Welcome to the Whyte House Family Spoken Novels podcast episode #241. Today we are reading chapter 11 of the novel “I Need Someone to Pray with Me” by Daniel Whyte III with Meriqua Whyte.
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“Save me, O God;
for the waters are come in unto my soul.”
– Psalm 69:1
Kelvin quietly left the apartment. He glanced at his duffle bag. He had stopped by the apartment earlier to collect most of his belongings, but had returned to see if there may be a tiny chance that Simone had had second thoughts about their relationship. After driving around for over an hour, he stopped by the basketball court at the park for his Thursday evening workout with the boys. CJ and Alphonse the Reporter were already there challenging each other one-on-one.
“Yo! Kelvin! What’s up, bro?” CJ greeted him.
“It’s all good, man. Where’s everybody at? We should have something going on by now,” Kelvin said as they high-fived. Alphonse kept on dribbling the ball before taking it to the hoop.
“It’s still early. It’s only 5:30,” Alphonse said, glancing at his watch. They looked up when they heard the familiar sound of a car horn and a blasting radio. “Here they come. Here comes the rest of the gang. I hope you’re ready to put some sweat in this game.”
Seven young men climbed out of a black SUV and a gray Volvo. “Let the game begin,” CJ said after they exchanged greetings, and after forming two teams. “We’re missing some,” CJ said looking around.
“Randy and Travis will be here at 7:00, and the twins won’t be here. They are out of town for their grandmama’s funeral,” Alphonse informed them.
“Thanks, Reporter,” the others said.
“They don’t call me Alphonse the Reporter for nothing. I deliver the news as I hear it, and sometimes before it becomes news,” Alphonse said with a grin. “And I predict my team will be the victorious team this evening!”
“Yeah, right! We’ll see, my brotha’. We’ll see,” Corey said. “Heads or tails?”
The boys played hard. Although Kelvin gave it all he had, he knew this was not his best game.
“I know who won’t be on my team on Saturday,” Alphonse the Reporter said. “Don’t handle the ball like a girl, Brother Kelvin, or is it Sista Kelvin today? Play ball like a man. Focus. Concentrate. Didn’t they teach you that in Environ Engineering School?”
Kelvin and the others laughed. “I got things on my mind, that’s all,” Kelvin said.
“Well, the Reporter is looking for some fresh news for his advice column. Right now, let’s play ball like men.”
Alphonse the Reporter was a psychology teacher to the freshman students at the community college. He also wrote the advice column for the college’s Collegiate Newspaper under the pseudonym: Alphonse the Reporter.
The boys played until about 9:00 before calling it a night, seeing it was a weeknight, they all headed home.
“This Saturday–same place, same time,” CJ said before taking off.
“Still got some fresh news for the Reporter?” Alphonse asked Kelvin as he wiped the sweat off his forehead. “Or do you have to rush home to Sister Simone?”
“I still got fresh news, man, and it is about Simone,” Kelvin said. “It’s been weighing me down these past few days.”
“Shoot, my brother. I’m all ears,” Alphonse said as they took a seat on the side bench by the basketball court.
“She basically kicked me out,” Kelvin said nonchalantly.
“Kicked you out?”
“Well, not really,” Kelvin said as he told Alphonse all that had taken place between him and Simone. “She’s going in a different direction now and she’s serious about it. I hate to lose her, though.”
Alphonse pondered what Kelvin had just told him. He knew that Kelvin respected him and often sought his advice ending with “I’m going to make you put your psychology degree to work.”
“I stopped by a couple times to see if she’d changed her mind, but she’s standing by her decision,” Kelvin said looking up into the dark sky.
“When did she become a Christian?” Alphonse asked, putting on his professor’s voice.
“At Jamaal’s funeral,” Kelvin replied. “You know, when the pastor asked us to pray and ask Jesus to save us if we wanted to go to Heaven.”
“I remember. I prayed the prayer too,” Alphonse said. “Didn’t you pray it too? Yeah, I was sitting right next to you. I heard you pray the prayer. That means you are a Christian too, so go ahead and marry your woman before you lose her.”
“That’s the problem, Alphonse,” Kelvin said with a sigh. “Yes, I prayed the prayer…but, I didn’t mean it.”
“What do you mean you didn’t mean it?”
“Sorry, man, but it just felt like the right thing to do. I mean, everybody was saying the prayer and I just followed the crowd,” Kelvin admitted. “I can’t say I’ve felt good about it, but I’m glad I didn’t lie to Simone and tell her I prayed when I really didn’t. I can’t lie to her.”
“Well, don’t you want to become a Christian?”
“I don’t know, Alphonse. It just seems so easy–too easy,” Kelvin said. “If I recall, the pastor said all you have to do is believe on Jesus.”
“Did you want God to make it hard? I mean, He does want to take all of us to Heaven.”
Kelvin shrugged his shoulders.
“Personally, I’m glad He made it easy. Kelvin, I’ve had such peace since I asked Jesus to save me.” Chuckling, Alphonse continued, “As soon as I got home from the funeral, I threw away all my worldly possessions. I just didn’t want them anymore. My mama had given me a Bible that’s been sitting in my drawer for some months. I finally pulled it out and have been reading it everyday. She gave a ‘hallelujah’ shout when I told her I asked Jesus into my heart. I’m thinking of attending Pastor Givens’ church. Right now, I’ve been listening to the preachers on television and the internet. Where are you staying, anyway?”
“I’ve been staying at the motel across town for a week now. Even though Simone moved out of our apartment, I haven’t felt like going back there since it was originally a place for both of us.”
“Now, that is stupid,” Alphonse said. “You can stay at my place for some time if you want until you get things figured out. I’m not there most of the time. Right now, it’s getting late and I need to hit the hay. I have an early class to teach tomorrow, so let me know.”
“Sure. I’ll just drive behind you,” Kelvin said.
Once at Alphonse’s place they continued their conversation. “You know, Kelvin, one of the reasons I stopped going to church was because these preachers made Christianity so confusing. One claimed we had to give certain amounts of money each Sunday in the offering plate. Another said we were supposed to live a prosperous life. All I knew was my parents were Christians and we went to church every Sunday, yet, we lived in the projects my entire childhood. I had to work my way out, so that preaching did not ring true with me. More than one of these preachers said we had to be able to speak in tongues. To this day, I do not know how to speak in tongues.”
Kelvin laughed.
“I visited a couple of these tongues-speaking churches and I could not understand a word. Whatever they were saying sounded like gibberish. And I always left there even more confused.
“Pastor Givens gave understandable, and might I add, logical steps to becoming a Christian. I have turned those steps over and over in my mind, and I can tell you what they are: One, we are all sinners. Two, death is the price we have to pay for our sins. Three, Jesus paid for our sins by dying for us. Four, all we have to do is believe what Jesus did for us and know that that is the only way we can be in right standing with God. All you have to do is believe.”
Kelvin nodded as Alphonse continued.
“I mean, the more I think about it, what do I have to lose by following Jesus? In the long run, I have nothing to lose but hell and the devil, and both are worth losing if I’m going to gain Heaven.
“I didn’t mean to sound cold and uncaring. I know Simone means a lot to you, but for right now, think about your life and ask yourself, what do you have to lose if you became a Christian and followed Jesus Christ?”
Kelvin nodded as he thought, Nothing, really.
“On the flipside,” Alphonse said, “ask yourself this question: what would you gain if you became a Christian and followed Jesus Christ?”
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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:
- 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.”
- Accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”
- 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.”
- 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.”
- 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.”
- 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 