Without Christ

Vanessa D. Askew

Description

The family matriarch is worried for her family's souls, and well she should be, if the mysterious Mr. Redbone has his way....
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...

Sujets

• Religious
• Hattie
• Redbone
• Christian
• Fiction
• Christ

Informations

• Publié par: LifeRich Publishing
• Date de parution: 20 juillet 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781489748010
• Langue: English

Extrait

WITHOUT CHRIST
 
A Story of Inspiration
 
 
 
 
VANESSA D. ASKEW
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Copyright © 2023 Vanessa D. Askew.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author 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.
 
LifeRich Publishing is a registered trademark of The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc.
 
 
LifeRich Publishing
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.liferichpublishing.com
844-686-9607
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
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
 
Kim and Jazmine
KIM
 
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 el even.”
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.
 
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 out. Her friends began to laugh hysterically.
Kim looked at them in mock annoyance. “What y’all laughing at?”
“You and that cloud coming out of your car,” Lynn said.
They all laughed as they walked toward the front entrance to the club. They could hear the deep bass thud of the music inside. When they entered, Kim looked around for a free table. The place was packed, and the dance floor was full. Colored lights flashed in time with the beat.
She spied a table near the bar and motioned for her friends to follow her. They pushed through the crowd. Kim noticed a man staring at the three of them in the reflection of the long mirror behind the bar. They arrived at their table and sat down.
“I am so glad y’all was able to hang with me tonight,” Kim said as she set aside her Louis Vuitton. “Tell y’all husbands, I said thank you. I miss the old days.”
Lynn and Shelia both nodded.
“Do y’all remember the fun we used to have at the school football and basketball games?” Lynn asked. “We got loud every time our team scored!”
“Yes, we did!” Shelia agreed. “And remember when we all three lied to the gym teacher? When we were learning to swim, we told her we were all on our periods ‘cause we didn’t want to get our hair wet!”
Kim laughed. “I can’t believe y’all remember that crazy stuff.” She looked up and saw a waiter approaching. “Ok, ladies, let’s order some drinks!” she said.
They all ordered a glass of wine and when the waiter returned with the drinks, he nodded in the direction of the bar: “These are compliments of that gentleman over there,” he said.
Kim looked up at the man she had noticed earlier.
“Oh, that’s great,” said Shelia as she and Lynn turned and waved at the man, mouthing the words “Thank you.” Kim raised her glass in a gesture of gratitude. He was soon headed toward their table.
“Look out, girls,” Kim said. “Here he comes.”
The man walked up—he was a fine brother, dark skinned, about 6’6”, with a perfectly trimmed goatee and mustache. He wore a Ralph Lauren navy pinstripe suit with a white silk tie.
“How are you ladies doing this evening?” he asked, flashing his white teeth.
“I’m good,” Lynn said.
“Me too,” added Shelia. “Thanks for the drink.”
The man smiled and looked at Kim. “Well, it’s Friday night and the DJ is playing my song. Would you like to dance, Miss?”
“Kim,” she said. “My name is Kim.”
“And I’m Chris,” he said. “Care to dance?”
“Sure,” Kim replied as she shot a look at her girlfriends, who raised their laminated eyebrows in amusement. She got up from her chair and let Chris lead her to the dance floor. As they danced, Kim noticed Lynn and Shelia exchanging comments behind their hands. After three songs, Kim and Chris returned to the table.
“Would you ladies like another drink?” Chris asked.
“No,” Lynn and Shelia replied in unison.
“No thank you,” Kim said.
Chris shrugged. “This is my first time here. I have driven past this place many times, but I decided to check it out tonight.”
They made small talk for a while until Lynn and Shelia gathered their things and prepared to leave.
“It was very nice meeting you, Chris,” Lynn said.
“Yeah,” Shelia added, “I didn’t know that Kim could dance so good! Y’all look good out there!”
Kim’s cheeks grew warm as she hugged her friends goodbye. The girls gave her knowing winks and started toward the door.
“Can I walk you ladies to your car?” Chris offered.
Shelia waved him off. “That’s nice of you, but our husbands are very jealous. The last thing I need is for somebody to tell my man that they saw me walking out of the club with a stranger. We’ll be okay.”
Chris put up his hands and laughed. “I totally understand, ladies. Be careful.”
Lynn and Shelia told Kim to be careful and to text them when she got home.
Kim smiled. “I will. Be safe.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure she gets home safely,” Chris added as the women walked away.
Chris and Kim ordered more drinks and danced to nearly every song. The DJ played a variety of R&B, jazz, blues, and hip-hop. Kim was impressed with Chris’s ability to dance several styles. Soon the bartenders were shouting “Last call!”
“Th