A Time to Praise: A Christmas Anthology

By Renee Allen McCoy, Sonya Visor, Camille Gipson and 2 more

This holiday season explore five unique short stories that celebrate the love, joy, and peace of Christmas.

Miracle From on High by Renée Allen McCoy
Four lives intersect at a crossroads, prompting each to seek God's direction. Benjamin and Susan grapple to accept their path while Trevor and Danielle struggle to cope with theirs.

Giving You the Best of My Love by Sonya Visor
Three years ago, Chase Anderson was hauled off to jail, leaving his wife, Nicole, drowning in a lake of trouble. Despite the strong love they once shared, will they be able to overcome life-changing obstacles?

His Calling and My Desire by Camille Gipson
How does a single mother fight to protect her country and her children at the same time? Ruth is torn as she leaves one battle only to face another.

Blessings in the Storm by Lisa Antley
Tonya Phillips has almost everything she could ever imagine … except a good man. In a dark moment of her life, she soon discovers "He" has always been there.

The Greatest Christmas Present Ever by Renarda Williams
As Ikedi Ataya, a black State Justice, is honored for his career, he reflects on his "Christmas gift" to a close-knit New Orleans community threatened by greedy developers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: FaytheWorks Publishing
• Release date: Sep 27, 2016
• ISBN: 9781960169136

Renee Allen McCoy

RENEE MCCOY (known to readers as Renée Allen McCoy) is a loving wife and mother, an author, but most importantly a devoted Christian. To date, in addition to In the Presence of My Enemies, she has penned three novels that make up The Fiery Furnace series: The Kiss of Judas, Confessions, and The Eleventh Hour, and one novella: The Christmas Beau (The True Love Novellas ~ Book 1). Also available is her first non-fiction book entitled Soul Ties: Breaking Up with a Past That's Killing Your Future. Feel free to visit her online at www.ReneeAllenMcCoy.com for more information.

Book preview

image-placeholder

A Time to Praise: A Christmas Anthology

Copyright ©2016 by Renée Allen McCoy, Sonya Visor, Camille Gipson, Lisa Antley, Renarda Williams

FaytheWorks Publishing, LLC

Faith works together in Christ.™

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means–electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise–without prior written consent from the publisher.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author’s creativity or used fictitiously. Although this body of work is fictional, the Holy Trinity is not. God—the Father, God—the Son (Jesus Christ), and God—the Holy Spirit are real.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture is taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Contents

Introduction

Miracle From on High

Giving You the Best of My Love

His Calling and My Desire

Blessings in the Storm

The Greatest Christmas Present Ever

FaytheWorks Publishing

Every day I will bless You, and

I will praise Your name forever and ever."

Psalm 145:2

image-placeholder

Introduction

image-placeholder

Miracle From on High by Renée Allen McCoy

Four lives intersect at a crossroad, prompting each to seek God’s direction. Benjamin and Susan grapple to accept their path while Trevor and Danielle struggle to cope with theirs.

Giving You the Best of My Love by Sonya Visor

Three years ago, Chase Anderson was hauled off to jail, leaving his wife, Nicole, drowning in a lake of trouble. Despite the strong love they once shared, will they be able to overcome life changing obstacles?

His Calling and My Desire by Camille Gipson

How does a single mother fight to protect her country and her children at the same time? Ruth is torn as she leaves one battle only to face another.

Blessings in the Storm by Lisa Antley

Tonya Phillips has almost everything she could ever imagine … except a good man. In a dark moment of her life, she soon discovers He has always been there.

The Greatest Christmas Present Ever by Renarda Williams

As Ikedi Ataya, a black State Justice, is honored for his career, he reflects on his Christmas gift to a close-knit New Orleans community threatened by greedy developers.

Miracle From on High

by Renée Allen McCoy

1 | Susan

As I gathered some of my things into a garbage bag, tears streamed down my cheeks. I tossed clothes, toiletry items, and Lucas’ favorite toy into that white plastic makeshift tote and dragged it out to my car. I would normally use my nice garment bag to pack, but since my sister had borrowed it last week for a weekend getaway, this was my only choice to get out of that house fast.

I stood on the front step, trying to slow my breathing. Just a glimpse of the air-filled reindeer and snowmen decorations that lined the street made my heart ache even more. The festive red and silver garlands that laced several mailboxes in the neighborhood reminded me of what a joyous time of the year it was… at least what it should be. As I stared at the illuminated, oversized candy-cane ornaments that trimmed our lawn, it grew increasingly difficult to mask the pain swelling in my heart.

When I looked into the back seat and met eyes with my baby, who had no idea what Mommy was doing, my heart seemed to break into tiny little pieces. 

Are we going to the dump, Mama? my precocious five-year-old asked with wide, inviting eyes. I like going on the ride ‘cause it’s by Aunt Jasmine’s house! he excitedly shouted.

Again, my heart seemed to split into even tinier pieces as I fought back my tears. I exhaled a deep breath and forced a smile for his sake. With a hand pressed against the rear window behind the driver's seat where Lucas sat, leaning forward in his booster seat, I gripped the bag tighter with my other. Lucas pressed his little gloved hand opposite to where mine was and smiled endlessly. He has always been a bright spot in my life.

Yes, baby, we’re going to go to Aunt Jasmine’s. It was that or have him watch me cry all day. Jasmine had agreed to take him to the park and a matinee while I got myself together in her spare bedroom. And you know what, she’s got a day of fun planned for just the two of you! I playfully touched the tip of his nose. 

Lucas propelled his fists into the air and just when I thought his smile couldn’t get any bigger, it did. As he wiggled in his seat, doing his happy dance, I continued dragging the heavy bag to the tail of the vehicle. After I loaded it into the trunk, I lowered the door and stole another moment to myself. 

How am I ever going to live this down? How could this be happening to me? What will people think?

I flinched from a honking horn and looked up to see a neighbor backing out of her artificial snow trimmed driveway across the street. I smiled widely and waved my hand. She raised a hand and in seconds, her car was gone. I adjusted my wide-lens sunglasses further up on my nose and hurriedly wiped my damp, flushed cheeks.

Hey, did you want an ice cream cone? I gazed at my handsome son who was the spitting image of his father. I know how much you like vanilla. After a deep sigh, I struggled to paint on a cheerful smile. Although the weather suggested we consume something warm, I just wanted my baby to be happy today … even if I wasn’t.

Vanilla with sprinkles? he cleverly asked.

With sprinkles, I clarified with a slight nod. After toggling the gearshift into reverse, I cautiously backed out of my driveway and started toward the neighborhood creamery.

Oh yes! This is the best day ever!

I chuckled at Lucas’ enthusiasm. Little things always made him happy. The innocence of a child is a precious gift from God, unblemished by the world. Although children are likened to porous, talkative little sponges that absorb so many things from their environment, both good and bad, they still have the innate ability to easily forgive. It would be wonderful if I could say the same thing about some other people in my life.

When I had spanked Lucas for pouring red fruit punch inside of my new pair of pumps I had bought just days ago, only moments later, with tears in his eyes, he opened his arms for me to embrace him. I later learned that he was imitating a practical joke he had seen on television, where the characters in the show had laughed. I told him that pouring punch inside of my shoes was not funny and explained how his actions affected me. In all actuality, that ranting episode I had with him gave me a reason to not attend church tomorrow, the Sunday just before Christmas. The shoes that took me six stores and three weeks to find, on sale might I add, that paired perfectly with my outfit were in ruins. So … of course I couldn’t go.

The skirt suit I had planned to wear that hung in my closet was the last gift purchased by my husband. I remember the day he had hung it from one of the knobs on the dresser chest drawer. When I had arrived home from a long, tedious day of work on the notoriously busy Black Friday and walked into the bedroom, there alongside that red soft, beaded jacket and intricately laced skirt suit rested a card that had caught me off guard. It differed from all the others he had ever given me. He simply told me that our lives were going to change forever … again. He said again because a few years ago we had weathered a storm that no parent would ever want to endure. Although my faith was tested, I knew in my heart that God would not put more on us than we could bear.

Benjamin, Ben, as I fondly call him, explained that he had to leave for work, but promised that we’d talk more about it later. I watched as he affectionately winked and blew a kiss in my direction before walking out the door. After settling into my favorite armchair and reading the card in its entirety, I found out exactly how much of a change he meant. 

Mommy, you passed the ice cream store! Lucas screeched.

I flinched from my faraway thoughts and quickly slowed down to make the second entrance to Tom’s Ice Cream Hut. It was my son’s favorite place to go for ice cream. It was a shop that catered more to children than adults with a location just minutes away from two local elementary schools.

I’m gonna get some ice cream, I’m gonna get some ice cream! Lucas sang his playful tune as he unbuckled the belt to his seat.

I smiled at his enthusiasm. These were the times that I wished my baby, Gina, was here. She always wanted to have children ever since I can remember. Growing up, Gina would carry around her favorite doll adorned in a red and white checkered dress and pretend to bottle-feed it for years. That was a toy that never got old to her. At least not until she was about seven years old. By that time, she wanted to practice her skills on her younger brother, Kylon, when he was born. 

Gina and Kylon both were the apples of Ben’s eye. He would always brag to others about having a complete set, a boy and a girl. Gina was Daddy’s little girl and Kylon was his little football, basketball, or track star in the making, depending upon which season it was. He genuinely enjoyed them as children and once they got older, Benjamin appreciated the young adults they had become. 

I had played it over and over in my mind, and the solution to my problem was always the same. The stigma would soon wear thin and all that’s happened over the past few weeks would be a distant memory. At five years old, there’s not much Lucas knows about the situation, so there’s not much he would remember. 

I want the chocolate bear bowl! Lucas bolted to the refrigerated display case and pointed repeatedly at the picture of the colossal brownie treat dipped in chocolate perched atop a scoop of velvety ice cream in a waffle bowl. Just by looking at the display caused my hips to expand.

But I thought you wanted the vanilla snow man … with sprinkles. Remember? I reminded him while pointing at the poster board that displayed a jolly snowman with plain brown candy for eyes, miniature chocolate chips for the nose and mouth, a vanilla-filled, chocolate sandwich cookie as a stylish top hat, and a red licorice rope for a decorative scarf.

Lucas stared at the poster board and cheerfully bounced in place. Oh yeah, the snowman! Then he glanced back at the chocolate bear bowl photo with a mischievous grin. Mommy, I want them both.

In your dreams. I chuckled. He knew good and well that was not going to happen. 

He offered a knowing smile, and for a moment, I had forgotten my problems… but only for a moment. 

As Lucas and I sat at a table near one of the glass windows, sharing the chocolate treat he had settled on, my mind drifted back to when my husband returned home from work the next morning after giving me that card when he said our lives were going to change forever … again. 

He had been working the graveyard shift for several months when suddenly one day he waltzed in the front door and announced that his job was promoting him. He could hardly contain his smile as he described the exponential pay increase. We would finally have more of the finer things in life. It would be enough money coming in where we wouldn’t have to check the balances of our bank accounts before making a donation here and there, or even splurging on a spontaneous weekend getaway. That news was an answer to a prayer we hadn’t uttered because after he left the house the night before for work, I took a home pregnancy test and found out that I was pregnant. When I broke the news, it was not the reaction I was hoping to get from him.

Mmm, this is good!  Lucas drew my attention back to him with the sound of his satisfying moan. Since I had always wanted a sibling for him, when I learned about Ben’s new promotion, I figured there was no better time to grow our family again. But I never thought that I would have actually gotten pregnant. I had been on the pill for years and this was never the route I