Just Above a Whisper by Lori Wick Read Free Book Online Page A

on her own. Douglas couldn’t picture why a bank would do this, and that made him even more uneasy.
    Walking swiftly, Douglas prayed and asked God to protect Reese and put His saving hand on Mr. Jenness. He was confident that God had a plan and knew that his job was to trust and keep obeying.
    A face and a name popped into Douglas’ mind so fast that he stopped walking. He’d been so taken with Mr. Zantow’s death, Jace’s and Maddie’s conversions, and Reese’s problems, that he had forgotten there was something he could do.
    Douglas made a beeline for home. He had a letter to write, and the sooner he sent it, the better.

 
    Four
    “Jace,” Reese called, approaching him on Sunday morning when she saw him arriving for services.
    “Hi, Reese. How are you?”
    “I’m doing all right. I wanted to ask you something and hope you won’t find me intrusive.”
    Maddie came up at that point, and Reese greeted her.
    “Go ahead,” Jace said.
    Reese’s voice lowered. “Did you by any chance order a cradle from Mr. Zantow when you came that day?”
    “Yes, I did,” Jace admitted; they were still not telling people their news, although they knew it was spreading fast.
    “He finished it,” Reese told the couple. “I was cleaning in the workshop, and I found a cradle.”
    Jace and Maddie smiled at each other.
    “What exactly will happen to it?” Maddie asked.
    “All of Mr. Zantow’s belongings will be auctioned, so watch for the notice. I assume the cradle will go too.”
    “Thanks, Reese,” Jace told her sincerely before asking about her future plans.
    And he was just the first. Nearly everyone in the church family asked after her, brought her something, or invited her to eat or stay with them. As she knew it would, news about the bank holding her papers had spread swiftly, and people asked after her needs.
    By the time the sermon began, Reese couldn’t think of a person in the room who hadn’t checked with her. She didn’t hear Douglas’ opening remarks. She was too busy praying for this small church family, so thankful to be a part of it.

     
    “How is it going?” Douglas asked when both Jace and Maddie headed his way after the sermon.
    “It’s going well, but we were wondering about the seven R s,” Jace admitted, referring to something Douglas had mentioned in the sermon.
    “I wondered if that might not be confusing for you. We’ve been talking about the seven R s off and on for years now. It’s just a little formula I made up to help us keep short accounts with God. By short accounts, I mean confessing sin regularly, and not repeating it.”
    “What are they again?” Jace asked.
    “Recognize, Repent, Rethrone, Replace, Rejoice, Remember, Repeat,” Douglas said, working not to rattle them off too swiftly. “ Recognize is the step where we see that we’ve sinned and we’re out of fellowship with God. Repent is the next step, when we agree with God about our sin and confess to Him. Rethrone is the mental action of putting Christ back in the center of our lives, because sinning pushes Him out.
    “ Replace is understanding that we’ve got to put something else there or the sin comes right back. Working on a memory verse that deals with the sin, or even getting your mind busy with prayer and good works helps. Rejoice is my favorite. We need to stop and realize that our fellowship with God is unbelievably sweet and not forgot to rejoice in that fact. Remember might be the hardest of all. Keeping these good thoughts in mind as we move through each day. Repeat is simply that, repeating the process again and again, as often as necessary.”
    “It’s so much,” Maddie couldn’t help but say.
    “And I probably rattled them off too fast. I’m sorry.” Douglas was compassionate. “If you only remember one thing this week, Maddie, let it be the R that stands for repentance. God loves a repentant heart. You’ll be learning for years about all the ways we push God out of the center of our