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Post by Kpatch on Nov 1, 2024 7:05:01 GMT -5
Chapter 510
Marlena tied the sash around her robe as she left her bedroom and entered the living room of the penthouse apartment in the wee hours of the night. Her shoulders slumped when she saw John on the sofa staring straight ahead at nothing, just as he’d been doing night after night for months.
She sat next to John. “What can I do to help?” she asked.
“Turn back time,” John mumbled. “Tell me to be more forceful with Brady to get him help.” He turned to look at her. “We should have helped. We should have stopped him, Doc.”
“I know. We should have done a better job.” She placed her hand on his. “But it’s done. It’s in the past.”
“Is it? Because from where I sit, I’m living with it every day. And Brady’s practically in prison.”
“He’s not in prison, John. You were able to cut a deal that sent him to rehab instead.”
“Yeah, and he voluntarily chose to stay even longer.”
“That’s a good thing,” Marlena opined.
“For who?” John wanted to know. “He doesn’t have a life. He isn’t with his son.”
“I know you’re worried about Brady, but the one I’m worried about is you,” Marlena said.
“I’m fine.”
“Really? When was the last time you had a full night’s sleep?”
“No idea.”
“Maybe I can help,” Marlena suggested.
“How?”
“Perhaps using hypnosis.”
John leaned away. “Hypnosis? What da hell can hypnosis do for me? Will it help?”
“No idea,” Marlena answered.
“Then why did you suggest it?”
With a shrug, she said, “It’s the one thing I do well.”
“Yeah well, what else you got?”
Marlena thought for a moment. “There may one other thing.”
“What’s that?”
“Group therapy.”
John scrunched up his face. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Not just any group,” she clarified. “I’m talking about all the people who were impacted by the accident.”
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Post by doolfan4life on Nov 1, 2024 7:48:36 GMT -5
I doubt everyone will agree
Most of these people had issues being in a room together before the accident
Mostly Melanie with everyone but still
Group therapy as a family could work though
I love the “it’s the one thing I’m good at” line
And John should be thankful that Brady opted to stay it means he recognises he’s not well enough and is taking the time to recover
He’s no good to his son if he leaves when the court says and goes straight to a dealer to score
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Post by André DiMera on Nov 1, 2024 8:20:12 GMT -5
Group therapy is an interesting thought.
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Post by mae00 on Nov 1, 2024 10:13:45 GMT -5
Hmmm. I'm conflicted on how the group therapy may go.
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Post by Kpatch on Nov 2, 2024 8:32:27 GMT -5
Hey readers. Thank you for your comments all week. A change is in the wind. Here's some previews for the coming week.
-A sermon at Lakewood Church resonates with Chloe.
-Hope and Aiden go on a date and run into someone unexpected. Who is it?
-Hope suggests taking her relationship with Aiden to the next level.
-Jennifer puts her foot in her mouth on her first date with Rafe.
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Post by heroicmuse on Nov 2, 2024 8:58:57 GMT -5
Looking forward to Jwnnifer's date with Rafe. I winder how she puts her foot in her mouth
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Post by André DiMera on Nov 2, 2024 9:31:03 GMT -5
Wonder who Hope and Aiden run into!
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Post by doolfan4life on Nov 2, 2024 12:01:20 GMT -5
I’m guessing that hope runs into Jen on their date
I’m hoping the next level isn’t an off website chapter
I’d prefer her to dump him instead
Thanks for the previews
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Post by Kpatch on Nov 4, 2024 8:00:01 GMT -5
Chapter 511
In Lakewood Church, Chloe sat in the pit with the other members of the chorus, same as every Sunday. For some reason, both Joel and Victoria Osteen had approached her during the week to make sure she planned to be there for Sunday sermon. Seemed odd, because she hadn’t missed a Sunday service since she was hired six weeks earlier—that, and the fact she led the chorus. As she watched Joel walk up to the podium, she couldn’t help but wonder if there was a reason they were so anxious for her to be here today.
Pastor Joel Osteen began his sermon.
“I want to talk to you today about The God of Another Chance. We all have opportunities that we've missed, times that we failed, we had something important, we knew God's calling was on our life, he'd given us a dream, a great spouse to love, the door opened for college, but we let distractions, compromise and other people cause us to get off course. We look back now and think, "What could I have become if I've been more disciplined, if I'd controlled my temper, if I'd finished school, if I'd forgiven that person"?
It's easy to live in regrets and think our life is limited because of past choices. The good news is: God has taken into account every mistake you would ever make. He's already calculated the times you'd fail, the times you'd shrink back, the times you'd compromise. That should stop your destiny, it should keep us from our purpose, but we serve the God of another chance. He's full of mercy. When we don't deserve it, it was our own fault, he could have said, Too bad, you blew it, I'm done with you", but he steps in and says, "I've got you covered. I'm going to give you another chance. Another chance to have a great relationship, another chance to accomplish your dream, another chance to step into your purpose. It's not too late. You haven't made too many mistakes. God's calling is still on your life. He never changes his mind, he doesn't disqualify you, now don't disqualify yourself.
See, the enemy is called the accuser: he'll remind you of every mistake you'd ever made. He'll whisper, "You had God's blessing, but you squandered it. You had his favor, but you mishandled your marriage, didn't treat it with respect. You mishandled your dream, you got distracted and compromised. You mishandled your talent, your potential. You weren't focused, you didn't develop what you know is in you". That may all be true, but what he doesn't tell you is there's another chance coming. That God's mercy is bigger than your mistakes. That God doesn't give up on you because you mishandled what he gave you. He has another opportunity, so you can prove to him who you really are. You're not defined by your mistakes, you're prepared by your mistakes. Every failure can teach you something. Don't live in regrets, learn from your mistakes, get the lesson out of it, so you don't keep repeating it.
God is not holding your faults against you. Moses threw down the Ten Commandments in anger, he couldn't pick them up to just dust them off, they were shattered. It looked permanent, no way that could ever happen again. We all have times where it looks like this relationship is done, too much water under the bridge, "I blew that position. Joel, I shattered that dream, I wasn't disciplined growing up. I missed my opportunity". No, God is going to give you another chance. He's going to write the same words that were on those last tablets, what he originally purposed for your life. You may have mishandled it in some way, but the mercy of God has you covered. Go back up that mountain. God's about to rewrite what you threw away. He's about to restore something sacred, something priceless, something that you should have handled more carefully. What you shattered he's about to put back together.
God is the one who's going to heal the hurts. He's the one that has beauty for the ashes. What happened in your past has not stopped the great plan God has for you.
What do you do when you brought the trouble on yourself? You had the stone tablets, but you threw them down. You had the strength, the marriage, the position, the children... God gave you something sacred, but you let it slip away. God could have said “I'm done with you". No, God never writes you off.
It's not too late! You wouldn't be hearing this message if he wasn't about to do something amazing in your life. Now, you have to do your part and go back up the mountain! Quit living guilty, thinking you've blown it too many times. Nothing you've done has stopped your purpose: another chance is coming! I believe and declare: like Moses, God is going to rewrite what you shattered. Like Samson, his spirit is going to come on you one more time. New doors opening, relationships restored, dreams coming to pass, the fullness of your destiny in Jesus name. And if you receive it, can you say amen?
Chloe didn’t realize that tears were streaking down her cheeks as she quietly said “amen” in answer to Joel’s prayer. Now she knew why the Osteens wanted to make sure she’d be here today. The sermon was meant for her.
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Post by doolfan4life on Nov 4, 2024 8:41:34 GMT -5
I’m glad they weren’t subtle about it
I’m glad she got the msg
Very powerful words
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Post by gapeach on Nov 4, 2024 9:46:28 GMT -5
God works in mysterious ways in real life and in this story. We (I) can only hope that Chloe takes this message to heart and gets her fanny back to Salem & Philip & Parker before it is too late.
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Post by André DiMera on Nov 4, 2024 9:47:48 GMT -5
Nice sermon. Glad it seemed to resonate with Chloe.
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Post by krw627 on Nov 4, 2024 10:11:44 GMT -5
What a powerful sermon for Chloe, everyone in the church, and those of us reading.
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Post by mae00 on Nov 4, 2024 12:36:41 GMT -5
Every single bit of that! Such an awesome message for everyone.
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Post by Trey on Nov 4, 2024 13:46:13 GMT -5
Amen!!!
Such a strong message... and me being preachy a bit: I work with people who feel like Chloe. We all have to heal our own scars, and we are all battling our own demons. We are all broken, but there is beauty and healing in our brokenness. I hope Chloe feels this and does right for herself and for Parker.
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