Solutions: The Dilemma for Men by James Gerard (best free ebook reader .TXT) 📕

mention of the name.

 

“Yes, my dad is the man that people believe brought down the gods, but that’s not the truth.  My dad told me time and time again that he just rebelled against the gods, but in Truth, by doing so he rebelled against God.  He did not bring them down, God did that.  He had nothing to do with their deaths, God, by his love and mercy and compassion and by his will and for his purpose brought them down.  Remember, they were just people, just like you and me.  God loved them just as much as He loves anyone else.  It is our duty not to let this happen again.”

 

“Are you defending their evil actions?”

 

“Not at all,” shouted Louis.  “Why do we want to be the judges?  What is it that makes us think we can see all the evil intentions of our brothers and sisters?  Why can’t we just see that it’s the powers and principalities which plague us all?  Why can’t we rest in the fact that our Lord knows all of this and He is the One that will judge accordingly?  I’m tired of all the hatred and anger and fear the creature inflicts upon us, but I know to rely on our God to defend me against it.

 

“Look at all of us.  You see how it divides us against each other.  It separates us from one another, and the whole time it could care less about any of us.  It doesn’t love and doesn’t even know what love is.  It lives thinking that it’s the true power.  It believes in lies and deceptions.  Our Lord knows all of this from everlasting to everlasting and He is the One that will avenge us.  The councilmen are under the spirit of lies, but they are our brothers and sisters and as long as our Lord gives us the breath to speak out against the powers and principalities, not against them, then that is what we need to choose to do out of our Lord’s love for them.”

 

“But how can we do this if they kill us?  Why don’t you consider that?”

 

“You’re afraid of that?  What, our Lord Jesus Christ didn’t live in the same body as He made for us?  You mean He didn’t feel the pain inflicted on him?  You mean all the times He fasted He really never was hungry?  He felt it all; all the misery and the pain and the hurt and the cold and every miserable thing that we all feel at times.  But He obeyed our Father in all things despite knowing exactly what was going to happen to him but He did it.  He died for us.  My dad was not perfect, I’m not perfect, and any of us are not perfect, but as long as we keep our eye on the Lord then no matter what the creature can do nothing to us.”

 

“We know this,” said Emily.

 

“Then quit hiding.”

 

“We need a better position of strength,” said Michael.

 

“A better position of strength; my God, wake up already and there He is.”

 

“Please Louis, we all hear you, but….”

 

“Come on already, don’t listen to me, but listen to God.  He’s here.  He always has been.  He’s not going away.  Our brothers and sisters are so wrapped up in the lies that we can’t sit back and let them go on believing it.”

 

Michael stood than walked over to Louis.  “We need time Louis.  We just need time.”

 

Louis sat back down.  He looked at all his brothers and sisters and could see frustration taking hold of their minds.  "Look, let’s not forget this time.  That’s all that I’m saying.  We love our Lord.  Let’s just help all our lost brothers and sisters; let’s not’s hide.”

 

Emily stood.  “Well, maybe we all need some time to reflect on just what happened here.  Let’s call it a night and pray to our Lord on the course He wants to lead us on.”

 

Everyone nodded in agreement to Emily’s suggestion.

 

“Where will Louis stay tonight?” a woman asked.

 

“Are you still suspicious?” asked Michael.

 

Emily stood up.  “Listen.”  She looked to Louis.  “If it will make any of you feel better then he can stay in my room tonight.  I’ll watch over him.”

 

“I’d rather take off and go home,” said Louis.

 

“Please, just stay here tonight,” responded Emily.

 

Louis felt the eyes of all once again.  The urge to flee was strong, but a feeling of commitment to the group was stronger.  He figured to at least stay for the night and further evaluate the decision in the morning.

 

Words of Support

Louis woke up.  His body ached a bit from what he first assumed was the effects of sleeping on the bare, cold floor, but further thought about the physical pain led to the explosion as the true cause.

 

After stretching out the limbs, focusing on any unbearable pain, Louis was assured that no body part had been violently disabled.  He then closed his eyes and turned the attention where attention was due. “Thank you for the restful and peaceful night my Father.  Thank you also for not taking away your breath as I slept helpless during the night.  I thank you in the name of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

 

Looking up he noticed the bed had been neatly made.  A note sat atop a set of clothes and pair of socks and shoes.  Emily had left instructions for finding the shower, eating, and lounging facilities within the confines of the first floor of the building.  She also pled for him to be patient and just to relax until she returned, but a prompting from the heart had other plans.

 

Soreness was felt throughout the body as he came to his feet, but it was bearable.  A rancid odor, however, rose from the grime that had accumulated over the past few days and signaled the time for a thorough bathing, and a foul taste in the mouth signaled time for a thorough brushing.

 

Following the directions left by Emily, Louis found the shower facility easy enough and removed the borrowed clothing sticking to his body.  Ah, he whispered while the hot jets of water began to massage the back muscles and nape of the neck and release the tension and stress that had fell upon him in his journey to Los Angeles.  He turned around but quickly jerked his head away from the stream as the force inflicted pain from the tender cuts about the face.  The hot water flowed down the face as hands were used as porous nets to soften the force of streaming, hot water.

 

A hand reached out and gathered up a glob of liquid soap dispensed from a machine attached to one of the walls of the shower stall.  He applied the soap gingerly to the afflicted areas and then rubbed it into lather from the top of his head to the bottom of his soles.  The grime was rinsed away as the hot water ran it down to the drain, releasing the tension and aches and pains along with it.

 

Drying off, he glimpsed a mirror sitting above a sink just to the right of him.  He walked over and stared at the reflection.  The cuts were small and numerous, but little pain was associated with any.  He figured whatever was in the cream that Emily had applied had prevented further damage that otherwise would have resulted in infection.  He picked up a comb that lay on the edge of the sink and carefully combed and parted the hair to its usual look.  As he finished a hand bumped the mirror causing it to slightly swing open.  Upon inspection, a space was hidden behind with a supply of toothbrushes wrapped in plastic and small tubes of toothpaste.  Louis thoughtfully brushed the film of grime growing on each individual tooth, and from the roof of the mouth and the tongue.  He looked at the reflection and smiled, but still looked a little haggard from the wounds.

 

The clothes left by Emily contrasted with the drab gray uniforms he was used to for work and free time.  They also were somewhat like the black and white ensembles that all his brothers and sister wore the previous night.  In fact, he remembered, they had a strong resemblance to the clothes worn by those he encountered strolling about the sidewalks and pedaling about the streets.  If it were not for the fact that his torn and tattered face contrasted with the clean yet dull colors below the neckline, he figured he just might have blended right in with those that smirked and scoffed at him the day before.

 

The comfort of the sun beaming down its warmth from the clear, blue sky invigorated a true strength that had been lacking for the past few days.  Louis strolled to the gate and greeted the guards with shouts of “good morning” and “God bless everyone,” but it seemed the guards were unmoved and unimpressed with his enthusiasm as they stared back without any hint of positive emotions.

 

More and more the love of his Lord was filling up the heart, thus shooing away the darkness that had attempted to make his mind a trap and prison.  He searched the streets for anyone to shout a hearty hello to, but the street was vacant.  No matter, he reasoned, the resolve to sway his brothers’ and sisters’ hearts back to the way of their Lord God was undeterred.

 

Up ahead the building that sat atop the hill where Emily worked came into view.  The nearer he came the stronger his heart grew for all that would be encountered during the day.  Staring up from the bottom of the stairs, he figured the building nestled up high was a fitting starting point for the enthusiasm.

 

With each step, Louis thanked his Lord for providing strength.  Finally reaching the top, he looked around at the tables that were now filled with people most likely enjoying the same delicacies that Emily had provided the night before.  The smell and the look of the entrees and side dishes were tantalizing.  The bountiful, scrumptious foods lay in trays of a long table that kept them hot with rising steam below.  Louis’ mouth began to water.

 

Someone shouted.  The unexpected noise broke the delicious thoughts.  Louis stepped forward to observe where the shout had come from.  Four men and a little girl were staring up at Emily while another man berated her for something he objected to.

 

Emily stood there quiet with her head bowed and hands clasped in front; did not utter a word.

 

“Gentlemen,” Louis said as he stepped up to the table.   “Is there a problem here?”

 

He heard Emily whisper a quiet objection to the intervention, but Louis chose to ignore the request to leave matters alone.

 

“I see the wife got the better of you buddy,” the man laughed staring at Louis’ face.

 

“Oh no my brother, I am not….”

 

“Brother?”  The man looked to his dining companions and they all burst out laughing.

 

“Yeah, my brother in Christ.”

 

The laughing stopped.  The men’s countenance changed to what looked like deep contempt.  “What did you say?”

 

“My brother in Christ.”

 

“Get this freak out of my face right now,” the man shouted.

 

The four companions jumped up and lunged towards Louis.  They grabbed and forced him to the ground.

 

“Please, please sir,” Emily uttered to the man sitting, “he was in