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He wondered if the congregants could see the guilt on his face. He wondered if his wife could see it. He had reached home at almost midnight and peeped in on her, but she had appeared to be sleeping. He hadn’t called to tell her he would be late getting home, because that would have made it even worse.

When he turned his head towards her, it was to see that she was staring at him, her face expressionless, a vacuous smile on her lips.

They were both good at pretending, but for how long? Reaching out a hand, he placed it over hers that were clasped tightly on her powder blue dress. To her credit, she allowed the touch and did not flinch. She even managed to smile at him, which gave him courage.

Years ago, she had been involved in the writing of his sermon. He would approach her with a particular topic, and she would be his sounding board. She would make suggestions, and he would jot them down.

But that was years ago. Now he used Cassandra as his sounding board. She was incredibly articulate and an eager student of the Bible. He valued her input and would often refer to her ideas.

The song came to an end and as was customary, the congregation stood with rousing applause. A prayer was offered by Brother Andrew, one of the choir team members and afterwards, they took their leave. It was his cue to bring the Word, and he had trepidation.

He was going to stand here in front of God’s people, representing His holy name and he was far from being worthy. He could be struck down dead by His powerful hand and it would be nothing he would not deserve.

Taking a deep breath, he walked to the pulpit and stood there, his Bible opened to the appropriate chapter. With a smile on his lips, he greeted everyone and commented on the singing of the choir.

“I have often commented on how necessary it is to have the team setting the theme of the service. We need reminders of how good God is – how worthy he is of all our praises.” He waited for the applause to end. “We here at Russell Baptist would like to welcome all visitors and faithful worshipers alike to our Sunday service.

Summer is almost at an end, and we have lots of activities packed in to herald the end of the season. Summer camp was a tremendous success, and I had the privilege of being with the pre-teens and interacting with them.” He shook his head. “I have to confess that their vitality and energy made me feel every inch of my age.”

He paused and waited for the laughter to stop, before resuming. “But on a serious note, it was indeed a blessing to see so many young people just enjoying clean and wholesome fun and socializing with each other.” He looked down at his device for a second before looking up.

“Please open your Bible and turn with me to John 3:16 as we explore the unconditional and amazing love of God.”

*****

“I thought you had already left.” Pastor William looked up in surprise as Cassandra came bustling into his office.

“You know my usual ritual. I had an after services session with some of the children and I stopped into the office to send off some emails.” She eyed him for a minute before handing him one she had printed out.

“What is it?”

“A gift from God.” Her smile was wide and the sparkle in her dark brown eyes made him smile.

“What sort of gift?”

She did not respond but waited until he had read the almost terse message.

His eyes flew to her in shock, before going back to reread the message. “This is…,” words failed him as he stared at her.

“A blessing?” She supplied, her dimples peeking out. “He wants to meet with you first thing in the morning to present the check.”

“It’s…,” he swallowed past the lump in his throat and wondered why the Lord was still blessing the ministry with someone like him at the helm.

“This is more than enough to finish the daycare with more left over to refurbish the soup kitchen.”

“Among other things.”

“Why?”

Pulling up a chair in front of his desk, she lifted tapered brows. “God works in mysterious ways. Are we supposed to question the works of the Almighty? We have been praying for the resources to carry on and this came at an opportune time.”

“You recognize the name?” He asked huskily, still staring at the message in stupefaction.

She nodded. “His company has been the source of much speculation and rumors. Do you think that is why?”

William shook his head before she could finish the sentence. “We are not in a position to judge.”

“I know,” she acknowledged, “I am in the middle of notifying the rest of the board.”

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