the common prayer (serial novel) -- episode 13

8/10/2019 The Common Prayer (Serial Novel) -- Episode 13

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Restore thou them that are penitent;According to thy promises declared unto mankind in Christ

Jesus our Lord.

Chapter 37

Lincoln hurried out the door past his father, down the steps, and

through the gate. Turning left, he sped past the line of houses notknowing exactly where to go.

One thing I do know, and that is, I am not going back,he

muttered to himself as he glanced up at the night sky. Im a grown

man and I can do for myself. Ill show him I dont need him now and I

wont be needing him going forward.

Lincoln forced himself not to look back; he knew his father was

watching him, and would watch him until he was out of sight. Having

reached the end of the housing complex, he stopped by the main

street trying to decide which way to go. If I hurry I can make it to the

convenience store before it closes and give Bruce a call from

there,he thought glancing at his watch. He stepped inside theconvenience store just as the attendant was getting ready to lock the

door. The attendant was kind enough to allow him to use the store

phone.

ruce, Lincoln here. !an you come pick me up" # need a place

to stay for the night$maybe for the weekend.%

&hat do you mean a place to stay" # just dropped you off about

an hour ago at your house. &here are you"% ruce asked.

Lincoln told ruce what had happened. '#(m just tired of him

controlling my life. # want to live my own life now,% Lincoln said as he


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and ruce drove to ruce(s apartment which he shared with one

other roommate$)anny.

*ou(re welcome to stay here until you decide what you(re going

to do,% ruce offered. '# don(t want to put any ideas into your head,

but we have enough space for you to move in with us. &e(ve talked

before about you moving in with us after graduation.%

ruce was wrapping up his first year at the !ommunity !ollege

majoring in physics. He had graduated from the same high school

that Lincoln was attending and the two knew each other +uite well

having played on the school(s soccer team together. ruce was able

to secure a job at the financial aid office at the college on one of the

student work programs to help take care of a portion of his tuition.

The other part his parents took care of. ruce also did volunteer work

on the weekends at the hospital.

)anny should have been graduating with Lincoln, but he dropped

out of high school and opted to take a job. His family was well off

financially, but he had had several runins with them as well as with

the law stemming from spraying graffiti on the school walls more than

once and speaking disrespectfully to some of his teachers. Taking the

savings that his father had set up for him, he moved in with ruce. He

started his own lawn business and was doing +uite well.

- third friend, uke, would be moving in with them after

graduation. uke was a prankster and loved to see what he could get

away with. /nce he walked into 0adio 1hack, picked up a pair ofexpensive headphones, and calmly walked out. He later called and

spoke with the manager telling him what he had done and told the

manager they needed a better security system. He was interested in

law enforcement and did volunteer work at the local police station. He


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worry about him. 8od is watching over him, and He(s not going to let

anything happen to him that is not for his own good. # do not believe

8od ignores the prayers of parents for their children. Let(s pray for

him right now.%

Heavenly Father, we come before You asking that You would

answer our many rayers for our son, !incoln. !ord, You know where

he is at this time. You know whats going on in his heart right now.

You know what will haen to him on tomorrow. "hatever life lesson

You want him to learn, I ray that You would bring about

circumstances in his life to teach him that lesson. #nd, !ord, I ask

You to do it $uickly so he will not waste too many of the years of his

life wandering around aimlessly and full of bitterness. In %esus name

I ray. #men.

Laverne shuddered at her husband(s last re+uest, but knew it was

made out of love for their son.

I cant believe they still want to do things for me. # car& I missed

out on a car. 'y own car. 'an, that stinks( Lincoln(s father(s last

words to him before he had walked out kept resonating in his ears

throughout the evening and dampened his celebration3

You may want to think long and hard before you make a rash

decision.

You think youre ready but youre not ready esecially when you

are irresonsible, when you dont think of others, when you dont

resect authority, and when youre acting like a child.

Youre an overgrown, immature child and youre acting like one.

"ell, this day was sure to come, Lincoln thought.

The words stung deep within his soul and as much as he tried to


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block them out of his mind, he was unsuccessful.


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Chapter 38

*ou seem to be a million miles away,% ruce said slapping

Lincoln on the back when they arrived home after ending their

graduation celebration at a burger joint. The foursome stayed up until

the wee hours of the morning talking and discussing their plans for

the future. 'oes this have something to do with your parents" # saw

them talking with you after the ceremony.%

*eah. # was surprised they even came$considering my father

and # hadn(t been getting along too well. Things just got so bad #

walked out. #t seemed every direction # turned he was blocking my

path. # felt so suffocated # had to remind him that # was no longer a

boy and that according to state laws # am a grown man.%

#t(s ama9ing how soon our parents forget,% )anny said. '# got

tired of my mother wrapping her apron strings around me. 1he was

boohooing and carrying on when # told her # was getting my own

place. 1he begged me to give her the address, but # know better than

to do that; she would be over here every day. # have to control that

relationship so # call her when # feel up to it just to let her know # am

still in the land of the living. *ou saw how she was crying at the

graduation. )an, that was embarrassing:%

The boys chuckled.

&hat(s getting to me is that my father gave me some money $

>.>>,% Lincoln said. '# was not expecting anything. He told me

they had already planned on giving it to me as part of my graduation

gift and that just because # left that was no reason for them to go

back on their original plans.%


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# sure wish # had a father to do that for me,% uke said matterof

factly. '1ometimes, # feel a little guilty leaving my mother like that; but

# could not take being treated like a little boy anymore.%

# know that feeling,% )anny said.

&hat your parents did for you is true love right there,% ruce

said. '&hat was the other part of their graduation gift"%

*ou guys wouldn(t believe it$a car. He was going to take me

down to the dealer and let me pick out my own car.%

/h, man, that(s a bummer,% uke said.

ruce spoke after a few seconds of silence. '#f # were you, #(d go

and apologi9e to your father. *ou know, make things right. Hear me

out first before you cut me off,% ruce said when Lincoln started to

protest. '*ou don(t have to go back to living with your family, but #

think you should apologi9e to your father; that(s the right thing to do. #

know you feel guilty whenever you think about it. &hat if you need

him further down the road"%

&hat are you getting at"% Lincoln asked.

*es, why would you say something like that" His father was

stifling him just like my mother tried to do me,% )anny said. ')y

mother was stifling me, and now that # walked out she(s reaching out

for me. # don(t know how many times she(s apologi9ed to me begging

me to come back home.%

This is different. Take it from me3 a father is different,% ruce

said. '# had my runins with my father. He gave me the option3 getmyself together and stay, or not change and leave. )y mother took

me aside and told me the best thing to do is to get myself together

and stay if for no other reason but for the free room and board. 1he

told me that they did want me to go out and learn to live life on my


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own, to be a man and to take on some responsibilities, but they just

wanted me to leave on good terms. 1he also told me that if # left right

and not in anger they would have my back whenever the need arose.

/ne day, # asked my father why he was so hard on me and he toldme he did it because he wanted me to be a responsible and

disciplined man; he wanted me to be responsible for myself, and if #

planned on being a husband and father one day that # needed to

begin acting like that now.%

&ell, how did you end up getting your own place"% uke asked.

/h, # shared with my ad that # wanted to go out on my own to

start learning how to be a man like he said. Those words were music

to his ears,% ruce said. 'He helped me get in here and he told me if

# ever run into any financial problems to just give him a call but only

after #(ve looked at all my options. He pretty much told me to act as

though # had no family but at the same time to know that he would be

there for me as a last resort. He also told me that whatever # decided

to do to do it honestly.%

That(s because you have a good father,% )anny said. '# have no

father.%

&ell ? # believe you can work with your mother by respecting

her,% ruce said. '# just don(t think any good parent would desire evil

for their children. *our parents may handle you differently from how

my parents handled me but it all boils down to the same.%

That sounds like something your father said,% uke said with a

laugh.

*ep, you got that right,% ruce said. 'Lincoln, you should

consider fixing things between you and your father; it will work in your

favor in the long run. 4or them to go ahead and still give you the

fifteen hundred dollars says they have no hard feelings toward you


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and are willing to forgive. The ball(s in your court.%

Lincoln went to bed thinking on ruce(s words. I areciate the

money, but I )ust dont feel I should aologi*e for anything. I still feel

he was being too hard on me. +lus, I got my own life to live. nowing

him, he would robably come droing by every evening on his way

home from work to try to tell me what to do. Ill )ust leave things as

they are for right now.


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Chapter 39

Laverne and enise had a +uiet ride home from the 9oo.

-hats what life is all about loving and caring for one another,

and not always utting yourself before others,Laverne thought. !ord,

)ust hel me to love /enise and hel her to feel that love.

The !larke family welcomed enise into their home.

*ou know,% Laverne(s husband said to her as they climbed into

bed that night, '# believe 8od sent her here to remind us that we need

to get out of ourselves and begin thinking of others. &hen we have to

share our things with others, it teaches us to be more appreciative of

what we have.%

*ou(re right,% Laverne said. 'Larron, #(ve been acting like a nut

giving you a hard time about the financial and spiritual changes you

are leading this family to make. #(m sorry about that. The Lord used

)rs. &hitaker and enise to show me that life is not all about getting,

and neither is it all about me; it is all about 8od and giving.%

That(s a lesson we all need to learn,% Larron said. 'La5oi seems

to be getting it. # heard her and enise giggling and carrying on in the

room like old friends, and that(s a good sign.%

Laverne smiled. '# guess when 8od takes someone or something

away from you, He replaces it with another person or thing of e+ual

or greater value.%

Larron placed his hand on top of his wife(s hand. 'on(t worry

about Lincoln. 8od is watching over him.%

# just wish # knew where he was$you know$how he(s doing. #


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fear for him.%

&e(ll just have to continue praying for him. 1ometimes love

means letting a person go,% Larron said. '1ome of us just have to

learn things the hard way.%

The family attended church on 1unday, and everyone was glad

they did especially for enise(s sake. 1he seemed more cheerful and

at peace after hearing 7astor Tourneau(s sermon from 7salm


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and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance

were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. How precious

also are thy thoughts unto me, / 8od: How great is the sum of them:(

8od loves you so much that He not only took the time to make us inHis image, but He took the time to make each of us a uni+ue

individual.%

'y substance being yet imerfect1, thought enise over and

over. Yet, He still loves me with my imerfect leg. 0od still loves

me.- cheerfulness that she could not contain seemed to overtake

her.

# believe that )rs. &hitaker(s 8od loves me,% she told the !lark

family at the dinner table, 'and # love Him too. 6ow # do not have to

wish # was like other people. # no longer have to worry about what

people are saying about me or even thinking about me.%

-nd so the !lark family continued with enise as a joyful new

member. They prayed for Lincoln(s safety everyday. Laverne looked

around as she drove to and from work hoping to catch a glimpse of

her son? hoping today would be the day he would return home.

the common prayer (serial novel) -- episode 13

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