Love Finds a Home (Anthologies) Read Online Free PDF

stand for?”
     
    “This card,” David said, emphasizing each word, “represents the devil himself.”
     

CHAPTER 5
     
    G lenna’s brown eyes grew as huge as flapjacks. “The devil?” she rasped. “Mrs. Olsen said the devil is man’s worst enemy.”
     
    “Mrs. Olsen was right.” David shuffled the cards thoroughly and held up the deck. “These can be used in a bad way, by the devil, or they can serve to remind us of the fact that there truly is a God and He loves us very much.”
     
    Glenna blinked rapidly. “God could never love someone like me.”
     
    “That’s not true,” David was quick to say. “Why would you even think such a thing?”
     
    “My daddy was a gambler. He cheated people out of their money.”
     
    David shrugged. “That was your father’s sin, not yours.”
     
    “But—but, sometimes I covered for him. I often told lies in order to protect him. Daddy was all I had. He watched out for me, and I took care of him.” Her eyes pooled with fresh tears. “Some days, when we had no money, I begged or stole things. Daddy’s gone now, and I’m all alone with no way to support myself. I hate stealing, but I may not have any other choice.”
     
    “You’re not alone,” David argued. “God’s with you, and so am I. You don’t need to lie or steal.”
     
    Her eyes drifted shut as she drew in a shuddering breath. “You’re here now, but you have your own life. My ticket only takes me to Granger, Wyoming. When the train stops there, I’ll be forced to get off. You’ll go on and forget you ever met me.”
     
    David swallowed hard. She was right, of course. He did have a life—obligations to the church in Idaho City where he’d been asked to pastor. He could hardly take Glenna with him. Besides the fact that he barely knew Glenna Moore, she was not a Christian. By her own lips she’d admitted she was a sinner.
     
    “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” The scripture passage from the book of John reverberated in David’s head. He, of all people, had no right to point an accusing finger at anyone. Not after all he’d done in the past. He wondered if Glenna might question him about his earlier days now that she’d revealed some of hers.
     
    “Your silence only confirms what I said,” Glenna moaned. “Once we part ways, you’ll never think of me again.”
     
    David knew that wasn’t true. Though he’d only known the young woman a few hours, she’d made a lasting impression. He turned slightly in his seat so he was looking her full in the face. “I assure you, Glenna, you are not a woman to be easily forgotten.”
     
    He resisted the urge to kiss away the tears streaming down her flushed cheeks. Instead of acting on impulse though, he merely reached out and took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Would it be agreeable for me to share some passages from the Bible with you? I believe God’s Word will act as a healing balm, if you’re willing to let it.”
     
    For a moment she said nothing, her eyes shut and her breathing labored. Finally she spoke. “I suppose it would be all right. I have nowhere else to turn, and all the steam has left me … like vapor rising from wet boots.”
     
    “There is only one place to turn. God’s love can ease your pain.” David removed a small Bible from his pocket and began to read some scripture verses pertaining to man’s sin and the need for salvation. Then he went on to read the account of Christ’s death and resurrection. “It’s about as clear as cold water, Glenna. You can be released from sins by a simple prayer of faith.”
     
    “I–I don’t know how to talk to God. I used to pray when I was very young—when my mother was still alive, but I haven’t uttered a prayer since her death. I wouldn’t even know how.”
     
    “I’ll help you, Glenna. I can lead you through the sinner’s prayer.”
     
    She drew in a deep breath. “Sinner—yes, that’s what I