Welcome to the Whyte House Family Spoken Novels podcast: Holiday Edition episode #18. Today we are reading chapter 18 of the novel “The Thanksgiving Letters” by Daniel Whyte III with Meriqua Whyte.
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Cambia was up in her room, rocking her son, Uriah, off to sleep. Her thoughts turned to her twin sister, Cassia. It had been nearly four years since they heard anything from her. Cambia still felt guilty over how she had deceived her sister.
“Cambia,” Alexander called, knocking on her door, “there’s a letter here for you.” After handing the letter to his daughter, Alexander Fleming took a look at his grandson. “He’s looking more and more like me,” he said proudly as Cambia read the letter.
“Dad, it’s from Cassia,” Cambia exclaimed. “She’s coming home for Thanksgiving!”
Alexander Fleming could not believe what he just heard. “I can’t believe it! Finally, after two years, no, three years, God’s finally bringing her home,” he said to Barbara at the dinner table. “Isn’t that great news?”
Barbara Fleming did not share the same joy as her husband. “That child left home without notice and has not kept in touch for almost three years. She has a lot of explaining to do, once she gets here.”
“I thought your heart’s desire was for all our children to come home for Thanksgiving,” Alexander said, clearly perturbed.
“Yes, it is,” Barbara said holding her head up proudly, “but she has to come home right.”
“What in the world are you talking about ‘she has to come home right’? What is the right way to come home?” Alexander asked.
“She has to apologize and like I said, she has a lot of explaining to do,” Barbara said. “By the way, our house phone number and our cell phones have been the same so she could have called if she wanted to.
The fact is, she does not want to be a part of this family any more, so I don’t want her to be either.”
“Barbara, can’t you get your mind off of yourself for a while and reach out to your children. Our lost daughter has been found! You may not like the way she went missing. You may not have been worried or concerned about her, but I was! You need to stop being selfish, because the problem is you act like a child yourself — always thinking about what you want and never thinking about others.”
“Why should I rejoice? She left on her own.”
“Have you ever thought that maybe you had something to do with her leaving?” Alexander asked.
“Me? Never!”
Here we go again, Cambia thought. After the falling out between her and her twin which led to their abrupt separation, Cambia had decided to remain home. Her dad accepted her pregnancy and the coming child without hesitation and he supported her all the way. This made it much easier to live in her parents’ house, even though her mother had reacted angrily at first.
“Cambia, I have trained you better than to go out and carry yourself like a loose girl. What shame you have brought on this family! You are no child of mine. You’re probably the reason Cassia left – so you would not bring shame on her name.” Cambia, even after three years had never forgotten those words. Today, those words came hurtling back at her with just as much force as they originally did.
She jumped up from the dinner table and fled to her room.
“You’ve done it again!” Alexander exclaimed. “You have done it again! I know for a fact that God is trying to give you the desire of your heart, but as you have done many times down through the years, you’re sabotaging your own blessings with your pride, stubbornness, rebelliousness, and selfishness. Woman, as I have told you in the past, according to the Scriptures, you are doing nothing but practicing witchcraft. And you claimed to be trying to build your family up, but just like Proverbs 14:1 says, you are tearing it down. If you are not careful, one day you are going to look up, and not only will your children be gone, but I will be gone too. Do you remember that verse — Proverbs 14:1? Obviously, you don’t. Well, here it is: ‘Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.’”
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Thank you for joining us for this episode of Whyte House Family stories. You may purchase a copy of this novel and any other Christian fiction books read on this podcast from Amazon.com.
Now, dear listener, please know that God—the divine Author of all things—wants to write a great story with your life as well. But first you must give Him the pen by trusting Him with the life He gave you and surrendering your heart to Jesus Christ as Savior. Here is how:
1. Accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 7:20: “For there is not a just man upon earth that doeth good, and sinneth not.” Romans 3:23 reads: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
2. Accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”
3. Accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” The Bible says in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
4. Accept the fact that you cannot do anything to save yourself! The Bible states in Ephesians 2: 8, 9: “For by grace are ye saved through faith: and that not of yourselves: it is a gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
5. Accept the fact that God loves you more than you love yourself, and that He wants to save you from hell. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
6. With these facts in mind, please repent of your sins, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and pray and ask Him to come into your heart and save you this very moment. The Bible states in the book of Romans 10:9, 13: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Dear friend, if you are willing to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, please pray with me this simple prayer: Heavenly Father, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I now believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.
If you believed in your heart that Jesus Christ died on the cross, was buried, and rose again, allow me to say, congratulations on doing the most important thing in life and that is accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour! For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door”. Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
May God bless you until next time.
BCNN1 WP 