Ecclesiastes 5:1 ESV
Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil.
God’s House
Daniel wiped his hands down his thighs before getting out of the car. With a wide smile, full of teeth, the pastor had invited Daniel to his house for a Bible study. The sight of this house made him nervous. It was massive. Where The Brewer Mansion was historic old money; this was in your face new money. This had to be the house from the report.
Daniel’s finger shook as he pushed the doorbell. A girl, who in his mind, didn’t look over 18 opened the door. She was chewing gum as hard and fast as she could.
“Come in,” she giggled. Bouncing off into the group of people.
This group was church youth. That’s why the girl looked so young. They had an hour long Bible study about the sin of sex out of wedlock. Ate dinner and prayed before the pastor excused them.
As they cleaned up from this Bible study, more people arrived. The other half of the deacons. And random people Daniel had no idea who they were. No one ever introduced themselves. The last person to arrive was the cop. In street clothes. He brought drugs! Daniel tried his best to get away. Each time he ran for the door, a woman 50 times more powerful than he, pulled him back.
After his 5th attempt, she all but picked him up and carried him to a pool house.
“Look,” he stammered. “I’m not sure what’s going on here. But,” She proceeded to undress. “You are beautiful.” His intent was to reassure her, she was indeed beautiful. He tried to hide behind a nightstand, wanting no part of this. “This isn’t me.” When she dropped her pants and had male parts. It didn’t matter how strong she was, Daniel bolted for the door.
He drove to the quietest place he knew. Parked his car and sat on a walking bridge and cried.
Moon light shimmering off the water turned to sunlight.
He jumped as someone sat down beside him, “well if it isn’t the Christian bigot.” She snapped.
“I’m sorry.” Daniel proclaimed. “Everything about last night caught me off guard. Bible study, I was expecting. The drugs. You, came out of left field.”
She gasped, “are you a virgin?”
“Yes, I am. And plan on staying that way.”
“You really are delusional aren’t you honey?”
“Maybe.” He sighed, extending his hand for a shake. “I’m Daniel.”
She laughed, “I think I owe you an apology. Joel promised me a new life. A new life in his church. Where I could establish myself as the woman I want people to see me as. And what better than to be a preachers wife.” She winked at him. “You were planned. Sadly, not properly groomed.” She let out a long sigh before taking his outstretched hand, “you may call me Sue.”
Daniel was dumbfounded. He just stared at her in disbelief. “Are you kidding me?” He blurted out. Ignoring her name.
“No.”
“You are beautiful. But God hasn’t laid it on my heart that marriage is for me right now.”
“It has nothing to do with me changing?”
“That’s between you and God.”
“That’s a cop out if I ever heard one.”
“I don’t know what to think.” Daniel said honestly. “I’m still reeling from the fact that I was being prostituted out and that you went along with it.”
She laughed. “Honey, a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do.” As they both stood, he noticed the brand new sports car beside his. She smiled, “I’m richer than 10 foot up a bulls ass. And plan on staying that way.”
Then it hit Daniel. It was all about the money.
Poetry & More 
This is an incredibly sharp and impactful story. You’ve taken a biblical warning and turned it into a gripping, modern thriller that exposes the ugliest kind of hypocrisy. The tension is palpable from the moment Daniel steps onto the property.
Daniel is a wonderfully sympathetic protagonist. His shaking hands, his repeated attempts to flee, and his final breakdown on the bridge make his plight feel terrifyingly real. His integrity, summed up in the simple line, “This isn’t me,” shines all the brighter against the grotesque backdrop of the pastor’s scheme.
The conversation with Sue on the bridge is a masterpiece of dialogue. It perfectly unravels the layers of manipulation. Sue’s tragic complexity—both a victim and an accomplice—adds so much depth. Her line, “You were planned. Sadly, not properly groomed,” is chilling. And the final realization—that it was “all about the money”—lands with the force of a sledgehammer, perfectly closing the loop on the story’s central theme.
Excellent, haunting work.
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Thank you so much. 💕 Sin (in all its ugly forms) has ways of crushing a gentle spirit like Daniel. He’s had quite the battle with this job. I’m so glad you are enjoying the story. There are 2 more parts to the story.
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I feel as if I am looking into Dante’s Inferno.
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I need to read that. Thanks for the reminder. Putting it on my book list right now. 💪🏻
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Really Loved this Post !! ✨
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Thank you 💕
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Wow, this is intense. It really shows how important it is to stay rooted in God and His Word, even when the world tries to pull you into chaos. God’s protection and guidance are everything, and Daniel’s faith reminds us to trust Him first, not the things or people around us.
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Thank you 💕 Yes, we do need to stay rooted in God.
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I have to say, I agree with Violet’s comment about this feeling a lot like Dante’s Inferno. I haven’t read the full poem myself, but I’ve read about it—and I’ve read Dan Brown’s Inferno, which centers on Dante’s work.
This story, though… it’s so full of the horror that certain churches bring or portray. From the scandals in mega-churches we hear about in documentaries or the news (even though I don’t usually follow those), it makes my heart ache. I just want to reach into this world and encourage Daniel. Honestly, I’d love to send investigators to this church too! Lord, have mercy—this fictional church is just terrible.
Your storytelling is always so vibrant, J. Please keep it up! (Even if I do want to strangle some of your characters sometimes—haha!)
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So glad you are enjoying the story. I just listened to Dante’s Inferno. That was something else. Need to had Brown’s to my list. Don’t know it either.
Someday, the piper does get paid. We like to read that, or see it happen in our lifetime. However, we may never see what happens to the bad people.
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