Without Christ: A Story of Inspiration

By Vanessa D. Askew

Mother Hattie is getting on in years and worried about her family's future. Her niece Kim and others are forsaking Christ with unhealthy ways, and Mother Hattie is praying for them to see the light. After a final family reunion, the stage is set for the mysterious Mr. Redbone to make a fateful appearance...

• Language: English
• Publisher: LifeRich Publishing
• Release date: Jul 20, 2023
• ISBN: 9781489748010

Vanessa D. Askew

Vanessa Askew is a Detroit native who resides in Lansing, Michigan. A playwright and director, she received the Riverwalk Theatre Backstage Barney for her work on "Jitney." A mother to one grown daughter, she loves movies as well as to read and write in her spare time. This is her first book.

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Copyright © 2023 Vanessa D. Askew.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means,

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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.

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Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, NEW

INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011

by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked (NKJV) are taken from the New King James Version.

Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-4897-4798-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4897-4801-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023910039

LifeRich Publishing rev. date: 07/11/2023

CONTENTS

Dedication

Author’s Note

Section 1: Kim and Jazmine

Kim

Jazmine

Kim

Section 2: Two Years Later

Mother Hattie

Mother Hattie’s Prayer

Family Meeting

Judy’s Heart

Section 3: The Real Me

Club Night

Johnny’s Haircut

The Reunion

Section 4: Time is Up

Pastor Carl

Word From GOD

Kim and Jazmine’s House

The Funerals

The Visitor

Acknowledgments

Appendix

DEDICATION

1 would like to dedicate this book to my deceased parents, Charlie and Lillie Askew, and my daughter Shamika T. Askew. Shamika, you are my inspiration!

AUTHOR’S NOTE

Some people find it hard to witness to people even though they have been in church all their lives. They find themselves concerned about what the other person will think, or if they will be offended by what they share about God! I think many have been in this predicament. There are many books and tools available to help Christians in their mission. I have written this book as another resource.

This book is a dramatization of people who go to church (Mother Hattie and Pastor Carl) and people who don’t go to church (Judy, Johnny, and Kim). Their interactions and struggles with faith are portrayed through various conversations.

SECTION ONE

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Kim and Jazmine

KIM

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It was a sunny fall day in Flint, Michigan. Kim was getting ready to leave work. She had been working for the city of Flint since she graduated from high school. Her boss had been getting on her nerves lately with last-minute assignments. It was Friday night, and Kim was ready to hang out with the girls.

She was dressed in a red jumpsuit with red shoes and black accessories. Her hair was cut into a nice bob style. At thirty-two, Kim was single, petite, and attractive. She had male friends that she hung out with, but they were not her type as far as dating was concerned. They were just her drinking and smoking buddies.

At exactly five o’clock, Kim jumped up from her chair, grabbed her purse, and was out the door. As she exited the building, she pulled out her cell and called her friend, Lynn. Hey! What’s up, girlfriend? It’s Friday, and I am ready to get my drink on!

"Hey, Kim. I am right there with you, my sista. Shelia and I were talking last night on the phone—both our husbands want us home by eleven."

Kim laughed. I know. Y’all husbands don’t like y’all going to the club without them. It is what it is!

"I know. Shelia and I were laughing because neither of us stays up that late. I will pick her up, and we will see you soon!

Sounds good, Kim said as she hung up her cell.

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Kim got to the club first. The parking lot was nearly full. She sat in her car and smoked a joint, waiting for her friends to arrive. As she took a hit, she thought about how she and her friends Lynn and Shelia had drifted apart over the years. The three of them had met in the seventh grade, but after graduation, Lynn and Shelia had married their high school sweethearts. Kim’s boyfriend, Ronny Harris, went to the army, and two months later she found out she was pregnant. He wrote her, saying that he would help her with the baby, but he that he wasn’t ready to get married. Ronny was home on leave when their daughter Jazmine was born. After two months he was deployed to Afghanistan and was killed by an IED. Kim was devastated. She managed to support her baby by taking a job with the city.

She looked out the car window and saw Lynn and Shelia pull up next to her in Shelia’s black Escalade.

Kim stepped out of her car as a cloud of smoke rolled