After the Benediction

By Ellen L. Grant

Huffing, puffing, and cussing..why are you acting this way and you just left church?

Are you the same person after church that you are during worship service?

After the Benediction is a reality-based effective tool addressing challenges that many Christians face today such as controlling in-laws, hellacious bosses, pretentious pastors, dysfunctional families, illnesses, financial ruin and the most gratifying temptation of all.flesh. This compelling and unique book offers victory, strength and salvation to overcome those challenges. Although the journey of life is sometimes unpredictable, believers must know an abundant, victorious, peaceful life is a reality.

This extraordinary book opens with a preface that is all too familiar. "Saturday-Night Special" has a sultry, provocativestoryline with opposing influences of good and evil. The decisions we make are not necessarily based on our moral conduct or religious heart ties. Sometimes we do what we like because it feels good and then comes the guilt.Each chapter thereafter makes verbal contribution so that the reader can be inspired because God is not like man. He does not engage in one night relationships. His love is so everlasting; you can call him the morning after.

Christians experience empowerment for approximately 2 hours on Sunday. Upon their departure from service, sin approaches in all forms to discredit the word of God. Once the doors are closed, there is a real devil desiring to tear believers apart. Therefore, truth and knowledge are needed to guide individuals from remaining cemented in the problem to seeking answers.

Therefore, nonbelievers can truly benefit because salvation is offered. Believers are balanced,bless and empowered because the power and glory of God is available After the Benediction.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Aug 8, 2008
• ISBN: 9781467826037

Ellen L. Grant

       I was born and raised a Southern Girl (Mt. Airy, Louisiana) to Linton and Glendora Joseph Grant. My father was a pastor. My mom is a retired school teacher. I am the fifth child with four older siblings (three sisters and one brother). My family has basically been rooted in Christ but that foundation has not exempted us from obstacles, challenges or pain. The ground work simply meant disappointments were not going to last always. Growing up and attending church activities such as Vacation Bible School, Sunday School, Mission Studies, and singing in the choir prepared me for such a time as this.      Currently, I am social worker in the school system. I attended Southern Universities where I received BS and MSW degrees.     

Book preview

Contents

Dedication

Saturday-Night Special

Sunday Morning

Living Too Low

God’s Wrath

John 13:34

Ecclesiastical Brothers

Scriptures

Come As Yow Are

Pastor-Centered,

Christ-Centered Congregation

Dedication

Thanks be unto God for with him all things are possible!

This book is dedicated to my mother, Glendora Joseph Grant, thanks for being the epitome of John 13:34 and to the physical absence yet spiritual presence of my father, Rev. Linton Jimmy Grant.

To my siblings, Gogi Grant-Laurent, Eric Grant, Karen Grant-Franklin and Charlene Grant, thanks for being the foreunners. Your love and patience are priceless.

Saturday-Night Special

This portion of the book is an excerpt from life. It has a different twist from the chapters. Nevertheless, it has the same common denominator of truth as the entire book.

I am recalling an event concerning a dear friend of mine who had been saved for many years. It was a Saturday and the moderate sixty-five-degree temperature was quite pleasant under sunny skies. She had arisen early to enjoy the weekend off from work. As she relaxed, she began to scroll down the list of movie options. Then she realized that her day was scheduled with appointments. Three weeks ago an invitation was extended to attend a birthday party. Therefore, the first appointment was a trip to the beauty salon.

Throughout the day, she prepared. While driving to the beauty salon, she switched from gospel to R&B. She was getting geared up. It seemed that everywhere she went people were talking about the party. This assuredly fed her fleshly desires to attend.

After leaving the beauty salon, she raced home to dress. She skipped the Sunday apparel and found something that could be appropriate for the occasion. Lo and behold, that black outfit will always win, she said. Now it is time for the unmentionables. Briefs, it is not your day. She began to feel intimate and she wanted that feeling inside and out.

Time began to slip away and there was twenty minutes left to get dressed. Those few minutes were spent accentuating her appearance. She arrived at the party unaccompanied but hoping not to leave the way she came. The music was good, the room was crowded, and there were some familiar faces. Suddenly a few people approached her sporadically, saying, Look who’s here. What are you doing here? (This was out of her spiritual character.) Now she had received a reality check. Her motive for attending the party was all wrong. She slightly grinned when hearing the comment and moved to the other side of the room because this was not what she intended to hear. The walk to the opposite side was interrupted by a short stop at the bar. The bartender asked, What are you drinking? The response was juice. Then she hesitated and said gin and juice. She swallowed it like she was dehydrated and ordered another drink. This time she requested Hennessey on the rocks. She was now holding a drink she did not like but was trying to fit in and feel comfortable. Sip by sip, her body was yielding to the effects of the alcohol.

She was standing there hoping someone would gravitate toward her alluring perfume and unseen intimacy. Within minutes she got her wish. Someone did approach. He had several decades under his belt, but it was excused. He was neatly dressed and the cologne was intriguing. He smiled shyly and she said, Oh my. He had missing teeth. She could not handle the ten teeth left in his mouth. So she politely excused herself.

Now her mind raced back to her college days. The only thing that had changed in the club was time. This scene was just a waste of energy. Then her thoughts were momentarily interrupted by a tall, sleek gentleman. His cologne sent a greeting before his mouth formed words. His conversation began sweet and casual with the usual Hi. How are you? and Where are you from? Her responses were short, but she added open-ended questions to maintain the dialogue. His vocabulary was impressive. Mmm. So far so good. They continued to share pet peeves above the noise. He liked traveling abroad, sports, and fitness training. He was the father of a thirteen- and sixteen-year-old. She began to think ahead and pondered the fact that child support was almost over. He further described the relationship with the mother of his children as professional (no intimacy, business as usual). He appeared sincere. While the chat went on, he offered to get her another drink. She accepted warmly. The conversation continued in modesty until an uninvited female arrived. This guest interrupted the conversation with daring physical gestures and several sentences of profanity. So she walked away from the drama in total amazement. This was strike two!

All of a sudden, this party seemed like a bad idea. She would have enjoyed the evening better in the comfort of her condo with a rented movie. She became quite aggravated in this environment.

To keep from appearing like a statue, she moved to another area of the room, getting closer to the exit door. With each step she exchanged greetings with familiar and unfamiliar faces. As she took another step, she was pulled back with force. She turned around to see who was annoying her. Her eyes met those of her ex-boyfriend. He valiantly hugged her as if he had ownership. Due to her previous two strikes and lack of companionship, she appreciated the bodily contact. He released her and took hold of her left hand, searching for a wedding symbol. After noticing there wasn’t any wedding ring, he said, I had to see for myself if the unconditional love I once knew was committed. She stated that she was not trying to make a decision of such importance without letting God lead. Besides, she was unable to love anyone else because her heart was still joined to him but he was unaware. Then she looked deeply into his eyes, recognizing familiarity, warmth, and sincerity. Her first words to him were I miss you. The crowd, music, and smoke were nonexistent. He asked her blatantly, Do you still love me? She responded with a nod. Then they hugged again. This time both of them yielded to emotions that resurfaced after months of separation. She let go of him and began to make inquiries. His response was basically the same as it had been when they first met. He had difficulty trusting women. She had known how the insecurities created an emotional depletion.

He continued to discuss the other aspects of his life. He stated that he was doing well and everything was the same. He still had two children (one namesake son and a daughter); employed in corporate America, suburban residence, and single. Regarding the last adjective, she asked, Why aren’t you married? He was an obvious good catch. He was the typical tall, dark, and handsome gentleman. But pain became his driving force. He was reacting to the tangible instead of activating faith for what he needed. Oftentimes his scars outweighed affection, presenting a false perception of callousness.

They tried to communicate effectively, but the noise was overwhelming. He smiled and she smiled back, and they both left the party. He invited her over to his home for a midnight snack and drinks. As she entered through the door after him, he turned around and grabbed her in a bear hug repeating the question Do you love? This time she responded more readily with a verbal yes. He hugged her again as if he was trying to catch up for the long-term absence. After what seemed like 101 hugs, they sat and chatted, both of them trying to resolve what mistakes were made. The relationship had terminated due to struggles, residential matters, and ineffective communication. He blamed her and she blamed him. This impasse reminded her why she pulled away from him. He was a wounded dictator and wanted the relationship to follow suit. She was a leader with little flexibility. He wanted a child and she refused due to their single status. However, deep within his heart, he knew that her love for him was unconditional and real. But he had so many gray areas because he battled against the truth. As a result, she would feel slighted and insignificant. However, what she recognized in him was not found in any other man she had known previously. No, he was not perfect. But he had strength for her weaknesses. This was the only man who connected with her spiritually. She was the only person who entered his life for enhancement of spirit, soul, and body. Their love for each other was unique but uncouth.

She recalled moments of unhindered splendor. They would watch television and she lay in his arms until the sun rose. His presence alone gave her full satisfaction beyond imagination. It was a place of inspiration more precious than gold. She would not have traded those moments for anything. However, she was not sure if he knew just how wholesome, perfect, and honest this place was for her. Out of her unusual behavior, she expressed her feelings regularly. She hoped the repetitiveness would eliminate any doubt. Unfortunately he thought it was too real to be true. His suspicions and ambiguity reigned and replaced acceptance with denial and pride. Satan enticed him to believe a lie. He constantly mentioned that she was involved with someone else while dating him. Throughout their relationship and afterward, she never dated anyone else, but he struggled accepting this. She became frustrated with trying to plant on unfertile soil.

From the beginning she knew that her battle in this relationship was not physical in nature. She was saved and so was he. The fight was against the powers of darkness. Initially she was not up for the fight, so she let go against her better judgment.

Life does come full circle. They were at this point again with all the same obstacles. As the hours slipped away into early morning, the dialogue of the blame game ended. To ease the heartache, she wanted desperately just to spend the night in the comfort of his arms. She relied on his strength. And most importantly, she needed his strength. This was always her comfort zone of love, and she made sure he knew it. He held her amicably and she held back the tears. Then they kissed, kissed, and kissed again. Eventually they continued to kiss and slipped deeper into sin. She wanted to tell God she was sorry, but she was confused. She knew it was acceptable to love but unacceptable to sin.

When she got in her car, she felt empty. She only had a few hours to prepare for church (it was Sunday Morning) and escape the impression of the night. She had to find her way to the throne of God’s mercy. How does one transition from a rehearsed sinful state to a spiritual state? A shower and change of clothing is not the solution. So now she sat through worship service reminiscing, repenting, and eating peppermint.

She realized that submission to God was mandatory. In her relationship, the approach God wanted her to take did not involve sinful actions, but she responded in ways that pleased her. The deep intimacy compromised Christian values. This kept both of them at odds and not allowing the agape love they had to be fulfilled. Now the relationship was parked in neutral, praying for unification God’s way.

Each of us may have rises and falls. The flesh will fight against God at every chance. Satan will influence us to attend events or participate in what God has not allowed. We all know what the flesh is accustomed to and its desires. The flesh is greedy and forever despising the spirit. It loves what you give it and it always wants more.

Let us get to the critical part of this journey. There will always be Saturday nights and even Friday nights. However, the heart cannot schedule sin, serve God, and please man.

Sunday Morning

Rise and shine; it is Sunday morning. This is the most solemn day of the week. Many businesses are closed. Traffic is at a minimum. The highways look like a ghost town. Everything is still and calm. The dawning of a new day for a new week has begun. It is quite a gift from God to be alive and in good health. As we face the morning sun, thoughts race to gear us up for another week of anticipatory good days. Many begin this calendar expedition communicating with an unseen yet ever-living holy God, while others who are