Welcome to the Whyte House Family Spoken Novels podcast: Holiday Edition episode #84. Today we are reading chapter 27 of the book “I’m Dreaming of a Black Christmas” by Daniel Whyte III with Meriqua Whyte.
_______
“Speaking of Cassandra, she just entered the restaurant with her mother. That is her mother, right?” Rev. Barnett asked his wife as he slid out of his seat. “Now don’t let on,” he said.
“Don’t you worry about a thing,” said Athaliah.
“Cassandra, it’s so good to see you again,” Rev. Barnett greeted her.
“Hi, Rev. Barnett. I don’t know if you remember my mother,” Cassandra said.
“Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Nichols. This is my wife, Athaliah. Will you be dining in?”
“Oh, we’re not here to eat, Rev. Barnett. I stopped by because I was wondering, have you seen Grant Lee? We can’t find him,” Cassandra said.
“What do you mean, you can’t find him?”
“Well, I don’t know if you know this or not, but I am supposed to be getting married soon.”
“Congratulations!” Rev. Barnett and his wife said.
“Thank you. Anyway we were getting ready for rehearsal and Grant Lee just walked out of the house. He left a note saying he’d be back later. Some other things came up about Grant. It would take too much time to go into all that right now. I’m thinking he went off to search for his father.”
“Does he have any idea where Grant is? And does he even have any money to take a trip anywhere?” Rev. Barnett asked.
“I really don’t know if he’s figured out that Grant is his father,” Cassandra said. “I am ashamed to say this, but I have never told him that Grant was his father; there was just so much going on about that, and there is still much going on, but that’s another story. Right now I have to find him.”
“Have you checked in at the bus depot or with the taxi company?” Rev. Barnett asked.
“I did not even think about checking those places,” Cassandra said. “Thank you so much, Rev. Barnett. We’ll look into those places right now. And please be praying that he will return safely. Here’s my number if you hear anything.”
“I have a good feeling he will be returning safely,” Athaliah said as Cassandra handed her her cell number, “especially since you have your wedding coming up.”
“Well,” Cassandra said, “there won’t be any wedding if we don’t find him.”
Rev. Barnett and his wife gave them time to leave the restaurant.
“Something is definitely off here, Joshua,” Athaliah said to her husband. “Grant definitely told us Cassandra was getting married years ago; that’s why he stopped trying to get in touch with her even though he has been waiting to hear from her himself.”
“She may have gotten a divorce or maybe her husband died. A lot can happen in twelve years, you know,” her husband said.
“Well, let’s go take care of Grant Lee.”
Once back in his office, Rev. Barnett said, “Grant Lee, I have something to tell you.”
“I already know,” Grant Lee replied. “Both of you are my second set of grandparents, and your son, Grant Barnett, is my dad.”
Mrs. Mattie smiled as her eyes met Rev. and Mrs. Barnett’s.
“Grant Lee, please forgive us for being dishonest with you these many years. It was wrong,” Rev. Barnett said.
“But why did you wait until I found out about Grant being my father? I’ve been around several times and neither of you let me know,” Grant Lee said.
“Well, there were some negative issues between your other grandparents, Rev. and Mrs. Nichols, and us,” Athaliah explained. “Before we tell you what caused our son not to be in your life this long, I think it would be best if we all sat down so that you can hear everyone’s side of the story.”
“I can’t believe Grant Barnett is my dad. No wonder he’s my favorite and no wonder my mother watches him almost every time he plays,” Grant Lee said.
“Well, I have been thinking this situation over and I have a plan that I hope will bring everyone together before Cassandra’s wedding,” Rev. Barnett told Grant Lee. “Right now, you are going to go to the hospital with your grandmother and Mrs. Mattie to visit with Mister Briley. He had major heart surgery so you’ll have to be extremely quiet and just pray for his healing. In the meantime, I’ll try to get in touch with Grant and let him know what’s going on. Is that alright with you?”
Grant Lee nodded.
After praying together and making sure the three were safely on their way to the hospital, Rev. Barnett set about the business of getting in touch with his son. It took him some time, but after about forty minutes Grant answered his call.
“Dad, is everything alright?” Grant asked sounding like he was out of breath.
“Everything’s fine, son. Things could not be better. I have some great news for you. Do you have time to talk?”
“Sure, Dad. Hold on, let me get a towel. I just came in from practice…Okay, Dad, what’s the great news? I sure could use some right now.”
Rev. Barnett shared with his son all that had taken place over the past few hours.
“You mean to tell me Cassandra is getting married again. I thought she got married years ago,” Grant said.
“That’s what we thought too,” Rev. Barnett said. “Like I shared with you before, if she did get married, I am sure she would have said something to me or to your mother as many times as she has stopped by the restaurant and visited the church. The times we have seen her it has been just her and Grant Lee. I am thinking she would have at least brought her husband by the restaurant, but that’s another story.”
“Yeah, I knew her to be an upfront person,” Grant said.
“All I know is,” Rev. Barnett continued, “Grant Lee is not too pleased with what is going on. He is determined to meet you; he does not want Cassandra to marry someone else. So right now, we need to focus on Grant Lee. Son, I believe God is getting ready to do something.”
“How so, Dad?” Grant asked with anticipation.
“Just trust me, son,” his father told him. “Do you think you can get an emergency leave and catch a flight out of Oakland this evening? This would mean so much to Grant Lee.”
“Let me talk with Coach. You know we play in five days. He’s a family man, so he’ll probably understand,” Grant said. “This would be a quick trip if I am going to make it back in time to play.”
“Like I said, I believe God is about ready to do something,” Rev. Barnett said. “You go talk with Coach and I’ll go talk with God. Call me back as soon as you can.”
_______
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 