been contacted by a pastor I know in Austin. He has a mega-church over there, two thousand people on any given Sunday. His church is hosting a worship conference. It’s so popular they’ve added more sessions. I’ve talked enough about you, Candi, that he wants me to send you to do a couple workshops. I gave him a tentative yes . Check your calendars for the weekend of June fifth through the seventh and let me know. You two can attend the whole conference. And if I can find the money in the budget, I want you to take Max, too.”
Candi’s pen flipped right out of her hand. “You want us both to go?”
“Sure, why not?”
“To Austin ?” Shade asked, just as bewildered.
“Yes.”
“What about worship that Sunday?”
“Kevin and Kelly can handle it. Just let me know as soon as you have an outline of what your workshops will be about so I can send it to the coordinator.” He picked up his cell phone and flipped it open. “I’ve got to get home.” He headed for the door. “I know I’ve given you both a lot to think about. We’ll talk again soon. Thanks for coming, and Candi, would you please lock up the office when you leave?”
“Sure,” she whispered as he walked right out the door.
Shade sat motionless in his chair. “I feel like I’ve been beat with a stick.”
Candi stood and turned off the desk lamp. “Or tossed over Niagara Falls in a barrel.”
Shade held the door for her. “Yeah, that, too.”
They made their way to the reception area. Just as Shade reached the double-glass doors he stopped and turned around. “I don’t think I can do what he asked me to do.”
Candi paused and met his worried gaze. The stubborn strands of hair that wouldn’t stay in his ponytail hovered around his face.
“I know it sounded like a lot,” she assured him. “But you won’t be alone and we have plenty of time to work things out.”
“I haven’t done this my whole life like you and Max. I’m not a leader. I’m not an evangelist. I don’t even know what that means.”
“Aw, Shade, just because I’ve been at this a while doesn’t mean I know what’s going on either. I know less now than I ever have.”
Late afternoon sun crept through the tall stained-glass windows in the foyer and danced on the carpet in front of the new picture wall.
Shade left the door and went to lean against Ms. Mattie’s counter. “I doubt that.”
“He wants a children’s choir. I don’t know anything about children’s choirs. I teach at the college level. My students have beards and navel rings. I mean, I like kids, but I haven’t worked with them since my student teaching days. I don’t know where to start to develop a choir camp where they’ll have fun, learn music, and want to sing. If anything, they’ll cry and tell their parents they don’t want to come back the next day. I’ll be sitting by myself with a jug of apple juice and a bag of animal crackers.”
Shade laughed and poked the wayward strands behind his ears. “That would be toddlers.”
“What?”
“I think your choir is going to be older. More like juice boxes and peanut-butter and jelly.”
She waved her hands in distress. “See what I mean? I know nothing. And how do you know so much about it?”
“I read a lot.”
Candi dropped her purse in the chair by the door.
He rested his hands on his hips. The glare from his body art assaulted her one more time.
“Can’t you tell him you don’t want to do it?” His question was logical enough.
“No. If you’ll remember, he didn’t attach a think about it to my orders. This is my ministry, Shade, and a job I do here. Pastor Charles is my boss. When he asks me to do something, I have to try my best to do it because I have to assume he’s prayerfully following God’s divine instructions for this church. It’s my duty to support him and follow his lead.” She sighed and fidgeted with the bangles at her wrist. “Besides, when I ask too many questions or buck the system I
Candi’s pen flipped right out of her hand. “You want us both to go?”
“Sure, why not?”
“To Austin ?” Shade asked, just as bewildered.
“Yes.”
“What about worship that Sunday?”
“Kevin and Kelly can handle it. Just let me know as soon as you have an outline of what your workshops will be about so I can send it to the coordinator.” He picked up his cell phone and flipped it open. “I’ve got to get home.” He headed for the door. “I know I’ve given you both a lot to think about. We’ll talk again soon. Thanks for coming, and Candi, would you please lock up the office when you leave?”
“Sure,” she whispered as he walked right out the door.
Shade sat motionless in his chair. “I feel like I’ve been beat with a stick.”
Candi stood and turned off the desk lamp. “Or tossed over Niagara Falls in a barrel.”
Shade held the door for her. “Yeah, that, too.”
They made their way to the reception area. Just as Shade reached the double-glass doors he stopped and turned around. “I don’t think I can do what he asked me to do.”
Candi paused and met his worried gaze. The stubborn strands of hair that wouldn’t stay in his ponytail hovered around his face.
“I know it sounded like a lot,” she assured him. “But you won’t be alone and we have plenty of time to work things out.”
“I haven’t done this my whole life like you and Max. I’m not a leader. I’m not an evangelist. I don’t even know what that means.”
“Aw, Shade, just because I’ve been at this a while doesn’t mean I know what’s going on either. I know less now than I ever have.”
Late afternoon sun crept through the tall stained-glass windows in the foyer and danced on the carpet in front of the new picture wall.
Shade left the door and went to lean against Ms. Mattie’s counter. “I doubt that.”
“He wants a children’s choir. I don’t know anything about children’s choirs. I teach at the college level. My students have beards and navel rings. I mean, I like kids, but I haven’t worked with them since my student teaching days. I don’t know where to start to develop a choir camp where they’ll have fun, learn music, and want to sing. If anything, they’ll cry and tell their parents they don’t want to come back the next day. I’ll be sitting by myself with a jug of apple juice and a bag of animal crackers.”
Shade laughed and poked the wayward strands behind his ears. “That would be toddlers.”
“What?”
“I think your choir is going to be older. More like juice boxes and peanut-butter and jelly.”
She waved her hands in distress. “See what I mean? I know nothing. And how do you know so much about it?”
“I read a lot.”
Candi dropped her purse in the chair by the door.
He rested his hands on his hips. The glare from his body art assaulted her one more time.
“Can’t you tell him you don’t want to do it?” His question was logical enough.
“No. If you’ll remember, he didn’t attach a think about it to my orders. This is my ministry, Shade, and a job I do here. Pastor Charles is my boss. When he asks me to do something, I have to try my best to do it because I have to assume he’s prayerfully following God’s divine instructions for this church. It’s my duty to support him and follow his lead.” She sighed and fidgeted with the bangles at her wrist. “Besides, when I ask too many questions or buck the system I
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