Category: Prose

Short prose

Box—Six Sentence Story

Many stories, few of them good, could have been told about her by those depositing their tithes in the treasury box. Most everyone advised her to keep her tiny coins since neither the temple nor the Lord needed them as much as she did. Figuring she couldn’t survive on them but sensing no one really wanted what little she had to offer she didn’t know what to do.

Regardless of her failings which were perhaps right up there with our own those two coins were all she had. They weren’t much, but they weren’t counterfeit either.

And so she gave away every single one.

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Denise offers the prompt word “box” for this week’s Six Sentence Story.

Luke 21:1-4
And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury.
2 And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.
3 And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:
4 For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.

Western Wall, Jerusalem

It’s Supernatural

Yesterday afternoon (Thursday, June 1, 2023) I was one of the members of the audience at the It’s Supernatural program featuring Larry Sparks, Lydia Marrow and Tommy and Miriam Evans. I live only fifteen minutes away from the studio, so it is easy for me to attend. Since moving to the Charlotte area this was the third time I attended.

Normally there are three shows filmed one after the other. The audience claps and gets to see and hear the speakers live. Afterwards the audience is ministered to in a live show that is posted on the It’s Supernatural channel. I expected a sermon of sorts but yesterday there were prayers for healing and blessing. Almost twenty-four hours later I still feel the effects of it in my breathing.

Admittedly for some this may not be the sort of service you find acceptable. I offer it because it is recent (happened yesterday), unusual and I was in the audience.

Although I was not one of those who fell to the floor under the Spirit many did including people I know personally. As I left I had to step around the cameraman who was also on the floor. Fortunately, the studio was able to quickly switch to another camera.

May it be a blessing to you if you have time to watch it or at least provide you with a better understanding of what such ministries are like.

Yellowbelly—Six Sentence Story

Early in the morning worried about how he was going to use the assigned word “yellowbelly” in a story Jeremy walked to the ocean as the beach was being raked into a linear pattern perfect in its symmetry until he stepped on it. He saw a bird and considered but then rejected the idea that he might be able to get away with writing a story about a yellowbelly seagull.

Forgetting about the word he wondered where the birds that were coming to shore spent the night, but all they wondered about was whether he brought snacks. Others bored with the sun tossed pieces of bread to the birds who grabbed whatever they could as Jeremy clicked his camera.

Eventually everyone, including the yellowbelly seagulls, realized that the day had indeed begun as expected without their needing to be there at all. It just happened leaving it to those like Jeremy who’d rationalize the joy out of stuff to only step back onto the freshly raked sand and see to his surprise sunrise, birds, beach and even himself as one awesome gift among many others from the Lord for which his thanks was long overdue.

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Denise offers the prompt word “yellowbelly” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories.

Job 37:14
Hearken unto this, O Job: stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God.

Carousel—Six Sentence Story

Sam walked into the ice cream parlor where Betty, the owner with bright blue streaked hair, a splattering of tattoos and a decades-long carousel ride worth of baggage that her clothes thankfully covered, asked him, “What flavor would you like today, Sam?”

In turn he asked, “What flavor is the least popular?”

“You know as well as I do that nobody in his right mind would choose cherry vanilla,” she responded pointing to the nearly empty tub of his favorite ice cream.

“Then to help you reduce your inventory I’ll have two scoops of it,” he said.

While scooping out his order Betty felt that Sam—for his own good—should never ask her to marry him, but believing there were still miracles waiting even for the likes of her, and given the fact that she was rapidly running out of cherry vanilla, held onto the hope that he might do just that.

Eventually she and Sam rejecting the decades-long garbage clinging to both of them were married by a real chaplain to show that their commitment to each other was, like that chaplain, real all of which put the Wonderful in such a good mood that He gave, and they like giddy children received, the Wind and the Fire, the living breath of God.

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Denise offers the prompt word “carousel” for this week’s Six Sentence Story. The notion of God being in a “good mood” I owe to Michael Wilson.

Isaiah 9:6
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful….

Mark 10:14
…Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.

Flush—Six Sentence Story

There’s nothing out there that resembles what you’re looking for, Timothy’s inner voice said as he concluded his failed search for intelligent extraterrestrial life-forms wondering—Well, what about non-intelligent life?

There‘s none of that stuff either, the voice answered. Be grateful that there’s life as you used to know it still on Earth.

Well, what about those aliens in their fancy UFOs that beamed me up and experimented on me? he asked.

Yeah, they’re real, but I told you to stop messing with the demonic.

This conversation with his only remaining friend was all Timothy needed to flush away what was left of his feigned composure as he exploded like a supernova into a sequence of big bangs against the padded concrete walls while psych ward orderlies came in to strap him down for further experimentation.

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Denise offers the prompt word “flush” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories.

The Mediterranean Sea and Jaffa Beach in Tel Aviv, Israel

Truck—Six Sentence Story

In the days when Jake felt his mind was running a few bricks short of a full load he was told he would never find his friend lost in the crowd of humanity without the heart to at least look. What made matters worse was Jake no longer remembered what his friend looked like nor what his name was nor why he bothered trying to find him.

Regardless that still small voice kept reminding him that if—yes, if—he were willing to listen and respond promptly as he was directed he would one day find his friend and be able to laugh again. Over the years Jake kept searching even among those unlikeable sorts he ran into wondering why his friend would consider hiding among them.

Eventually the still small voice ever ready with something new to say no longer focused on Jake’s lost friend. By then Jake had more friends than he previously thought were there to find joyfully aware that not a single brick was missing from the load on his truck.

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Denise offers the prompt word “truck” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories.

1 Kings 19:11-12
11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:
12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

Forge—Six Sentence Story

It’s not your job to keep God humble.

After reading her fortune at the Chinese restaurant in the food court of Pharaoh’s palace Sarai wondered why her husband didn’t get that message rather than the one stating that Servant girls won’t get you where you want to go.

Abram thought he was doing what God had directed him to do if he took into account the hidden clues that weren’t actually in what God said and employed a 19th century deistic hermeneutics which didn’t actually believe Abram even existed. The devil could have told him that it wasn’t his job to make good on God’s promises, but why would the devil want to set Abram straight?

If one desires to do something wonderful it’s best to let God do the wonderful part. Although Abram loved to forge ahead on his own all he had to do was tell those 19th century know-it-alls where to go and do what he was told to do.

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Denise offers the prompt word “forge” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories.

I have been listening to E. Dane Rogers’ sermons on Genesis. See Proceeding to Egypt | Genesis 12:10-20 for an account of what got Abram and Sarai into Egypt only to be driven out by Pharaoh himself.

Consequences—Six Sentence Story

If you think you did it you haven’t figured out yet what actually happened.

After reading this message which Arthur found in his cookie he was convinced that the insanity of humanity had finally arrived. The chef hand made these cookies daily chuckling as he wrapped cryptic kindnesses to pass on to his customers.

Although Arthur was offended by the thought of receiving revelation from sources outside his own mental swamp, he had to admit that the soups, breads and coffees were exquisite. Other patrons with their heads screwed on better found the odd messages innocuously entertaining if not delightfully subversive.

Regardless of Arthur’s philosophical commitments the café was so busy that if he actually did boycott it in protest, which he often insisted he just might do one day, the only consequences would be a shorter line for those who couldn’t wait to get in.

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Denise offers the word “consequences” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories.

Seaweed floating to shore
Seaweed floating to shore

Second—Six Sentence Story and Poetry Slam

As Steven entered the computer lab where he cursed a mindless machine a few weeks ago the next second the clicking of keyboards stopped while the students waited to see what would happen. He thought we all knew where he had been and what he had done, but—except for me who heard from a friend of a friend—they likely knew nothing nor wanted to know what he had been up to.

After being dumped under the interstate with the homeless Steven was able to confirm his identity, change his locks and get a new phone. This left him at a point—actually any point on that turning carousel would do—when he had an opportunity to change his mind and follow through by jumping off the merry-go-round.

I don’t know what happened to Steven beyond that point being more interested in my future wife sitting next to me rather than either the assignment on the monitor or Steven’s future antics. I sometimes wondered about him, though, wishing him the best, but only sometimes since both of us, grandma and grandpa now, have had plenty of merry-go-rounds of our own we didn’t want to jump off of even when we knew that was the only way.

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Denise offers the word “second” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories.

This is the final story in a four part series about Steven circling back to the computer lab. After the lab it followed Steven to the caverns of a little Babylon. Last week Steven found himself dumped in a homeless camp under an interstate. Today, we are back in that computer lab long, long ago when your grandfathers were dating your grandmothers and your father and mother were still a twinkle in their eyes.

There is also a poetry slam going on this week at the café. I asked Steven if he would like to participate. Unfortunately, he agreed. Here’s his poem.

     Hello.  My name is Steven.  
 I like running my mouth as much as 
            the next guy 
         especially that guy, 
               Frank, 
    who thinks he knows 
       what happened to me 
          in those caverns 
  the second some nosy, UNRELIABLE 
    source who   NEVER!!!!   liked me 
     in the    FIRST    place offers 
   a tall tale explaining 
          why I wasn't in class.  

        What Frank doesn't KNOW
  is I was out saving a damsel 
            IN DISTRESS!!!! 
      ——— yeah, that's right ———
  from the very DRAGONS of Blislisnis 
        HE PUT THERE HIMSELF!!!!  
              
He forgot to mention that.
  
Of course, he'd forget to mention that.

I plead the Fifth Amendment on any probing question about those dragons.

Valet—Six Sentence Story

Steven woke from his misadventures in the caverns of Blislisnis lying on the ground by the tents of the homeless where the Caverns Valet Service sometimes parked people who were still alive. After regaining consciousness he asked a man sitting nearby how he got there.

“You must have called upon the name of the Lord,” the man answered, “but they told me to tell you they got tired of feeding you like a dog.”

Steven noticed that his wallet and keys were missing and his phone was smashed.

“Don’t go back to those caverns, son,” the man said.

Steven left the man walking in a direction that seemed as good as any to reach home if he would only persist this time in going there.

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Denise offers the word “valet” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories. Steven’s story continues from last week. It will be completed next week.

Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

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