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Sherryle K. Jackson
Book Excerpt
Sherryle Kiser Jackson was born and raised in Prince George’s County, MD where she continues to reside with her husband and two children. She is an English/Language Arts teacher at the middle school level. Soon And Very Soon is her first published novel which will be released by Urban Books November, 2007.
Visit her website: http://christianchronicles.wetpaint.com
The new book Soon And Very Soon has been picked up by Black Expression Book Club!
Excerpt from Soon and Very Soon
Product Details
Paperback: 300 pages
Publisher: Urban Books (November 27, 2007)
Genre: Urban Christian Fiction
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1601629494
ISBN-13: 978-1601629494
A Spiritual Hook Up
Vanessa Morton met Willie Green during the 50th anniversary celebration of Dominion Baptist church. Pastor Benjamin Rawls and longtime friend, First Lady Pat Rawls had invited Vanessa to their small church in Ashton, Virginia to preach the Consecration service that would kick off a week of services to celebrate the church’s golden anniversary. Pat was the only real girlfriend Vanessa still had from young adulthood that always looked out for her and prayed for the frailties of her human side. Other friends were immediately intimidated by her when she became the pastor of her own church. With Pat she could be real, letting her in on the loneliness that sometimes plagued her soul when the doors of the church weren’t open. After the service was over that Sunday night, Pat and Pastor Rawls convinced her to stay over to hear the week’s guest preacher who by their description had the, “countriest city church” they had ever visited. Pat went on so much about the integrity and laid back preaching style of the Reverend Willie Green that Vanessa became intrigued and made arrangements to stay over another night. Vanessa immediately knew it was a set up when Pat introduced him as, “ the very single Willie Green” at the next evening’s dinner before the service. He smiled and said, “ That I am,” before helping Vanessa pull out her chair.
Vanessa practically kicked her girlfriend under the square four-seater table they crowded around. What had they told him about her? Vanessa wondered. For the first time in a long while Vanessa felt nervous, almost antsy. She was not sure how to act. She thought about what Montgomery had said about her being to authoritative in social settings; she was not in the pulpit now, her internal monitor warned. Pastor Rawls and Pat shared with both of them their church’s plans to build or buy a new church. Vanessa found herself muting her usual strong views on what she called, “the Mega church complex.” Although she knew her friend’s church was busting at the seams, she also knew that some Pastors were tricked into believing that collecting more real-estate was more pleasing to God then gathering more souls. One of the first things she did when she became pastor was to take her rustic church that was sitting on two acres of land and start an expansion project that doubled the size of the original sanctuary without counting the cost. Been there done that, thought Vanessa. Instead of bringing all that up again she steered the conversation to raising the funds for such a project. “If your congregation is not tithing above the church’s current operating budget, then don’t even start a building project. Now Pat and Ben, you know I know what I’m talking about.” Vanessa said. “That’s why we are leaning toward buying a church, but we want to stay within the same general location,” Pastor Rawls said. “If I can just be real,” Willie interrupted, “ sometimes only ten percent of your members are giving their ten percent. Then all your best laid plans for renovation on the church go out the door.
So you start another campaign drive.” Willie looked at Vanessa who was listening intently. “What do you think, Pastor Morton? Ben tells me you have that big church that I drive by all the time. How do you keep the lights on and the plumbing fixed?” “Well the Bible says to give the ten percent. I preach and teach tithing as a Biblical principle. We don’t have all those other funds, drives or special offerings.” No strong gesturing, she told herself. “ That’s a promise I made to my congregation. Just give your tithes and I won’t have to ask you to come out of your pocket for anything extra.” Willie radiated warmth like the candlelight and variation of earth tones on the walls of the restaurant. If he was nervous he didn’t show it. He stood briefly to take off his suit jacket and roll up his sleeves. He looked ready to dig into the meal that had just been served by their waitress, as well as the conversation. He held Vanessa’s glance through the steam that rose from their entrees before they both looked away deliberately to make sure they were engaging the others at the table. “I guess you have to know your congregation. My folks would be heartbroken if they couldn’t get in that kitchen we got at the church and sell their dinners or plan a bus trip to someplace or another to add to our building fund.” “I don’t give my people that option. Some folks will feel that just because they raised x amount of dollars by sponsoring a fish fry that they have done their share of giving. I emphasize that they are still obligated to give ten percent of their earnings.” “ I wouldn’t call it an option to tithing, Sister Vanessa, if you’re teaching them what is right; which obviously you are doing over at Mt. Pleasant, then they will know their obligation.”
Vanessa noticed that he had shifted to familiar first name basis. “I think when my church raises money by other means, it is more about the fellowship and the sense of accomplishment that the members feel raising money to dedicate to the church. Everyone in my church is not going to tithe and I am not going to turn down the money that they raise. Each one of my auxiliaries has their own fundraising efforts.” “Well if you don’t expect everyone to tithe then they won’t.” She said softening her words with a smile. Pastor and First Lady Rawls had been forgotten. Willie and Vanessa were enjoying the debate as they continued to make points and ask questions just to hear each other speak. Vanessa’s internal monitor had been turned off now and she felt as if she didn’t have to hold back her opinion. “Bringing an offering to church is part of serving God,” Pastor Rawls interjected. “Exactly, but bringing your tithes is Biblical law. Going to church Sunday after Sunday without tithing from your income an expecting to be abundantly blessed is like praying and expecting something from God without repenting from your sins first. There is a Godly order. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, then he will open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing,” Vanessa said. “I don’t want you to think it is all about the money at Harvest. My missionaries prepare meals to feed the hungry and maintain a dry food closet for the homeless in the community. What they don’t give the church in money, they more than make up for it in time and talent.” “That’s great. I guess we can agree to disagree on this issue because I still feel that everyone can and should give their tithe, no matter what. I teach tithing from the pulpit during Sunday morning worship, in Sunday School and in Bible Study. I figure the Lord will convict my members to do what is right.” Vanessa said “ That’s right. We can preach, but the Lord will convict. I always say the Metropolitan area is a great place to be a Pastor. That is why I accept every invitation to preach because you can always learn so much from other ministries. How about you?”Willie said changing the subject. “I don’t get many invitations to preach unless it’s from my good friends such as these good folks here in Ashton.” Willie looked perplexed as if he didn’t know why. Vanessa left the obvious unsaid.
Although they lived on the outskirts of a major city, there were still ministers that didn’t accept her ministry because she was a female. She didn’t sit in many pastor’s pulpits. Didn’t he see she was a women because she definitely noticed he was a man; a very good looking man. He had a slender build with a freshly manicured hairline that tapered into side burns that were slightly grey at the temples which gave him a distinguished look. Pastor Rawls reminded Willie and Vanessa that they were on a schedule which put a halt to their conversation. Pastor Rawls wanted to get back to church to provide meditation and prayer time for his guest preacher before the service. Willie and Vanessa traveled in separate cars back to the church with Willie riding with the Rawls’ and Vanessa driving her own. Already she was feeling the void of her dining companion. Vanessa wished she had gotten a seat on the front pew while Willie was preaching instead of sitting behind him in the pulpit. She scoped out a seat on the front row with the deacons, and another in the very next row where a few ladies were sitting a comfortable two person width away from one another. Other than that the church was packed. Vanessa wanted to see the same passion on Willie’s face that she heard in his voice. It was amazing how he was saying so much with very little words. He slow walked a circle around the text until he reached his listeners and then brought it back to the center of the text. He was for real, Vanessa thought. She had been holding her breathe ever since dinner ended thinking, Lord please let this man be more than just a preacher in title only.
She was ecstatic at how well he could preach and didn’t know why. Vanessa was shocked when he called on her to have several scriptures ready to read on his cue, which was a trademark of his preaching style. She stood beside him when she had the last of the three scriptures marked and was handed a mobile microphone by one of the deacons. He started to continue with his point until the fed from the microphones being so close together caused a blare of sound from the receiver. The unexpected noise sent a gasp of alarm through the congregation. Vanessa quickly clicked her mike off. “Chemistry, brothers and sisters,” He said throwing his hand up in a Hallelujah wave. Pastor Rawls and a few members who caught Willie’s innuendo, including his wife Pat, were on their feet screaming, Amen. Vanessa could not help but blush with joyous embarrassment. Willie leaned away from his mike and whispered to Vanessa, “ Sister Morton, now, you need to take that microphone and go stand waaaaaaaay over there so I can concentrate on my message and not your perfume. Amen.” In one word, Willie had summarized why Vanessa had been feeling antsy and ecstatic earlier and now embarrassed- Chemistry. He was for real. Vanessa stepped back still shaking her head. Wisps of hair escaped from the bundle of her natural curly mane she had captured with a jeweled hairpin. Willie did a brief recap of the point he was making. He deferred to Vanessa, not only to read a related scripture, but also put her spin on its relevance. He allowed her to give the congregation a prescription of verses to study at home which was a trademark of hers. They were like a spiritual tag team. By the end of the message, she felt as if she had reached a new level of happy. After the service, Vanessa knew she had to head back home. It was already 9:30 and she had a two hours drive ahead of her.
Several of her members including her secretary accompanied her to the service that she preached the day previous. When she decided to stay over, she promised them she would be okay coming back alone. She gathered her things in the pulpit. Willie was still doing his victory lap, moving through the crowd accepting praise and passing out encouragement. The night was coming to an end and she didn’t know what to do next. She didn’t want to leave without talking to Willie, but she kept her distance and allowed him to minister. She wanted feedback on their chemistry before they went their separate ways. Vanessa knew that pastors could spend hours held up with members after a good sermon. Although Vanessa had preached the night previous, people came over to her to tell her how powerful their message was tonight.
Many thought Vanessa and Willie’s collaboration in the pulpit was planned because of how natural it came across. Like a God send, Pat Finally pulled the both of them away to the Pastor’s study. Pastor Rawls was still in the sanctuary. Willie and Vanessa were left alone momentarily while Pat attended to a knock on the study’s door. “It’s been a pleasure meeting you, Pastor Green. You are truly an anointed man of God.” Vanessa said extending her hand. “Tell me you’re staying all week.” He said shaking her hand and holding on. “I’m afraid not. I’ve got a church on the other side of the bridge that I have to get back to.” “I have a serious problem then. What prescription can I get for that?” “Well,” Vanessa said, “I always start off with a dose of John 3:16, then…” “Then, Vanessa 322 2343,” Pat interrupted coming from the door, and handing Vanessa an envelope filled with a check that the church had collected for her the night previous then walking away. Willie pulled out his pen from his shirt pocket and wrote Vanessa’s number on the edge of his sermon outline. “I tell you what. You show me your church and I’ll show you mine.” He said, an easy smile sliding across his face before flaring into a full grin. “Why Reverend, are you asking permission to sit in my pulpit?” She said returning the smile.
[Do you want more? You will have to purchase her new book in November!]
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