Providence

By Scotty Strickland

Providence is a story about two families brought together by the marriage of their son and daughter. A bond so strong that the families almost come together as one just like the couple. In the face of the very best of times and the very worst of times, in the darkest and in the brightest of times, you will be amazed by the constant presence of God. It is the writer's hope that this book will stir all your human emotions. That it will make you cry tears of sorrow and tears of joy. That it will make you mad and glad, but mostly it will leave you saying, "Wow!"

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jun 13, 2018
• ISBN: 9781641917360

Book preview

Chapter

1

In the Beginning

Joel first laid eyes on Katrina as a sophomore in high school. Her family had moved to Texarkana from Jackson, Mississippi, where her father had been the chief of police. He would be the new chief in Texarkana on the Texas side of the Twin City of Texas and Arkansas. The one thing Joel instantly noticed about Katrina was her deep blue eyes. Not only were they the bluest eyes he had ever seen, but they had a glistening look as if they were wet with tears. He immediately felt this unexplained attraction to Katrina and it wasn’t physical. Not physical, imagine that, a sixteen-year-old boy with a one-track mind going offtrack. That old overused saying love at first sight was probably never more true, but then he had never experienced true love before. Years later, after they were married and after he had come to know Christ as his Savior, he looked back on that time as the providence of God. Surely God had brought them together, even before he had really known God. Their life together really began in that moment. Although they were inseparable through high school there was never a physical relationship.

Of course there were kisses and passion that caused Joel to ache. Many times he tried and there were times when the desire was so strong that Joel believed it would happen and yet Katrina always stopped, always! Her words I promised Jesus always disarmed him. He knew who Jesus was and he had grown up going to church and believing all the Bible stories and yet he had no relationship with Christ. It was during this time, just short of graduation that his grandmother was diagnosed with lung cancer, too many years of smoking. Of course, the surgeon general hadn’t yet put warning labels on cigarette packs so people really didn’t know that smoking could cause cancer. Yet his mamma knew and she knew her time was short. As Joel visited her in her last days she only wanted to tell him about Jesus. She told him about a place called Heaven. About a relationship that would last a lifetime. She told him with Katrina at his side, that their life together would get sweeter every day if Jesus was the centerpiece. Over the years he had never heard anyone else use that description of Jesus. Katrina held his mamma’s hand tightly as she smiled and mouthed the words thank you and this time those deep blue eyes spilled over with tears of grace. From that moment Joel knew his destiny. He knew that God had created a moment in time to reach out to him. Wow, why would God reach out to him? He was only a speck in a world that was a speck in the universe. He knew that he and Katrina would become one and most of all he knew their life together would be blessed. He had gone home that night and bowed before the God of the universe and given his life to Christ. He had publicly proclaimed his decision in church the following Lord’s day and asked Katrina to marry him. Once again, he understood the providence of God.

Their life together was something to talk about. They both were given over to each other and given over to the Lord. Joel taught Sunday school and soon discovered that by exercising his spiritual gift he was probably being taught more than teaching. Katrina also taught in the youth department and served on the hospitality committee as well as being involved in missions. Joel was ordained as a deacon at the age of twenty-nine. Life was good for the Jacobys. God was blessing them and their marriage was truly getting sweeter every day. There was just one thing missing—they were in their thirties now and no children. God knows they had tried and Katrina felt it was her fault. Just why no one knows because she or Joel neither one had been tested. Finally, Joel came to Katrina in the wisdom of the Lord and told her it could be him just as likely as her. His solution was for neither of them to be tested so that they could be guilt-free and place their lives and their future in God’s hands. Yes, they were still learning about the providence of God.

Joel had become partners with his father in their gunsmith business right out of high school. It had allowed him and Katrina to get married at the age of eighteen. Now in Joel’s midforties his father was retiring and Jacoby and Sons was becoming The Jacoby Brothers and Sister. Joel and his brother Jake and sister Jessie would expand the business to gun and ammo sales as well as adding an inside shooting range. Their family loved the outdoors and shared a hunting lease with Katrina’s family. When Joel was ten years old his grandfather Jacoby had passed away and left a section of land to his father, J. B. Jacoby. It was six hundred and fifty acres of prime virgin timer about seven miles east to southeast of Hughes Springs in Cass County. It was about fifty miles from Texarkana. It was a great place to getaway too. They had a mobile home converted to a cook shack and all the hunters had travel trailers setup in a designated area. Everyone on the lease was a Jacoby or a Bronson, from Katrina’s family. It was a great two-family affair with husbands, wives, and children all camping and hunting. Katrina had two brothers, Eddy and George, that Joel and Jake hung out with, hunted and fished with, and occasionally played golf together. George was older than Joel by 15 months and he was the better golfer.but the competition between these two was fierce and yet friendly. Jake and Eddy were ironically the same age and actually shared the same birthday. They were the babies and were five years younger than Joel. Jessie was in the middle as was Katrina and they were about six months apart in age, but perfectly in tune in spirit. They had quickly become the sister to each other that they never had. It was two happy families that everyone had remained close in. Eddy had gone to Texas A & M Texarkana and was a teacher and baseball coach at Texas High School where Joel and Kat first met. George had gone to the police academy and worked his way up to lieutenant and then detective. All were active in the same church which had been a fixture of Texarkana for almost a hundred and forty years. Times were good, especially when October came around and everyone started spending more and more time at the deer camp in preparation for hunting season, which opened the first Saturday of November and went through the first weekend of January. Joel and Katrina were always there together and they were so happy to have so many nieces and nephews who had perfectly filled the void of not having children. They were greatly loved as aunt and uncle and the joy that was theirs made it as if there never was a void. Jake had one boy and one girl who were twelve and fourteen and they loved the camping and the hunting. Jessie’s four sons were nineteen, seventeen, sixteen, and thirteen. The oldest was away at college on a football scholarship at Baylor University. The others lived and breathed hunting, fishing, and the great outdoors. Ironically, Eddy’s only son was in high school and wasn’t at all interested in sports, hunting, or fishing. All he could talk about was going to the Air Force Academy and flying F-14s. Then there was George’s three girls. Susie was the oldest and had married a local attorney and had given George a grandson who was three now. The kid had no chance but to be spoiled rotten as George was already teaching him how to swing a golf club. George’s other two girls were a freshman in College at Texas A & M Texarkana and a junior at Texas High School. She was a volleyball player with aspirations to join the marines. These two families with all their offspring were almost like a storybook. As the years passed by Joel and Kat found a greater love the older they got. Somehow an old tune remained with Joel almost constantly. Sweeter, sweeter, sweeter as the days go by. He sang it on the golf course, around the campfire, and on the lake fishing. George would always say, Is the chorus all you know? Only Kat knew why that song was in his heart. When they were fiftyish their dedication to the church had intensified to the point of total emersion. Joel was serving on three different committees—he was chairman of the deacon body and often filled in for the pastor. Kat was teaching a ladies’ class on spiritual gifts and highly involved in volunteer work with the pregnancy crisis center and the pro­life movement. Their family activities still took place, but they often cancelled out for what they thought was their service to Jesus. Then their world came apart!

It was a cold, rainy night about ten days before Christmas. The church choir had just finished their Christmas musical. The church was glowing with candles and poinsettias. The spirit of God was ever present in this place and then right there in God’s perfect presence, Katrina’s father, Harold, was weeping like Joel had never seen any other man weep. Mr. Bronson was a big man in his midseventies. He had retired as Chief of Police about fifteen years earlier after serving in that position in Texarkana for seventeen years. Being an outdoorsman, he had remained fit and strong. Yet, here he was weeping uncontrollably. As Joel and Kat reached out to him, all he could say was, George! George! He’s been shot. Their minds raced for answers. Was he alive? How? Which hospital? Harold was helpless. Paralyzed. He was a man who had been a tower of strength, with unwavering faith, but now it was his eldest son. His first son. As Joel rushed to get information, a police escort arrived at the church to rush them to Christus Saint Michael Hospital. While in route they received word that George was being airlifted to Little Rock, Arkansas, 150 miles up Interstate 30. Joel couldn’t believe it when the escort turned on I-30 Eoff State Line Avenue. They were immediately intercepted by the Arkansas State Police. There they were a convoy of Texarkana, Texas, and Texarkana, Arkansas, police followed by Texas State Trooper and Bowie County Sheriffs from Texas and Miller County. Maybe the twin city had their governmental differences, but the badge was united. Joel understood that this was truly a show of respect to Harold Bronson. He had been strong so many times and now that strength was surrounding him. As they raced up the highway with lights flashing and sirens screaming, Joel saw his father-in-law slowly regain his strength and most of all his unwavering faith as Katrina held his hand. Oh, how she missed her mom in this time. Her mom had lost a valiant battle with breast cancer when they were still in Jackson. Katrina was only fourteen and she still could remember how her mom could always calm her dad, no matter the situation. Now it was her place. As they passed through Benton, Harold finally spoke, You need to take it down a notch. Don’t get us all killed or kill an innocent bystander. George is in God’s hands and we shall put our trust there. As they rolled into the hospital there was a surgeon to meet them at the entrance. He’s stable were his first words. Then he spoke in a slow, infectious calm, reassuring voice. Detective Bronson came in with one gunshot wound to the chest. He had massive blood loss from a major artery to his heart. They lost him twice on the helicopter and performed CPR. We had to shock him three times in surgery. He has received seventeen units of blood. About thirty minutes ago, as I was prepared to call his death (then his voice began to quiver), I heard the voice of God saying, Don’t quit now,’ and immediately he stabilized. Your son and brother shouldn’t be here, but God has other plans."

Later, as Joel and Katrina were getting a bite to eat in the cafeteria the very presence of God seemed to fall on Joel. All he could feel was God’s voice telling him to slow down. Put your family first. Serve me by serving your family. Don’t feel like you have to overload at church to please me. You and Katrina both should know that I control your lives, your future, and your destiny. So, stop and wait on the Lord. Wow, Joel had experienced God like this before, but probably never more vividly and never in such a public setting. Then he realized that Kat was talking to him. What are you thinking about, she said, you seem so far off. He said, I was far off and bound in the presence of God and yet very near. I was thinking about what the doctor said about thirty minutes ago. Do you know that was when your father spoke as we were going through Benton? The spirit of God was talking to me about us. How he was in control of us. How we should reprioritize our lives and focus on family and allow him to lead and guide. He reminded me of Proverbs 3:5–6, ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not on your own understanding. In all thy, ways acknowledge him; and he shall direct thy paths.’ Here they were, thirty-two years into a life together and there were those same blue eyes catching his gaze. Tears were flowing softly down her cheeks and dripping into her half-eaten chef salad. Their hands slipped instinctively toward each other into a firm grip. Then there was silence for a moment as Katrina gathered her thoughts. In that moment Joel came to fully understand a God in control. Could this have all happened so God could create a moment for them? Of course, all things are possible with God. Yet Joel had another take. The Bible says, All things work together for good to those who love God; to those who are the called according to his purpose. Joel believed that even though God could cause anything, he instead allowed free will and he allowed Satan to sometimes run free so that God could turn bad circumstance into good; so that God would receive the praise. Katrina began to speak and Joel was taken aback by the glow that came from her face. The words flowed freely as if God was speaking through her. The commitment she made to God and to him as the spiritual leader of their home was overwhelming. It seemed their spirits were in perfect tune. Their purpose to love God, love family, and love others was vividly clear. This was truly the day that would change their lives forever.

Chapter

2

Love Is

The next three weeks were pretty hectic as all the family had spent as much time as possible making the trek back and forth to Little Rock, Arkansas. Dr. Ferguson had offered to transfer George back to Texarkana, but Katrina and her father weren’t about to let him leave the godly care of Dr. Ferg, as they fondly called him. George’s wife had left many years earlier because she couldn’t bear the police work. At least that was her excuse, but the truth was she abandoned George and his three teenage daughters for a truck driver and now some twelve years later no one knew where she was. George’s oldest daughter, Susie, was almost constantly there with George’s grandson, Lukas, who was seven now. He was all boy who thought his pawpaw was the smartest man alive. George’s other daughters, Katy and Katrina, had come when they could. Katy was married to a pro golfer, which George was always bragging about and Katrina was a marine teaching languages in California. Joel and Katrina, along with Eddy and his wife Marcy, who was the greatest cook deer camp ever saw, had been working hard on closing up deer camp for the season. At the same time they had tried to satisfy Harold by making several trips to Little Rock.

Harold had also pulled all the strings he had available to almost launch his own investigation into who had ambushed his son. All they knew for sure is that he was supposed to be meeting an informant about a meth lab. His partner, Joey Bivins, who had graduated high school with Joel and Katrina, was on the case like a bulldog and yet Harold didn’t think enough was being done. That seemed like a pretty natural response to Joel. After all, Harold had been a police chief for some twenty-two years and his son had been shot. Joel felt he would be the same. Strangely enough, Joel and Kat were on the same page since George was Kat’s big brother and Joel’s best friend and brother-in-law. Strange that brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law could be that tight. Katrina and Jessie had always been close. Probably for different reasons than Joel and George. Jessie had really struggled to raise four boys after the loss of her husband John, who had been killed in Iraq. He had been in Special Forces and had been posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. The boys took turns showing it off to their school friends. Katrina had been there for Jessie and now Jessie was there for her.

Now the day had finally arrived for George to come home. He would be staying with Susie and her husband Sam and of course, Lukas, his pride and joy. Joel knew that he and Jessie had to get back to the business. His little brother Jake had run himself ragged trying to run the business and free everyone else up. Jake’s son Donnie was in his midtwenties now and quite content to remain single and he had been working some at the shop on Fridays and Saturdays. He was a mechanic at Red River Army Depot and