Freedom Finders: Stories of God's Transforming Love

By R. Ragsdale and W. Ragsdale

An innocent diversion becomes an all consuming passion, a relationship is destroyed through manipulation, and overwhelming anxiety triggers sleepless nights and panic attacks.

God created us to live in freedom and hope, but how?

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jun 24, 2020
• ISBN: 9781973693420

R. Ragsdale

Roger and Wendy currently reside in the upstate of South Carolina, have been married 42 years by God’s grace and wisdom and welcome every opportunity to share the truth of God’s transforming love.

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Copyright © 2020 R. & W. Ragsdale.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

WestBow Press

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.®

ISBN: 978-1-9736-9341-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-9343-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-9342-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020910439

WestBow Press rev. date: 6/23/2020

Contents

Isaiah 45:3

I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.

1 John 4:16

We know the love that God has for us, and we trust that love.

Psalm 138:8

The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me.

Philippians 4:12

I have learned the secret of being content…

Psalm 37:4

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 23:5

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies

Psalm 100:4

Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise

Where the spirit of the Lord is,

there is freedom – 2 Cor.3:17

We dedicate this book to our source

of freedom and hope, Jesus Christ, to

our lovely daughters, our pride and

delight, Kristi and Melissa, and Renner,

our grandson and continual joy.

We wish to thank Ashley Christopherson for her invaluable editing and advice. God inspired the stories, but she made them comprehensible.

Much appreciation goes to our family and friends whose stories motivated the creation of ‘Freedom Finders’.

Isaiah 45:3

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I will give you the treasures of darkness,

riches stored in secret places, so that you

may know that I am the Lord, the God

of Israel, who summons you by name.

Good night, Mark said as he patted the back of a man in his mid-twenties. The man responded, See you next week.

Mark and Linnea stood in their foyer while a group of about fifteen adults was leaving. Many hugged each other and some were wiping tears from their eyes, but the atmosphere was hopeful and enthusiastic.

Linnea spoke softly to a timid middle-aged woman, Thanks for sharing your fears, Carolyn. It’s important for everyone to realize that fears are natural. Pretending that we don’t have them maintains their power over us. Carolyn nodded in agreement, hugged Linnea, and waved to Mark as she left.

Dave, another man from the group, shook Mark’s hand and said, You have no idea what these sessions mean to me. Mark smiled and came back with, Oh, but we do. That’s why this outreach exists. God’s love transformed us and continues to. He doesn’t give us gifts to keep them to ourselves.

Linnea heard their conversation and walked over to join them. She enthusiastically added, Someday you’ll discover that God has used the pain and difficulties in your life to fulfill his special purpose in you. Mark added, You’ll see yourself in a new light and want to share the truth with as many people as possible. It’s already happening, responded Dave, then he added, My wife doesn’t understand the change in me, but she said she hopes it continues. Mark gave him a hearty hug and said, We’ll see you next week.

As the last of the group descended the front steps and went their separate ways to their cars, Mark took Linnea’s hand and gave it a squeeze. Her gaze shifted from watching the cars depart to the sign in their front yard by the sidewalk that said Freedom Finders, along with the website address and phone number. For over two years, they’d been holding meetings in their home. The Wednesday night sessions lasted for six weeks and were held without charge. Attendance was limited, primarily because of space, but also because sharing was vital and more forthcoming with fewer people.

As Linnea watched the people driving away, she said wistfully, God is so good. Mark smiled in agreement and added, You’re absolutely right. He was standing behind Linnea as he took her by the shoulders and gently moved her away from the doorway. He locked the front door and turned off the porch light. Turning toward her, he suggested, Let’s go to bed. Linnea responded, I’m not really tired yet. Mark grinned and replied, Who said anything about sleeping?

Three years earlier…

It was 4:45, and their regular employees had left at 3:30. Linnea pulled into a parking space at the front of their leased commercial building. It was a typical metal industrial building with office space in the front by the entrance, and the remaining space was used for manufacturing.

Mark’s car was in its usual spot, but there was an unfamiliar car parked alongside his. Linnea knew that sales reps were frequent visitors, and sometimes customers dropped by to see the progress of their jobs.

Linnea’s hours were normally 8:00-3:30, while Mark’s were 7:00-5:00, or as late as he needed to work. She rarely returned to work after leaving for the day. Today, however, she had purchased a refill for their water cooler and had to get it out of the car so she could drive some friends to a Bible study that night.

Linnea couldn’t carry the heavy refill herself, so she planned to enlist Mark’s help. As she entered the building, she didn’t notice anyone but heard laughter coming from the shop. Mark was laughing and talking although she couldn’t make out what he was saying. Then she heard more laughter, which sounded feminine and youthful. Linnea felt her stomach tighten a bit, and her attention quickened. Female sales reps were always flirting with Mark, and if they were male, they targeted Linnea.

Linnea’s desk was in the open reception area to the right as you entered. Mark’s office was adjacent to hers, and his light was on. She glanced in as she walked towards the shop, but it was vacant as expected, aside from a woman’s small handbag and a larger satchel next to it, both items sitting on one of the guest chairs.

Mark and his visitor were still laughing and unaware of Linnea’s presence as she rounded the corner. The young woman wasn’t dressed like any sales rep that Linnea had seen. She was wearing tight jeans and a low-cut, form fitting tank top that left little to the imagination. Her luxuriant dark hair was falling over one shoulder as she leaned over a machine which Mark was demonstrating.

Linnea remained oblivious between the noise of the machine and their conversation. She stood still, partly because her legs felt shaky and partly because she wanted to better understand the scene that she was witnessing.

The young woman was beautiful. She was Hispanic and probably in her early twenties, about 5’4", slender, yet curvy where it counts. Her attention was focused on Mark as he was explaining the function of the machine in operation.

Mark’s countenance brought a twinge of recognition to Linnea. He looked ten years younger as he basked in the admiration of this beautiful woman. Mark wore similar expressions when they were dating, and they would reappear whenever Linnea found opportunities to praise him.

Lately, though, his expressions revealed weariness and stress. Their business, which specialized in parts orientation, had seen a steady decline since the 9/11 devastation. Manufacturing was hit hard and this affected every business. Their customers and purchase orders decreased each year, followed by unavoidable employee lay-offs.

They were down to one full-time machinist and looking for a part-time apprentice/helper. Linnea had contacted the local community college about a week ago inquiring about recent grads from their welding program. So far, there had been no response.

As Linnea stood there contemplating her next step, the young woman’s attention left Mark and caught sight of her. The visitor smiled disarmingly and said, Hi.

Mark immediately turned his face toward Linnea in surprise (was she sensing a little guilt, too?). He turned off the machine and started towards her. She stood where she was because her legs remained a bit shaky, and she wanted to speak privately with Mark.

As Mark closed the distance between them Linnea could feel her face begin to flush and her heart rate increase. Was she angry, jealous, suspicious, or an unsettling combination?

When he reached Linnea, he gave her a quick kiss on the mouth and said briskly, This is a surprise. I didn’t expect to see you until after 9:00 tonight. Linnea responded, I told you that I would be picking up a water refill this afternoon. I couldn’t leave it in the car because I’m driving three other women to the Bible study. So, who’s our little señorita? Linnea asked pointedly. Mark replied, Angie is a recent grad from the welding program at GCC. She called this afternoon in response to your request for an apprentice. Linnea blurted out, How old is she, sixteen!? Mark grinned and replied, I didn’t ask her age, but she has to be at least nineteen to have her certificate from the college. Linnea returned her focus to Angie and added, When I contacted the school, I never imagined a hundred-pound teenage girl applying for the position. How can someone with her small build perform the shop duties?"

Mark calmly responded, If she can pass the course requirements, she can handle the work here. Plus, she’s willing to work for minimum wage until we determine that her apprenticeship is complete. Lin, he continued with a hint of desperation, We need extra help and we can’t afford a seasoned welder.

Linnea looked earnestly into his eyes and reluctantly responded, I know, but does she have to look so enticing? Mark gently smiled and put his arm around her shoulder saying, Come over and meet her; she’s really sweet. Linnea replied curtly, I’ll bet. This has to be quick because I need to get the water refill out of my car so that I can get to the Bible study. "I want you to meet her before you leave, so I’ll