To Greg and Mason, her hand on their arm meant something altogether different.
Doris was her usual perceptive self. She could read both men perfectly. She could see that Greg was supportive of her, so his free hand slid right over her hand, as it held his arm. And, there it stayed until she completed the re-telling of her conversion experience. His eyes never left her face the entire time. Doris could tell that he had deep feelings stirring within for this new little sister in Christ.
Mason, as Doris could plainly see, was struggling. His eyes darted back and forth between Awsty’s face, her hand holding his own arm, and her other hand, holding Pastor Greg’s arm in the same manner. Doris wished she could be a little fly on an inside wall of Mason’s brain. What was going on in there? What was he thinking? But, even without knowing, she could put two and two together. And, it still added up to Mason having a deep affection for Awsty.
And, Awsty? She was oblivious to the inner dealings of either man, so enrapt she was in telling them how she had become their spiritual sister.
Doris bowed her head at one point. She was hurting for both men. Either one or the other would no doubt be hurting eventually, when he realized that of the two, he was not her heart’s choice. And, if she favored neither one, then what?
Doris’s lips were silent, but her heart was petitioning on behalf of both the men, that the Lord would protect them. They were her spiritual brothers, and she loved them both as such. Lord, please work this out according to Your Will.
Chapter 36
A week had passed since sharing her good news of her salvation with her three dearest friends. They had all been so supportive, and she had hugged each of them after lunch, before saying goodbye. Because of where each of them were standing, Doris couldn’t see Greg’s face when Awsty hugged him, but she did see Mason’s. His eyes were closed, and he held his breath the entire embrace.
When Pastor Greg greeted Awsty at the church entry doors before Sunday morning worship service, he held on to her hand a little longer than usual, and smiled with the kind of smile that came straight from his heart. He then slipped his other hand in a position that held her hand between both of his. He squeezed her hand, then reluctantly let go and told her he’d talk to her later, telling her to enjoy the service.
He’s so sweet! I’m so glad he’s my friend. And, he sure is a cutie. That dimple still gets me!
Then, when she saw Mason talking with several people between services in the church atrium, she smiled from a distance. He responded by mouthing to her that he wanted to talk with her about something as soon as possible. She nodded an ok, then turned and left. As she walked away, she thought how even at her tall stature, she felt very petite and feminine when she was with Mason. And, those eyes are hypnotic!
*****
Wonder what Greg wants to talk to me about later? And, for that matter, what is it that Mason says he needs to talk with me about? Well… I guess I’ll find out later. She dismissed these thoughts almost immediately as the leader continued teaching. His series was about dating, and only moving ahead with a relationship as God directed. This was just the introduction today. She was looking forward to the three-week series. Someday she wanted to be ready spiritually when God presented His Choice for her.
About fifteen minutes into the lesson, someone tapped her shoulder from behind. She turned slightly back to Ben, who was seated next to a pretty little redhead. They were holding hands. Awsty smiled.
“Awsty, Mark just handed this to me. He didn’t say who gave it to him. Just someone out in the hall. But, I’m supposed to give it to you.” With this comment, he pressed the folded note into her accepting hand.
Totally curious what it could say, Awsty opened it and read.
Awsty, what are you doing Saturday night? (Meet me in the church courtyard after class.)
It had a happy face at the bottom.
What am I doing Saturday night?! Is someone going to ask me out on a date?! I only know two guys here at church well enough to go out with!
Awsty never heard another word taught in class. She spent the entire rest of the time trying to figure out how she felt about going out with Greg or Mason. She thought they were both sweet, and heaven knew, they were both handsome! She could talk easily with either one, and both of them had insights she had gleaned spiritual truths from, as she was trying to make her decision to follow Christ! Would she say yes to either? Should she say yes to either?
She felt like she would probably say ok to either man’s invitation. But then she stopped herself, realizing that the only wise thing to do was ask God what He thought.
Lord, I’m so thankful that I have You in my life. And, there is nothing I want to do more than please You. In truth, I know which one I really want to go out on a date with. And, You do too! But, I trust Your Choice for me better than I trust my choice.
Thank You for Your Answer to my prayer. I love you, Jesus.
*****
Twenty long minutes later, the class was dismissed in prayer. After saying hi to half a dozen people she had gotten to know in the class, she ducked into the attached restroom, where she checked her appearance in the mirror. She could tell she was more nervous than she thought when she applied a lipstick touchup, and managed to smear it up one upper lip crest higher than the other.
With one shaky finger, she wiped off evidence of the mishap, then applied just the smallest touch of her new perfume behind each ear.
Realizing she couldn’t put this off any longer, she exited the restroom. Leaving the room, she walked down the hall. Since the courtyard was off to the left after exiting the building, she couldn’t sneak a peek at which of her dear friend’s was out there, waiting for her. Mason or Greg? Greg or Mason? The suspense was killing her.
Stopping at the exit door, she took one deep cleansing breath and pushed the door open. Looking to the left, she gasped, then grinned widely as she walked to where he stood, looking directly in her eyes. His growing grin reflected her own.
Thank You, Jesus! He’s the one I wanted! But, I guess You knew that already, didn’t you?!
Becoming His Awesome Beauty
Volume 2 Sampler
-Prologue-
Awsty couldn’t believe what the last handful of years had unfolded in her life. It was beyond believable! It was like something out of a storybook.
She even thought occasionally about how she could most concisely put in words what had transpired in her world. It seemed like the beginnings of a really good romance novel.
She’d escaped her horrendous home life to live on the streets several years, almost immediately, after graduating high school… barely. While she was spending those depraved years in urban alley ways and under freeway bridges, eating at soup kitchens or out of garbage bins, her druggie mom had died from a heroin overdose. And, Awsty didn’t even know about it when it happened. Nor, would she have cared. The woman hadn’t cared at all about her. She had always known she was to her mother merely an inconvenience. Why would she mourn someone of so little value in her life? A mother-daughter bond? Seriously?!
After spending her days (and nights) cheating, stealing, drugging-up and living in immorality that she’d never have thought she’d have participated in, then witnessing the death of her only real street buddy friend, she’d had enough and ran straight into the “religious” world of her Grammy. And, that created a whole new nightmare!
Grammy would only let her stay at her apartment if she’d cook, clean, find a job, go to school, and… go to church! Church… the horrible six-letter “C” word. A boring and horrible place filled to capacity with hypocrites… lots and lots of hypocrites! Every size, shape, and color of total and complete hypocrites! She hated that place… and then she didn’t! Go figure!
It was in that horrid place that something wonderful had happened. A tragically sin-sick “goth girl” found that God loved her. Really, truly loved her. So great was His Love for her that He sent His Only Son to die, thus paying her sin penalty,
so that she didn’t have to. Amazing! Absolutely amazing! And, true! She was free! And clean! And totally righteous in God’s Eyes.
She was ready to live for Christ. But, just as Adam was lonely before Eve, she was lonely for the one that God was preparing for her. Oh, sure. She knew that being single for life was God’s Gift for some, but she had such a yearning for a soul mate with which to share her life. And, she hoped the fact that she wanted it so badly- actually ached to fall in love, get married, and have children- was the Lord’s Indication that He was planning someone wonderful for her. She desperately hoped so!
And, that’s where her story stalled. It just didn’t have an ending yet, but she was hoping that the Lord would bring a godly man into her life that would simply “knock her socks off!” And, when He did, she hoped that she’d be ready. She wanted to be the godly wife the Lord wanted her to be.
If she were to admit the truth, she was hoping that one of the two men she called her friend at Open Door of Faith would be “The One.”
There was raven-haired Associate Pastor Greg. Yummy! That dimple in his left cheek looked big enough to swim in when he smiled. She’d just admit it… He was built! Lean at the waist, with arms and shoulders filled with muscle. Gorgeous, just gorgeous!
But, medical resident, Mason, was no slouch! Awsty felt feminine and delicate when standing next to him. She loved having to look up so high into those bluer-than-blue eyes. She had caught herself several times when talking to him, staring into his eyes. Not looking at… staring into! He didn’t have Pastor Greg’s dimple, but his smile was every bit as beautiful. Was beautiful the right word? When describing a man, weren’t words like handsome, masculine, powerful, and strong the ones that were supposed to be used? Well, ok. That’s fine. Because all four of those adjectives fit Mason perfectly.
Unfortunately, or fortunately perhaps, neither of these Christian men had made any romantic overtures to Awsty. She could understand their hesitation. She remembered with total embarrassment what she looked like, and how she acted when she first arrived at Open Door of Faith. Trashy-looking, haughty, tacky, curt, and mouthy. Yep, that about summed her up.
But, since meeting Jesus, she had changed radically. She looked different, acted differently, and truly had a heart for the Lord.
When she attended Sunday school first service that morning, she had no idea what events would take place. Nor, who would be involved. She just never dreamed what happened would happen.
Would it be the beginning of God’s Answer to her prayer for a soul mate? She didn’t know, but she was taking the first steps to find out.
All she knew for sure was that she was sitting in her Sunday school class, holding an unfolded note that asked her what she was doing Saturday night, and asked her to meet him in the church courtyard after class between services.
-Chapter 1-
After checking her appearance in the mirror of the Sunday school classroom restroom, and dabbing a little perfume on her wrists and neck, Awsty left the room and began the walk down the lengthy Sunday school building hall. If anyone had asked her, she would have denied it, but in her mind at that moment she was hearing the romantic song that opened the movie, “While You Were Sleeping.” Its words played through her mind. So, as she walked down the long empty hall to the exit doors that would lead her out to whichever of her admiring young men awaited her, she gave way to what was already in her heart and head, and softly began singing the words.
This will be an everlasting love
This will be the one I've waited for
This will be the first time anyone has loved me
I'm so glad you found me in time
And I'm so glad that you've rectified my mind
This will be an everlasting love for me
Loving you is so kind of wonderful
Because you show me just how much you care
You've given me the thrill of a lifetime
And made me believe you've got more thrills to spare, oh…
The hall was empty. All parishioners that had completed their first-hour Sunday school classes had exited the building quickly, and were probably making their way to the worship center, where that day the worship dance team would be dancing before the Lord, ministering to the congregation. In a very few minutes, an onslaught of second-hour Sunday schoolers would invade this hall, dashing to their respective classes. But for now, it was empty and within its confines could be heard the beautiful voice of a young woman softly singing a very romantic love song. Albeit, a secular song, she was singing it with all the reverence her heart could muster.
By the time Awsty had vocally expressed the words of about half the song, and was wearing the look of unabashed love that one might wear when welcoming home one’s sweetheart returning from war, she reached the doors. Her anticipation level was off the charts. She was breathing in short bursts. One of her hands involuntarily flew to her chest. She knew that if she didn’t calm herself down before going outside to him, she’d pass out. Wouldn’t that be something?! A full-body plop right there in the church courtyard. And, with her luck, there would be absolutely nothing about it that would be graceful. Just a great big splat, legs and arms askew. Her beautiful and summery new dress having blown up during the fall, wouldn’t do her the courtesy of coming back down and modestly covering her. It would probably all roll up around her neck, exposing all her undergarments. Oh, that would be a nightmare! Wow, take a breath, girl!
As excited as she was about it, it was really kind of strange to her that she hesitated opening the doors. Somehow the longer she waited, though, the more time she’d have to think that both men were waiting for her to walk through those doors. It was kind of like having symptoms of a disease, but not going to the doctor. As long as the practitioner didn’t pronounce a diagnosis, the ailment wasn’t real. You didn’t have anything wrong with you. But, as soon as the doctor voiced his findings, it was a done deal… official. Once she opened that door, there was no more guessing. She’d know exactly who her admirer and prospective date would be. There would be a finality to it.
But, she couldn’t just stand there in the hall forever. So, with one final deep breath inhaled and slowly blown out, Awsty Truesdale opened the portal, took two or three steps out, turned her head to the left, and there he was. The smile that stretched across her lips was immeasurably broad. Her request of the Lord had been answered. The one she had truly wanted was indeed the one before her.
“Awsty.” …
(End of sample, not end of chapter.)
About the Author
Sheila and her husband Daniel have lived the last thirty-plus years in their dream home, the one they built together in two acres of woods in North Carolina. Tall, tall trees that stretch up five or more stories to the sky surround their home. Wildlife is all around them, and they revel in it.
Their daughter, DanniLaii, and her husband, Carl, live only five miles away, so they get to have wonderful times together, and on a pretty regular basis. Sheila and her daughter are practically joined at the hip, and spend inordinate amounts of time lunching, shopping, and laughing together.
Originally a public high school teacher, Sheila gave herself an "early retirement" and now is engaged with writing contemporary Christian fiction and creating Christmas romance plans for husbands and wives, in addition to designing marriage certificates and marriage vow renewal certificates.
Trying to expand her culinary skills, Sheila weekly pulls one or two recipes from online and is surprising herself, her husband, and her family with countless new and exciting dishes. She has chosen to obliterate from her mind altogether those dishes that bombed. Rather like a coping mechanism.
Members of an extraordinary church, Westover Church of Greensboro, North Carolina, Sheila and Daniel sit under-, absorb-, and apply the Biblical truths that come their way weekly. They are forever amazed that the Lord has put them in such an extraordinary and spiritually uplifting environment, with a godly pastor, Pastor Don, who humbly teaches them
to apply God's Truth, The Bible, to their lives.
Sheila always has two or three books in progress at any given time, so her hope is that her readers will enjoy her "long, tall tales" so much that they'll return over and over to keep grabbing another one.
To read more about this author and her writings, and participate in any of the upcoming offers, visit her at www.sheilaholmes.com.
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