Seven Calls to Absalom: A novel of a son's call to righteousness

By Paul Nicholas

Luray, Virginia, is a beautiful town situated in Page Valley of the Shenandoah. It’s home to Daniel and Annabelle Greenwood. For income, the couple own and manage a bed-and-breakfast business, handed down from Annabelle’s father before the bed-and-breakfast industry was a thing.

Daniel and Annabelle have four children. Three boys: Absalom, Noah, and Tommy. A little girl named Layla Belle who was in their lives for only a moment in time but made a huge impact for the Kingdom of God.

Daniel also serves as minister to a small Presbyterian congregation that has roots in the basement of his home. One morning on Christmas day, the congregation experience a miraculous healing from the Holy Spirit, which catapults growth and positive directions in serving the community of Luray, for years to come.

Absalom Greenwood catches a vision for serving the Lord early on in his life following the patterns of his mom and dad! Serving in a ministry that’s very entertaining, to say the least.

At the age of eighteen, walking away from his faith, Absalom becomes a statistic, joining the 85 percent of his companions raised in Christian homes who never give the Bible or God a second thought. They work hard pursuing the American Dream and worshipping everything but the Lord.

Many years later, when Annabelle is seventy-seven years of age, she rises to her finest hour, calling out to her son, pleading for him to return to his faith. Will Absalom hear the call and make the decision to turn his life toward God?

The story spans from the early 1960s all the way to 2009, with many interesting people to meet along the way. You may see yourself along the journey. So I ask that you examine your hearts and minds. Confirm your calling and election sure for Christ. He loves you!

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• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jun 18, 2021
• ISBN: 9781638140559

Book preview

Chapter 1

There’s this amazing thing about mothers; they are always engaged in the lives of their children. And rightfully so. God has gifted them with bearing life throughout all generations. Being a mom is one of life’s most beautiful pleasures. Seeking direction from the Lord, as a mom who is raising her children, well, you just can’t go wrong.

Moms teach us manners. Right from wrong. How to properly respect a lady and leadership in general. They teach us empathy for ourselves and others, soft skills on how to navigate life and careers without being gunned down too early in life.

If boys pay attention real close, they can learn to be humble, which in many ways translates into stability in emotions, love for others, and most importantly, keeping down a job to support themselves and family. One day, they may be able to take care of their own mom.

Little girls pray before bedtime to be just like their own moms and dream that one day they will have little ones of their own to take care of. You can see it in the way they take care of their baby dolls. It’s something God has placed in their hearts, and it will always be there, no matter how bad things get in this world. It’s God’s promise.

Annabelle Greenwood was one of those great mothers. A full-time stay-at-home mom, as they’ve been branded over the years, she never really held down full- or part-time employment outside the family business. But full time in the home? That she was.

God had ordained this mom, this faithful wife, for something greater in her life than she could have ever imagined. Her greatest moments, her greatest influence, would come late in her life. When many people her age were allowing the sun to go down on a life well lived, her fight increased in a supernatural way. A fight for the life of one of her beautiful sons.

Annabelle and her husband Daniel managed three bed-and-breakfasts in the small rural town of Luray, Virginia. All three homes were inherited by Annabelle from her father five years earlier. It was his only profitable asset that had been in the family for three generations, way back before the novelty of the bed-and-breakfast concept took shape in the twentieth century.

One house was located right in downtown Luray proper. The second house was three quarters of a mile from city center, and the third one was a mile and a half in the opposite direction of town strategically located near a popular tourist attraction of caverns and daily wine tasting events.

Minimal but smart investments were made to each of the three homes in those five years. A few marketing ideas were deployed that Daniel learned in college, and before long, their business was thriving enough to provide wonderfully for their growing family. The business allowed Daniel the freedom to pursue his passion as the only Presbyterian minister in the town of Luray.

There is a menagerie of denominations in the area, none of which are bold enough to be called Presbyterian. Most are Methodist in doctrine. The others are Freewill, Independent, Southern, Northern, and Reformed. Most townspeople were not sure why the Reformed Methodist identified themselves as such with all the other choices the townspeople could make. There was never any determination of what the reformation was about.

There was one Catholic church with a small roll of attendees averaging twenty-five for Saturday evening mass and ten for Sunday morning services and communion. There was gossip in the Methodist circles that the Catholics left in small groups after Saturday evening Mass to drink their wine until 1:00 a.m. Thus, the low turnouts on Sunday mornings was insinuated.

In retort, the Catholics covertly accused the Methodist youth boys of sleeping around with girls who were willing enough on Saturday evenings before gracing the doors of the sunrise services on Sunday mornings. This started with an eyewitness account of one of the Southern Methodist boys, the preacher’s son, making an advance on Victoria Rossi some years ago. Like any good Catholic girl, she would have none of it and evangelized the event to anyone that would listen.

Daniel, in his heart, believed denominations were an abomination and antichrist to what God did through His Son Jesus Christ. He believed there was one denomination: the denomination of those found in Jesus Christ. His thoughts were that of pursuing a personal relationship with God, reading the Bible, and having the Holy Spirit reveal His Word to His elect. Denominations demanded you to believe in a conglomerate of doctrines that lead to their way of thinking.

Through his years, people would tell him that they believed they could not truly understand the Bible, feeling that they had to go to Bible scholars and leaders for wisdom. Daniel believed this to be a mistake in people’s perception of the Lord. A mistake that could ultimately lead them astray, costing them their eternal life, living a lie while they believe they are in the truth. His desire was to disciple people in ways where they could develop strength in reading the Bible, building a true altar for Christ in their hearts that would be unbreakable by the evil one.

Daniel Greenwood’s ministry had humble beginnings in the basement of his bed-and-breakfast home furthest away from the center of town. The name of the church was The Presbyterian Assembly of Luray. There were five young couples that attended faithfully throughout the church’s years of service. These five couples would be the core group of folks Daniel could trust, in the good times and the bad.

Respecting the seniority of the Methodist and Catholic churches, Daniel was careful not to muddle things up and be accused of taking any patrons away from these pillars in the community. The leaders within each denomination kept their eye on him as he was the new kid in town so to speak, offering a new way of thinking, a new doctrine to learn. At least, that was the perception.

The Catholics either looked the other way or abruptly exchanged pleasantries when they saw Daniel, his family or congregation moseying into town. In no way would they consider them a threat to their belief systems. Theirs was one of complexity, rituals, rites, and works that would be hard pressed for the Methodists or Presbyterians to relate to. The Methodists were a different story, running neck and neck in many ways to what Daniel was teaching his sheep. There were two practices that seemed to raise tensions with the Methodists. One was the practice of baby dedications. As the five couples began growing their families, the babies were faithfully dedicated to the Lord with a christening ceremony and prayer around each of the children.

The church defended its stance paraphrasing the Words of our Lord where He asks that we should come to Him as little children. Unless we become innocent as little children, people will not inherit the Kingdom of God. In other words, people need to become blameless and walk away from a life that’s sinful; otherwise, they cannot be walking with Christ. Daniel was right! The children would, by their own obedience be immersed in water when they became older and realized they could receive salvation in Jesus Christ.

The second contention was the Presbyterian belief that human reasoning along with the inherent Word of the Bible were both equally important in developing the Christian faith.

Daniel and his flock moved away from this doctrine a few years in and became what was popularly called Reformed Presbyterian, relying only on the Bible’s teachings and applying it to their daily lives. After the change, the Methodists seemed to accept the organization but would never engage in any form of community efforts supported by Daniel and his followers.

Both the Methodists and Catholics focused their efforts on giving to faraway places and missionaries that were serving around the world, obedient to the great commission of our Lord. The Reformed Presbyterians were generous throughout the years in the local community. There was a lot to be done. The town, although small had issues like any other city in the US. Addictions, poverty, and unemployment have plagued the area since the end of the Civil War and to this day.

The humble beginnings of the Presbyterian Assembly of Luray began to experience growth as interest grew of the new movement within the community. People that did not feel comfortable attending the Methodist or Catholic churches had the option to attend this small church. Daniel did not believe in advertising for people to attend the church as he did with the bed-and-breakfast. It was his belief that the Holy Spirit should prompt the people to attend.

Because of this obedience and belief, the church flock grew to fifty people in the Lord’s timing.

The need for a building to gather in had reached critical mass. Daniel went to the Lord in prayer along with the congregation. Jumping to no conclusions, prayer and fasting lasted for six months. In their patience, the Lord revealed an aging theater that had shut down two years prior.

The building was right in the center of Luray. Cautiously optimistic, Daniel and the congregation made the bold move to enter the city. They did not want to interfere with other denominations and ministries, but the timing was right. It would turn out to be a great blessing to the city and townspeople.

Chapter 2

The town of the Luray is nestled in the beautiful Page Valley of the Shenandoah region of Virginia. Settlers from Europe began staking claim to the region as early as the 1500s. There was much stake to be claimed in this very rich region of the Shenandoah. To this day, Luray and the surrounding regions lay claim to some of the most fertile farmland in the United States.

Prior to the Civil War, wheat was the cash crop of the Shenandoah. Demand for the product around the world and during the Civil War for confederate soldiers trademarked the region as the breadbasket of the universe. The region still grows wheat today, but most of the cash crop is now owned by Virginia’s northern neck comprised of four counties—Richmond, Westmoreland, Northumberland, and Lancaster.

The Shenandoah and supporting towns such as Luray now assert their position as leaders in the tourism trade with beautiful, endless vineyards offering wine tastings year round.

A few miles away from Luray sits an insightful history museum called Luray Valley. There, one can learn the history of how the region was settled and how the area has developed through the centuries. Although a small museum relatively speaking, a family can spend a few hours enjoying the displays and the wealth of information that is so thoughtfully and conveniently shared.

For the smaller children, there is a magnificent Jungle Jim located in the back of the museum. The playground, being set in a great big sandbox, is inviting for children of all ages. Older teenagers and parents in shape enough to participate have been caught in the sand box having the time of their lives. Most visitors exit the museum smiling with plans to come back again soon or they talk about the beginnings of a strategy to move into the area.

The region is enriched with history of the Civil War. Traveling west about eleven miles over the Shenandoah mountain range to New Market one can visit two museums that contain many artifacts, pictures, and letters from Civil War times.

Both museums are insightful to those interested in our nation’s history. They recall sad days to reflect on and learn from. Days can be spent pouring over the information for any Civil War history buff. And there are many that grace the doors each year. There’s even a rumor that the owner invites patrons that purchase artifacts and souvenirs to return to the establishment at no charge next time they are in the area.

This time in the history of the United States was one of the nation’s darkest. Most would speculate it’s good to have museums people can visit to remember the dangers and consequences of fighting within one’s own country. Overall, the wars that the United States has fought in, has resulted in the loss of 1,264,000 American lives; 620,000 of these lives were lost in the Civil War. The remainder of these precious lives, 644,000, have been lost in all the other conflicts the United States has supported, up to current days; 620,000 of lives were lost by the actions of our forefathers. Lives lost for a lost cause. A cause that still resonates in our culture today; sadly, it always will.

Close to 33,000 soldiers were lost in the Shenandoah Valley Campaigns of 1864. The country’s Civil War history and the slaughters that occurred for so many soldiers, ultimately affecting so many lives and generations should be front and center in the United States. These lessons have been handed down for generations to ensure it never happens again. Luray and New Market, Virginia, both do a very good job with these reminders.

The museum resides right on the battlefield where the North and South fought for the territory of New Market, May 15, 1864. That day the fertile wheat fields of the Bushong family farm was laid waste by the shedding of blood and casualties from both the North and South military regiments.

The museum claims to contain details not included in the history books. These details are intimately shared with patrons willing to sit through a one-hour presentation of fifty slides. It’s been calculated 90 percent of visitors invest an hour of their lives to experience the story.

To keep participants from napping or looking at their cell phones, a drama team acting on the part of family members of the farm present the story like it was yesterday. The performance is impactful leaving visitors with new insight on the New Market battle.

As history reports, Union soldiers experienced 841 casualties; 96 souls departed into eternity; a little over 500 wounded, some of which would die in a few short hours but not officially counted in the carnage. Over 245 soldiers were captured or went missing never to be heard from again.

The Confederates fared a bit better, officially winning the battle but had no time to celebrate the success, as history would dictate: 43 soldiers died that day in the wheat fields, a little over 470 were injured, and 3 soldiers went missing.

Building on the success of a win, there was folklore created by the surviving Confederate soldiers that the three soldiers who were missing went to finish off the Union soldiers that ran away. Some numbers have the Union at seventy-five soldiers, others say it was as many as 125 Union soldiers, but none the less three Confederate boys handed them their fate in an unofficial battle that was never recorded in our nation’s history.

It’s important to recognize that the Battle of New Market was the first and only time young and very eager military cadets still in training were included in the line-up for the Confederacy. These boys hailed from Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia, about seventy miles from the battlefield. Ten of the forty-three confederate soldiers that died that very day were brave cadets from VMI, barely out of their teens. One can only imagine how their mamas fared with the news.

Annabelle and Daniel both have family ties to the events of the Shenandoah Valley battle campaigns of the Civil War. The ties are vague to say the least. Not much emphasis was placed on them through their years. Anabelle’s grandparents who had firsthand knowledge of what was involved would hem and haw when questions would arise asking for details of brave family members who were killed or missing in action.

Annabelle surmised that it was either too raw or too embarrassing to be discussed. Both grandfather and father were polished businessmen that did not desire to deal with the past, only to press on with the present and rocket toward the future.

For the Greenwoods present day, Civil War history is a business strategy. It is a quaint little topic leveraged with their bed-and-breakfast clients that decide to grace their homes for the week and weekends. There are pictures in the living rooms, embroidered statements in the bedrooms, stenciled messages on the walls where coffee drinkers gather for their first cup of the morning and small artifacts that are strategically placed throughout their homes. All these artifacts had been invested in long ago by Anabelle’s father and they have been enhanced a bit more with the marketing techniques and talents of Daniel. Ten months into matrimony, Daniel and Annabelle were having their first-born child. Rumors and steadfast gossip had it that the couple was encouraged to be married. Both sides of their families were pressuring them since Anabelle was showing signs of a baby bump four months into the marriage. This gossip along with the intrinsic math for a newborn at the end did not line up for anyone reveling in the mishaps of the Greenwood clan. Neither Annabelle nor Daniel paid much attention to it. They were in love and loved to show it, ready to start their family right out of the gate! Who had the time to worry about the details anyway?

The Greenwood’s firstborn, Absalom, was born right on time, straight from the medical textbooks. Seven pounds and thirteen ounces was the recorded weight on the birth certificate. And my, what a beautiful boy was he. With dark hair and bright blue eyes already shining through his focusing hazy eyes, it seemed, with every hour in this new world his blue eyes were getting brighter and brighter.

Annabelle, Daniel, the doctors, the nurses, and other new mommies and daddies on the floor where newborn babies were nestled in their cribs, were all captivated by the beauty and personality that Absalom emitted. He was the talk of the hospital.

Administrators and receptionists of the hospital on all three shifts made a point to visit Absalom, before his journey home. He did not disappoint. Most babies begin exhibiting personality around month three. Not for Absalom. He exited the womb with personality and was not afraid to show it. All the folks that visited his crib left with a smile and a hope for the future.

Before their son was born, there was a battle in the naming war for their first child. A negotiation was made between them. If the baby were a girl, Annabelle would win. The name of the child would be Layla Belle. This was a lifelong dream for the mother to be. She wanted some link to her name, and she loved Layla, after the great ballad that bears the name from Slow Hand himself.

If the baby were a boy, his name would be Absalom, Daniel’s favorite name from his readings of the Bible. He always thought Absalom got a bad rap. Being the son of King David, a brave warrior, slayer of a giant, a bear and a lion were very difficult shoes to fill. The Bible says King David was a man after God’s own heart. For average men and transgressors, this can be very intimidating. Imagine having the Lord God on your side, fighting your battles. It’s a huge advantage to have in life.

Any man would feel vulnerable in the presence of a king such as David even if he was your father. Daniel felt that the young man Absalom fell victim to his supporting cast of evil men that were interested in David’s demise. And he would be right based on the true accounts of the Bible.

In the Bible, 2 Samuel 14:25 states there was no man in all Israel as handsome or popular and praised as Prince Absalom. From head to toe, there were no fleshly flaws found on him. It would later be discovered there were many flaws in his heart, flaws that led to his attempt to overthrow his father from the throne and place himself there.

He became a pawn in God’s judgement over the house of David. A judgment that was promised for the sins committed against Uriah, one of David’s mighty warriors and Uriah’s wife Bathsheba.

Calamity came to David’s household and Absalom was collateral damage.

Oddly, Absalom Greenwood mirrored the fleshly descriptions of Absalom in the Bible. His beauty was already making an impact on his family and the community around him, even before leaving the hospital. Arriving at the Greenwood home, he would also be very content in any situation that would arise. He was never one for making a big fuss about anything. Their newborn son was so quiet and content that mother and father had regimented times of the day when they checked in on him for some type of care. It seemed like Absalom knew their routine.

Absalom was patient with his request for feedings and diaper changes and was sleeping through the night the first week in his new home. This was surprising to Annabelle and Daniel based on information and folklore received about newborn babies from family and friends.

Their first baby would be a blessing all through their lives, right up to the very end.

Chapter 3

Working backward on the naming conventions from the Bible, Noah was the second addition to the Greenwood family. In line with Civil War history in the region, Noah entered the world on May 15, 1964. Seven pounds, eight ounces would be his official birth weight, a little lighter than his brother, but impressive none the less. The average weight of newborns in the US in the 1960s, was six pounds, nine ounces.

This birth date marked the centennial of the Battle for New Market on May 15, 1864. Noah would be branded as the Greenwood’s Civil War baby. Daniel was already full of ideas on how to market this blessing into a strategy for the family’s bed-and-breakfast business.

Like his brother Absalom, Noah was a beautiful baby. However, his personality and habits were the very opposite of Absalom. Mom and Dad would rotate feedings for young Noah, who was adamant about waking at precisely 3:05 a.m. the first two months of his life.

Noah’s cries were boisterous, even proud in the way he would demand a feeding so early in the morning. Luckily, he had two engaging parents that were mostly flexible with their parenting skills. They were satisfied with Absalom and his behavior. They were equally content with Noah’s behavior. Their mindset as parents was, this soon will pass, and they hoped for better days, which did come eventually.

Thomas was the Greenwood’s third son born exactly two years and one month after Noah’s arrival. Tommy would be his nickname from the time he was one week old, all the way to his grave.

Tommy’s birth presented problems. Prebirth X-rays revealed his left leg showed signs of softer underdeveloped cartilage, which was more prone to an injury. There was an immediate concern as the left leg was swollen 50 percent compared to his right leg, at birth.

X-rays would determine a growth plate fracture in the upper portion of the Tommy’s leg.

In hindsight, there were challenges, having to position Tommy a couple times before rolling down the birth canal. Injury possibly occurred during the iterations of movement. But injury could have taken place in the womb weeks before.

At this point, only the Lord would know the details. Daniel would later joke that Tommy was resisting coming into the world because it was too safe in the womb. In today’s world, who could blame him? The prophecy would come true as Tommy would get a late start leaving home, just like his resistance in leaving the womb. He would remain a constant and caring son as his parents aged.

Treatment of the injured leg involved setting a soft cast on the area of concern for three weeks. In the doctor’s words, Tommy’s leg was as good as new after completing the treatment. However, whether it was real or in Tommy’s mind, he always walked with a noticeable limp for the rest of his days. The doctor, along with the pediatrician maintained that it was in Tommy’s mind, as they should, to protect the integrity of the medical practice. We see what we don’t want to see many times.

The Greenwoods signed off on the treatment as being acceptable as it looked like Tommy was in no pain. All seemed normal. Regret set in once young Tommy was walking.

But during these times, there were better things to do than carry the complaint any further and the family got on with life in Luray.

Tommy did not seem to care and would later wear the disability as a badge of honor, showcasing the limp with his cool personality. For the girls, Absalom had the looks, but Tommy had the limp and he played it well.

December 1967, Annabelle was elated to learn that she was once again pregnant with her fourth child. Daniel was not as excited and wondered how that could have happened. He had to step up his game a bit with three mouths to feed and had taken on a third odd job to help with funding the family demands.

Inside her heart, Annabelle was hoping and praying for that beautiful girl to arrive.

At times, the bed-and-breakfast business would dip into a valley financially, only to climb out at the right time of year and just break even. Daniel did not believe in carrying much credit, so the third job helped the family during the down times.

Serving as the leader of the only Reformed Presbyterian church in Luray did not offer any income. The church was not part of a mainstream denomination and thus was shunned from any support and financial backing from the Presbytery.

Many from the denomination in the region gave a thumbs up and verbal praise, but this did not pay the bills. Daniel and his flock were dedicated to the ministry providing their own incomes to keep the church afloat. Daniel referred to the group as the true Acts church from the Bible. There were many similarities. Through the years, the congregation would pull together finances to help a member in need. School supplies, electric bills, groceries, medical bills, nothing was really off the table. The needs of the congregation were met and intentions pure.

Financial pressure for the Greenwoods would increase as ultrasound was introduced in the 1950s as a