Free A Sad Soul Can Kill You by Catherine Flowers

family had long forgiven him, but every now and then he caught himself momentarily wishing he could undo the hurt and pain he’d caused them.
    After he’d been delivered and set free from his addiction, Tony discovered there were still consequences he would have to pay for the crimes of petty theft he’d committed and been convicted of.
    â€œAlong with restitution,” the judge had said, “I’m ordering you to forty hours of community service. You may not have the money to pay back everyone right now, but you certainly have plenty of time to volunteer.” He had slammed the gavel down on the pad, then stood up to leave. “Now get out of my courtroom and go make yourself useful,” he’d said as he stepped down from the bench. “Make something out of yourself other than a thief or a hoodlum.”
    The comment had stuck with Tony. It could have been his own father talking to him, and it had been like a slap in the face.
    The forty hours of community service had involved picking up debris and litter that had been scattered around the city. It was during this time that Tony’s upbringing returned to him. He knew God had spared him from a far worse fate, and Tony realized he had not been spared just to complete his forty hours of service, and then mosey on about his business.
    He had a story to tell and—if he stayed clean—a testimony. He realized his life could be an inspiration to other people going through the same thing he’d gone through, and after he had fulfilled all of the judge’s requirements, he had enrolled in college. He obtained a degree in human services and had been working as a certified substance abuse counselor ever since.
    He continued browsing through the list of jobs on the Web site.
    â€œFind anything good yet?” Shari asked.
    â€œNot yet.” He pressed his wavy, cropped hair down onto the nape of his neck. “Still looking.”
    â€œAre you feeling better?” she asked.
    â€œA little. I didn’t eat anything out of the ordinary. I don’t know why my stomach started hurting like that.”
    â€œI do,” she said.
    â€œCome on now,” he glanced at her, “don’t start that again.”
    Shari looked at her husband of twenty years. They were the same age, but the stress of losing half of his income was beginning to have an effect on him. Multiple strands of gray hair had begun to reveal themselves around the temple of his hairline and in his goatee. The darkness under his eyes was the same shade of brown as the freckles that decorated his fair skin, and it made him look older than his forty-five years.
    She looked at her husband lovingly. The intense look of concentration on his face made her decide to postpone telling him about the utility disconnection notice they had received in the mail.

Chapter Eleven
    Tia’s heart was beating fiercely as she turned the corner with a screech. She slowed the car down as she steered it into the church parking lot and remained seated in the car, giving herself time to settle down.
    A few minutes later, she entered the huge foyer of the First Temple Church and walked through the multicolored arched doorway that led to the sanctuary.
    Bibles, coats, and hats took up much of the space on the wooden pews, and Tia continued down the carpeted aisle until she found a seat just a few rows from the pulpit.
    â€œToday,” Pastor Worthy said as the melodic tenor of his voice resonated throughout the small church, “I want to preach about the temptations of the flesh. Turn your Bibles to 2 Timothy, chapter 2, verse 26,” he commanded.
    Of all things to preach about, why this topic at this time? Tia thought as she sat down on a wooden pew in the middle row. She listened to the rustling sound of Bible pages turning simultaneously as the pastor spoke.
    â€œI want to talk about captivity,” the pastor said. And then he read verse 26.
    â€œand that they