THANKSGIVING: Thank God for Pastors
By Ada Brownell
A PASTOR BECOMES
IMPORTANT IN THIS EXCERPT FROM PEACH BLOSSOM RANCHER—FREE Nov. 20-24:
Pastor
Brandt sat at a small table on a tiny chair beside his son who held a crayon
and colored a picture of David and the sheep. “Little Adam is my assistant
today while I prepare Sunday’s sermon. Rose isn’t feeling well. How can I help
you?”
“I’m
worried about John Parks. Did you know he’s in jail? Sheriff Woody accused him
of murdering Billy Joe Garner. John found the body in his barn, obviously
dumped there.”
The
pastor rubbed the back of the graying dark brown hair circling his bald spot.
“No, I didn’t know. The preacher sometimes is the last person to hear gossip.
John sort of dropped out of church when he returned from Minneapolis. But he’s
been here lately. How can I help?”
Edwina
surveyed the low, humble ceiling and
tried to keep from bursting into tears. “Most important, you can pray he won’t
be hanged before we can prove he’s innocent.”
“Let’s
start right now.” The pastor dropped to his knees and talked to God as if he
stood beside him. Then he prayed for Edwina and her papa.
“Pray
for the Davenports too,” she asked. “I know they belong to your church, but
Mrs. Davenport and Wellington have a grudge against John for not allowing them
to take Bellea’s child. Someone has gone to lots of trouble to frame John, and
Wellington might have killed B.J. and dumped his body. Only thing, the boot
prints John found that morning are big. Wellington isn’t big.”
“Wasn’t
B.J. working for the Davenports after he left John’s ranch? I saw B.J. driving
Mrs. Davenport about town a lot. He always carried her packages and guided her
across the streets and that sort of thing. They came to a couple of church
functions together, but Wellington usually drove her to services.”
The
pastor looked at his small son and stood. “Adam, I’ll be right back. I’ll walk
you out, Miss Jorgenson, while we talk. I need to finish my sermon and get home
to check on my wife.”
They
walked past the sanctuary where the elderly Amos McCutcheon swept and cleaned.
Pastor
shook his head. “B.J. wasn’t such big a man, either. Don’t know if he ever
attended a worship service. Working for the judge as he did was a different
kind of job if you know what I mean. I
would have loved to see him give his heart to Christ.”
“Me,
too.” Edwina nodded. “Could you stop at the jail sometime and see John? He’s
discouraged.” She stared at the ceiling. The lump formed in her throat again
and threatened to dissolve into tears.
“Sure.
I already thought of that.”
Hope
trickled into Ed. Blinking the tears away, she shook the pastor’s hand.
“Thanks. One good thing has happened. John’s girlfriend, Valerie MacDougal, and
her father are attorneys, and they’ll be here on the train tomorrow. Pray they
can find something to prove his innocence.”
Pastor
gripped her hand. “I certainly will, and God hears. I imagine John is grateful
for you, Edwina, for standing up for him and helping him in his time of need.
You’re a true friend.”
When
Edwina mounted her horse again, she muttered, “Yeh. A friend.”
Get Peach Blossom Rancher, sequel to The Lady Fugitive, FREE NOV.20-25: http://amzn.to/2arRVgG
The Peach
Blossom Rancher
an historical romance
Sequel to The
Lady Fugitive, second in Peaches and
Dreams series
By Ada Brownell
A handsome young man with a ranch in ruin and a brilliant doctor
confined to an insane asylum because of one seizure. Yet their lives intersect.
How will they achieve their dreams?
John Lincoln Parks yearns for a wife to help make the ranch all it
should be after his uncle, a judge, ravaged it before he was murdered. John has
his eye on his sister Jenny’s elegant matron of honor, Valerie
MacDougal, a young widow. But Valerie, a law school graduate, returns to Boston
to live. John and Valerie write, but while in Boston Valerie and one of
her father’s law partners try to get three patients wrongfully judged as
insane out of the Boston asylum—and they spend a lot time together.
Will John marry Valerie or Edwina
Jorgenson, the feisty rancher-neighbor who has been in love with John since
they were in grade school? Edwina’s father is in a wheelchair and she’s taking
care of their ranch. John tries to help and protect this neighbor who has a
Peeping Tom whose bootprints are like the person’s who dumped a body in John’s
barn. But John and Edwina fuss at one another constantly. Will John even marry,
or be hanged for the murder?
ADA BROWNELL BIO
Ada Brownell, a devoted Bible
student, has written for Christian publications since age 15. She spent much of
her life as a reporter for The Pueblo
Chieftain in Colo., and the last seven years covering the Colorado Mental
Health Institute at Pueblo, a former asylum. She also is a veteran youth
Christian education teacher. After moving to Missouri in her retirement, she
continues to write books, free lance for Sunday school papers, Christian
magazines, write op-ed pieces for newspapers, and blogs with stick-to-your-soul
encouragement. She is the author of seven books and more than 350 articles and
stories published in Christian magazines.
Ada says pastors impact lives and positively touch almost every area of
our lives from birth to death. Ministers blessed Ada all her life, beginning
with calling her to salvation at age 5, discipling her in the faith even today,
and being there in times of need. She’ll never forget Pastor Bobby Wilson
flying all night from Pueblo, Colo., to San Jose, Calif., to get to Ada’s
daughter Carolyn‘s funeral. How wonderful it was when he walked in!
All of Ada Brownell’s children are in ministry or have been in God’s
work sometime in their lives. Jeanette Wilson’s husband Darron was an associate
pastor 20 years and now is a hospice chaplain; Jaron Brownell is a worship
leader; Daughter Gwen and her husband Mark, who work and teach in health care,
spent time in short time missions, Gwen in Kenya and Mark in the Philippines;
Carolyn and her husband Michael Coney worked with youth before Carolyn’s death;
Gary Brownell is a widely known technology pastor who works in audio, lighting
and stage design.
Get Peach Blossom Rancher, sequel to The Lady Fugitive, FREE NOV.20-25: http://amzn.to/2arRVgG
Facebook: Ada
Brownell
Twitter:
@adabrownell
Amazon Ada Brownell
author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001KJ2C06
Blog: http://inkfromanearthenvessel.blogspot.com Stick-to-Your-Soul Encouragement
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