Benson.
I ran into Benson this morning and realized I was completely late. I leaned against the back wall because I didn’t want to interrupt the service and smiled, seeing Natalie sitting near the front. Bass, Bree, and Chris greeted me with smiles and I nodded back to them, listening as Chris preached.
“He made us in His image. We should TRY to be like Him. But we never will be. So we need to trust in Him that He will keep us warm and safe and dry when the storms rage and the fire burns and the lions want to eat us! So why are we scared?”
“That’s why we can’t be scared of no bad guys. Cause Jesus is bigger than our fears!” Natalie replied and I smiled proudly over at her as Chris nodded to her.
“Because the good Lord wants us to rely on Him,” Chris said.
“I ain’t skeered of them bad guys! Not one bit!” Jeff gave a mean face to Natalie.
“We’re scared cause we might fail…” Bass said.
“Good, Bass... That’s right. And when we fall... not if... but when we fall… We ask Him to help us up. Everyone close your eyes…” Chris ordered and we all did so as he continued to talk. “In your mind, wee what scares you…”
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, thinking about the threat that had scared our family and that still wasn’t solved.
“Let your fears fill your mind for just a minute. Okay… Now, repeat after me… Lord, take em away from me.”
I bit my lower lip as the fears flooded me and my visions held the threat in my mind. Others around repeated Chris and I finally whispered, “God please... take this threat away…”
“Feel God lift your fears out the top of your head… OPEN YOUR EYES NOW!!” Chris shouted and grinned as we opened our eyes. I sighed, knowing that it was going to take more than that to help me feel better. “Where are they? The spiders and bad guys and scary dreams and storms and stuff?” I opened my eyes and looked around, as if I felt someone coming up behind me. I felt a tear roll down and leaned back against the post as Natalie came over and took my hand. “Let em go, people… God’s got your back. Since before the world was anything… He…” Chris pointed up. “He had your fears in his pocket.”
“It okay, ma. God’s got us,” Natalie whispered to me, and I squeezed her hand tightly.
“Let’s pray, folks…” Chris said and we bowed our heads. “Hey God… Good morning. You know we get scared... We’re like babies sometimes. We know You can wipe our fears away in a split second… All we have to do is give em to You. Help us do just that, Lord. Because we just can’t do it by ourself, no matter how big and tough we think we are. Watch over us, guide us, protect us as we go our separate ways today and every day… Thank you for your blessings and I personally thank you for allowing us to be this far along on the new church… So... walk with us Lord. Hold our hand and make us feel safe. Thanks. Amen.”
As he prayed, I held Natalie close to my side, letting the tears flow that had been held in for so long.
“Y’all feel free to walk across the street and see how your new church is coming.” Chris smiled.
I knelt down to hug Natalie tightly and said, “I love you, sweetheart.”
“I love you too. You gotta see this new church. Jimmy and I preachd and sang in it last night. Right Mister Chris?” Natalie asked and looked over at Chris.
“Sure did Natalie.” Chris chuckled.
“Miss Trin I have something for you ma’am,” Jeff reached in his pocket and handed me a note.
“Do you? What’s that, kiddo?” I looked down at him and took the piece of paper as Natalie walked over to see the new church.
Pet came over and handed me a handkerchief. I took it from her and smiled sadly, “Thanks, Pet.”
“You’re welcome Trin,” Pet said.
“I have this letter for you I… found,” Jeff said.
“What’s it say?” I asked, taking a deep breath.
“Well I ain’t supposed to… I mean it is your letter. I didn’t read it,” Jeff said.
“Can I see it?” I nodded.
“Yes ma’am, and like I said I… I found it.” Jeff looked down, holding the letter out to me.
“Where’d you find it, kiddo?” I asked.
“Well I found it on a road by the um wagon,” Jeff said with a sigh.
“Okay... in Tombstone? On Allen Street?”
“Going to Diamond. That’s all I can say ma’am about it.”
I took the letter and tried to understand it as Jeff wandered over to the new church across the road. “Well that makes no sense.” I sighed, staring at the note. I put the note on the fence and got out my equipment, lifting some prints from the note, partial prints, that matched the ones that were on the cabinet in the kitchen. I sighed and kicked at the fence, frustrated at the lack of leads in the case. I put the note back in my pocket and went back over to the group.
Natalie saw me first and asked if I was okay. Chris invited everyone to grab a hammer or shovel and get to work. I talked to Bass and Pet about their honeymoon and they said that it was a wonderful time of traveling and sight-seeing. I told them it was good to have them back in town and greeted Jade, who I hadn’t seen in a while. I let my thoughts drift as everyone talked and worked around me, and I watched Natalie protectively.
Abi walked over to me eventually and asked, “Hon are you ok?”
“Nope, I’m not sure that I am.” I shook my head.
“Anything I can do to help?”
“Could you maybe.... look after Natalie for a bit? I need to head into town. I don’t want her alone.”
“Of course I can. She can stay with me as long as you need her to.”
“Thank you, Abi. I really need to go see if Wedge is on duty or someone… She doesn’t need to stay overnight or anything just if you see her in town like now I just... don’t want her wandering from town to town by herself.”
“Well be careful and safe.”
“Not sure how she managed to come out here on her own. She knows better,” I said and looked over at my daughter.
“Aw ma.. I wanted to go to church!” Natalie looked over then.
“She is a determined girl,” Abi said.
I nodded to her with a sigh and said, “I’ll fill you in another time when we’re more alone.”
“I promise you I will take good care of her.”
“Thank you Abi. And Natalie, you listen to Miss Abi. Got it?”
“Yes Ma…” Natalie sighed and I gave her ‘the look’ and then looked at Abi thankfully.
“Be safe, my friend,” Abi hugged me.
“I will try,” I said as I hugged her back and headed off.
Goldfield.
I headed back towards town and felt relief at seeing Thomas in Goldfield. I knew it would be obvious that I had been crying and I went over to embrace him tightly.
“Hey my dear… What’s wrong?” He asked as he hugged me tightly. I trembled against him and didn’t let go for a while as he rubbed my back. “It’s okay. I am here. What’s happened? Is Jimmy and Natalie okay?”
“Jeff just gave this to me over in Benson... Said he found it near the wagon on the way to Black Diamond,” I said and shakily handed him the note that Jeff had given me. “I checked it for prints. Same partials that were on the cabinet so it’s connected. Just makes no damned sense.”
Thomas took the note from me and looked it over. “Dear, there’s nothing on it.”
“I know.” I nodded.
“You said the prints on this are the same as at the house?” Thomas looked at the paper the note was on and examined it all over.
“I wish they’d just... do something. I’m tired of them just scarin’ us.” I leaned my head on his shoulder and sighed.
Thomas hugged me tightly and shook his head in wonder. “What the heck is going on in this town? Why all of a sudden are we caught up in the middle of some conspiracy it seems? We will get to the bottom of all this dear. We have to.”
“Yes, we do.... Can we.... go to town and just... I don’t know. I don’t like being out here in the open.”
“Yeah, why don’t we head to our little cafe in Bisbee for a bit of lunch and just relax a bit.”
Natalie ran over then and Thomas and I greeted her. “Hey kiddo... I just had to talk to your pa alone for a bit. Why don’t you go play with your friends?”
“Okay ma,” Natalie said with a sigh and hugged us both before running off after the others.
“Yeah go have fun, and be careful sweetie.” Thomas hugged her tight.
“Sorry I had to say hi to pa.” Nat nodded and ran off.
Thomas sighed and I watched Nat run off and then turned to Thomas, hugging him tightly. “I hate this, Thomas. I really hate this. I wish they’d do something so we could figure out who it is and then try to stop them. We’ve got kids damn it,” I said and kicked at the track.
“I know Trin. I know. This ain’t fair for us or Jimmy or Natalie. I swear we will get to the bottom of this. Damn that Wild Bunch.” Thomas nodded and kissed me softly.
I sighed and kissed him, feeling a bit betteI’m just glad they’ve got friends and Miss Abi to take care of them while we work... We don’t have to worry ’bout them. Lead the way, dear. I’ll go wherever you want to.”
Bisbee.
We went to the cafe in Bisbee and Thomas pulled out a chair for me as we took a seat. We ordered coffee and pastries and I exhaled as I drank the coffee slowly. “I went to church in Benson today... Natalie was already there. Have no idea how she went out there by herself.”
“I don’t know. She and Jimmy were both there last night according to what Jimmy told me this morning. They were visiting with Chris.”
“Well... Chris was talking about giving our fears to Jesus. I hadn’t been to church in a long time, dear... I just let myself get so busy… He told us to imagine our fears and I envisioned the threat and started crying. He told us to give them to Jesus. So I tried but... I couldn’t stop crying.”
Thomas nodded and reached over to take my hand, holding it gently.
“I just... I used to go all the time, dear. And now… It feels like God’s not watching over us. Like he’s abandoned us because I abandoned him.”
“I don’t think you abandoned him love. We both have just put our priorities in the wrong place. God is calling us back to his house, and we should if not only for us, but also for Natalie and Jimmy.”
I sighed and nodded to him. “Thomas, would you do something with me right now?”
“Yes anything dear,”
“I need to…” I took his hand and stood, looking over at the church. Thomas nodded and stood with me, going to the church and walking inside.
I sat down in the front bench, feeling the emotion already, and Thomas took a seat beside me. “It’s been so long since I’ve just come and... sat in a church. You know... back in Colorado... it used to be a place of safety. And even still when I first came here it was a place I would go and feel peace.”
“I haven’t stepped foot in a church since I left Texas. It just… I don’t know.” Thomas nodded, taking off his hat.
I held his hand and leaned on his shoulder, looking at the front. “I’m so scared, dear... I hate being this scared. It’s not who I’m supposed to be. I overcame these fears and became a Pinkerton and showed everyone that I could take care of bad guys. I feel... weak. Not good enough..”
“I know Trin. I feel the same way. Its like no matter how hard I try, the devil is always stronger and wont let me win. But we cant give up, or give in. We have to keep fighting and pushing on dear. We are Gods soldiers and we must prevail.”
“We’ve just got to try and give it to God... no matter how hard it is.”
“Yes we do dear.We will, it will just take both of us together to get it done.”
***
An hour later I walked into the service in Bisbee as Brother D had begun speaking. He was reading from the Gospel of Luke about the wisemen searching to see the infant Jesus.
When he was finished reading from the Bible he began his message. “There was once a holy monk who lived in Egypt. One day a young man came to visit him. The young man asked: ‘Oh, holy man, I want to know how to find God.’ The monk was muscular and burly. He said: ‘Do you really want to find God?’ The young man answered: ‘Oh, but I do.’ So the monk took the young man down to the river. Suddenly, the monk grabbed the young man by the neck and held his head under water. At first the young man thought the monk was giving him a special baptism. But when after one minute the monk didn’t let go, the young man began struggling. Still the monk wouldn’t release him. Second by second, the young man fought harder and harder. After three minutes, the monk pulled the young man out of the water and said: ‘When you desire God as much as you desired air, you will have the epiphany of God.’ Long ago, in the time of Jesus, four wise men heard that there was born in Bethlehem the long-awaited Messiah, the King of the Jews.”
I nodded as preached, knowing the feeling was so true.
“Now, most people have heard about three of the wise men, whom people in the Middle Ages named Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar. Most people, though, have never heard of the fourth wise man, Artaban. This is his story. When the wise men heard about the birth of Jesus, they decided to search for the Christ Child and bring him gifts. Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar gathered their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, and set off to find the child. Unfortunately, Artaban was very busy at the time, so he didn’t get to go with the other wise men. However, did buy a bag of precious jewels to give the Christ Child as a present. After his three friends left to find the Child, Artaban lost track of them. In fact, he never did learn where they went, for they never returned. Artaban searched for the Christ Child for many years. Often, on his journey, he would encounter dying beggars, frightened mothers, and a wide assortment of people who were having terrible problems on their journeys through life.”
I wondered if this man was related to La Bafana, which Natalie had written about in the paper, and continued to listen to the meeting.
“Because he was not only a wise man, but also a very compassionate and loving man, Artaban would sell one of jewels to help those in need. After searching for the Christ Child for about thirty-three years, Artaban returned to Jerusalem. The time was the Jewish feast of Passover. But this was not an ordinary Passover time in the city. Rather, there was commotion in the streets. People told Artaban that they were going to a place outside of the city called Golgotha to see two robbers and a man named Jesus of Nazareth get killed on crosses. The people told Artaban that the government was going to kill Jesus because he claimed to be the Son of God and King of the Jews. Instinctively, Artaban knew in his heart that this Jesus was the King he had been searching for. Therefore, he rushed to the scene. But on his way, he met a young girl who was being sold into slavery. hen the girl saw Artaban’s royal robes, she fell at his feet and pleaded with him to rescue her. His heart was moved with pity for the girl, so he took his last jewel out of the bag and ransomed her. Just then, darkness fell over the land, and the earth shook, and great stones fell into the streets. One of them fell on Artaban, crushing his head. As he lay dying in the arms of the girl he had just ransomed, he cried out weakly, ‘Three and thirty years I have looked for you, Lord, but I have never seen your face nor ministered to you!’ But then a voice came out of the heavens, strong and kind, and said, ‘Inasmuch as you did good for the least of my brothers and sisters, you did it to me.’ At these words, Artaban’s face grew calm and peaceful. His long journey had ended, for he had found his King!
“Like Artaban, we too have found Jesus every time we treat other human beings with dignity and respect. We too have served Jesus every time we have given drink to the thirsty or food to the hungry. We too have served Jesus every time we have cared for the sick, consoled the sorrowful, and visited those in prison. We too have served Jesus every time we have educated the ignorant and buried the dead. And because we have recognized Jesus and served him as he requested, God will certainly reward us. He has promised us this in many parts of the New Testament.”
I smiled then, feeling relief that at least everything wasn’t all in vein.
“For example, in the Gospel of Matthew Jesus says, ‘And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because he is a disciple—amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward’. As we continue our life journeys this week, it would be a good idea to reflect on how we serve God by serving others. Do we always recognize Jesus in the least among us – the poor, the suffering, and the marginalized? Are we generous with our time and talent and treasure towards such people? And that is the good news I have for you on this Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord.”
We then recited the Apostle’s Creed and the Lord’s Prayer, and then we prayed for the needs of the people and of the church. He then recited the breaking of bread and then blessed us as we went on our way with a prayer.
“I hope you all will enjoy God’s favor this week and he will look upon you with grace and wish you well in your lives. May God be with you this week. May you have cheer and God’s bounty with you throughout the week until we meet again. May the LORD bless you, and keep you; May the LORD make his face shine to upon you, and be gracious to you; May the LORD turn his countenance to you and grant you peace.”
We stood up and some went to put money in the collection plate as we walked out of the little church, greeting the reverend on our way out.
I took a deep breath and tried to clear my mind, and looked over at Bass. “Bass, there isn’t a piano in the church in Tombstone, is there?”
“No M’am, there isn’t. But M’am I cain’t help but notice you’ve had a troubled look all day…. Ae you alright M’am?”
“It’s been.... an emotional day.”
“Oh dear Trin, is anything wrong?” Paradise asked as she came over.
“Yes’m....seems so,” Bass said with a nod.
I told them about the threats to my family and how there were no leads, and Bass stated that being a Pinkerton, it kind of went with the territory. I told him I just wanted them to stay away from the house and my family. I told them about the note I’d received today and how I hadn’t been able to talk with Adrian at all about the hat left in my kitchen. I told them I was trying to give all of this to God and that it was challenging.
“Well.. I told you loooong ago, Trin… He is an old member of the cowboys,” Mikk told me about Adrian. “He will most likely do absolutely nothing.”
“The last thing that I did was win a hanging trial against one of the Wild Bunch members… But the man was going to be hanged either way the trial went.”
“Hm.. would they be resentful about that?” Paradise asked.
“So it had very little to do with me and I’m not sure they would pin it on me. We moved with the kids out here to Bisbee… We wanted it to be safer for them. Then our house got broken into and now..”
“Well I’m sorry to hear you are having trouble,” Paradise said.
“Just make sure they stay out of the silver mines,” Mikk advised. “A kid can be lost in there.”
“I just wish they’d do something directly so we could figure out who it is. Right now they’re just trying to scare us.”
“What about Spank? Is he any help?” Paradise asked.
“He’s around just about as much as the other mayor. I get it.. I’m a Pinkerton... I had it coming but…”
“I’m sorry to hear you have to deal with stuff like that Trin.”
“I must say.. law doesn’t seem to be what it used to be..” Paradise commented.
“The law can’t do anything. The law doesn’t know who did it either. Thomas is a deputy here as well but his hands are tied just as much as mine are. That’s what’s so frustrating.”
“Law? WHAT law? The mayor of Tombstone is a former member of the cowboys!” Mikk laughed hard.
“We have the law in place to deal with it we just need to know... facts.”
“Well it is horrible.. but until you have more to go on..it is hard to figure who might be behind it!” Paradise said.
“Exactly.” I nodded to her. “I guess I should head over to the church in Tombstone. Finish the church circuit, as it were.”
“The law it self.. Kristoff he was a cowboy too,” Mikk pointed out.
“Mikk… My husband, though it’s not legal but close enough, is a deputy.”
“And if ya don’t know what that was it was Johonny Ringo’s gang.”
“I know all about Johnny Ringo’s gang. You recall I investigated that case as well.”
“Well so…”
“So.... I am relying on my husband for this case.”
“They may be wearing sheep clothing.. but….” Paradise sighed.
“Don’t expect help from the mayor or the law,” Mikk warned.
“But as I said… It’s his own hat. I don’t want help, I want to give it back to him.”
“That’s the spirit!” Paradise grinned.
“I know he won’t help me. I just want to rid myself of this. He probably doesn’t even care it’s missing. Anyway… It is good to see you both.”
“Let us know what happens.. we are Bisbee-ites.. got to stick together!” Paradise said to me.
“Indeed. It’s good to be living here again finally.” I nodded. “We’ll have to have you both over sometime.”
“No matter what our travels, we always keep the Cafe.. Bisbee is home.”
“Does Bisbee have a sheriff these days?” Mikk asked.
“Mack has been out and about… And Thomas does some shifts here when he doesn’t feel like being on Allen Street. He has jurisdiction in both places. Thomas is working towards being the sheriff here I think.”
“A long way to ride for him,” Mikk said. “Take him a whole day to get here with the hills and all.”
“Is is helping at all?” Paradise asked.
“Mack? Mack doesn’t stick around long enough to hear about it. It ain’t that far from Tombstone to Bisbee.”
“It is,” Mack said.
“That’s why we moved here. It’s a heck of a lot closer than where we were in Pearce. Well I’m going to head over to the Tombstone service. I’ll see you folks soon, alright?”
We said goodbye and I headed towards the church in Tombstone.
Tombstone.
I walked into the church building and greeted everyone. Bree asked if I was feeling any better but I told her that it had been a day of healing. Pet mentioned that she hadn’t seen me in church in a while.
“He brings us back into his fold after we’ve... changed our priorities. Though they are not bad priorities they just need to come after God. And as long as I remember that God is in control and loves me... I can’t fear what outlaws will do to me or my family. No matter how many death threats they give me. It is in every single way out of my hands... and I think God’s trying to teach me that because it is in HIS hands.”
“Amen sista, preach!” Pet exclaimed. “Wen you know that God is for ya, who can stand against ya!”
More people filed into the church and Bass and Trent talked about working on the building in Benson.
Pet began with prayer and then started talking about how a new year brings second chances and fresh starts. “Y’all know Yeshua was famous for speaking in parables, right? He certainly was a master storyteller. Some of these parables were difficult to unfold, unpack and the deeper meaning was hard to uncover. But as we grow spiritually we learn tidbits on a deeper level. Let me give you a few examples… In the book of Matthew, Yeshua had just spoken to the multitude about the wheat and tares. He walked away from the crowd and the disciples followed inquiring abbot what he just said. He answered them thusly, ‘He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom ALL THINGS that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.’”
“Praise God…” I exclaimed.
“Now at first glance this might look like its only Yeshua who is the one doing all the work. But how can that be so when the Son of man is no longer walking the Earth... hmm, or is he? Moving on to the next parable He states, ‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.’ I must admit that up until last night I had always read this as God being the merchant man, but this is not what it says does it? It says, ‘the kingdom of heaven is like…’ well now that puts a totally different spin on it, doesn’t it? Ponder that for a few seconds.”
We all sat quietly and and pondered that for a moment, and I tried to think of how these stories connected together. To Chris, I whispered, There’s a track there somewhere, I just know it.”
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Yeshua saith unto them, Have ye understood ALL THESE THINGS? They say unto him, Yea, Lord. Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.”
I started humming ‘Bringing in the Sheaves’ while I listened, but tried not to be too loud.
“Now that says alot and you’re probably wondering what all this is saying and what I’m addressing. You see, with salvation, comes redemption, with redemption comes regeneration. The kingdom of heaven is like these things... He used these examples to woo us and to gives us something tangle to hold onto. With new hearing and new sight abilities, we now have a new choice also! We can allow the regeneration to become visible for all to see. However, to do so, we must let go of the old man. Let the old man go, take his fanny to the altar and leave him there. Yeshua further states in the book of Luke.”
I smiled, and couldn’t help but sense a theme of the day.
“Drag him to the creek and baptize him til he drowns,” Chris said and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left,” Pet went on. “Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.”
“Why are two men in one bed?” I whispered to Chris. I wondered how two men and two women would be together and one of them would be taken. I wondered how one would be a believer and the other not.
“Symbolic,” Chris whispered back.
“We know from other verses that the eagles represent the strength of man, who have been waiting on the Lord. They ain’t the raptors we see flying in the mountains. So let me ask you something Beloved, are you being made new? Is your anger still holding a short fuse? Do you turn green with jealousy about So-n-So’s prize steer and Miss Suchy-Muchy’s new Parisian ensemble? Are you still holding on to last years or a time or two’s bitterness? All these things are of the old man and that would mean you are still holding on the your old life too.”
“I get it now, God, thanks,” I muttered, feeling the lightning bolt almost hit me. I looked over at Chris and whispered, “Ever feel like God’s yelling at you?”
“But with regeneration, we are made into new creatures, a new Joshua and Caleb generation! In other words.... how can two walk together unless they agree. A house divided against itself cannot stand. So, if the old man is still lingering, and the spiritman only shows up sometimes, that is confusion. Our God is not the author of confusion, is he? That’s a rhetorical question.”
“Cleary not today…” I muttered in response.
“So how do we let go?” Pet asked as she paced a bit. “Well that answer is in the knowing how deeply loved we are. Mmhmm Knowing the love the Father has for us. Knowing how great Yeshua’s love is for us that he would stop at nothing and pay the greatest price to have us. Knowing the Spirit of Truth that loves us so tenderly, that he even. Let me find that verse.” Pet stepped over to the pulpit Bible and flipped pages back and forth. “‘Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.’ Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned. That word there contemned means to treat or regard with contempt. Keep in mind that we saw the merchant man selling off all his stuff to buy the field for one pearl. Remember we heard Yesua saying that if we try to keep our life we will lose it. But if we lose our lives we shall gain it. The way I figure it is, without love in our hearts, we are held in contempt if we try to access the kingdom of God by any other means. Works wont do it, for no flesh shall glory. We saw that with them two men going into the field and only one returning. One man being the flesh man and the other being the spirit man. Yeah, we got a second chance thru redemption, and with regeneration of our spirits, we can do anything but fail with the Holy Spirit as our teacher, guide, comforter, and our seal! May we all be lead to love perfectly and without fear. I’ll leave you with one verse to ponder this week. When considering the furnance of fire mentioned in the parables earlier. Chew on it, let it fill your bellies. Pick it apart. Pray on it. Ask God to show you the truth of it. The Prophet Isaiah said, ‘When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.’... why not? Cause you are born of love!”
I nodded to Chris as I looked back at Pet, feeling the theme heavy on me. “No fear... no fear…” I told myself.
I heard the doors open then and smiled, seeing Thomas walk in quietly and sit down beside me. Chris switched seats and let Thomas sit beside me, and I smiled my thanks to him. I reached over and took his hand, interlacing my fingers with his.
“I don’t know about you, but fear never served me well,” Pet went on. “It’s a greedy monster that was never satisfied. Scared of my shadow. Scared of the Judge God and a big stick to bop me over the head. Then one day a little ole lady back in Ohio. My Sunday School teacher of the second grade told me God.... loves.... me. Well, now that something different right there.”
I leaned my head against Thomas’ shoulder and whispered to him, “No more fear dear... I’m not afraid anymore. God’s got us in his hands.”
“She kept pointing out over and over how much He.... loves... me. Then I started believing He just might. Her real name was Misses Wisdom. I was wooed into the arc of grace and into the loving arms of my saviour... cause HE..... LOVES.... ME.”
I felt the tears run down my cheeks, more from relief now than fear. Thomas put his arm around me and held me closer.
“And I get a second chance... a constant do over, by grace and forgiveness.... and tender mercies are renewed to me every morning. and yesterdays sorrows are dried up with the morning sun… Yes, love is the key... for all things worketh by love! Can I get another AMEN?” Pet asked and we all shouted ‘Amen’.
Pet said that she wasn’t going to lead the prayer today, and told us to chew on the fact that we are loved by the Spirit into righteousness for God’s glory. She closed the service and called for people to come forward for their first hugs of the year.
I stood shakily, holding Thomas’ hand, and hugged him tightly. “I love you…” I whispered to him.
“I love you too,” Thomas whispered back, holding me tight. Reaching for Chris’ hand, he said, “Sorry I missed your sermon this morning.”
I smiled at him and said, “Chris, this is the first time I’ve been to church with a man in Tombstone. Possibly ever. This is such a powerful moment for me to have him here by my side.”
“No excuses now, huh?” Chris smiled at us both.
“New start, Chris. No more fear.” I chuckled at Chris.
“No more fear.” Chris nodded.
“No more fear, just love and friendship and God.” Thomas smiled and nodded.
We continued to hug and greet the others and Bass mentioned that all three sermons were powerful today.
“Oh Trin and Thomas…” Pet looked over at us then.
I leaned into Thomas and said, “God’s been hitting me on the head today, dear. Every message…”
“Trin…” Pet started and gave me a tight hug. I hugged my first friend ever in Tombstone and Pet told me, “God loves you.”
“And you, Pet. And I love you too Pet…”
“Thank you hon.” Pet grinned.
“I wouldn’t still be in this town without you, I’m sure.” I grinned at her. “And Pet... I don’t think we showed you…” I held up my hand to show Pet the promise ring that Thomas also wore. They didn’t comment much on the ring and continued to tell each other how great the day had been.
“Ok woman, show me that ring woman,” Pet finally said and I showed it to her.
“You know how I feel about how marriage needs to be done slowly... In God’s time…”
“Nice job there, Thomas,” Pet looked at my hand closely.
“But I love this man... and we wanted to show the world that.” I smiled wide and Pet laughed hard.
“Thank you Mrs. Pet...I felt it time I showed her that I meant every word I ever said,” Thomas said.
“Woman, the whole world can see it a mile away!” Pet continued to laugh.
“I s’pose they can, can’t they?” I giggled.
“Your love is like a bubble around ya.”
“Oh my, do we show it that much?” Thomas chuckled.
“And this is the first time I’ve been able to share God with a man like this, Pet…” I told her. “I can’t think of any other that I courted in Tombstone that I went to church with.”
“Only a tad, hardly noticeable,” Pet teased.
“We’ll have to try harder, dear,” I said with a wink at Thomas.
“Don’t, please,” Pet said and I laughed.
“We sure will… I don’t think enough people know we love each other yet…” Thomas laughed and I tickled him gently.
“It’s a beautiful tribute of the love the Father wants us to have,” Pet said.
“Nope - don’t ever hide the love you have for each other,” Bass put in.
Pet introduced Bass to Thomas and then he joked about my cooking. Pet offered to teach me and I told her I might have to take her up on it. We continued to joke as Dennis came over and we talked with them for a while longer about the sermons. After a while we headed home.
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