Angel in Aisle 3 - A Mysterious Vagrant, a Convicted Bank Executive, and the Unlikely

Zusatztext “Pastor Kevin West is an artesian well of wisdom. His insight and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit coupled with his measured but powerful presence encourages bold and visionary leadership.” Informationen zum Autor Kevin West has recently served as executive pastor of Christ Temple Church in Huntington! West Virginia! and is now president of Kevin West Ministries! senior pastor of Expression Church of Huntington! and a business owner. He speaks internationally and can be heard on his daily radio program! Real Life with Kevin West ! and on his hour-long program! Morning Shift with Kevin West: Renewing Your Thoughts and Transforming Your Life . Visit him online at KevinWest.org. John Frederick Edwards’s writing awards include the Richard M. Devine Memorial Fellowship and two Maier Awards. He holds an MFA in Creative Writing (Bowling Green State University) and an MA in English (Marshall University). Edwards! a native West Virginian! and his wife spend their time between Kentucky and Texas with their pets. Angel In Aisle 3 CHAPTER One HE SAID HIS NAME WAS Don and that he needed some groceries. And he called me “son.” “Son,” he said, “can I get a little credit until the first of the month? Maybe twenty dollars for some lunchmeat and milk?” He was an elderly man—seventy or so. His stained khakis were too short and were secured by a frayed leather belt. He wore brown shoes held together with knotted laces. The left sleeve of his soiled shirt was torn, and a button was missing from the front. He had a long, matted beard and greasy gray hair. And he reeked with body odor. “Sure,” I said. “Twenty dollars is fine.” How could I know that this untidy man before me would change my life forever? When I described him to some friends in my Bible study group, they didn’t believe me. Rather than come out and blatantly accuse me of conjuring him up, they simply implied that I was exaggerating. Surely, in their minds, my mounting stress had created this mysterious stranger. “Maybe he’s an angel,” one friend said. Wherever Don came from, I knew he was real and not a figment of my imagination. And what he taught me in the coming weeks and months preserved my family and completely transformed my life. At first glance most people would likely have written him off as a homeless panhandler. They wouldn’t have looked past his ragged beard and unkempt gray hair as he limped slowly toward them on his bad leg. But from the first day I talked with him, I knew there was much more to this man than what met the eye. What I didn’t realize at the time was that God was drawing me into an extraordinary friendship. This unusual stranger came into my life during my darkest period. I was facing imprisonment, my marriage was at the breaking point, and my faith was in shambles. Late one night in January 1997, only two months before I met Don, I was working at my computer in our home in Ashland, Kentucky, when I was surprised by my wife, Leesa, standing in the doorway. With one arm around our older daughter, Lauren, and holding Lindsey on her hip, she stood silently studying me. “What is it?” I asked. My words came out too sharply and startled her. “We just came down to give you a good-night kiss.” I waited for her to bring the girls closer but she didn’t move. My harsh tone had changed her mood. “Kev,” she said, “we don’t even know who you are anymore.” She then turned and left the room with our daughters. Her words cut right through me. I stood and started to follow her but stopped myself. What could I say? I knew she was right. She didn’t know who I was because I didn’t even know. I was in deep trouble, the kind of trouble she could never imagine. ...

Product details

• Authors: Frederick Edwards, Kevin West, Kevin/ Edwards West
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster USA
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 30.11.2015, delayed
• EAN: 9781476794006
• ISBN: 978-1-4767-9400-6
• No. of pages: 240
• Subject: Humanities, art, music > History > Contemporary history (1945 to 1989)