Angels of Humility: A Novel Read Online Free PDF

anything from the starter.”
    This caused Kathy to chuckle. She shook her head and then squeezed his arm.
    Paul gathered Jordan out of the car seat and carried him up the cracked sidewalk, past the overgrown evergreen bushes, and to the front door of the small Tudor-style house. Brown paint was peeling off the wood trim and shutters.
    “I can’t get this lock to open. I’m jiggling it like Mike told me to,” said Kathy.
    “Here, honey, let me,” he said, passing off Jordan to her arms. “Insert the key then pull it back just a little, then jiggle. See, it opens every time. Ah, home sweet home.”
    “Home sweet
temporary
home,” she corrected.
Dear Lord, don’t let him get his heart set on anything that isn’t You. He’s 26 years old, and his diploma isn’t even framed yet. We’re at the beginning of the beginning of our ministry, and we need Your guidance
.
    She bent over to let Jordan down and scanned the living room. Boxes of all sizes were strewn from one end to the other. She shook her head.
Where to even start?
“I guess I’ll heat lunch. Mike’s wife, Jessica, brought lasagna and salad last night. What a blessing. We can get started unpacking after we eat.”
    After lunch, Kathy loaded the dirty dishes into the dishwasher and closed the harvest gold colored door. I
hope this works
, she thought.
Judging by the color, this dishwasher has to be at least 25 years old
.
    After putting Jordan down for a nap she surveyed the mess: clothes, bedding, toys, pots, pans, and boxes of books.
How did we get so many books?
She moved a box off the couch and sighed the kind of deep sigh reserved for the challenges of moving.
It would have been nice
, she thought,
if the church had the money to move us. Poor Paul. He worked so hard; he must have made 20 trips with our little Toyota and didn’t complain once. I guess that’s the bright side to not owning a lot of worldly goods
.
    “Paul, let’s unpack while Jordan is napping.” No answer. “Where are you?”
    “I’m in my study, honey.”
    Kathy walked down the hall, peeked in the door, and saw him sitting cross-legged on the floor writing in a spiral notebook.
    “What are you doing? Why don’t you set up your desk?”
    “Honey, I don’t have time. I’m inspired. I’m writing out a five-year plan for the church.”
    “A five-year plan! You’re the interim pastor,” she said, throwing her arms in the air. “Besides, I need help unpacking.”
    “Honey, you can put away the towels and hang the clothes, you know, the light stuff. Trust me, I think this is God.”
    Kathy left the room shaking her head. In frustration she grabbed a towel and threw it toward the laundry basket. It passed through Valoe and hit its mark.
    “She’s got a wicked curve ball. I’d hate to have to try and hit off her,” Valoe said as he grinned toward Saldu.
    “You and me both,” Saldu replied.
    “It never ceases to amaze me,” says Valoe, “why Father seems to call some of the most inconsiderate men to the ministry. They’ll drive across town in the middle of the night to comfort a parishioner, but won’t lift a finger to help their wives at home.”
    “I guess He wants them in the ministry so He can keep a close eye on them. Who knows what they’d do unchecked?”
    “Yes, unfortunately we’ve seen that a few times.”
    “Well, Kathy’s got her hands full with Paul. Right now, let’s help her deal with the attitude that resulted in that wicked curve ball.”

C HAPTER 4

     
    “One day, The Holy Spirit said to Bartleman ‘If you were only small enough, I could do anything with you.’ A great desire to be little, yeah, to be nothing came into my head.”
Frank Bartleman 1
     
     
    The telephone wires were on fire this Sunday afternoon. The trio of Wilma, Bernice, and Carol, three members from the lady’s over-60 Sunday school class, plus the spirits of Gossip and Slander, made sure of that. Not even in seminary was one of Paul’s sermons exposed to the