The Gift is His

By Nicole C. Schroeder

THE BOOK OF RUTH

Ruth is a teenage girl with the gift of prophecy, but she has blood on her hands when she chooses her boyfriend over her gift.

THE BOOK OF GRACE

As a freshman in high school, all she ever wanted was to be popular, but the principal's daughter, Angelica Rogers, filled that position a year before she arrived, but she soon realized that there's more to life than popularity. Grace has a gift. God speaks to her through dreams and visions, just like her mother, Ruth, but will history repeat itself once the students start to tease her about the revelations she received? Will she turn her back on her gift? Will another tragedy occur?

THE BOOK OF GRACE AND CHARLIE: THE BEGINNING

When Charlie walked into their first period Religion class, Grace and Angelica suddenly had something in common: they both liked Charlie. What's not to like? He was Prince Charming and a Knight and Shining Armor all in one, but Charlie had a secret. He wasn't exactly who he said he was, so what is he doing at Mountaintop Christian Academy? Should Grace be worried?

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Nov 30, 2021
• ISBN: 9781667812878

Book preview

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

ISBN: 978-1-6678128-7-8

Dedication

I would like to dedicate this book to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ for entrusting me with this writing project and for blessing me with an amazing support system. From my husband’s unwavering support to my mother, who created the present on the cover, I am truly thankful.

I would like to acknowledge our three daughters. Words cannot express how much I’ve enjoyed sharing this writing experience with our oldest daughter. Not only did she spend several hours, listening to me read and discuss the book, she fell in love with the story line as much as I did, and she created the following characters: Angelica, Faith, and Grandma Gloria. In addition, she named Lilith. One day her name will be attached to this series officially because I truly consider her to be my co-writer. I would like to thank our two youngest daughters for being as patient as they possibly could during this process. I know it wasn’t easy to share me with the characters, but now it’s time to enjoy the holidays as a family. I love you all to the moon and back!

Oh! To the mistakes that find their way into this book after all the time we’ve spent editing, I thank you for reminding me that I am human. LOL

CONTENTS

THE BOOK OF RUTH

THE BOOK OF GRACE

THE BOOK OF GRACE AND CHARLIE: THE BEGINNING

THE BOOK OF RUTH

Chapter One

… Mom, we only go to church twice a year. Why do I have to go to church camp? Ruth Sinclair whined.

Gloria Sinclair took her eyes off the road for a moment to look at her thirteen-year-old daughter in the passenger seat. It’ll be good for you, Sugar Dumpling. I promise.

She folded her arms across her chest and stared out of the window. She hated that name. What was a sugar dumpling, anyway?

A half hour later, Gloria parked her station wagon behind a line of cars at the church. Come on. It’s time to go.

Oh, momma! Do I really have to—

For the last time, it will be good for you, Ruth. You can hang out with some of your friends from school—

Some friends? She thought. They hadn’t called her all summer or invited her to any of their birthday parties. As far as she was concerned, she didn’t have any friends.

Suddenly, a boy walked by their car and Ruth followed him with her eyes all the way to the bus. She was watching him so closely that she pressed her nose against the glass.

Ruth? Are you listening to me?

Mom, do you know who that was?

No.

That was Adam!

Adam who?

Adam Daniels! John Daniels’ son. John Daniels was her father’s boss."

Oh, yes! I remember seeing him with Mr. and Mrs. Daniels at the last company picnic. He’s a nice boy.

Nice? He’s more than nice. Adam is the cutest, smartest, sweetest boy in school. He’s also the most popular boy in school. She said, blushing. Don’t you just love his curly brown hair?

Yes! He’s a very handsome young man. So, does this mean you’re willing to get out of the car now?

She pulled down the sun visor and looked at herself in the mirror. Why did I let you put my hair in a ponytail? That is so juvenile.

You’re thirteen and your ponytail looks fine. Besides, naturally curly hair doesn’t stand a chance against this heat, and I wouldn’t get in the water if I were you. Now come on… let’s go… the buses are filling up fast.

Gloria was right. By the time Ruth got on the bus, the only seat left was near the emergency exit. Adam was sitting with two boys from school and she had to force herself not to look at him.

Adam was just as handsome as the rest of his brothers, with his smooth skin, short, curly brown hair, and hazel-brown eyes. He had perfectly straight white teeth and a dimple in his right cheek. He was 5’4 and 125 pounds. He played sports all year round, so he was extremely athletic. All the boys wanted him on their team and all the girls wanted to cheer him on.

Ruth was what people considered being tall for her age. She had beautiful naturally thick curly hair that took on a personality of its own sometimes and big brown eyes that revealed every emotion she felt. She was pretty, but insecure. She compared herself to every girl she came in contact with and everyone looked better than her, as far as she was concerned.

That weekend, she watched Adam’s team dominate every event: tug a war, potato sack races, canoe sprinting, tree climbing, and firewood building. The more he won, the more fans he gained. One girl in particular-Amber Washington-wanted to be his next girlfriend desperately. She batted her eyelashes and flirted with him all week. The worst part was: he seemed to enjoy all the attention he was getting from her, so Ruth put Adam out of her mind. Besides, he didn’t even know that she existed.

On the last night, they all sat around the campfire roasting marshmallows and singing hymnals. Then, their youth minister talked to them about their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

He is a friend to the friendless. He said, as his words echoed through the woods.

After spending most of the week alone, Ruth didn’t feel like she had a lot of friends, so she stood in line to be baptized in the river. The flier mentioned something about baptism, but never in a million years did Ruth Sinclair think she would get baptized. She was what the kids jokingly called a Christer because she only went to church on Christmas and Easter, but there she was-filled with joy because she would never feel alone again, but her hands were trembling.

Are you nervous?

She turned, and her heart almost leapt out of her chest. It was Adam. Stop staring. Say something. She thought.

Yes! She blurted out awkwardly. I guess I am.

Well, don’t tell anyone, but I’m pretty nervous too. I wish my parents could be here, but I just feel like I should do it now. He whispered.

Something told her he didn’t admit to being nervous often and that made her feel special.

When it was time for her to step into the water, the minister took her hand and said, I baptize you in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit for the remission of your sins. Then he lowered her body into the water and brought her up again. She expected this immediate change, but the only difference was she was wet and cold, and she could feel herself panicking because there was a short window of time before her hair became thick and puffy.

What a letdown? No fireworks! No big transformation! What was the point? She still felt alone.

The minister’s wife put a towel around Ruth and she stood there shivering as she watched Adam’s baptism.

A few minutes later, the two of them stood beside each other, shivering.

The water was freezing. I think I felt a fish tickling my toes. Adam said.

Ruth covered her mouth to keep from laughing in the middle of the next baptism. Well, I swallowed a mouth full of fishy water. She whispered, frowning.

He laughed and said, You were supposed to hold your breath.

I did. She insisted. It went up my nose and I started coughing.

He started to laugh and the minister’s wife asked them to be quiet.

For the rest of the evening, the two of them laughed and talked every moment they could about any and everything and suddenly Ruth wondered if he was the friend God sent her. Perhaps he was the one who would make sure she never felt alone again.

The next day, they sat beside each other on the bus. She was the envy of every girl on the bus. On their way home, Adam asked her to be his girlfriend. She was so excited that she couldn’t wait to tell her mother everything! Her father worked for Adam’s dad, so she imagined that he would be just as excited as she was.

When the bus pulled in front of her house, Adam held her hand for a moment and promised to wait for her in the hallway on the first day of school. Suddenly, seven days seemed like an eternity and she couldn’t wait to get back to school.

While the butterflies in her stomach flapped out of control, she managed to remain cool, calm, and collected. That sounds good. I’ll see you next week. She said, softly.

Amber was extremely upset. Her arms were crossed and her bottom lip was poked out a mile long, as Ruth passed her seat.

Ruth wanted to blow Adam a kiss before she exited the bus, just to make her mad, but something prevented her from being mean and spiteful. She wasn’t sure what it was, but she definitely felt it.

Gloria was in the kitchen, preparing dinner. Slow down. You’re talking so fast.

I’m sorry, momma, but I am so excited. You won’t believe what happened.

Gloria walked over and inspected Ruth’s hair. Child! What happened to your hair? Did you go swimming in the creek?

No… not exactly…

Well, I’ll have to wash and press it out later. Go on and get washed up for dinner. I’m making your favorite… spaghetti and meatballs.

Ruth obeyed her mother. A hot bath sounded nice.

During dinner, she told her parents that the minister baptized her in the river, and they looked at her as if she’d grown a second head. Then, her mother smiled and said, Well, that’s nice, sweetheart. I told you this would be good for you.

Her father, George, nodded his head and continued to eat. After a while, she asked to be excused from the table.

On the first day of school, Adam was in the hallway—just like he promised. They exchanged numbers and talked on the phone every evening. It was nice to have someone to talk to about God. When she told Adam that her parents did not come to church very often, he asked his parents if she could come with them. His mother was extremely nice. She invited Ruth to come to church with them and to have Sunday dinner at their house.

It was a beautiful home. Of course, they didn’t call it their home. They referred to it as the Daniels Estate. It had six bedrooms, a sitting room that no one could sit in because of the family heirlooms and expensive antiques, a family room with a television, a record player, and a large round game table, a kitchen that was hidden from the guest, and a dining room big enough to host several families.

Ruth was nervous the first time she went there, but it eventually became her home away from home. They seemed like the perfect family, so it caught her off guard when she had this feeling…this feeling that she needed to warn the Daniels family about something, and it became stronger and stronger. She tried to tell Adam about it, but he didn’t understand what she meant.

…My family isn’t in any danger. He said, defensively. I think you’ve been reading too many mystery novels.

She giggled to cover her hurt feelings and said, You’re right. Please forget I ever said anything.

I will. He said, sharply.

She didn’t want him to be upset with her because she was convinced that he was the friend God blessed her with, so she asked her mother for a diary and she wrote about her feelings secretly. One Sunday she wrote:

Today, we had beef stroganoff with ribeye steak. I sat between Adam and his older sister, Penny. She wasn’t her usual chatty self. She barely said a word, but I could feel her energy. Is that weird? It was like she was crying out for help, but I was the only one who could hear her. Okay! That is weird… forget I said anything.

The next week, Penny sat at the table with a slight hump in her back. This was unusual because she had ballerina-like posture, and Ruth couldn’t help but notice that she didn’t touch her food. The cook picked it up and took it away without asking if anything was wrong.

For dessert, they had homemade apple pie and ice cream. It was delicious, but Penny did not want any. That was strange! She typically asked for seconds.

Penny, are you okay? Ruth asked. The question left her mouth before she ever knew what was happening.

Her question surprised Penny, so she started to stammer.

Ruth lowered her head. I’m sorry. It’s just—

Come on, Ruth. I told you that everything was fine. My family is fine. My sister is—

It’s okay, Adam. Actually, I’m not feeling very well, Ruth. My stomach has been hurting for about a month now, but it’s getting a lot worse—

Their mother, Paulene, overheard the conversation, and it shocked her. Penny, why didn’t you say anything?

She shrugged and said, Well, I didn’t want to worry you.

Well, I am worried. I’m going to make a doctor’s appointment for you tomorrow. She said. Then she turned toward Ruth with an inquisitive expression on her face. What made you ask that question, young lady?

Ruth shrugged and said, I don’t know. I just had a feeling.

Well, thank God for your feeling. She said, raising her glass to Ruth.

The next day, Mrs. Daniels took Penny to the doctor. After an extensive amount of test, they discovered she had a stomach infection. The doctor said she would have died if they hadn’t caught it in time. Mrs. Daniels was extremely grateful to Ruth.

Two weeks later, they made one of Ruth’s favorite meals at their house: tomato salad, homemade lasagna, and rolls.

Son, you better marry her someday. Paulene Daniels said, winking at Ruth from across the dining room table. She saved your sister’s life. Who knows? She could save your life too someday.

***

Chapter Two

A year later, Ruth and Adam were officially high school sweethearts. He was the quarterback on the junior varsity football team, and she cheered him on every Friday night. She was louder than an entire squad of cheerleaders, and he wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Ruth’s father worked at the Daniels Corporation as an engineer, so he attended the football games every Friday night and sat with Adam’s father. It was a great opportunity for him to score brownie points with his boss, so he had an invested interest in Ruth’s relationship with Adam. Ruth didn’t like being used, but it gave her an opportunity to talk to her dad on the way home from the games. Typically, they talked about the game itself.

Adam had an incredible arm. At least, that’s what her dad said. She didn’t know a lot about football, but it meant a lot to him and Adam, so she just listened and nodded her head a lot.

One evening, she talked to him about something that was heavy on her heart. …Dad, do you remember your dreams?

George tightened his fingers around the steering wheel. Sure, I do. I wanted to go to the NFL. I would have too if—’

No, not your dreams, dad. Your actual dreams… the ones that you dream at night.

Oh. Uh-h. No! When I’m out, I’m out. I don’t remember anything, but your mother has a lot of vivid dreams. Sometimes she tells me about them, but none of them make sense to me.

Well, I know the feeling…I keep having this dream about a little girl who is homeless on the street. She’s begging people for food and she’s eating out of trash cans. People walk by her and shake their heads a lot, but Aunt Helen stops to help her every time.

Your Aunt Helen? Really? That sounds… intense.

Tell me about it. I feel like I’m supposed to pray for her, dad.

Pray… for the girl… in your dream? He asked in disbelief.

And Aunt Helen. I know it sounds weird, but I just have that feeling again.

You mean, the feeling you had about Mr. Daniel’s family.

She nodded her head.

Well, your feeling saved their daughter’s life, so go on and pray. It can’t hurt.

For the next few months, she prayed for them every morning and night. She even asked her parents to pray for them.

One evening, their telephone rang, and it was Gloria’s sister, Helen. She could not conceive a child, but she desperately wanted to be a mother. After years of fasting and praying, God answered her prayers. Her social worker called and there was a nine-year-old girl who needed a home. She’d been living on the streets. The police found her eating out of the trash.

Gloria could hardly believe her ears. That Sunday, Gloria and George gave their lives to the Lord. Then they told everyone about Ruth’s dream and the prayers they prayed; however, they couldn’t explain any of it.

***

During her sophomore year, Ruth attended a tent revival with her parents and Adam. At the end of the service, a minister called Ruth to the front. She was scared out of her mind, so her parents and Adam walked with her. The minister held her hands and said, My child, you have the gift of prophecy. Our Heavenly Father will give you dreams and visions… He will use you to save many lives.

Suddenly, her dreams and feelings had a name, and it was more than a name. It was a gift from God. The Holy Spirit gave it to her, and no one could take it away from her.

Adam was skeptical about the whole thing because he didn’t receive a gift after they baptized him, or at least he hadn’t discovered it. He thought it was all just a coincidence, so Ruth decided not to talk to him about it anymore. Besides, the only reason she talked to him about God in the first place was because her parents didn’t go to church or seem to have a relationship with God, but all that had changed.

Her youth minister and his wife offered to counsel her every Sunday afternoon about the gift of prophecy, and her parents went with her. During their sessions, she learned that believers in Christ Jesus can receive one or more spiritual gifts from the Holy Spirit. One gift was prophecy. Prophecy is a message from God that is meant for the individual, a specific person or church body at an appointed time. The question was: how would she know the difference? Every time they answered one question, she always had ten more.

After a while, it was all she could think about and she could feel herself drifting further and further apart from Adam. He wasn’t interested in her feelings and dreams. He wanted a girlfriend… a normal girlfriend, so she had to make a hard decision. She had to choose between her gift and her boyfriend. Eventually, she chose Adam because she wanted to be normal, too.

By their junior year, she hardly thought about her gift at all. Adam had a car. They were going out every Saturday night, and they were planning to go to prom together. Things couldn’t get any more normal than that. Then, the dreams started again.

***

Chapter Three

During the second semester of their junior year, Ruth dreamed about their annual church camp. Every time she fell asleep, she saw Adam and fire was all around him. One night, the ground underneath him disappeared, and he fell into a black hole. After a while, she couldn’t see him. All she heard were screams and the sound of roaring lions. It woke her up out of a sound sleep every time, and her mother always came in to make sure she was okay.

…Ruth, you can’t keep going on like this. You have to say something.

She couldn’t argue with her. She knew she was right, but it was a lot more complicated than that.

Adam and I are finally back on track. I don’t know what this will do to our relationship. It almost destroyed it last time—

But it sounds like Adam could get hurt. It wouldn’t be right for you to keep this from him—

But he doesn’t want to hear about my dreams, momma. He just wants a normal girlfriend. I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize that. We have prom coming up—

Prom? That boy could get hurt out there and you’re worried about prom. I taught you better than that. Gloria said. You have a gift from God.

You’re right. My gift is Adam. I felt so alone when I stood in that line to get baptized. I did it because the minister said God was a friend to the friendless, so I wanted to at least have one friend, and that night Adam talked to me for the first time. That wasn’t a coincidence, mom. God sent him to me, and I haven’t felt lonely since that day.

The only reason you haven’t felt lonely is because God never leaves us. It has nothing to do with Adam, so you need to be careful. If I didn’t know any better, I would think that you were making Adam your god. The bible warns us against that.

She squinted her eyes. What? No!

Yes! You’re choosing him over your gift from God. You remember what that minister said. God is going to use you to save lives, so you need to be honest with him.

***

For the next few months, Ruth turned her radio on at night to muffle any sudden outburst. She didn’t want her mother to come into her room in the middle of the night and start lecturing her about what she should or should not do.

At that point in her life, nothing was more important than prom, and it was a beautiful night. Adam picked her up in a shiny black limousine with two other couples, and the six of them had a wonderful time.

Later that night, they drove back to her home alone, and he pulled a little box out of his right suit jacket. When he opened it, she saw a gold princess cut diamond ring.

…This ring belonged to my great grandmother. I know we are just juniors in high school, but I wanted to give this to you tonight because I promise to marry you someday. You are my best friend and my number one cheerleader.

Tears streamed down her face as he put the ring on her finger.

When she made it home that night, she was on cloud nine. She couldn’t wait to show the ring to her parents.

Her father, George, sat back in his recliner and said, I can see it now. My grandchildren will run Daniels Corporations someday.

Gloria rolled her eyes. They’re juniors in high school, George. A lot can happen before our grandchildren come along.

You’re right. I hope I’m around long enough to see it, he said.

***

Chapter Four

That summer, Ruth and Adam were inseparable. Ruth practically lived at the Daniels Estate. She loved swimming laps in their pool and playing tennis with Adam.

One afternoon, she took a nap in their family room and she dreamed about their annual church camp again. One minute, they were roasting marshmallows. The next minute, fire surrounded them. She screamed for help, but no one could hear them. She woke up suddenly and half the Daniels family was standing over her: Adam, his older sister, Penny, and his older brother, Charles.

… Ruth! Are you okay? Adam asked, sounding worried.

Her eyes shifted between them as she tried to gather her thoughts.

Ruth, you were screaming pretty loud. Were you having one of your… dreams? Penny whispered.

Dreams? What kind of dreams? Charles asked, curiously.

Penny smiled mysteriously.

Oh, no! Whatever it is, I have the right to know. I’m going to be the head of this family someday. Charles graduated from college in the spring. He planned to join his father’s company at the end of the summer and he wanted to take over Daniels Corporation once his father retired.

What is this? The mob! Get out of here. I need to talk to Ruth alone—

Adam, if we leave, we’re going to eavesdrop on the other side of the door. Penny said, smirking.

Ruth reached out and grabbed Adam’s hand. It’s okay. Let them stay. Your sister is right. I had a dream.

He pressed his lips into a hard line.

What kind of dream? Charles insisted.

A prophetic dream. Penny said, as she watched the color drain out of his face. Our Ruth is a prophet. She saved my life once while you were away at college—

Knock it off, Penny! Ruth is my girlfriend.

Well, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but your girlfriend is a prophet.

Well, what was your dream about Prophet Ruth?

I’m warning you, Charles!

He shook his hands dramatically. Look! I’m shaking.

Penny laughed and said, Stop teasing, Adam. He’s really sensitive about this whole prophet thing.

Well, I’m not a prophet, but I have the gift of prophecy. Ruth said, softly. She hadn’t admitted that to anyone in quite some time.

Okay. I don’t know if I understand what you mean. Charles said.

To be honest, I don’t understand it all either. I stopped going to my counseling sessions, but I can tell you about my dream… if it’s okay with Adam.

He shrugged, as if he didn’t care, but he clearly did.

…Well, I was dreaming about our annual church camp trip. We were roasting marshmallows and singing hymns. Then everyone screamed because the fire was all around us. After a while, the ground underneath us disappeared and Adam fell into a black hole. I tried to find him, but I couldn’t. All I heard was the sound of roaring lions.

Lions? That sounds awful. Penny said. Do you think it’s some sort of warning?

Well, it doesn’t matter. I’m not going to our annual church camp this year. Right, Charles?

Right!

Ruth tilted her head slightly toward Adam. You’re not?

No, Charles and I are going hiking in the woods with dad and a few of his business associates. He thought it would be a good idea to bring your dad along, so they can understand the company from the middle management perspective. Do you think he would like to come?

Oh. Well… I’m sure he would love that—

Well, I don’t think dad would be willing to invite him if I wasn’t on the trip, sooo—

Wait! Do you think it would be wise for Adam to go on a trip—

I didn’t realize there was a family meeting taking place. Paulene Daniels said as she entered her family room.

Penny turned toward her dramatically. Mom, Ruth just had a dream, and I don’t think Adam should go on this hiking trip with dad. It sounds like he might be in some kind of danger—

Don’t listen to her, mom. You know how important this hiking trip is to me. It’s an opportunity for me to see dad in action—

Well, if Ruth doesn’t think it’s a good idea for you to go, I will tell your dad and that will be the end of it—

Mom!

Don’t mom me. After the way she saved your sister’s life, I trust your future wife completely.

Ruth could feel their eyes on her once again, but she didn’t take her eyes off Adam. He was begging her to take his side without ever saying a word. How could she disappoint him? She couldn’t! He meant everything to her, so she smiled and said, It was just a dream, Mrs. Daniels. Adam will be fine. I promise.

***

Chapter Five

While she convinced herself that Adam would be fine on the hiking trip, she couldn’t shake the feeling that there could be danger surrounding the annual church camp.

…Well, it’s good to see you, Ruth. We’ve missed you over the last few months. Please. Come in…

Ruth walked into her youth minister’s office and took a seat across from his desk. Gloria walked in a few moments later and took a seat beside her.

Would either of you like some water or a cold drink?

No, thank you—

Well, what brings you here today? Are you ready to start our afternoon sessions again?

Uh, no… not exactly—

He took his glasses off and placed them on his desk. Okay. What’s going on?

In a state of panic, she turned toward her mother for help.

"Well,