My Father's Gift (2 page)

“Angie, I’m so glad you made it.  I was beginning to think I was going to have to do this solo.”  D’Cerner hugged her best friend.

“Now you know I wouldn’t leave you hanging, but this snow caught me by surprise and it didn’t help that I overslept,” Angela smiled.

Angela was D’Cerner’s sister in the Lord, her best friend, and prayer partner.  They had begun their beautiful fellowship years ago.  Even though Angela worked a midnight shift in a government office, she would make the effort to travel with D’Cerner whenever she could.  When she couldn’t go out of town with her, they would spend hours on the phone in prayer and praise before D’Cerner would speak.  They held onto each other as they walked through the slippery lot and up the steps.  By the time they got inside, the others were right behind them.  As they were taking off coats and boots and putting on shoes, they talked to Tyra about the song she would sing.  When one of the members of the church realized that D’Cerner was the speaker for the evening, she directed her and Angela to the pastor’s office.  Once inside the office, they prayed and then waited for the pastor.

“Well, praise the Lord,” Pastor Sherman said, as she came in and saw them sitting there.  “I’m glad you didn’t have any trouble getting here and please forgive me for being late.”

“Oh, that’s quite all right.” D’Cerner stood up to greet her.  “While we were waiting, we prayed for tonight’s service.  Pastor Sherman, this is my best friend, Sister Angela Worthall.  She’s usually my covering when I have speaking engagements.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sister Worthall,” Pastor Sherman responded as she extended her hand to shake Angela’s.  I’m glad you understand the importance of a covering.”

“It’s nice meeting you Pastor Sherman,” Angela moved past the extended hand to hug the pastor.  “And I do understand the importance of a covering.  Whenever I can, I go with D’Cerner.  It’s not always possible, but we try to make sure she never goes anywhere alone.”

“We?” Pastor Sherman inquired, puzzled.

“Oh yes.” Angela smiled, getting ready to leave.  “
Daddy
holds us all responsible for each other.  Dee, I’m going out to the sanctuary.  I’ll talk to you after the service.”

After Angela left the office, Pastor Sherman and D’Cerner discussed the nature of the church’s theme for the evening.  The church, Pentecostal in faith, was located in the heart of one of the worst drug-infested areas in the city and the pastor was concerned about the people who lived in it.  The church was constantly bombarded with requests for food and shelter as well as prayer.  The enemy really had a tight rein on people who lived in the community and some of her congregation sometimes found it difficult to resist the temptation before them.  She felt people really needed to hear a message that would get them back on track.  After praying and getting D’Cerner wired with a lavaliere, they went into the sanctuary. 

“Well,” D’Cerner thought to herself, “this is it.  Okay
Daddy
, you’re on.”

D’Cerner Everett was a well-known Evangelist and writer.  She was used to speaking in any kind of environment. Deliverance Temple, with a congregation of two hundred, was no different from the many other churches where she had spoken.  She never considered herself a strong-arm preacher, but a teacher, whose mission was to teach God’s Word on a level everyone could understand and respond to it by applying to their daily life.  The fact that she talked rather than preached or shouted at people caused many to actually listen to what she had to say. 

The end of praise and worship and a general prayer signaled the end of devotional time.   Tyra sang,
A Word from the Lord,
as a pre-sermonic selection.  As Tyra returned to her seat, Pastor Sherman walked to the podium, her hands uplifted in praise.

“Yes, yes, we need a Word from the Lord and we praise God for anointing Sister Tyra’s voice.  Give the Lord praise.  Hallelujah!” Pastor Sherman shouted.  The congregation applauded the singer and shouted praises for a few moments.  “Now,” Pastor Sherman said, “would you all stand with me and receive our speaker for the hour, an anointed woman of God in the person of Evangelist D’Cerner Everett?”

As the congregation stood and raised their voices in praise of God, D’Cerner moved to the podium and hugged Pastor Sherman.

“Hallelujah,” she exhorted, turning back to the audience.  “Give Him praise; give him praise, truly He’s worthy of all our praises.  Amen, Amen,” she said looking around at the expectant faces, as the praise subsided.  “Will you continue standing with me for a moment of prayer?  Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus, we ask you to make your presence known in this place.  We submit to the leading of the Holy Spirit.  Let your will be done and not ours.  Give us ears to hear what the Spirit of the Lord says tonight.  Touch our hearts Father, that we’ll be pliable in your hands.  Let no flesh glory in your presence, but cause us to see you in everything that’s said and done.  In Jesus’ name we pray and thank you. Amen, amen.” 

“You may be seated.” She waited for the congregation to sit.  “I do indeed thank God for the privilege of delivering His message and for your wonderful pastor for inviting us here tonight.  We have indeed felt the welcoming of the Holy Spirit.  We also acknowledge the men and women of God sharing the dais this evening,” she continued, as she turned and smiled at those around her.  “God bless you and may you prosper in all things that glorify God.”

Turning back to face the congregation, she began. 

“I’d like to speak to you tonight about honoring the temple and being instruments of praise.  As I walked into this marvelous building and looked at the ten-foot panels of stained glass, the architectural design of the ceiling and the elegant chandeliers, I knew the Holy Spirit had indeed spoken to my heart.  Turning to Pastor Sherman, she said, “Your church really is a beautiful building.  The manifestation of God’s promises is evident in this place.”

Turning again to the congregation, she continued, “Would you get out your bibles and a pen, please?  There are several passages of scripture I’d like to read this evening.   The first passage of scripture I’ll be using for a text is First Corinthians chapter three, verses five through seventeen.  Then we’ll look at chapter six of the same book, verses seventeen through twenty and Acts chapter seven verse forty-eight.  I would also like for you to read, at your leisure, the sixth chapter of First Chronicles.  I believe most of us are familiar with this chapter.  It’s the historical account of the temple Solomon built for God.  When you’ve found First Corinthians, chapter three, shout “Glory to God.”  She then waited until shouts could be heard throughout the building before continuing.

“Amen.  Would you read along with me starting at verse five?”

She then turned to the pages, already marked in her bible and they read the scripture.  They continued reading scriptures until they read all she had requested them to read.  She laid down her bible and walked from behind the podium and began her message for the evening.   

Thirty-five minutes later, after using an analogy between the temple Solomon built with the human body, and how it should also be reverenced, D’Cerner ended her message with the congregation standing, magnifying God, and some were standing in the aisles weeping, as she made the invitation to come to Christ.  

“If you know the Holy Spirit needs to live in a clean dwelling and the Lord has touched your heart, I want you to listen to this song and pay careful attention to the words.  When I finish, if there are any here tonight, who have never accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, I want you to find your way to the altar.  Don’t let what others may think of you stop you.  This time is for you.  If you know you have been defiling the temple of the Lord with your habits and you want to be delivered, I want you to come to the altar, too.  We want to pray with you and for you that God will have His perfect way in your life.  Please remain standing while I sing this song.”

She stood straight and as tall as her five-foot-four inches would allow and sang her song.  The lyrics challenged people to make a decision. 

The temple where we worship belongs to us

 The temple He created belongs to Him

 Not created by hands

 But by His grace

 I will not defile the place where He dwells.

 Now the temple that we call

 God’s place

 Not created by hands

 But by His grace

 The bodies that we offer

 As a living sacrifice—

 I will not defile the place where He dwells

  I will not defile, the place where He dwells.

While D’Cerner sang, the lyrics drew them to the altar.  When she ended the song, it seemed as though half the congregation was standing before her.  She then signaled the musician to keep playing and asked the praise singers to continue with the song, giving them liberty to modify the song, if the Lord led them to do so.  While they sang, she addressed those standing before her.  She asked those who had never accepted Christ to raise their hands.  After their acknowledgment, she led them in a simple prayer of repentance and acceptance.  With their hands lifted in submission to the Lord, they repeated every phrase, acknowledging their sins, repenting of them, confessing belief in Jesus and accepting Him as their personal Savior.   

“Somebody shout—Glory!” D’Cerner shouted as she watched those in front of her, tears streaming down their faces.  She danced and the church erupted with shouts of joy as others danced and sang along with the now exhilarating pace of the musician.

“The devil is a liar and you don’t belong to him anymore,” D’Cerner continued when she calmed down.  “I want everyone who just prayed that prayer to follow the young man standing over there by the door.  He’s going to give you some specific instructions that will help you to stay on track with Christ.  Let’s give the Lord praise as they leave.”

D’Cerner stood at the podium, taking a drink from the glass of water the aide had placed on the shelf beneath the top of the podium.  She waited until the ten new babes in Christ left the sanctuary.

“Now, I want the rest of you to search your hearts before we go any further.  I’m going to pray a general prayer, but I sense the need for some to have personal ministry tonight as well.”  She turned to those on dais, “Would you all assist me by having them form a single line after I pray?  Thank you.”

She waited for the ministers to position themselves before she continued. 

“I expect great things from God and I know in my spirit that some of you came looking for a miracle.  Well, if you are sincere, God is able.  Remember God knows your heart.  He doesn’t have time to play games and neither do I. Are we ready now?” she asked.   

She prayed, beseeching the Lord on behalf of all those standing before her, commanding satan to loose his hold.  When she finished praying, she walked back down the steps to pray with each individual standing in the line.  She knew as she laid hands on them, they would be victorious.  As some fell under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, others cried or danced in the aisles and the rest of the congregation shouted and rejoiced with them. 

After the benediction, D’Cerner stayed long enough to greet a few people and then left to go home, weary and tired.  Since the snow had not abated, it took even longer to drive the few miles home and having to stay alert, watching the other drivers, really made the return ice-skating trip a challenge.

When she finally pulled into her driveway, she couldn’t help but think about how good her bed was going to feel.  She pulled her house keys out of her purse before getting out of the car, locked the doors and had to high-step it to her front door because of the deep snow.  Once inside, she pulled off her boots, threw them to the side, hung up her coat in the front closet and tossed her keys and purse onto the coffee table.  Walking through the family room, on the way to her room, she noticed Carlos had left the television on and fallen asleep.  She turned the television set off and threw a blanket over her son, too tired to wake him.  When she got to her room, she tossed her clothes to the other side of her queen-sized bed, pulled on her pajamas and sank into the bed.  As she lay there physically exhausted, yet spiritually exhilarated, anticipating dreamland, she remembered the phone call from earlier that evening.  Before she could think too much about the caller, she was sound asleep.

 Chapter Three

The following day, still somewhat exhausted from the evening before, D’Cerner decided she was going to do absolutely nothing.  She got out of the bed after praying and had a cup of coffee.  Then she ate a muffin and got back in the bed where she stayed for most of the day.  She alternately watched television, read, and dozed until Chantelle and Carlos decided to join her, something they often did on wintry Saturday mornings. Chantelle came into the room to tell her about her evening out and because she was always so animated when she talked, D’Cerner lay there, laughing so hard tears were streaming down her face.  If Chantelle ever decided to do comedy for a living, she would be quite successful, D’Cerner thought listening to her.  When Carlos heard the commotion coming from his mother’s bedroom, he peeped in to see what they were doing.  Soon all three of them were piled up in D’Cerner’s bed, watching a three-hour special about Mohammed, the prophet of Islam.  Soon after the special ended, D’Cerner tiring of her children’s company and wanting to take a nap, chased them out of her room.  They left, but not before attempting to make her feel guilty by making remarks about how she didn’t really love them, and how they wished she was a “real mother,” something they often teased her about when they couldn’t have their way.  D’Cerner laughed at them and told them to close the door behind them.

Later than evening, after a long leisurely bath, and a delicious meal that Carlos cooked, D’Cerner remembered she needed to return Brother Recinoire’s phone call.