Lay it on the Line : Prodigal book one

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter 25

Everything changes. Life, people, things, and you would be fool to get comfortable and expect things to stay the same. JJ talked to himself as he sat at the cafe's table. Nate was in the bathroom cleaning up, while the Cajun sat thinking about what he just went through.

JJ started to get a little loud as he fussed with himself causing others in the cafe to stair. Finally, an older man stood up and walked to JJ's booth.

"Are you alright son?" The middle-aged man asked in a sincere voice.

JJ glanced up to see who was speaking to him. JJ wanted to tell him 'yes' so he would leave him alone, but the way he looked at JJ and his voice, it made him think of his old pastor.

"Not really." He sighed. The man sat on the other side on JJ.

"Want to talk about it?" He asked.

JJ shrugged a bit "most of it could land me in Jail, and the other in hell." JJ admitted

"you know if you ask God to forgive you and turn from your ways, he will son." The man spoke softly

JJ chuckles. "You sound like a preacher..."

"I am." The preacher confessed.

"But how can I be forgiven? Do you even know what I have done? I used to be a good guy, a church going police officer.... now..." he stopped and held back the tears and lump in his throat.

"Have you ever heard the story of the prodigal son?" The preacher paused and waited for JJ to speak, but he didn't.

"The Parable of the Prodigal Son is one of the parables of Jesus and appears in Luke 15:11–32. Jesus Christ shares it with his disciples, the Pharisees and others.

In the story, a father has two sons. The younger son asks for his inheritance and after wasting his fortune, becomes destitute. He returns home with the intention of begging his father to be made one of his hired servants, expecting his relationship with his father is likely severed. The father welcomes him back and celebrates his return. The older son refuses to participate. The father reminds the older son that one day he will inherit everything. But, they should still celebrate the return of the younger son because he was lost and is now found.

in the parable, the father is God; the good son represents the Righteous and the prodigal son represents the Sinners. God gave the prodigal the freedom to choose his life, and the son chose dissolution, but when all else failed, he returned to the Father. No matter what we have done, all that counts is that we go back to God. We ask for forgiveness and turn away from our sins."

JJ tells him about his demons, how they haunt him about his sins and drives him crazy. How if he turns back now, all that he worked for and the knowledge he obtained to bring the people responsible for his brother's death would be in vain.

"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......You pray and let God deal with them son. I can't tell you what to do, I am only trying to help." The preacher dug in his pocket and pulled out a small Bible. He slides it across to JJ and smiled.

"All the answers you seek are in here." The preacher then stood up and walked out the cafe. JJ just stared at the small leather bible as the words the older man spoke floated in his head. He opened the leather flap and inside was the preacher's business card.

JJ noticed Nathaniel coming towards him, so he quickly placed the bible in his bag. He wanted to avoid the conversation about it, and for the first time JJ wanted to be silent.

Other books by the author

The lay it in the line series will haveadditional book following this one