Behind the Stage

BEHIND

THE STAGE

ANNE SANDERS

Copyright © 2013 Marcia Baris-Sanders.

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ISBN: 978-1-4908-1380-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-1381-3 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-1379-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013919448

WestBow Press rev. date: 12/26/2013

Contents

Chapter 1 Beginnings

Chapter 2 What Now?

Chapter 3 The Hospital

Chapter 4 Relationships

Chapter 5 Surprise

Chapter 6 Confrontation

Chapter 7 Beyond Understanding

Chapter 8 God Incidents

Chapter 9 Baby Makes Five

Chapter 10 An Idea

Chapter 11 Clash

Chapter 12 Rumblings

Chapter 13 Letting Go

Chapter 14 Prisons

Chapter 15 Perfection

Chapter 16 Spring

Chapter 17 Allen Girl

Chapter 18 Groups

Chapter 19 Three Months

Chapter 20 Heat

Chapter 21 Loose Ends

Chapter 22 Births

Chapter 23 By One Corner

Chapter 24 Awakening

Chapter 25 Goodbyes and a Beginning

Chapter 26 Hints

Chapter 27 Waiting

Chapter 28 Lashing Out

Chapter 29 Thanksgiving

Chapter 30 Side Effects

Chapter 31 Forgiveness

Chapter 32 Christmas

Chapter 33 Loving Others

Chapter 34 God’s Hands

CHAPTER 1

Beginnings

H e had the audience curled tightly around his little finger. One minute they were laughing mischievously with him, the next they were silent as the grave, intent on his words. Gone was the anxious feeling in the pit of his stomach. Although his head still faintly ached, it was with pleasure not panic. His dark hair curled in a few tendrils around his ears while the rest framed his handsome face and dark blue eyes.

Just a half hour before, Joshua Allen had waited in the room behind the stage. Coffee had sloshed around in his stomach when he got up to get a cheese and apple Danish. It was always harder when he didn’t know a soul in the audience other than his wife and was in a town he’d never heard of before. It was easier after the first laugh, he reminded himself. After all, this wasn’t his first time in front of an audience. Then, the band had started the song signaling he was next. He got up from the overstuffed chair he was sitting in and headed for the black stairs leading to the stage.

He had walked onto the stage and shared a little joke. We all hope to go to heaven someday, but if you ask most people they tend to prefer later rather than sooner. After the laughter died down, he added, "Hopefully, that means you are living your life here for God so you feel like you’re a part of something bigger than yourself and God’s not done with you yet.

"Some people say life here should be like heaven when you’re around Christians. Now, I think that’s a little naïve and unrealistic. No place is like heaven but heaven, and Christians, like everyone, have their bad days. A bad day in heaven means you oversleep and miss the morning communal time with God, but there’s always the afternoon session to look forward to. There’s a lot more that can go wrong here and we’re still learning how to deal with it as we go.

On the other hand, Christians often can see beyond everyday trials, and we should have a joy that runs through our lives which comes from God. If you don’t, then you may not be living on His power, but on your own. Trying to live without being in touch with God through prayer, meditation on His word, and worship is like trying to turn the lights on without paying your electric bill.

Leah looked up at him on the stage, as she had so many times before. A new town, a new purpose, she thought. They had spent so many years in Seattle that she had grown accustomed to the West coast weather and mentality. They had both grown up on the East Coast but she realized they had strayed from their roots.

They really liked you, Leah told him as they lay on the bed looking up at an unfamiliar ceiling that night.

Josh turned on his side facing his wife and said, Thanks, honey. It had been a good beginning. He had felt welcomed, had seen enthusiasm, and had not felt like the sorrow over the transfer of the last pastor elsewhere would underscore everything he did.

He thought about Jenny, his new assistant. When anyone passed by his door, she gave him a name and a story for each person. She knew what was happening in the building and well beyond its doors. He hadn’t been planning on hiring a new secretary, and after meeting her he didn’t feel like he wanted to either. He knew how important it was to building trust that he didn’t come in and start firing people either.

He’d had a couple meetings with the staff and was pleasantly surprised at their candor and knowledge. Lisa Truong, the assistant minister, had been there for years. She was a volunteer at the church at first, but she wasn’t sitting on her hands waiting for things to happen. Greenwood United Methodist Church had a strong youth program, children’s ministry, mission outreach to the community, and links to other programs around the world. Along with Ted Stanley, the last minister, Lisa had overseen the growth of each of these ministries.

Leah interrupted his thoughts. But this heat is killing me, Josh. I can’t believe it’s September and it feels like I’m opening an oven when I walk outside. There’s an actual haze on the horizon some days.

Yeah, but it’s only going to cool down from here at least. I guess we got used to Seattle weather, and Florida is definitely a different coast.

In such a small town, I doubt I’ll be able to find a job, but I’ll do some looking. Maybe there will be some design companies in Tallahassee. It’s only a thirty-minute drive to the edge of the city.

Good idea, honey. I’m sorry you had to give up your graphics job at Ad Seattle. I know you enjoyed it, Josh pursed his lips and held his hand out to touch her face. She was so beautiful. He was dark and she was light—wispy, shoulder-length blonde hair, light blue eyes, and a willowy figure. At six foot one, he towered over her little frame.

She covered his hand with hers. I knew what I was signing up for when I married you, Josh, a life of moving where God wants us to be so we can do His work. I can probably do some freelance work from home. I’m sure Ad Seattle will send some things my way. And now that Carson’s in graduate school, she’s paying for herself more. I’m so glad we knew we were coming here in time for her to apply to Florida State instead of staying in the Northwest. The tuition is almost half of what it is up there, too. I think the move may be harder on Carter though. He’s still a preteen, thank God, so he doesn’t have to deal with all those cliques at school, at least not at their worst level during adolescence, but he loved Seattle.

There’s a big difference between Seattle and Greenwood. It’s going to take some time for all of us to adjust, Josh pointed out.

Being about a half hour from Tallahassee meant Greenwood’s small town drowsiness was offset by an awareness of what was going on down at the capitol building not so far away. The energy of Florida State University and Florida A & M was also palpable as you drove into the city. But even Tallahassee was a small town compared to Seattle. Seattle had been so liberal, green, so open. He hoped Carter would enjoy their new home and make friends easily. It was usually no problem for Leah, but Josh had a feeling things might work a little differently here, might just move a little more slowly than they were used to.

Josh would have his work cut out for him the next few weeks, meetings with staff to find out how programs were working, with people in the community to see where they fit in, and with those who wanted to talk with him one on one. That was where he would really get a feel for the church, in talking to the people who came in, maybe just once a month or those who rarely missed a week. It was also where he really felt like he was accomplishing something, at this place, and the last one, and the one before.

No matter how different it is, we’ll make it, together, Leah said.

When Josh walked into the office on Monday, there were two older women sitting patiently in the lobby. Jenny looked up at him with her green eyes beneath the cinnamon-colored blunt cut of her hair. Her smile was a little forced as she walked him into his office. They’re here about the banner, she whispered. He gave her a blank look as he put his laptop bag down on his desk.

The banner, that is, the one they think we ought to make to bring down to the state capitol, she said.

Saying what exactly? he asked.

Saying, ‘Homosexuals go home. You don’t represent us.’

WHAT? He looked at her with alarm.

You see, the representative for Leon County admitted two months ago to being a homosexual. And, these ladies feel that as a church, we should let him know that the majority of his constituents are heterosexual and deserve to have a representative who is, too.

How did I miss this in the interview process, Josh thought as he turned to Jenny and said, Well, send them in.

As she ushered them into his office, Josh held out his hand to shake theirs and said, Welcome, ladies. What can I do for you?

Mr. Allen, I’m Dorothy Thayers and this is Nancy Atwood. We need to talk to you about an important matter. Johua guessed Thayers was in her late 50s by her gray hair and bifocals. She was dressed in a hounds tooth black and white suit with pearls on her ears and around her neck. Atwood, also in her 50s, had on brown slacks and a button up shirt with brown paisleys on it.

Oh, please, call me Joshua or Josh, ladies.

"Well, Joshua, you do know about Representative McKeown?" Mrs. Thayer’s voice slowed and rose into a question when she spoke his name.

No, I’m not sure I do. Is he the representative for this county?

Yes, Mr. Allen, and he’s recently told the press that he’s a homosexual, she said, taking a seat across from Josh.

Is that so? I’m sorry, you see I’ve come from Seattle, and I did not hear about any Florida politics up there, Josh said.

It’s more than just Florida politics, Mr. Allen. We believe that Mr. McKeown is not representing our interests in the state legislature and we want to do something about it. We think the church should stand up against homosexuals in places of leadership because of all they’re trying to do.

Just what are they trying to do? Josh asked.

"To make their way of life accepted by the public. I mean it’s just evil, Mr. Allen," Mrs. Thayer almost spit the words back at him.

Is that what you would say to Mr. McKeown? he said, noticing that she had switched back to calling him Mr. Allen rather than Joshua and that she didn’t ask him to call her Dorothy either. Nancy sat next to Dorothy but didn’t appear to want to say anything.

It is. We need to let him know that in keeping his sexual preference a secret he has committed fraud against the people of this county, and he should resign from his position.

Well, perhaps he should have made it known, but that doesn’t seem to be a reason for him to resign. Mrs. Thayers, does he attend the sessions and debates? Does he vote? Does he sponsor bills?

Yes, Mrs. Thayers confirmed.

Has he stolen any money or gotten kickbacks for the legislation he’s sponsored?

Probably, but not as far as we know, she answered.

Then he is doing his job, isn’t he? Josh asked.

Yes, he is. But don’t you see that is the problem? For one thing, he is trying to enact hate crime legislation that favors homosexuals. The next thing you know he’ll be asking his homosexual friends to run for the state Congress in other counties, and we’ll be covered in protections for homosexuals.

Have you seen the legislation he proposes? Josh asked.

Umm, well, no, we just want him out, Mr. Allen, and we want to get others behind us by having the church send out an email about our march to Tallahassee to protest him being our representative.

And all of this is based on the fact that he’s a homosexual and that’s it? Josh said. Ladies, you know we are called to love everyone as Jesus did. You are acting on a feeling against a person without actually having seen what he’s trying to do.

But we must protect ourselves. With the way this country is going we’ll be covering our grandchildren’s eyes in the streets because of homosexual couples kissing right in front of them.

Ladies, homosexuality is wrong in the eyes of the church, but the legislature is not the chapel, and I feel that we are supposed to love those with whom we don’t see eye to eye. Chanting on the capitol steps for Mr. McKeown to go home is not going to help him or anyone else to know the love of Christ.

Don’t you see this is a war, a fight, for Christianity, MR. ALLEN, Mrs. Thayers said, raising her voice as she got up from her seat.

If you don’t agree with his legislation, there are things you can do, Mrs. Thayers. After reading it, you can craft a letter explaining what’s wrong with it. You can talk to your friends and have them do the same. You can start a petition against it and if it’s a valid point, I’ll sign that petition. But I won’t give you the addresses of our members so you can use them to tear down someone based only on his sexuality. Our membership records are not free to the public. You’ll have to organize your movement on your own.

You’re going to regret this, Mr. Allen. This is a place where the church needs to stand up and instead you are sitting down. We aren’t going to let this go, Mrs. Thayers said as she walked out the door with Nancy following behind her.