This is the last of a trio of short stories I wrote about Giant Church Inc. Though these stories are fictional, there are thousands of true stories like them.
If you’ve experienced anything like what I’ve written about in my Giant Church Inc series, I’d love to hear from you. If you haven’t, praise God. I’d still love to hear from you.
Life In the Tower
Ron and Sharon pulled into the parking lot and were greeted by a lady with a huge smile on her face. Ron turned the car to the right to avoid the orange cones straight ahead. A jolly fellow with giant cartoonish gloves on his hands motioned for Ron to drive forward then pointed him to a parking space.
Ron and Sharon walked through the parking lot to the front doors of the tower and noticed some familiar faces. That made Ron feel a little more comfortable. He knew the chance of talking with Bill or Jill was slim, but at least a couple of other mutual friends from their co-ed softball team were there. Sharon wasn’t concerned about anything except making it inside and close to a bathroom. Her morning sickness almost made her stay home but she pushed through. Bill and Jill had asked them over and over again to come see the tower they built for the city and they’d committed. Sharon was a woman of her word.
Coffee, Consumers, & Beautiful People
Once inside, more greeters smiled at them and shook their hands. Ron made his way to the café for some coffee. Sharon went to the ladies room and was impressed by the décor. The plush tufted bench, the wall art, and the mirrors reminded her of a bathroom at a high-end restaurant she’d been to once.
After she finished in the ladies’ room, Sharon found Ron in the lobby staring at the huge screen in the middle of the grand foyer. There were smaller screens lining the walls on either side. One of them announced a sale on tower merchandise sold at The Exchange. They walked over to The Exchange and looked through tower branded t-shirts, key chains, coffee mugs, and an assortment of books by a few authors. Bill’s book was showcased with other merch featuring the book title Your Time ~Your Dream.
They eventually walked into the main auditorium of the tower. Both of them felt at ease as they searched for their seats. They sat there and waited for things to get started. Ron and Sharon thought separately, “Look at all the beautiful people with smiles on their faces in this place.”
Time, Treasure, & Talent
One year later, Ron and Sharon signed an owners agreement. They committed to invest their time, treasure, and talent to the tower. Their baby girl was 6 months old and they could think of no better place to have her grow up so that all her dreams would come true. Ron took more of a leadership role in his home after attending some of the Champion events at the tower. Sharon learned how to support her husband and let him know how much she respects him. She worked out with her ladies’ group on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and talked about nutrition and fitness. The ladies posed for a group photo and the leader posted it to her Instagram with the hashtag #weloveourtowerforthecity. It was so cool to have their photo on the big screens at the tower in the city.
Another year later, Sharon miscarried for the second time. No one seemed to understand. She didn’t talk to the ladies’ about it and Ron was always at the Champion events. Sharon and her little toddler went home every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. She put her little one down for a nap and cried the rest of the afternoon, but made sure she and the house were presentable before Ron got home from work.
