length of time?
It was late when the couple released each other to get some sleep.
With the exception of achy thighs, symptoms of the flu had passed by Sunday morning. Angela wanted to go to church, not least because missing two Sundays in a row would raise eyebrows and set the rumor mill in motion.
Of the junior minister’s forty-minute sermon on ‘Knowing God’s Voice’, Angela was tuned in for approximately six minutes of it. The rest of the time her mind was immersed in thoughts about her life, love, and work. One of the things that she liked about the junior minister was that he always summarized at the end of each sermon. She was among many in the congregation who regarded him more as a good teacher rather than a preacher.
Usually, when he ran through the summary, she would scroll through the copious notes she had taken on her phone, and check for accuracy. Today, she needed the summary to be able to take a few notes. The minister concluded, “So in summary, as I close, meditate on these points:
Number one: Is the voice that you are hearing in line with biblical principles?
Number two: Does it point you towards something constructive or towards something destructive?
Number three: Does it give you an internal feeling of peace or a feeling of unrest?
Remember, God is always speaking to His people, but are we really listening?”
Angela managed to get the gist of the sermon down with notes that were a little deficient at best.
Julia nudged her and leaned in whispering, “A very timely sermon for anyone who has decisions to make, don’t you think?”
“I suppose; although I’d much prefer God just give me a name in the middle of a thunderclap or place a halo of light above one of them, so that I can’t go wrong.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” Julia could hardly bear the thought of such a thing which would dispel the suspense and drama that she reveled in.
“I’ll take the right decision over fun any day of the ….” The sisters were silenced by the contemptuous, over-the-spectacles look hurled at them by Mrs. Clancy, who was sitting in front of them. It was difficult for them to comprehend how a woman who never missed a church service could remain so brusque in her everyday dealings with people. No matter how moving the sermon, she’d invariably be one of the first to hit the parking lot so that she could be first in line at the local Bahama Breeze restaurant. She’d not think twice about running over anyone who stood in her way either. “Sorry,” Angela whispered.
“Pff,” Julia muttered, quite prepared to take on Mrs. Clancy if she had to.
As the Craddock family sat around the dinner table, Mrs. Craddock commented on Angela’s apparent full recovery. “Thanks again for the soup, Mom.” Angela reached across the table and squeezed her mother’s hand.
“So you’ll be back at work tomorrow?” Mrs. Craddock asked.
“Yes… oh drat! I need to call Sharon.” Angela leapt up from the table and hurried to the living room to place the call. Sharon advised that she very nearly gave the assignment to someone else, since she hadn’t heard from Angela. She gave her brief details of the case in which she was to travel to Tampa to take depositions. She would be in the office later in the evening if Angela wanted to stop by to pick up the paperwork and equipment. Angela confirmed that she would do so in order to get an early start for the two and a half hour drive in the
It was late when the couple released each other to get some sleep.
With the exception of achy thighs, symptoms of the flu had passed by Sunday morning. Angela wanted to go to church, not least because missing two Sundays in a row would raise eyebrows and set the rumor mill in motion.
Of the junior minister’s forty-minute sermon on ‘Knowing God’s Voice’, Angela was tuned in for approximately six minutes of it. The rest of the time her mind was immersed in thoughts about her life, love, and work. One of the things that she liked about the junior minister was that he always summarized at the end of each sermon. She was among many in the congregation who regarded him more as a good teacher rather than a preacher.
Usually, when he ran through the summary, she would scroll through the copious notes she had taken on her phone, and check for accuracy. Today, she needed the summary to be able to take a few notes. The minister concluded, “So in summary, as I close, meditate on these points:
Number one: Is the voice that you are hearing in line with biblical principles?
Number two: Does it point you towards something constructive or towards something destructive?
Number three: Does it give you an internal feeling of peace or a feeling of unrest?
Remember, God is always speaking to His people, but are we really listening?”
Angela managed to get the gist of the sermon down with notes that were a little deficient at best.
Julia nudged her and leaned in whispering, “A very timely sermon for anyone who has decisions to make, don’t you think?”
“I suppose; although I’d much prefer God just give me a name in the middle of a thunderclap or place a halo of light above one of them, so that I can’t go wrong.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” Julia could hardly bear the thought of such a thing which would dispel the suspense and drama that she reveled in.
“I’ll take the right decision over fun any day of the ….” The sisters were silenced by the contemptuous, over-the-spectacles look hurled at them by Mrs. Clancy, who was sitting in front of them. It was difficult for them to comprehend how a woman who never missed a church service could remain so brusque in her everyday dealings with people. No matter how moving the sermon, she’d invariably be one of the first to hit the parking lot so that she could be first in line at the local Bahama Breeze restaurant. She’d not think twice about running over anyone who stood in her way either. “Sorry,” Angela whispered.
“Pff,” Julia muttered, quite prepared to take on Mrs. Clancy if she had to.
As the Craddock family sat around the dinner table, Mrs. Craddock commented on Angela’s apparent full recovery. “Thanks again for the soup, Mom.” Angela reached across the table and squeezed her mother’s hand.
“So you’ll be back at work tomorrow?” Mrs. Craddock asked.
“Yes… oh drat! I need to call Sharon.” Angela leapt up from the table and hurried to the living room to place the call. Sharon advised that she very nearly gave the assignment to someone else, since she hadn’t heard from Angela. She gave her brief details of the case in which she was to travel to Tampa to take depositions. She would be in the office later in the evening if Angela wanted to stop by to pick up the paperwork and equipment. Angela confirmed that she would do so in order to get an early start for the two and a half hour drive in the
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