The Other Side of Darkness Read Online Free PDF

pastries to jump. “And we need it now!”
    “Amen!” says Cynthia.
    Carl and Marie both echo her
amen
, and not wanting to be a misfit, I chime in as well. I continue to nod and to smile as Pastor Glenn reveals his strategic plan to our small group, drawing on the whiteboard charts and graphs that I pretend to understand as I look at the squiggles.
    “We’ll kick this whole thing off with a big concert. A local Christian band has agreed to perform for free if we allow them to sell their CDs in the lobby. I thought that was more than fair, and hopefully this will draw in some younger folks. The concert will be on Friday, October 21, and I want the auditorium packed.”
    I am curious as to why there are only five of us at this meeting. I would assume that something of this importance would be much bigger. But as Cynthia points out, “This is only the beginning.” I am also a little surprised that besides Carl Schulman, no other church elders or councilmembers are present. More than anything, I’m surprised that I’ve been included in what seems a somewhat spiritually elite group. Nothing like this has ever happened to me before. Perhaps after nearly twenty years someone—maybe even Cynthia—hastaken notice of my desire to serve at our church. Or maybe it has something to do with my unintentional donation of three hundred dollars yesterday.
    Maybe what I mistook as a blunder was actually ordained by the Lord. I sit a bit straighter in my folding chair, nodding and smiling as if I completely understand Pastor Glenn’s intricate plans, but I’m actually remembering Rick’s negative reaction last night to my generosity. Of course, it makes complete sense now. I was simply being persecuted for doing good. There’s that twenty-twenty hindsight again. I wish I had realized it sooner. Suffering for the Lord isn’t the same as suffering for our own stupidity. I can handle this.
    The meeting is coming to a conclusion as we’re all assigned various tasks. Although I’ve never been very comfortable speaking on the phone, I agree to do some phoning, taking a long list Cynthia has printed out, along with a written dialogue prepared by Pastor Glenn. I console myself with the fact that I can do this in the evenings when Rick isn’t around to listen, question, or make fun of me. Then we bow our heads, and Pastor Glenn wraps up the meeting with a fervent prayer.
    “You certainly got plenty of doughnuts this morning,” Cynthia says as we put the remains back into the pink boxes.
    “I figured we could share any leftovers with the teachers.”
    She smiles. “Oh, that’s so generous of you, Ruth. And since I’m heading that way, I’d be happy to take them over there for you. Thank you for coming today. It’s so good to know that I can depend on you at times like this. There seem to be fewer and fewer women who are truly committed to serving the Lord wholeheartedly these days. Everyone is too busy or too lazy.”
    I smile back, but part of me wants to inquire about a possiblereimbursement for the pastries. And another part of me, the selfish and sinful part, wants to deliver the goodies to the teachers myself. After all, I’m the one with children attending school here; I could afford to make some brownie points with the staff. But that’s not going to happen today, so I just thank Cynthia for inviting me to the meeting and say good-bye.
    As I drive through town, I’m hammered with doubts. What am I going to do about my checkbook? What will Rick say when he learns I’ve written another check—this one for
doughnuts for the church?
He’ll be furious. He’ll be indignant. Spending grocery money on doughnuts? What was I thinking? Maybe Rick is right. Maybe I should get a job. But who might be hiring? My experience of waiting tables and a couple of years of random college classes hardly seem enough to build a résumé on. But somehow I’ve got to start bringing in some income—and soon. I need money! I’ve heard of