways God changed my life. You know how I was.” He gave a lopsided smile. “Cyd had a lot to do with where I am now, but as I think about it, Kelli, so did you. God used you to plant the seed a long time ago.”

She tried to will them away, but tears started in her eyes.

Cedric put an arm around her and brought her close. “I've still got a lot to learn about God and how He works,” he said, “but I think this move is about more than you being with your family again. This is about you and God.”

Kelli knew he was right. She found it hard even to talk to God now.

“God's got a plan for you, Kel. Know how I know?”

She answered reluctantly. “How?”

“Because if He didn't have a plan, you'd still be in Austin staring at four walls, unemployed and by your lonesome. And I'm thinking He put the crazy idea in my head to drive through the night and get here so we could all go to Living Word today. Yep, I'm putting it on Him so I can feel better about suggesting that drive.”

Kelli tried not to smile.

“So you have to get up and come, or my backache will have been for nothing.” He raised his fist.

She blinked back tears. “What?”

“Fist bump.”

“Fist bump?”

“You know the rallying cry. Let's do this!”

Kelli stared at it, then raised her own, a weak one, and tapped his fist with it.

B
RIAN ENTERED THE MAIN BUILDING OF
L
IVING
W
ORD
for his first Sunday of worship. For the past four weeks he'd met with Dr. Lyles on Tuesday mornings. Without planning to, he'd poured out so much of his heart on his first visit that the pastor invited him to return the following week. Now it was a standing appointment.

He had no doubt that this would be his new church home, although out-of-town concerts had prevented him from getting here the past month. But it was hard to break it to his grandmother. To her, church wasn't church unless it was held in that one building she'd been going to for fifty years. Over oatmeal this morning he said, “Grandma, come visit Living Word with me this one Sunday.”

“Boy,” she said, “only way I'm leaving Christ Temple is if they carry me out in a box.”

The common areas were already filled with people when he arrived, and Brian was struck by many things—the multi-ethnic nature of the crowd, the young age, and the mostly casual dress. The church he'd grown up in was predominantly black, average age fifty, and you'd better be wearing a suit or a dressy dress and a hat. But the church he'd attended in college was more like this, so it was easy to feel at home in his khaki slacks and shirt.

He walked past several pockets of people, some drinking coffee in the café area, and went straight to the sanctuary where an usher handed him a program. Down a far right aisle, he chose a pew about halfway up and sat on the end. There were still fifteen minutes to go before the start of service, so he settled in and opened up his Bible.

K
ELLI HAD MIXED EMOTIONS AS SHE ENTERED
L
IVING
Word. Coming here for weddings was one thing, but now she felt strange, like an outsider with a sign taped to her back that read
Prodigal Daughter
. None of these people knew her—or that she hadn't been to church in seven years. But that's how she felt as she walked past them—that they were all watching, that they all knew her story.

Still, it felt good to be here with her family—special bonus running into Stephanie and Lindell in the parking lot. And it felt good to finally feel her feet turning back to the path where she knew they belonged.

She followed the others through the fellowship areas, stopping every few feet as they greeted people. Cyd and Stephanie had grown up in this church, and it had become home for Cedric and Lindell as well. They seemed to know everybody.

Inside the sanctuary, Kelli learned, the whole crew sat together in the same place, week after week—left of center, fourth pew from the front. Dana, Scott, and Phyllis were already there and moved down for the rest of them.

Kelli whispered to Stephanie, “Where's Phyllis's husband?”

“Oh, Hayes doesn't come.”

She wondered why. Had he never gone to church? Or had something happened in his life that caused him to turn away, as with her?

The praise and worship team assembled on the platform. Kelli stood with the rest of the congregation, waiting for what had always been her favorite part of the service.

“We want to welcome you to Living Word this morning,” the worship leader said as the band started playing some opening notes. “Some of you may be here each and every week. Others may not have been to a service in years. We want you to know it doesn't matter. God's arms are opened wide. Won't you run to Him? Run to His throne of grace.”

Stephanie leaned over to Kelli. “Wonder what's up with Logan this morning. He normally just starts singing.”

Kelli wondered if his welcome could be meant for her. But that would be too weird.

The band shifted to the first song, and the beautiful arrangement captured her instantly. When she realized it was “Come, Thou Fount,” her eyes closed, and the entire congregation disappeared. The opening words to the hymn always moved her, but never more than now.

Come, thou fount of every blessing,

Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;

Streams of mercy, never ceasing,

Call for songs of loudest praise . . .

Grace. Mercy
. In her mind's eye, she saw a throne lifted high, her feet walking toward it. She joined her voice with the rest, every word filled with personal meaning.

Jesus sought me when a stranger,

Wandering from the fold of God . . .

Tears fell from her eyes. That's exactly what she'd felt like when she entered the building . . . a stranger. Had Jesus sought her? Had He led her here? The whole idea of it seemed too huge—could He care that much for her? All she knew was she felt welcomed suddenly . . . by God Himself.

She sang the last words as a prayer—“
Here's my heart, oh take and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above”
—then continued her own prayer straight through the next song, overcome. During the third, she was struck by an answer to an old prayer: she and her brothers were in church together, worshipping God.

She was drained by the time for announcements, a good sort of drained. She barely noticed that Cedric and Scott had gone forward to wait their turn to speak.

“Also, a reminder that choir rehearsal is canceled this Thursday night,” someone was saying. “Our assistant worship pastor, Logan Duncan, will be a featured panelist at the Christian Songwriters Conference—”

Stephanie gasped and grabbed Kelli's hand.

Kelli looked at her and whispered, “What?”

“That's it.”

“That's what?”

Stephanie bit her lip. “Can't tell you yet.”

“Then why did you grab my hand?”

“'Cause it's about you. But I'm still processing.”

“So please be in prayer for Logan,” the woman continued, “with regard to that conference and all the wonderful things God is doing with this worship ministry.”

Cedric and Scott took to the podium next. “Good morning,” Cedric began.

“Good morning,” sounded back from the congregation.

“I'm Cedric London, and Scott Elliott and I are excited to tell you about a new ministry forming at Living Word for guys between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five. If that's you, then you know this is an age when you're getting your bearings in the world and being tested regarding what you believe and choices you'll make.” He cleared his throat. “I'm almost forty-three, only met Jesus this year, so I'm hoping to reach you all with some real talk about what's out there and why it doesn't compare with living for Him.”

Scott stepped to the microphone. “Many of you know my story. I've been walking with the Lord since I was young, but I really messed up in my marriage. Cedric and I can't present perfect Christian lives to you guys, and we don't want to. Through speakers, frank discussion around the Bible, and some mixing it up with sports and other activities, we want to learn and grow together, hold each other accountable, and maybe discover what it means to be broken, imperfect vessels that God can somehow use.”

The congregation took to their feet with applause, and it was obvious Cedric and Scott hadn't expected it. When the applause faded, they asked interested guys to sign up in the lobby so they'd have an idea of the number of people who might want to participate.

Pastor Lyles got up then and added his own comment. “I've known Scott for many years,” he said, “and I've had the pleasure of getting to know Cedric over the past year. Often it's when you know you don't have it all together, when you know you've fallen short—that's when God can use you mightily.” He smiled. “But that's another sermon.”

Kelli listened closely to what the pastor was saying. She wanted to hear
that
sermon.

“Today,” the pastor said, “we're continuing in the Gospel of Mark, but first we'll hear from the choir . . .”

Stephanie poked Kelli with her elbow. “I'm done processing. I think it'll work.”

“What'll work?”

“I've got a plan for your life.”

“Oh, is that all?”

Stephanie laughed from her belly without making a sound. “I'm serious. Tell you about it after service.”

Kelli had an inkling what Stephanie might be up to, based on their road trip yesterday, and she also had an inkling what she'd say. No way.

four

T
HE SECOND THE SERVICE ENDED
, B
RIAN WAS UP AND
out of the pew, trying to dodge past the others walking up the aisle. He was beside himself—he couldn't believe Cedric London was actually at Living Word. After talking to Aaron, he'd practically persuaded himself to give up the thought of finding Kelli. But seeing Cedric here—giving an announcement, no less—was instant motivation. He had to find him. Had to see if he'd be willing to give him Kelli's information.

With one service ending, another starting soon, and Bible studies held during both, the building was thick with people. “Excuse me, where are the ministry booths set up?” he asked a passerby.

The guy pointed. “Make a left and you'll see them down that hallway.”

“Thanks.”

Brian saw many church ministries represented, but one line stretched the farthest, filled mostly with young men. That's the one Brian headed toward, and he spied Cedric at the front, engaged in conversation. He hung back a minute, debating whether to get in line or wait to the side.

“Brian Howard? What's up, man?”

Brian turned to his right. “Lindell?” He was at Living Word, too? “Good to see you!”

They gripped hands and hugged.

“I thought I was seeing things,” Lindell said. “It's been, what— five, six years?”

“Seven.” Brian knew exactly. “High school graduation.”

“That's right.” Lindell nodded. “So what you been up to? Let's see, you were headed to Emory, right?”

“Good memory,” Brian said.

“And you were a science geek like me, so let me guess. You ended up majoring in biochem.”

Brian's eyes widened. “Yeah! That's wild.”

“So what are you doing with it?” Lindell asked.

“Actually, I'm in the doctoral program at Wash U—”

“Awesome.”

“—but I'm at a crossroads. Long story. So what about you? You must be done with your residency by now. Did you stick with internal medicine?”

Lindell nodded. “Joined a practice off of Ballas Road, and it's really been a blessing—”

“Flash from the past.” Cedric had come up from behind and slapped hands with Brian. “I saw y'all over here and couldn't believe my eyes. What's happening, Brian? You at Living Word?”

“I'm new here. But I love it already.” Brian felt a tinge of hope. Cedric and Lindell didn't seem to harbor ill feelings toward him. Maybe Kelli had kept the details of their breakup private. “That ministry you're starting sounds awesome.”