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Stone was worse than a kid on Christmas morning. He was ready
and waiting at the church on Sunday morning before most folks had even had their
coffee yet. He didn’t know what excited him more—being part of a family of
believers, or sharing that experience with the love of his life. Stone was still
reeling from everything that had happened within the last 24 hours: he’d
helped give a face lift to a weathered church; he’d seen two young boys take a
bold, baby step of faith; and the woman he’d always pined for had agreed to be
his wife.
“God is so good,” he said to himself as his thoughts
entertained him.
He didn’t have to wait long before he saw Josie (and her
parents) emerge from their general store. Once Josie spotted Stone near the
church entrance, a smile overtook her face, and she waved heartily; it seemed
that her parents’ company was the only thing that kept her from running
straight into his arms. Apparently, Josie had just as much excitement surging
through her as Stone did.
Seth Evans, Josie’s pa, was still adjusting to the idea of
his daughter marrying a former outlaw, but his wife, Martha, was more accepting.
She had immediately noticed the sparkle in Josie’s eyes when the two came in
the door last night with the surprising news of their engagement. And though
Martha was a very practical woman who never would’ve dared to dream of such a
fairy tale-like romance for her daughter, who was she to question the ways of
the Almighty? Martha was grateful to suddenly see Josie so happy and alive, and
she believed that if Josie loved Stone, she too would soon be infatuated.
Stone and his family-to-be were joined by Pastor Tom and his
robust brood. Excitement seemed contagious this morning as the pastor virtually
bounced off of his wagon seat at the sight of early arrivers, hungry for the
Word of God. He greeted each of them with a brotherly hug, then listened with a
dropped jaw as Stone and Josie told the news of their wedding plans.
“Well, I must say, that’s a bit of a surprise,” Pastor
Tom said, as he seemed to stumble over his words.
“You’re telling me,” Stone said jokingly, trying to put
the pastor at ease.
He and Josie shared the story of their previous engagement,
and how God had restored their relationship; it brought an emotional tear to
Constance’s eye.
“There’s so much change goin’ on around here I don’t
know if I can keep up,” said the pastor, after his wife had let out a gleeful
praise to the Lord.
The rest of the congregation arrived sporadically, and no one
entered the church before first shaking hands with Tom and Constance. To their
pleasant surprise, the pastor and his wife welcomed several new faces that
morning, including Daniel and Nathan Johnson.
Stone was elated (and relieved) to see his young ranch hands.
And for the first time since Stone had known him, Daniel (or Buck, as he’d
been known for so long) didn’t look like a sloppy kid who refused to grow up.
Instead, Daniel looked like the fine, respectable young man that Stone knew
he’d been hiding, and his appearance caused many whispers among the group’s
young ladies.
Once the service had started, and the congregation was
singing “Amazing Grace” like a love song to the Messiah, Gus was settling in
underneath one of the opened windows. As usual, he had his evil crutch with him,
wrapped in disguise. He rocked back and forth to the rousing sound of the church
goers and swigged his whiskey unashamed.
Inside the saloon sat Jake, alone and feeling sorry for
himself. Lately he had been spending most of his time there, and he couldn’t
remember the last time he’d spoken with his family. He had watched in secret
as his wife and children had made their way to church. It pained him to see
their faces bright with smiles and to see his youngest daughters holding hands
while they skipped along. In his mind they should have been miserable without
him, and, to some extent, too embarrassed to attend church without him. As he
tried to drowned his troubles away, he blamed Stone for all of this, and
couldn’t wait for the chance to get back at him.
When the church service was almost over, Pastor Tom did
something he’d never done before. He took his time and talked about eternity,
and how every human being would spend it in one place or another.
“And it’s up to every man and woman to decide for
themselves where that will be. Though it’s God’s desire for every man to
come to the knowledge of Him, He will not interfere with man’s ability to
choose. In other words, God loves you, but he’s not going to twist your arm
and make you love Him. Now the Bible says, ‘Chose this day whom you will
serve’ and if you’re not living your life for God, then you’ve chosen
another path, and another destiny,” Pastor Tom said. He spoke with a love and
conviction that even Constance had never heard from him before. Silently, she
prayed for her husband, and for God to give him every word, and that every heart
in the building would receive God’s intended message.
“So I encourage you, on this day, to chose to follow
Christ. The Bible says that whoever believes in Jesus Christ shall not die, but
have everlasting life. Chose life today. If you’ve never accepted Jesus into
your heart as your personal savior, I want you to do it right now. Come down to
this altar, and pray with me.”
The crowd all seemed to shift in their seats, and though some
wanted to answer the call, they were inhibited by pride, and perhaps by a little
fear as to whether or not they could live a life for Christ.
“Don’t be afraid, and don’t be ashamed. Jesus said,
‘My yoke is easy, and my burden is light’; He’s not calling you to live a
life of perfection, but one that requires you to enter into a relationship with
Him. Come, come join me, and let’s pray. Don’t waste this moment, don’t let
it pass you by. Jesus said if you deny Him before men that He’ll deny you
before His Father, so come, come.”
To some it almost sounded like a prophet had appeared and
preached this message, and the church responded. Daniel, Nathan, Cody and
several others joined Pastor Tom. They all knelt together and prayed the
sinner’s prayer. It was the biggest harvest of souls that the little,
struggling church had ever seen. The place wasn’t just fresh from a thorough
cleaning, but from the birth of new life that day.
Folks rejoiced over the salvation of their friends and
family. Cally hugged her son and was reduced to tears. Constance seemed to be
lost in a trance of uttering continuous thanks unto God. Tom spent some time
with each new believer and carefully shared with them the importance of the
decision they’d just made and the wonderful changes that God would bring
about. Even Stone had been emotional and let a few manly tears drip from his
eyes. Of course, he had a lot to be emotional about.
To celebrate this incredible occasion, the Hendersons
volunteered to open their restaurant and serve everyone lunch, free of charge.
It was a good day indeed.
©2004 StoriesByEmail.com
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