The Makeover (17 page)

“Uh…no,” he
murmured slowly, finding himself lost in Phoenix’s gaze.  “No, not in my
apartment.   In my office under my apartment.  I own a
brownstone and I converted the ground level apartment to an office.  I
hold prayer and Bible studies there for members of my church every Wednesday
evening.  But we can do one by ourselves a second time during the week as
well.  I can do some counseling with you when we meet alone.  I don’t
know why, but I feel led to do it this way.”

“Okay.  I
have classes during the week on Monday and Thursday evenings, and weekly
meetings with my faculty advisor, as well as research times Tuesdays from four
to six.  I am, however, free on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday
evenings.  I am also free all day Sundays…” Suddenly, Phoenix chuckled.

“What?” Paulo
asked, with a small smile toying at his lips.

Phoenix
shrugged.  “I guess I know why I felt pressed to quit my second, part time
job the day after I ended it with Cedric.  I thought it was because I was
too…depressed to keep it.  But now I realize I would not have had time to
do this with you if I still had it. I used to work Wednesdays, Saturdays, and
Sundays providing counseling at a homeless shelter.”

Paulo’s eyes
widened.  “You mean you had a
second
job, for real?  Like a
whole other job on top of everything else?”

Phoenix
shrugged again and looked away.  “I needed the money to support Cedric…”
she said quietly, unable to finish as a lump formed in her throat.

Paulo bristled
with a swift fury that nearly catapulted him off his perch on the bench. 
He wanted to grab Phoenix’s shoulders and shake her.  He wanted to shout
at her that Cedric never, ever loved her and that he wasn’t a real man. 
Real
men support their women!  They don’t sit back and do nothing while the
woman manages school, family obligations, and two jobs, without lifting a
finger.  Real men support their women in their goals. 

 
Paulo swallowed and breathed, struggling
to push the words that were on the tip of his tongue back down his
throat. 

Finally, after
the battle against his temper was won, Paulo said in a too-cheerful voice,
“Well, praise God for opening up your schedule!  So come by on Wednesdays
for our weekly Bible study and meet a few nice people while you are at
it.  We can meet Saturday nights for our individual prayer, Bible study,
and counseling session.
 
It’ll just be for
a couple of hours.”

“Sounds good,”
Phoenix said, thrilled for more evening time with Paulo, but suddenly saddened
that he was not asking her on a date.

Yeah, like
he would ever ask me out on a date. 
Phoenix sighed with longing.
 

“What about
Sunday mornings?”

“What about
them, Paulo?”  Phoenix turned to her new friend. 

“You said you
had a desire to return to church.  Are you?”

Phoenix thought
about St. Mary’s on West One Seventy-First Street that she had grown up
attending with her family.  As sad as she was to admit it, she really did
not want to go back there, not that there was anything wrong with the Catholic
church.  It’s just that the thought of sitting through another mass as the
priest droned on and on and asked everyone to sit, stand, kneel, repeat was
enough to cause her to want to give up on church altogether.  She knew
that her type of church, her former religion, appealed to millions around the
world, but she couldn’t go back there.  She didn’t want to go back on what
she had told Paulo earlier, but didn’t want to lie.   She was too
ashamed to return to the Holy Mountain Baptist Church, after she had abruptly
disappeared two years prior.

“How about you
join me at my church, then?” Paulo stated with a look she couldn’t decipher in
his eye.  Something told her, though, that Paulo understood the war raging
within her.  “We are a Christian church, a nondenominational church—”

“What does that
mean?  A few years ago, I started going to a Baptist Church, but was
raised Catholic myself.”

“So was I,
Phoenix, when I was growing up in Bahia, in Brazil, where I am from.”

Phoenix
smirked. 
That’s where that sexy accent is from.  Of course he’s
Brazilian on top of everything else!

“But my church
does not honor any one denomination.  We are followers of Jesus Christ, as
our Lord and Savior, and we follow God’s Word straight from the Bible.  We
follow it literally and our pastors preach that we ought to live a Bible-based
life through Jesus Christ, as led by the Spirit of God.  It is quite
different than what you may be used to.”

“I don’t even
remember reading the Bible in my mother’s church.”

“Yes, I
remember the booklets we read that have the snippets from the Bible—like stuff about
the Crucifixion, the Virgin Birth, et cetera.   But our church
teaches that the Bible is living, breathing, and transforming.  Why don’t
you visit with me and see if you like it?  If you don’t, perhaps we can
find a church that suits you better?”

“Are there…only
white people there?” Phoenix asked, unable to meet his eyes, knowing
fully
well that such a thing should not matter.

“
God’s
people
are there, Phoenix, including white people.   People of every race,
creed, background and economic level sit side by side through Jesus.  It’s
a big church, located in the heart of Times Square.  Why don’t you check
it out with me next Sunday?  You have eight days to prepare.”

“Um, we’ll see
about next Sunday,” Phoenix answered quickly.  “But what about this
workout?”

“We will start
Monday.  I will meet you at your home at five—”

“In the
morning?!”  Phoenix was already trying to figure out how to get out of
it.  “I have to work and—”

“At what?
Nine?”

Phoenix felt
heat creep up her neck.  “Well technically I do fieldwork so I set my own
appointments.”

“So you can
start work at any time during the day?”

“Except for
Monday mornings, we have a weekly team meeting with our team supervisor to go
over the cases we have to treat…that’s at noon every Monday.”

Paulo pursed
his lips and looked into Phoenix’s eyes with a raised eyebrow, before letting
his lips spread into a knowing smile.  “Uh huh.  We will meet at
five, no later,
this
Monday morning.  We will walk down to my
fitness center and work out for exactly forty-five minutes, five days a
week.  We will meet here Saturday mornings to run, okay?  When was
your last physical exam?”

“Two months
ago,” Phoenix answered firmly.

“Good. 
Call the office and ask them to fax me a copy as soon—”

“I have a copy
at home I can bring.”

“Excellent. 
I still will have my onsite Nurse Practitioner take a look at your blood
pressure and obtain final clearance from your medical doctor.   I
will design a diet based on your cultural background and lifestyle needs and a
fitness regimen for you based on your shape and your weight loss plans.” 
Paulo let his eyes travel up and down her seated frame.  “You tend to gain
weight in the upper and middle part of your torso, so we’ll work to even out
your shape with lots of cardio, then weight training to tone you.”

“Gee thanks,”
Phoenix muttered sheepishly.

“No need to be
ashamed of how God made you.  He is now going to improve the areas of your
body that you’re dissatisfied with during these workouts.  Although our
offices do close at the center at seven in the evening, the gym is open
twenty-four hours a day.  You need membership to have access.  We
have two floors.  One floor houses our larger co
ed
gym for those who do not mind working out with members of the opposite
gender.  On the second floor, we have two separate smaller gyms that are
for each separate gender.  We also have a schedule of fitness
classes—dance, aerobics,
Zumba
, et cetera. 
Normally, I would set you up with a counselor to work closely with you, but in
this case, that is going to be me.”

“I can’t let
you do all that for free, so how much?”

“It
is
free,
Phoenix.  Consider it an answered prayer.  Usually we charge on a
sliding fee scale based on the client’s income.  Opening this center was a
calling God placed on my life.  While I do have to support myself and my
mother, I have been blessed to live comfortably through sound wisdom from Him
and investments.  Believe me, we’re not looking to get rich.”

“Paulo thank
you and thank God.  I don’t know how to repay you.”

“You can start
by considering church next Sunday.”

“Paulo, I said
I will consider it.”

“Good. 
Before I forget, let me get the rest of your contact information stored into my
phone.”

Phoenix
provided Paulo with home, work, and cell  phone numbers.  She also
provided her exact apartment address, and her email address.  “Are we
done?”

“Not
quite.  How about we start our work?” Paulo grinned as his golden eyes
flashed.

“How?” Phoenix
said alarmed.  “You want to go to your center now?”

“Nope,” Paulo
stated, standing.  “How about we walk home together?”

“Paulo, that’s
thirty blocks in the sweltering, August sun,” Phoenix protested.

But when Paulo
reached out for Phoenix, and she placed her hand in his, she realized she would
have walked through the fires of Hell with him if he’d asked.

Little did
Phoenix know, that was exactly what she was doing.

Part II—The
Battle

Dear
friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters,
even though they are strangers to you. They have told the church about your
love. Please send them on their way in a manner that honors God.
 
It
was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the
pagans.
 
We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people
so that we may work together for the truth. (3 John 1:5-8).

The Father’s
eyes were roaming upon the earth.  His eyes fell upon his servant Paulo,
who had been petitioning His help for the past several weeks.  He looked
to His Right Hand and regarded the Son who was sending his Spirit upon the
earth to do the Father’s will.

“My Son,” God
began, with a voice powerful enough to shake the world’s mountains at their
foundations.  “My child, Paulo, has grown weary.  Have not his
intercessions been fruitful?”

Jesus looked
upon His servant.  “Satan tries to oppose Our plan at every turn, but My
Spirit continues to fight for her through My servant.   Paulo has
often decided to give up or give in, but My Spirit renews his strength daily.”

As soon as he
heard his name, in true fashion, Satan arrived.  One thing Satan loved was
to be discussed.  It made him feel as though he were accomplishing
something.  He boldly approached the Inner Courts.  “Have I been
summoned, Oh Great Lamb?” Satan cackled at his own taunt toward the Savior.

“No,” Jesus
responded, with pity in His eyes.  “But I am sure you will make great use
of your limited time, while you still can.”

“So true. 
Far be it from me to waste my valuable time.   It is quite limited,
as You so candidly remind me every few moments.  And speaking of wasting
time, why are You so insistent on wasting time on that girl?  What is her
name?”

“Am I to be
made a mockery of at my own throne?” The Father asked, in a voice like thunder
that rumbled across the heavens.  “You know her name because you have kept
your forces upon her.  What of Phoenix?”

“Well it was
He
who mentioned wasting valuable time.  And I choose to agree.  Why
waste time on the girl?  She has been offered help, as You commanded, and
has done nothing with it.  She has clearly rejected the young man’s
efforts and has rejected the Spirit’s efforts to draw her back.  Release
her soul to me.  She is of no use to you,” Satan retorted.

“She is still
one of My own sheep.  She is almost lost, true.  But a true Shepherd
never stops searching for His sheep.  And a sheep, as foolish and as far
away as it may be, will always remember the voice of its Shepherd,” Jesus
replied.

“But how long
will this Shepherd keep searching for a sheep that clearly doesn’t want to be
found?” Satan rallied.  “Give her to me.  She has clearly run from
You, Oh Great Shepherd, and no longer wants to remain in the flock.  Stop
searching for a sheep that is clearly lost.”

“Are you
accusing me of following in your footsteps, Father of Lies?  You, Satan,
know My Word better than most of My servants ever will.  Do you remember
what I have decreed to My followers in the Book of Luke, the fifteenth chapter,
verses four through seven?” Jesus stared at the enemy, with a flash of fire in
His eyes. 

Satan struggled
against the tremble within at the sight of the fire in the Savior’s eyes. 
It took everything in this Son of Pride to keep his eyes fixed upon the face of
the Lord of Lords. “Vaguely,” he mumbled.

“I will remind
you of what you know I have already stated.  It is written, ‘suppose one
of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the
ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?
And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then
he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, rejoice with me; I have
found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more
rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous
persons who do not need to repent.’” Jesus leaned forward.  “In spite of
your hatred for Me and all that belongs in My hand, have you ever known Me to
lie, Lucifer?”  When Satan did not respond, Jesus turned to the
Father.  “I will keep drawing her back, Father.  She is Mine and I
will not give up so easily.  Please give her more time.”