Chapter 3: A Saint for Guidance
"Mister Gene!" Ted wanted to let Gene know he was approaching. No point in sneaking up on the old man.
"Hey t'ere Missa Ted. What 'ou doin down here? Shouldn't you be headin' into work?"
"Yeah, I just wanted to give you a heads up real quick."
"Is t'ere something wrong Missa Ted?" The look of immediate concern on Mister Gene's face showed Ted that this man was truly a great person. He cared so highly for his job and everyone there.
"I had a run-in with a homeless man in the garage just now. He looked harmless, and his sign said he was a vet, but I figured I'd let you know he snuck past the shack, just in case he might make some of the ladies uncomfortable panhandling inside."
"Oh, Missa Ted, I'm so sorry! I don' know how he got pass me. I been here for almost 12 hours, and I ain't seen anybody trying to sneak in last night."
"He might have come in before that, but I just wanted to give you a heads up." Ted really appreciated Mister Gene's thorough job performance, and trusted him. Most of all, Ted didn't want someone to complain to the company and Gene get blamed.
"I'll take care of it now! Thank you so much, Missa Ted. G-d bless You!!!"
Just as Ted was about to turn and walk away, he heard those last words, and the system's at the same time. " ** Blessing received. ** "
// Blessing rewards: Shop credits +200
// Skill pts +2
// One draw at random talent
" || System, what's the draw for a talent? || "
" ** Talents are one-time use abilities given by the system. You will be presented with opportunities for talents when doing the work of the Kingdom, when blessed by Saints, or through purchase at the shop ** "
" || What is this shop? I've seen the credits pop up now twice, but I don't understand || "
" ** The shop is a part of the system. You can access it during your time of prayer. ** "
" || Well, I guess I might actually have to set aside some time to pray then... || "
Ted couldn't remember the last time he had set aside time to pray that wasn't at church, or in the five seconds before scarfing down a meal. " || What kind of talents can I get? || " " ** Would you like to draw and see? ** "
Before Ted could realize, he had already agreed to let the system draw.
// Result of Talent Draw: One Word of Knowledge
" || Wow, that's cool. How do I use it? || "
" ** Talents are activated in the same way you access the rest of the system, through intention ** "
Within milliseconds of Mister Gene saying bless you, all of this had occurred inside Ted's mind. He chose to activate the new talent, and he heard Mister Gene speaking again.
"Son, you got a callin' on you. You gon' do great t'ings fo' da Kingdom! I see yo life changing right in front of yo eyes. You need to get you some prayer warriors to surround you, cause you gon' face down da forces of Hell here sho'tly."
As Ted heard this, he turned to Mister Gene. Thankfully, the rush of cars that was usually pouring into the garage to get ready for work was completely non-existent, and they could have a short conversation without interruptions. "Mister Gene, have you ever heard of a paladin?"
"Oh yeah, my momma done told me 'bout the Knights dat protect the Kingdom from the forces of the enemy. Satan ain't got nothing on the paladin of G-d. Jus' like King David, da paladin was a priest, a warrior, and a mighty force for advancing da Gospel!"
" || Is that all that I get for a talent? Doesn't seem like much of a word of knowledge... || "
" ** Don't underestimate the contribution that the saints will have towards your quest ** "
"Thanks Mister Gene. Keep praying for me!" As Ted said good bye and walked away, he couldn't help but think about the images coming to mind from what Gene had said. A knight? Weren't they violent? He didn't hold any animosity towards people of other faiths. He wasn't even particularly attached to his own faith. How could he be a crusader for G-d like the knights he grown up hearing about in Middle Age/Renaissance literature?
" ** The knights in your history are not true knights. A true paladin fights not the men of this world, but against the forces of evil ** "
" || But aren't the men of this world where all evil comes from? || "
" ** No, evil is spiritual. Attacking the men of this world only prevents one from being able to spread the Gospel to them. A paladin's quest is to spread the Gospel to men, while fighting off the spiritual forces that would keep them in bondage to sin and death. ** "
" || So, spiritual forces are real? I always was under the impression this whole spirituality and faith thing was a gimmick for those who were weak-minded or superstitious... || "
" ** Don't worry, you will see and experience spiritual forces soon enough, and you will understand the things that up until now you've ignored ** "
As Ted walked from the guard shack to the elevator, it was almost as if the system knew ahead of time what it was talking about... Ted saw a woman, Claire, that worked in internal finance for RoweTown. She was always smiling at work, but the smile seemed halfhearted. Now, when Ted looked at her, he saw a cloud of dark mist surrounding her from a foot above her head to about her mid-waist. " || What's that mist? || "
" ** That is a mist of spiritual oppression. Claire suffers from depression caused by spiritual oppression, and her smile is a way for her to hide that sadness. ** "
" || I thought depression was a medical condition caused by neurotransmitters? || "
" ** In many cases, it is. In a select few cases, depression is not a chemical imbalance, but a spiritual oppression brought about by trauma in early life or exposure to significant sin. ** "
" || You mean, Claire is a sinful woman? || "
" ** No, the sin that caused her oppression was someone else's. She was affected by its ripples, but she was not to blame ** "
Ted took out his phone and sent a text to Mister Gene. If he was right, Mister Gene was just the man to tell about Claire's need for prayer. ((Hey Mister Gene, could you pray for Claire from Internal. I think she's struggling and could use some of your good vibes!))
Gene's response was back within seconds, almost as Claire and Ted stepped on the elevator. ((Sure will, I'll even let my prayer group know))
As they selected their floors, Ted thought about those prayers. " || My faith may be small, but Gene and his prayer group have a whole lot more faith than me. I'm sure Claire will feel better soon ||"
" ** You underestimate your faith. Don't forget about your missions.. ** "
Ted listened to the system's admonition, and thought back to those two new missions.
// New Mission: Mark 4 Sower
// .....Rwd: Exp +25
// .... Skill pts +5
// .... Shop credits +150
// ...Rqrmnt: Sow the seeds of the Gospel into three people
// New Mission: Mark 4 Mustard Seed
// .....Rwd: Exp +30
// .... Skill pts +5
// .... Shop credits +250
// ...Rqrmnt: Demonstrate a small measure of faith which accomplishes a great work
" || So to complete the Mustard Seed, all I've got to do is have faith and see something good accomplished? || "
" ** To complete the mission, you must have faith that you can see G-d work through you to accomplish something great. Then, you must follow G-d's leading to see a great work done through your abilities. ** "
" || But I have no abilities really. I mean, my wookworking is pretty, but it's not miraculous. My tech skills are useful, but you don't see many miracles in a server room... || "
" ** Faith in G-d's character and trust in His provision ** "
" || Well, thats pretty useles advice... || "
"Hey Claire."
"Hey Ted."
"How are you?"
"I'm fine. Couldn't be better. How's your wife? Isn't her name Shirley?"
"It's Shirls, yeah. Close enough to Shirley, but her parents wanted her to have a 'unique' name. She's good, just working for the school and crafts, mostly."
"Don't I remember that she did sewing and painting as crafts?"
"Yes, her sewing is pretty good, but her paintings are so good that you'd swear they're a window into a world and not a painting on a canvas."
For someone who had a cloud of oppression, Claire seemed happy enough. She sure did remember Shirls a whole lot better than Ted expected. Ted wondered how he could help a girl be less depressed if she seemed so happy to begin with.
" || G-d, I pray that you would let her be less depressed, and that she wouldn't be affected by the sins of others from her past. I pray she'd see herself how others see her, as happy and beautiful. || "
As Ted prayed, he only had a small amount of belief that his thoughts were going any higher than the hairs on his head. If there was some big Guy in the sky, why would Ted's prayers over Claire mean anything more or less than anyone else's?
"What did you say?" asked Claire.
Ted panicked. Did he pray out loud? He had intended to pray silently... "Um, I didn't say anything?"
Claire looked straight at Ted. "I could've sworn you just said I was a happy and beautiful person..."
As Ted looked over at Claire, her entire countenance seemed to change. The mist was being blown away from her and disappearing as if a fan had been turned on in the elevator that only affected the mist. Her smile, for the first time that Ted could ever remember, wasn't just from the corners of her mouth. Her smile was written all across her face, from her mouth to the look in her eyes. She was genuinely happy, and all it took was a few words as a compliment from Ted. Words of life, spoken in earnest, without even a script or plan.
"I haven't thought of myself as happy or beautiful since..." and before Claire could finish, the elevator dinged and it was her floor. She finished off their conversation with a brief, "Thanks Ted. I'm so glad I ran into you today! You're an answer to prayers!"
// Mission Accomplished: Mark 4 Mustard Seed
// Mission Reward: Exp +30
// ... Skill pts +5
// ... Shop credits +250
// Exp: 55/100
// Skill Pts: 7
// Shop Credits: 550
" ** Would you like information about your skills? ** "
" || Yes? || "
" ** Skill upgrades, shop purchases, and leveling all occur during prayer time. Please set aside at least five minutes of prayer in a setting of your choice to allow for concentration in order to complete. ** "
Ted was lost in contemplation from then until he made it to his floor, to his office, and the entire time he set up his workspace, he was focused on his own thoughts.
((I'm praying for you to have the words to say to her, as well as for G-d to work a miracle for her)) Just as he sat down to his workspace, Mister Gene texted him.
" || Well, that right there is some effective prayer! || "
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