Been There Prayed That (9781622860845) by E.n. Joy

eyes at her sister and didn’t respond. “You know, membership usually goes down whenever I preach about hell and damnation, but hey, I have to be obedient to the Master.”
    â€œAmen to that,” Mother Doreen agreed.
    â€œBut anyway, I haven’t gotten a chance to speak with either you or my assistant pastor here.” Pastor Davidson patted Pastor Frey’s back. “How did your dinner date go a couple of weeks ago?”
    Bethany twisted her lips.
    â€œYou mean our meeting?” Mother Doreen was precise in her annunciation of the word meeting.
    â€œUh, yeah, well, you know.” Pastor Davidson laughed it off. “Was Pastor here able to enlighten you on the different ministries here at Living Word, Living Waters? I understand that eventually you’d like to return to your hometown in Ohio and continue your ministries there, but while you are here, I don’t see why you can’t bless us with your gifts, talents, and time. You know, God’s work is never really church work. It’s kingdom work, which means your ministries should be able to go wherever you go. God will make room for them, you know. But I’m sure I don’t have to remind a woman of God such as yourself about God’s Word. Do I?”
    If Mother Doreen wasn’t mistaken, it sounded almost as if Pastor Davidson was trying to convict her for not being active in his church.
    â€œOh, I’m sure you don’t have to remind her,” Bethany said, not making a very good attempt at covering up her sarcasm. “She knows everything, about the Word that is.”
    Pastor Davidson let out a nervous chuckle, and then continued. “Nonetheless, that’s why I asked my assistant pastor here to sort of mentor you, or counsel you if you will, on the vision and mission of our church.” Pastor put his hands up in defense before Mother Doreen could say a word. “Now I know what you are thinking, that Pastor Frey is younger than you.” He patted Pastor Frey once again. “Oh, but he is wise with wisdom of the Word. Loaded with biblical knowledge. Besides, age ain’t nothing but a number.” He looked to Pastor Frey. “Ain’t that right, brother?”
    Pastor Frey discretely looked at Bethany before his eyes focused on his shoes. “That’s what I hear, Pastor. That’s what I hear.”
    â€œGood, then it’s all settled. Until Mother Doreen receives a revelation on what she’s called to do while here, I’d like for the two of you to meet weekly, and then report back to me.” Pastor Frey looked at Mother Doreen. “Over dinner of course. And of course, I’ll be flipping the tab. That way, even if you decide not to be a part of the ministry, you’ll still at least get something out of it.” He winked, then looked to Pastor Frey, and then back at Mother Doreen. “Maybe even more than you both ever bargained for.” He looked at Bethany and winked at her, accompanied by a nod. “Now if you all will excuse me. There are a couple of visitors I’d like to go say hello to before they get away.” On that note, Pastor Davidson walked away.
    Reading between the lines, it was now pretty clear to the three parties left standing there that Pastor Davidson had something up his collar. It was more than just seeing to it that Mother Doreen became a part of the Living Word family. It appeared more as though he wanted her to become a part of Pastor Frey’s family.
    Mother Doreen had to admit that after having dinner with Pastor Frey a couple of weeks ago, he wasn’t that bad at all. She was glad that she’d declined Uriah’s invitation for them all to have dinner together. This enabled her valuable time alone with Pastor Frey in order to discern his true intentions with her sister. Surprisingly enough, after she’d returned from the restroom where she had a minor altercation with her sister, the two had a