A Million Blessings Read online

  “I hear you, Luther. We won’t let you down. Just be sure to be here on Sunday.”

  Luther extended his hand for a shake. “You can count on it,” he said. And then he winked.

  Andrew wanted to slap him but he shook his offered hand instead. “See you and the wife on Sunday.”

  Andrew watched as Luther strode out of his office, renewed pep in his step. He shook his head. He’d been blackmailed in his church office. How bold was that? He dropped down in his chair. He had just agreed to pay this guy’s mortgage. How was he going to make that work without confirming that he’d won the lottery? All Luther had now was a strong suspicion based on seeing those lottery tickets. Once the church paid his mortgage, he’d have evidence.

  Andrew didn’t have much time to ponder the question as there was a knock at his door and Sandra walked in. “Who was that guy?” she asked. “He looked familiar.”

  “His name is Luther Williams. You’ve probably seen him before. He’s a Praise City member who’s thinking about moving his membership over here with us.”

  Sandra gave him a full-watted smile. “Well, that’s good news. I know you gave him the counsel he needed to make the right decision.”

  Sandra’s faith in him was a heavy burden since he knew he didn’t deserve it. “I did my best,” he said. “The guy is out of work and needs money for his mortgage.”

  “What did you tell him?”

  “I told him that Showers of Blessings takes care of its own.”

  She lifted a brow. “You know he’s going to expect us to take care of his mortgage payments, don’t you?”

  Andrew nodded, an idea forming in his mind. “What if we did?”

  Sandra leaned against the edge of his desk, facing him. “We can certainly afford it, but we’d have to develop some policy around the kind of help we give and in what situations so we would be fair to all our congregation.”

  Andrew nodded. “We should discuss it with the leadership team.”

  Sandra stood. “Speaking of which, they’re assembling in the conference room now. We’d better get in there.”

  Andrew followed his wife out of his office and down the hallway to the conference room. Once all twelve members of the team were seated around the conference table, he opened the meeting. “What are our numbers looking like for our first Sunday service?” he asked Michael Ray, the associate pastor in charge of Outreach.

  “We’re looking at a minimum of two hundred, two hundred fifty folks. Most of them are coming from Praise City, though. Those folks are committed and they’ve worked hard to get the word out about what we’re doing here at Showers of Blessings. It’s a challenge, though, because there are so many churches in the metro area. The motto and new building help, but we need more to distinguish ourselves if we want folks to check us out. Religion editors at seven of the eight newspapers we contacted are either coming to the first service themselves or sending a reporter. We should see some benefit out of their coverage, but not this week.”

  Andrew smiled. He’d just figured out how to solve two problems with one stone, so to speak. “You’re right, Brother Ray, but we don’t have to come up with a way to be different. We are different. It’s right there in our motto, ‘Showers of Blessings—a place to bless and be blessed.’ We’re going to be the church that blesses its members practically and spiritually. We’re going to meet people’s everyday needs.”

  “How are we going to do that, Pastor?” Rob Moore, the associate pastor of Christian Education, asked.

  Andrew grinned. “This Sunday we’re going to ask all the unemployed folks to come to the altar. When they get there, we’re going to ask them to put their name and financial need on a slip of paper and put it in a basket. Then we’re going to meet those needs.”

  “What?”

  “How can we afford to do that?”

  “What if it’s a lot of people?”

  “Doesn’t matter,” Andrew said, answering the questions from his team in a single matter-of-fact statement. “We’re going to do it, and by doing it we’re going to build our reputation as a church that cares.”

  “And we’re going to end up with a lot of poor members who take more than they give,” said Associate Pastor Ray.

  Andrew shook his head. “It may start that way, but folks with money will be drawn here because they see that we’re taking the Bible seriously. You all will have to trust me on this. If we take this approach, our membership will grow faster than we ever thought.” And I’ll have a cover for getting Luther off my back.

  He glanced in Sandra’s direction and saw her love and pride in him in her eyes. He didn’t deserve her, but he was going to do everything he could to keep her. And that included keeping Luther quiet.

  Chapter 10

  “Good night, sweetheart,” Sandra said into the phone. She sat on the floral upholstered chaise in her church office. As usual, she and Andrew were working late. “Mommy loves you, too. You and your brother be good for Grandma and Grandpa.”

  “We will, Mommy,” ten-year-old Andrew, Jr. said.

  Sandra held the phone close to her breast after the dial tone told her that her son was no longer on the line. She missed her children, but she understood that they enjoyed staying with her parents on the horse farm. She enjoyed it out there as well, despite the disapproving looks her mother gave her when she thought no one was looking. Sandra had given up trying to make her mother understand that the good she and Andrew were doing with the money more than made up for the lie they told about getting it. The older woman would just have to see for herself.

  Sandra yawned. Today had been another busy day, and she was ready to go home. Actually, she was ready to go to their new home, but the contractor had told them just today that it would be at least two more months before they could move in. She was getting the dream house she always wanted, but it was taking some time. She yawned again. She could wait.

  She got up from the chaise and headed to Andrew’s office. As usual, she would have to drag him out. When she opened his office door, she found him sitting at his desk, head lowered over a pad, a pen in his hand. Her heart grew full as she watched him, thinking of how much their lives had changed in the last few months. Their dreams had finally come true. Her husband was now pastor of his own church, she was First Lady, and together they would make a difference in a lot of lives. They’d show the naysayers, namely, her mom, and Pastor McCorry and Vickie, just how wrong they were.

  “Sweetheart,” she called as she walked toward her husband’s desk. “It’s time to go home.”

  He looked up and gave her a weary smile. “I’m sorry. I lost track of time.” He put the pad and pencil on the desk and then rubbed the back of his neck.

  When she reached him, she pressed a light kiss against his lips. “It’s okay. I’ve gotten used to it.”

  He pushed his chair back from the desk and pulled her down on his lap. “I promise I’ll do better,” he said, rubbing a finger down her cheek. “I was working on Sunday’s sermon.”

  “How’s it going?”

  He inclined his head toward the pad on the desk. “Why don’t you read it and tell me what you think?”

  She leaned over and picked up the pad. She read the words of what she knew would be one of her husband’s most powerful sermons. A tear rolled down her cheek.

  “That bad?” Andrew teased, wiping away the tear.

  She turned to face him. “No,” she said. “That good. This is wonderful and powerful, Andrew. You’re going to bless everybody on Sunday.”

  “That’s the plan,” he said, pulling her close. “We are Showers of Blessings, after all.”

  Sandra eased off his lap and sat on the edge of his desk. “That we are,” she said.

  He lifted a brow. “I feel a but coming. I knew the sermon was missing something.”

  She met his eyes. “It’s not the sermon,” she said. “It’s this idea of having folks come down to the altar and write their needs on a piece of paper so we can meet them.
I had Jacob run some numbers. What you’re proposing can get pretty expensive pretty quickly.”

  “We have the money,” he reminded her. “We can afford it.”

  “I know we can afford it now, but it’s not something we can sustain over the long haul. Can’t we start smaller so that we do more over time?”

  “I’m open to suggestions,” he said.

  She couldn’t help but lean over and kiss him. They were really partners in this ministry, and he considered seriously every idea she had. If she didn’t already love him, his respect for her and her ideas would have made her love him.

  “What’s that for?” he asked.

  “Because I love you,” she said simply.

  “I love you, too,” he said. “Now tell me your idea.”

  “I think there needs to be a closer tie between the sermon and the blessing. Last year, after preaching a sermon on good stewardship, Bishop Long at New Birth asked folks who had gotten themselves into trouble with credit card debt to come to the altar so he could pray for them. He ended up praying for them and paying off their credit card debt.”

  Andrew leaned forward and kissed her. “Marrying you is the best thing I’ve done in my life,” he told her. “That’s exactly what we’ll do, but instead of credit card debt, we’ll do mortgage debt. This is what was missing from the sermon.”

  “Paying mortgage debt might be too ambitious, Andrew,” she said. “Couldn’t we start even smaller?”

  He shook his head. “Mortgages are on my heart. You have to trust me on this. It’s what God wants.”

  Sandra still wasn’t 100 percent on board with the idea, but she trusted her husband. His gambling days were behind him and so were the lies and half truths that went with them. “Then that’s what we’ll do,” she said, giving him her full trust.

  Chapter 11

  Andrew stood in the pulpit, his ministerial staff on the platform with him, his brand-new choir robed and seated behind him, his wife and First Lady in the second pew left of the aisle. He looked out on the congregation, his congregation. Since the sanctuary was a little over a quarter full, he guessed the total in attendance was a little less than six hundred. Having this many attendees on the first Sunday increased his confidence that the church would be filled to capacity within six months. He could see it in his mind now and he knew it would happen. He’d bet all the money he had that it would.

  Catching himself thinking about gambling, Andrew quickly turned his attention back to his congregation. “The Lord has shown me,” he said, “that some of you are struggling with your housing payment. Some of you have asked for help and not gotten it, others of you have exhausted all the help you have, while others of you are too ashamed to let others know you’re having trouble. Well, the Lord is speaking to all of you today and he wants you to come down to the altar so that I can pray for you. Your help is coming. You just need faith to hold on until it gets here. You can exercise your faith this morning by coming down to the altar.”

  As he gave the altar call, his eyes landed on Luther wearing a smug grin as he made his way to the altar. About fifty others joined him. “Don’t let pride keep you from your blessing,” Andrew added for the benefit of those who might be reluctant to come down. About twice as many more people joined them at the altar.

  “The altar call this morning is for each of you. God wants to bless you, and we here at Showers of Blessings want to bless you. We’re going to pray for you, but here at Showers of Blessings we believe that prayer, like faith, is dead without works. The blessing God has for each of you standing at the altar is six months’ worth of housing payments.”

  A huge sigh went out among the congregation. Andrew spoke to them. “Some of you sitting out there now wish you had come to the altar, but it’s too late. You’ve missed a blessing because you wouldn’t follow the Lord’s instruction. The good news is that the altar is still open for you, but not for the housing payments. The altar is open for you to take a step of faith. All you have to do is stand to your feet where you are. The altar of God is all around.”

  After the congregation stood, Andrew prayed a prayer of faith and blessing on them all. When he finished, the choir began a song as the deacons came around and took names and contact information for everyone at the altar. That done, Andrew said, “Now we’re going to open the doors of the church for membership. Showers of Blessings is a new church and we want you to be a part of us. If you feel the Lord leading you to join with us, please come down to the altar as the choir gives us another song. If you’re not ready to make that decision today, that’s okay. Just keep coming back until you do feel it’s right.”

  More than half of the church came down. After Andrew officially welcomed them, he said, “We’re going to give the benediction now and invite you all to share in refreshments with us in the fellowship hall. First Lady Sandra will be there to meet you, and I’ll join you shortly. Those of you desiring membership, please stay here until we get your names and contact numbers.”

  Andrew gave the benediction and then waited for the ushers and Sandra to lead the congregation to the fellowship hall. He noticed that only a few people chose to leave instead of staying to share in refreshments. Another good sign.

  Andrew took special care to greet every new member personally. To help him remember names, he had a photographer take a picture of each person, label it with his or her name, and put it in a folder for him to study. He knew it would be a tough job remembering all their names, but he was committed to it. People needed to know that their pastor knew who they were.

  After he had greeted the new members, he left them and joined Sandra and the others in the fellowship hall. His wife was encircled by a small group so instead of interrupting her, he made his way around the room meeting the others. He stiffened a bit when he saw that the next couple up was Luther and a woman he guessed was his wife. The wife’s eyes were damp.

  “Thank you so much, Pastor,” she said. “I’m Carrie, Luther’s wife. You really blessed us today. We’re really going through a hard time. Since Luther lost his job, we’ve had to use credit cards for things his salary normally covered. Your help came just in time because our credit cards are at the limit. Isn’t that right, Luther?”

  Andrew blinked twice. Was this woman now asking for help with her credit cards? He glanced at Luther.

  “She’s right, Pastor. It’s a miracle, like God handed down manna from heaven just when we needed it. If we needed those credit cards now, we’d be in trouble because all of them are at the max.”

  Andrew wasn’t stupid. Luther and Carrie were asking for money for their credit card bills. This couple was going to be a problem. He’d have to figure out a way to deal with them.

  “You two just keep the faith. God will open a door for you,” he told them. “All you have to do is trust Him.”

  Chapter 12

  Andrew called a short meeting with his leadership team in the conference room after the social hour in the fellowship hall ended. “Numbers?” he asked.

  “One hundred and two people came down for the first altar call,” Jacob Wilson said. “Those will be getting mortgage or rental assistance for the six months you promised. I estimate that will cost a little over half a million dollars.”

  “That much?” Rob Moore asked.

  “It’s money well spent,” Andrew said, brushing aside the comment. “What about membership?”

  “Three hundred and thirteen people joined, including eighty-two of those who got housing assistance. That brings our total membership to four hundred and twenty-five. That’s not bad at all.”

  Andrew nodded. “No, that’s very good. As I stood in the pulpit today, I saw the church filled to capacity. I believe our membership will grow to three thousand in the next six months.”

  Jacob Wilson whistled. “That would be some growth.”

  “I believe it,” Andrew said, “and I need you all to believe with me. God is doing something here and He’s using us to do it.” He looked around the
conference table, meeting the eyes of each member of his team. “Are you all onboard with me?” He waited while each of them nodded. “Good,” he said. “There are big things ahead for all of us. I’ve got three newspaper interviews lined up next week, and the local CBS affiliate wants to do an on-air interview for their morning show. You can’t buy that kind of publicity.”

  “That’s wonderful, Andrew,” Sandra said. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.”

  “I wanted to surprise you. And there’s more to the surprise. They want to interview both of us.”

  “Both of us?” she exclaimed.

  “Of course,” he said. “What’s a pastor without his First Lady?”

  “You’ve got that right,” Jackie Thomas said.

  Andrew looked back at the group. “For now, Sandra and I will be the face of the church, but I don’t want any of you to think that means your contribution is less valuable. It doesn’t. We all have different roles to play and it takes all of us doing our part to make this work. Agreed?” Again, he waited for everybody’s nod. “Then that’s it for today. Thanks for all your hard work. I’ll see you all on Tuesday.”

  Andrew and Sandra stayed in the conference room while the others filed out. “We’ve had some day, Pastor Gooden.”

  “Yes, we have, First Lady Gooden. And this is only the beginning. The sky is the limit for us and for this ministry. God has opened the windows of heaven so He can rain down blessings on us. He started with the lottery and He has no plans to close it.”

  “Excuse us.”

  They both turned at the sound of Sandra’s father’s voice. He and her mother stood in the entrance to the conference room. “Come on in, Dad, Mom,” Andrew said. “Have a seat and join us. We’re just winding down.”

  “Where are the kids?” Sandra asked after her parents had seated themselves at the conference table.

  “They’re with the Salley kids. Pastor Salley had some last-minute something to do in his office. Mrs. Salley is watching them.”