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us an update on the designs for the new church.”
    “I can’t wait to see them.”
    “I’m pretty anxious myself, and it makes me think back to exactly where I came from. When I first became a minister, it was only a short period of time before I became a pastor in Atlanta and had three hundred members. Then, I came to Chicago to lead a congregation of three thousand. Then, I led another large church and then came here to Mitchell and founded Deliverance Outreach. I’m not sure I thought we’d have over two thousand members in only six years, especially since Mitchell is a much smaller city than Chicago, but it just goes to show what God can and will do when one vows to become a better person and works hard at doing the right thing.”
    “You’ve gone through a lot, and your entire life is such an amazing testimony.”
    “I’ve gone through a lot but it’s mostly because I took other people through a lot. I did some horrible things that some people would have never forgiven me for, but thankfully God is a forgiving God and He believes in second chances. Truth be told, in my case, He believed in multiple chances because He gave me a lot of them. He never gave up on me, and I’ll always be thankful for that.”
    “Like I said, your life is an amazing testimony.”
    “That it is.”
    “Oh and hey, I got your voice message yesterday, saying that you were going to be out of town next Sunday.”
    “Yeah, that’s one of the other things I came in to talk to you about. I’m speaking at a church conference in Houston on Saturday evening, but Charlotte and I won’t be flying back until Sunday.”
    “So, how many people are they expecting?”
    “I hear twenty thousand.”
    “Unbelievable.”
    Sometimes Phillip still had a hard time believing that his father-in-law was the Reverend Curtis Black. He had a hard time believing he was actually married to the daughter of a world-renowned pastor and speaker, not to mention a bestselling author, but here Curtis was, clear as day, and sitting right in front of him.
    “I wish you and Alicia could travel out there with us but, unfortunately, I need you to cover both services here on Sunday.”
    “I wish we could go, too, but I know I have a job to do.”
    “And you do it very well, too, because whenever I’m gone, all I hear is how much everyone loves you and how much they enjoy your sermons. So, you know there’s going to come a time when you’ll either have to lead Deliverance Outreach or head up another location because at the rate we’re going, we’ll definitely need to branch out to another city.”
    Phillip wasn’t sure he’d heard Curtis correctly, so he didn’t say anything.
    “What?” Curtis asked.
    “Nothing.”
    “You look shocked.”
    “Well, actually I am.”
    “Why? Because I know you don’t think I’m spending all thistime grooming you just so you can stand in the background. You’re my assistant pastor now, but, Phillip, you’re a true leader. I knew it when I first hired you, and as long as you stay on track and live according to God’s Word, you’ll do great things. You’re a much better man than I was when I was your age, so the sky is the limit in terms of what you can do. And from where I’m sitting your future looks extremely bright.”
    “I’m glad you feel that way, and I just hope I don’t let you down.”
    “You won’t. Because it’s like I just told you a little while ago, all I want is to see you continue to grow as a minister and be a good husband to my daughter.”
    Phillip couldn’t have been happier when it came to knowing exactly how Curtis felt about his potential. But the idea that Curtis had repeated himself, word for word, made Phillip a little nervous. Phillip had no problem working as hard as he could so he could in fact continue growing as a minister, but he wasn’t so sure he could continue being a good husband to Alicia. Well, actually, he had no problem being a good husband to her, but he wasn’t so