Grace Alive: a Christian Romance (22 page)

“Hey, girls, church is about to start. We
gotta come in okay?”

“Are we late?” Evie asked and turned her head
sideways.

“Yup, cause Bree pooped!” I said with a
laugh. The girls giggled at that. We caught up to Branson, and we
walked inside together. I spotted my parents as we came through the
door. Branson’s friends came over and greeted us and hugged
Branson’s kids.

“You guys better clap for me when I’m
finished singing today,” Branson said. “So I feel like a rock
star.”

“You are a rock star,” I said and leaned over
and kissed his cheek.

“We will be your crazy fans cheering in the
third row,” Alison told him.

“I’ll be right back, guys,” I said as I
walked over to my mom and dad.

“Hi, guys.” I leaned down and hugged them
both. They’d been coming to Grace Alive for about a month now. I
could still see the struggle on my dad’s face at times when Pastor
Dom preached, but he was getting there. A lot of stuff had happened
since the incident at Light on the Hill Church. My dad had lost
everything. Luckily, the building had sold to a nice pastor, and my
dad had enough in the savings to last him a good while.

“Hi, sweetie,” my mom said with a warm smile.
“Where are the kids?” She looked around me. I pointed toward a spot
near Branson where the girls were playing with another little girl.
My mom was so amazing. She forgave my dad after the whole incident,
but I could still see a lot of fear on her face.

“They’re the ones that won’t stop moving,” I
said with a smile. “We had an accident this morning. Bree pooped
all over Branson as we were about to step out the door.” I couldn’t
help but want to laugh at the images stuck in my head. Branson’s
face!

“Oh no!” my mom said. “Well, I’m glad you
guys made it on time still.”

“Me too, I’ll talk to you after church.” I
gave them a little wave and walked back toward Branson. We found
our seats after Branson dropped Bree and the girls off.

The worship began, and instantly I could feel
a tangible presence of God fill the sanctuary. I had been watching
change happen in my mom and dad. I was in shock that after the
incident my parents had decided to come to Grace Alive. Every time
worship would begin I’d see my dad cry. I lifted my hands as I
heard Branson’s voice singing beside me. I began to sing as well,
and our two melodies began to intertwine. He looked at me and
grabbed my hand.

“You have a beautiful voice,” he whispered
and kissed my head. The music continued until the worship leader
quieted down. Something thick hung in the air as just the strings
played. I could feel the reverence toward God in this place. Every
person was silent as just the piano held a few simple notes. Pastor
Dom walked up front, his eyes closed, and his hands raised. A warm
sensation filled me.

I love you, Zoe, watch and see what I’m
going to do.
I opened my eyes to watch. Pastor Dom began to
smile.

“I hear the Lord say today that there is
breakthrough in the atmosphere. A breakthrough for lives. Things
that the locusts have destroyed I am bringing back to life! Newness
from me, says the Lord, a newness that will set you free. Don’t
fret; don’t fear, for I am the Lord who hears. I have seen your
tears and heard your cries, and I the Lord say it’s a brand new
day! A brand new day!” The silence fell back on the crowd. One by
one I heard people begin to cry. I looked over toward my parents
and saw my dad begin to weep.
Go to him, Zoe. Prophesy to
him,
the Holy Spirit told me.

“I’ll be right back, Branson,” I said as I
slipped out of our row and went to my dad’s side.

“Just begin to worship the Lord. I feel He is
moving on hearts, healing people’s lives right now, just worship
Him!” Pastor Dom said as he threw up his hands in worship. The
music got a little louder. I put my hands on my dad’s shoulder.
What do you want me to say, Jesus?
I asked. My dad just kept
crying.
My heart. Say My heart.
I began to hear a phrase and
bent to my dad’s ear so he could hear me.

“I am well pleased with you, son, well
pleased. You are mine, and I cherish you. Don’t worry about the
future, for I am the Lord your God who restores, heals, brings back
dead things to life. I am your Father, and you are my son.” I began
to just pray after I said the word, and I could feel my dad’s body
shaking from crying. The worship began to increase, the intensity
of the music made me gasp.
Thank you, Zoe,
the Holy Spirit
said as I went back to my seat. Tears gathered in my own eyes as I
grabbed Branson’s hand again.

***

After worship, Branson walked toward the
front when they were about to take up offering. I gave him a
reassuring smile. He told me he hadn’t sung in a really long time.
Pastor Dom slapped his back as he approached the front. He put the
microphone in Branson’s hand and walked back to his seat.

“Come on, baby,” I said with a smile. The
ushers passed out envelopes, and I grabbed one. The band had stayed
up front, and one member handed Branson an acoustic guitar. My eyes
widened. I had no idea he was going to play guitar. He began to
strum very softly and looked out over the crowd of people.

“
I didn’t do anything to deserve this. I
didn’t do anything to earn this. By grace I am saved, it was not of
my own goodness. By grace I am saved, it was only by Your love. I
can’t earn my way to the foot of the cross. I can’t work hard
enough. It’s just by grace, I am saved it was not of my own doing,
Lord. It was You, It was You, It was You! You’re the
reason.”

I watched as Branson sang and felt my heart
squeeze. His voice was so beautiful, but it was more than that. It
was the heart behind what he was singing. I picked up on the melody
right where I was standing and started singing with him. After his
song, his fan section and everyone else cheered. He handed the
guitar back to one of the guys up front and walked back to his
seat.

“That was awesome! Did you write that?” I
asked him after he’d sat back down.

“Yeah,” he said. I leaned over and kissed
him. He pulled me into his arms as Pastor Dom got up to preach.

“Grace! Wow! What a beautiful song, Branson!”
The worship team filtered down into their seats as Pastor Dom set
his Ipad on the pulpit.

“God is not a bully!” Pastor Dom began and
slapped the pulpit. “Do you know that? How many times do we see God
like that 5
^th
grade bully who knocks us down? I’m here
to tell you today, that God is good! He’s not a mean Daddy!” Pastor
Dom paced. I leaned against Branson with a smile.

“As long as you have a messed up view of who
God is the devil can keep you bound and in defeat! When we view God
as this big bully in the sky, of course we will withdraw from Him,
because we think He’s just out to smite us. Right, George?” Pastor
Dom pointed at an older man on the first row. George nodded.

“Do you really think as a dad you would go to
your kid when they messed up and give them a disease? Of course
not! Why do we think we are a better father than God? Isn’t that
messed up?”

I watched my dad shift in his seat.
Everything Pastor Dom said always made my dad uncomfortable, but I
could tell he was getting some of it.

“Let’s look at this verse here. Romans
3:20-24
Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be
justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed,
being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness
of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who
believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
” Pastor Dom
read, and then looked at the congregation with a grin.

“Let me explain that to you. Everyone likes
to read that verse that says, for all have sinned and fall short of
the glory of God. That’s the famous verse in the church today. But!
But, there is more to that verse than meets the eye!” Pastor Dom
slapped the pulpit.

“What does the rest of that verse say,
Sarah?” he asked.

“It says,
being justified freely by His
grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
” Sarah
said into Pastor Dom’s microphone.

“Wait, so it says being justified freely by
His grace. We are justified. What does justified mean?” Pastor Dom
was starting to jump now. I giggled.

“Justified means ‘just as if I’d never
sinned’ Say what? So let’s read that part again!
being justified
freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus.
So we are justified freely by His grace through Christ
Jesus. So it’s not me who earns that gift of grace and redemption,
Tom? You mean I don’t have to toil and sweat and beat myself up to
be justified before God?” Pastor Dom went back to his pulpit and
lifted his hands up into the air. People began to clap and
shout.

“I don’t have to keep every law in the Old
Testament to be redeemed?” Pastor Dom asked, and he bent down to
look at some of the people on the front row.

“You mean I can’t earn my salvation, guys?
It’s just by the grace of God I am justified?” He was laughing and
ran back to the pulpit. “Whew! Now that’s good news! Wouldn’t you
say so?” he asked while literally jumping up and down. “Isn’t that
good news!” People began to respond to his excitement. I watched as
the band ran back up on the stage as Pastor Dom started
spinning.

“I said, isn’t that good news!” Something
shifted in the air. An explosion of freedom, peace, love, and wow!
I couldn’t even put it into words what happened in that moment. The
music burst from the speakers as the worship started building into
this crescendo. People began to rush the alters of God. I let go of
Branson’s hand and ran up front to worship the God who redeemed me
from the curse! I didn’t have to earn my salvation; I didn’t have
to earn His love! I was justified freely by the cross! All the
things I’d been learning just began to build this gratefulness in
my heart, this strong love for God. I threw up my hands as others
still ran up front worshiping our God.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my parents
walk up front and lift their hands to heaven. Wow! Tears began to
trickle down my face. Pastor Dom was laughing and dancing as the
music continued to build. I watched as Pastor Dom began to minister
to people, laying hands on everyone, and praising God. My feet
wouldn’t sit still, and I started jumping up and down with my hands
lifted high. Branson joined me a few seconds after I’d run up
front.

The worship team began to sing with all their
hearts, a love song that went deep into my heart.
I love you,
Zoe. I love you,
God said, and I grinned because now I know
it’s true. I believe it now! I believe it!

After church, we headed over to my mom and
dad’s house with the girls. I could still feel the presence of God
all over me, and was thoroughly enjoying it. We walked into the
house.

“Papa!” the twins squealed together as they
ran toward my dad. Me and Branson weren’t hitched yet, but the
girls liked calling my dad that, and he loved it. I’d moved back in
with my parents. I often thought about Mia and prayed for her
because Tomas and she had gotten a divorce. She’d moved in with
Alison, who preached to her about the grace of God constantly. Mia
hadn’t started going to Grace Alive yet, but I knew God was moving
on her heart. The girls jumped onto my dad’s lap, and he
laughed.

“Hey, little peanuts!” He kissed both their
heads and cuddled them against him. It still amazed me when I
watched my dad give affection. He’d never shown much to me growing
up, and I think he was trying to make up for it.

“Do you want to go for a drive?” Branson
asked.

“Right now?” I asked looking around the
living room.

“Yeah, right now.” He exchanged a knowing
look with my dad, and the corner of my mouth went into a smile.
What was going on?

“Its fine, Zoe, we’ll watch the kids,” my dad
said as he tickled the little girls. My mom peeked her head out of
the kitchen with a grin. Everyone was acting shifty.

“Sure, why not.” We went back outside in the
crisp air, and Branson opened the door for me. Wow, maybe he had a
little bit of Prince Charming in there. I smiled to myself. He
climbed in beside me and smiled.

“Ready?”

“Where we going?” I asked as he pulled out of
my parents’ driveway.

“It’s a secret,” he whispered as we cruised
along. We went for several miles, him fidgeting like a preschooler
who had to pee, and me trying to figure out what the heck he was
doing. We pulled up to the beach, Lake Michigan stretched out
before us. These mounds of ice twisted up on the shore like
monuments. It took my breath away. I’d never been to the beach in
the winter before.

“Come on.” Branson opened his door and got
out. He came to the other side and grabbed my hand the moment I
stepped onto the snow. I barely had time to shut the door before he
dragged me to the shore. I was laughing by the time we got near
these ice sculpture things the waves had created. Wow! Branson
could hardly contain himself. With the wind playing with my hair,
the sun barely peeking out from behind the clouds, Branson Tate got
down on both knees in front of me. He pulled out a little black box
and opened it. Emotions like I’d never felt in my life began to
rocket through me. Joy, happiness, completion, extreme love like
I’d never felt before was zigzagging through my heart.

“Zoe Grace Reed, will you marry me?” His eyes
shimmered with a deep love. At first I was so overwhelmed by the
beauty, love, and just joy that I didn’t say anything. Then I
realized he’d asked me something really important.