| 2.10.2007 |
| Transformed |
Helen left Tammy's house feeling good, feeling free. Helen knew that she was different now. She no longer had the desire to gossip. Helen had never realized it before, but Tammy could pray. Helen was amazed at how Tammy had prayed. With them gossiping so much, who knew what hidden talents the members of the Cafe Sisters had?
Helen thought, "God is amazing like that. When He cleans you up, you are clean." The desire to gossip was gone, completely gone. She felt amazing. She knew that she had to call a couple of people and apologize to them, and she had the desire to do so. Helen fought back tears as she drove.
She drove down Denton Tap Road on her way to Mary's house. Mary was the easiest of the remaining Cafe Sisters to convince. Helen knew that it was going to take God Himself to convince Angela of anything, so she was going to talk to the others first.
Helen pulled into the driveway of Mary's house. Mary was the only one of them that owned a house. The rest of them lived in apartments. Mary had the most money of the Cafe Sisters, too. She had won a wrongful death lawsuit after her brother was killed in a police shoot-out.
Helen stopped her car, put it in park, and opened her car door. She walked up to Mary's front door after getting out of her car and closing the door. Helen made it to the door and rung the doorbell once. She waited a few seconds, no answer. Helen rang the doorbell again and waited, still no answer. Helen shook her head. Lately Mary had been taking forever to answer her door. You usually had to ring the doorbell three or four times. You might even have to knock on the door. Helen decided to skip a step. She knocked loudly on Mary's door for a minute or two.
Mary shook her head. Was someone knocking on her door? She focused her ears on the sound coming from the direction of the front door. Someone was knocking on her door. Mary didn't feel like getting up, but she knew that the knocking wasn't going to stop until she went to the door. Her car was outside in the driveway, so the unwanted visitor would assume that Mary was there.
Mary stood up from the couch. She had to grab the arm of the couch to steady herself. She was dizzy. She let out a grunt and then composed herself. She walked towards the front door. She paused a few moments at the mirror that was in the hallway next to the front door. The knocking was getting louder. Mary yelled, "I am coming! Quit beating on my door like you have no home training!" Mary put her hand on her face. She couldn't believe that she had just said that. She hoped that it was one of her friends at the door.
She finished checking herself out in the mirror. She straightened her hair as best as she could before walking to the door. She looked out the peephole. It was Helen. Mary was half tempted to not answer the door, but Helen had probably heard her yelling.
Mary opened the door. Helen looked different. She was joyful. That was the only word that Mary could think of to describe Helen. Mary stared at Helen. Helen smiled widely at Mary, "Girl, are you gonna let me in? I need to talk to you." Mary had never heard Helen sound so cheerful. Mary made a face at Helen, "Why are you so happy? Did you get some or something?" Helen laughed boisterously and then said, "No, I didn't get anything. I just feel good because I have been delivered." Helen looked like she was about to go into a praise right out there on Mary's porch. That was all Mary needed was for her neighbors to see Helen dancing around on her porch. Mary grabbed Helen's arm and pulled her into the house, "Get in here before you go to dancing on my front porch. I don't need my neighbors calling the ambulance because they think you are having convulsions." Helen walked into the house with Mary's assistance, laughing all the way.
Helen walked over to Mary's couch, sat down, and placed her Bible next to her on the couch, "You need to quit. Don't get mad at me because I wanna praise the Lord. If you don't want to help me, move out of my way." Mary laughed at Helen for imitating her pastor, Bishop Anthony Powers' favorite saying. Helen smiled at Mary, "You need to laugh. You look tired." Mary sat down next to Helen, "Yea, I am. What is up with you?" Helen smiled, "I was over at Tammy's house talking to her." Mary made a face. She didn't want to think about Tammy. Helen smiled, "I found out what was going on with her. I also found out that I, well we, have been sinning. Girl, I got myself right with God." Mary glared at Helen, "You have lost your natural mind. What in the word are you talking about?"
Helen grabbed the Bible that she had brought with her and smiled, "We have been gossiping. Gossiping is a sin. I just thought we were "SHARING" information, but we have been gossiping and talking about people. I thought that because the folk we talk about were famous, that they were fair game, but the Bible says, 'Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge' in James 4:11. The Bible also says, 'An ungodly man digs up evil, and it is on his lips like a burning fire' in Proverbs 16:27. I never knew that sharing information was so bad. The Bible says, 'Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification that it may give grace to those who hear it' in Ephesians 4:29. God hates gossipers. Do you realize how many people's lives have been destroyed by gossip? I know I have destroyed some lives. Tammy and I prayed. I have repented and I have gotten things right. I have to tell the rest of the group about this. I know we all felt the same way. That's why Tammy has been acting silly. She knew that she was sinning and she felt bad about doing it. I understand why she did what she did because sin makes you feel bad after awhile. It feels good for a little while, but it gets old and you get tired of it. We have got to make are my girls and I don't want you all to go to hell."
Mary looked at Helen as she chattered endlessly. Mary had never seen Helen talk that much about anything. She was almost preaching. When Mary heard Tammy's name, she thought that she was going to be upset, but Helen sounded so sincere, that it touched Mary's heart. The things that Helen was saying made sense. They did talk about people a lot. She thought like Helen. They were just sharing information and they weren't harming anyone, so why did it matter if they repeated something that they had heard?
Helen continued, "We are even sinning by listening to gossip. The Bible says, 'If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds' in II John 1:10-11. I did not realize that we were sinning like this. We are not even supposed to associate with anyone who is gossiping according to Ephesians 5:11. I learned so much from Tammy. She must have done a study on gossiping or something because she had so many scriptures about it. She can't hang out with us anymore or else she will be sinning."
Mary shook her head. Helen was flipping through the pages of her Bible so fast, that it looked like the words on the pages were going to fly off. Helen was energized for sure. Mary had never seen the garrulous this chatty before.
Helen stated emphatically, "We shouldn't be talking about people. The Bible says, 'Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers' in Ephesians 4:29. We are supposed to minister to people and pray for them, if we can't minister to them. I have a new prayer that I am going to pray each day, 'I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me' (Psalms 39:1). I wanna see Jesus in peace."
Mary interrupted Helen, "You need to slow down. Can't nobody understand all of what you said." Helen laughed. When Mary used improper English, she was agitated. Mary shook her head, "I don't see anything funny. You done came over here and told me that I was sinning and that I am on my way to hell. How am I supposed to react to that?" Helen looked away from Mary and then looked back at her, "You already know that we have an advocate with the Father and that if we repent, God is faithful and just to forgive us. You can get things right, all you have to do is repent."
Mary looked at Helen with amazement and then said, "When did you become the good Reverend, Pastor, Missionary Helen Ware?" Helen laughed loudly, "I don't even know. It's like there is a fire inside me about this. I gotta tell everybody. Maybe Tammy was the catalyst to get me to do this. Maybe this is my calling." Mary laughed, "You have a huge calling; to get the world to stop gossiping. It would be like you to try to do the impossible." Helen scowled. She hadn't thought about the task that she was taking own. She was just excited. She blew a deep breathe as she thought, "Maybe I shouldn't try to do what I am thinking about doing. I am not a preacher. What do I know about talking to people about sin?" As Helen thought that thought, Ephesians 5:11 came into her mind, "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. " Helen knew what she had to do. She could not let fear sway her.
Mary touched Helen's arm, "Are you listening to me?"
Helen blinked her eyes, "Sorry, I was thinking."
Mary stared into Helen's eyes, "I hope you were thinking about not going on this crusade of yours."
Helen beamed confidently, "I know what I gotta do. I can't be scared and I can't worry about whether or not people will listen. There are so many Christians sharing information and they are just plain ole sinning. Somebody has to tell a dying world that Jesus still saves and delivers. If they Lord needs somebody, then here I am Lord, send me."
Mary laughed, "You are too crunk for me."
Helen beamed again, "I want you to go with me to talk to Angela and Karen tomorrow. I don't want to go by myself and I can't ask Tammy to go because Angela would probably try to kill Tammy. Will you go with me?"
Mary made a serious face. She had no interest in trying to convince Angela that she was doing something wrong. Angela was crazy. On a road trip, Mary tried to tell Angela that she had made a wrong turn and Angela almost stopped the car and put Mary out. When Angela realized that she had made a wrong turn, she never even apologized. Mary wanted no part of Helen's death wish.
Helen smiled, "You don't want to do it, do you?"
Mary said, "No! Angela is crazy. I don't want to have to tangle with a tiger. I say we leave well enough alone."
Helen shook her head, "Have you heard anything I said tonight?"
Mary grimaced, "I heard what you said. But can't you find someone easier to talk to?"
Helen responded, "I am going to talk to Karen first. Is that good enough?"
Mary shook her head, "You are crazy. Tammy is too. She started this; I say we get her involved in this as well. She is the one who has all of the research. She should be here with you."
Helen stood up and went over to where Mary's phone was. Helen picked up the phone and dialed Tammy's number. After Tammy said hello, Helen said, "Hey girl. I need you to come over to Mary's house. We need to talk to her. Can you come?" Tammy responded with a yes. Helen and Tammy said goodbye and hung up the phone.
Helen went back over to the couch and sat down. "Tammy is on her way over here. God is going to work this out."
Mary was worried. She did not know what was going to happen once Tammy got over to her house.
Helen could tell by the look on Mary's face that something was going on with her. Helen prayed that God was touching Mary's heart and convincing her to change her mind about gossiping.Labels: Gossip |
| posted by Mrs. Boone @ 2:04 PM |
| All scripture used here are found in the
King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise specified. |
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