“Mr. Forrest said he talked with you after the hearing,” Bobby said.
“Yes.”
“Good. He appreciates your altruistic motives toward the downtrodden but cares more about your reputation in the community. Listen to him.”
Bobby moved past Mike and out the door before he could respond. The crowd thinned; Peg joined him.
“You were awesome this morning,” she whispered in his ear. “Your sermon was a lot better than the one I suggested.”
Mike shook the last person’s hand, and they were left alone in the narthex. He realized he’d not seen Sam and Muriel Miller leave the sanctuary.
“Did you talk to the Millers?” he asked Peg.
“No, I came around the side of the church after leaving the choir room.”
He stepped back into the sanctuary. Sam was still sitting in the pew with Muriel beside him.
“Come on,” Mike said to Peg.
They walked down the aisle and approached the couple from the side.
“Good morning,” Mike said.
“Yep, it is,” Sam said.
“Is everything okay?” Mike asked.
“It will be.”
“The service is over,” Mike said.
Sam tilted his head to the side. “Not for me. I’ve been sitting here doing what you told us to do—calm down and listen to Papa. You were so right. The cares of the world have dulled my senses. I need to be more like the boy Samuel. When you read those verses about the Lord speaking to him at Shiloh, it made tears come to my eyes. None of his words fell to the ground, but so many of mine have ended up in the dust.”
Mike reached over and put his hand on Sam’s shoulder.
“Don’t be too hard on yourself,” he said. “It was your influence that inspired the sermon.”
Sam smiled. “That’s good, but it doesn’t change what I need to do. Like you on the mountain top, I can’t let man interfere with what Papa wants to do with me. You may have stopped preaching, but there are still words bouncing all around this room. If it’s okay, I’d like to stay a while and listen.”
Mike paused for a moment but heard nothing except the sound of his own breathing.
“Okay. Peg and I will wait for you at the door.”
“How long do you think Sam will stay in there?” Peg asked as they walked back up the aisle.
“I don’t have a clue. But I can’t complain. He’s the only person who took my message seriously enough to do something about it.”
They waited in silence for several minutes in the narthex. Peg sat in a chair for a while, then stood and stretched.
“Ever since I found out about the pregnancy, I’ve enjoyed sitting quietly in the chair in our bedroom and reading my Bible. I’m trying to listen to God.”
“I know. I thought about you and Sam when I was preparing the sermon.”
Mike stepped toward the sanctuary to check on the Millers. When he reached the open door, an invisible presence suddenly rested on him. It was much stronger than the pleasant sensation he experienced beside the creek. He leaned his hand against the wall.
“Are you okay?” Peg asked.
Mike stepped back, and the weight lifted. He stepped forward. The invisible weight returned. He retreated, and it left. He repeated the sequence a few times with the same result.
“What in the world are you doing?” Peg asked. “It looks like a new dance step.”
“I felt something when I crossed the threshold into the sanctuary,” Mike responded. “It left when I stepped back.”
Before Peg could ask another question, Sam and Muriel came from the sanctuary.
“Thanks for waiting,” Sam said. “It’s been a good day in church.”
They went outside. Peg and Muriel walked ahead; Mike and Sam lagged behind. Mike mentioned what he’d felt.
“Papa is letting you know that He’s in the house. The weight you felt is the glory. Look it up in your concordance. I had to search that one out myself.”
“Did you feel it?” Mike asked.
“No, but it happens to me a lot.”
“I wanted to go back into the sanctuary and stay there,” Mike said.
Sam smiled. “Yep. What did King David say? ‘Better is one day in the house of the Lord than a thousand in the tents of the wicked.’”
They reached Sam’s red pickup at the far end of the parking lot.
“Are you still interested in giving the church a quote on cutting the grass?” Mike asked.
“Yep, but before I name a price, I’d like to cut it once and see how long it takes.”
“Okay.”
“Would you like to have lunch with us?” Peg asked.
“No, thanks,” Sam replied. “I’m still chewing on what your husband said this morning. I think that’s all I’ll be eating for the rest of the day.”