Chasing the Storm (Chasing the Storm, #1) - PUBLISHED

Chapter Five

Dedicated to  julesrees as a little"thank you" for the major inspiration that she is to me. :) Thank you so much for the much needed restoration of my passion for writing!<3 I could seriously never thank you enough! Your support goes so much further than I could explain or express my thanks for. :) <3

-----------------------------------------------------------

"I'm glad you're all on the bottom floor tonight. This makes it easier when I ask questions. Now, tonight I'm going to continue what I talked about last week," says Pastor David, stepping down the stairs and coming to stand in front of us. "Question: What did I talk about last week?"

A few people raise their hands, and he chooses one of the girls on the right of this room to answer.

"Sharing the love of Christ," she answers.                                       

"Correct," he replies. "Now, when I hear the word 'love', there's one other specific word that I think of. Don't all answer at once, but – actually, please raise your hands and I'll choose a few of you to answer. What is it you think of when you hear the word 'love'?"

"My puppy."

"Jesus."

"My family."

"My girlfriend."

Pastor David brings the microphone back to his mouth as he returns to the stage. "I was going to ask that none of you say 'my girlfriend' or 'my boyfriend', but that's a whole other message for another day." He laughs a little, but I can tell that he's serious. He waits until he's back on the stage to speak again.

"Ew," Sierra whispers, scrunching her nose.

Pastor David continues, "When I hear the word 'love', I think of the word 'unconditional'. I think of God and how the love that He has for us is unconditional. You could..." The pastor pauses for a moment, then sings the rest of the sentence. "...run 'til you can't find home, sail 'til you can't see land. There is no place you could go. You could fall 'til you're out of hope. Chase things that never last... You could never run too far. Love will find you where you are."

"A lot of pastors I know can sing," I say to Sierra. Joking, I continue, "Maybe I should become a pastor! God might gift me with a decent singing voice!"

"Your singing isn't bad," she replies. "I actually think it's beautiful."

"You're just saying that."

"Shhh," she says. I feel my cheeks grow hot in response. I'm not usually a talker in church, but rather, a listener, so I feel a little embarrassed.

"God never gives up..." Pastor David Richardson continues with clear passion. "He never lets go. His love never fails, and it never runs out on you. He will pursue your heart, but it's up to you whether you answer the call or not. The world needs to know about John 3:16. You can find it in your bibles if you don't know what it says, and if you don't have a bible with you, you can ask your neighbor if you can share theirs."

The girl beside me asks if she can borrow mine, so I give it to her. "Thanks," she whispers. "It's beautiful. Where did you get it?"

"I don't remember," I answer. I don't know what makes me ask this question, but I just feel like I need to. "Do you have a bible at home?"

The girl hesitates. "No... My parents burnt the one I had when they found it."

"Oh gosh..." I knit my brows and look down, startled at the image that comes to mind. Then I look up at her, but can't seem to smile after hearing that. "Keep mine. I have a few."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely! I'm sorry to hear about that."

"Thank you so much!" The girl smiles brightly and completely surprises me by giving me a tight hug. "What's your name?"

"Abigail. What's yours?"

"Clarissa, but my friends call me Claire," she answers. I feel really good when, the smile still on her face, she says, "You can call me Claire."

We smile at each other and then get back to listening to the pastor.

"Our lives should be the proof of His love," says Mr. Richardson. That reminds me of a song by For King and Country! "That's what's going to have people gravitate to you, guys. Live your lives in such a way that makes you stand out from the crowd. Live for Jesus. When you do that, it calls attention. Use it in a good way... Use it to win souls for Him."

"Sometimes it's hard..." Clarissa says quietly, hanging her head. "Especially when your own parents don't support you."

"It's not about what your parents think," I reply gently. "Maybe God will use you to show them the way. Don't give up. Saving eternal lives is way more important than how we feel." Claire nods slowly in response.

"I know what I'm going to say next is easier said than done... I mean, I really do, but we should love even those who persecute us. This will confuse them, and could eventually cause them to change their ways once they get a taste of this love. No one could ever love them as much as God does, so it's our job to let them know that, and imagine how it could change their lives once they find this out... once they have a taste of this love through you and then find the ultimate love from God.

"I just don't understand why some people choose to run from a God who loves them so much. I really don't. I'm going to give you guys a few verses to look up. Write them down on a piece of paper – you'll see paper and pens in front of you – or in notes in your phones. Okay, the first one is First Corinthians 13:4-5, the next one is First Corinthians 13:1-3, and the last one – for now – is John 13:34-35."

Claire finds the first one in seconds! Even before I finish looking it up on my iPhone!

"How did you...?"

"I used to devour the bible," she answers.

"Did you know that when you pray for someone," Pastor David says, "it can cause you to care about them more? It's an amazing thing... I've found that even my enemies I care about when I pray for them often. Prayer works wonders, even with people you think will never change... will never come to Christ. Give it a try and don't give up. This is kind of off topic, I know, but I just wanted to say that God's love is for everyone, not just a select few. I used to believe that when I was about your ages, and it crippled me greatly. It's a ridiculous thought, but I actually used to believe that God's love was for everyone... except me."

"Yeah..." Mandy whispers, nodding.

"I felt too dirty to be loved," Mr. Richardson continues, "and I've never even murdered anyone, or anything huge like that. It was the enemy's lies. He is the author of lies! Please don't let him trick you into believing anything that goes against what the bible says. Read up on your bible. We're going to have a challenge in a few weeks where, in ninety days, we're hoping to go through the entire bible. With the way the world is heading, soon you may not have the freedom to read it, so I encourage you today to spend time every day in the Word."

"I hope the rapture happens before all those bad things do!" Claire says.

"You must, as Ephesians 6:11 says, 'Put on the whole armor of God, so that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.' The Word of God can equip you with what you need, so it's very important that you put down your phones and your computers and your video games... and turn off the television and go spend time in the bible. Get off Facebook and get your faces in God's book. It was written for you!"