Wall of Protection

 

            Andrew, the captain of the high school rugby team met with Richard, another member of the high school rugby team and began discussing the need to protect the girls in their school from the numberless abductions that were taking place over the last many decades. “Hey Richard, I was thinking that if everyone on the rugby team met on the front pavement and escorted the girls to their homes, we would be providing safe travel and you can guarantee that their parent’s would be chuffed to bits for our effort,” Andrew said.

               “Yes, that is a great idea,” Richard said, “we should contact everyone on the rowing team to become involved as well. The more young men who are willing to help and protect, the more protection we can offer.”

               “Oh, great idea,” Andrew said, “we need to have those conversations sometime this morning and we need to inform the coaches of the rugby team and the rowing team about what we are planning to do, because if we spend time providing protection and escort service, that time will most likely cut into our practice time immediately after school.”

               “You are absolutely right in that,” Richard said, “we should send a mass text to everyone on the athlete group chat and meet at lunch today to explain what we hope to accomplish.” The two boys stood up from their seated position on the hallway floor, shook hands and walked to their lockers to retrieve their books for their first class. Andrew took his seat in class, and sent off the text to everyone on the athlete group chat, requesting that they all meet today in the gymnasium during lunch to discuss a very important responsibility that he and Richard decided needed to be addressed.

               The first three classes of the day came to an end, the lunch bell rang, and approximately sixty large, powerful young men gathered in the gymnasium immediately after eating lunch. Andrew and Richard stood up in front of the group of young men, shared their idea and the need to protect the weak and innocent from the abductions that had been taking place for so many decades all across London and the area surrounding London.

               Andrew called for a show of hands of who was willing to be involved in providing protection immediately after school, when he made the request all sixty young men raised their hands. The gymnasium became silent and one young man named Basil stood up, called for everyone’s attention, and said that a plan needed to be created with teams of six young men for each escort group and delivery across the city. “Oh, also, we need to communicate this message to all of the girls in the school, so they know that we will be protecting them as they walk home,” Basil said.

               Basil then sat down and another young man by the name of Charles stood up, called for everyone’s attention, cleared his throat and began to speak. “I just had a great idea,” he said, “some of us should contact the professional rugby teams and the professional rowing teams to inform them what we are doing. You can be certain that they will be very proud of our efforts and some of them could possibly arrive at our school and assist in our protective efforts.”

               “Yes, those are excellent thoughts Basil and Charles, everyone needs to speak to as many people as they can throughout the rest of the day, so the girls can be aware of what we will be planning to do,” Richard said.

               “If I remember correctly,” Andrew said, “there are thirty-eight professional rugby teams, can I have four volunteers to contact all of these teams so they can respond if they are interested. Also, I recently performed a count of rowing teams across the UK, there are one hundred and five rowing clubs that we need to contact. I think if we have ten volunteers to contact these rowing clubs, this will give them the opportunity to assist us if any of them are interested. Thank you to everyone for coming to this impromptu meeting, anyone who is interested in volunteering for these responsibilities remain behind and speak with either Richard or myself. I want to add one more comment, we have already communicated this plan to our coaches, so they know that we will be several minutes late for practice immediately after school.”

               When Andrew stopped speaking the majority of the young men rose from their seats, and disappeared into the hallways to attend their next classes. Richard and Andrew were immediately surrounded by two dozen young men offering to help with contacting the professional rugby teams and rowing clubs. The rugby teams were divided evenly among the four young men with the assignment to contact them this evening. The rowing clubs were divided evenly among the remaining young men with the same instructions.

               Throughout the day, Richard and Andrew were approached by several dozen young ladies offering them hugs and words of thanksgiving for being such wonderful young men and protecting them as they walked home. The final class of the day came to an end, and almost one hundred young ladies emerged through the main entrance to find a wall of powerful young men waiting for them. The young ladies effortlessly gathered together based on the location of their homes. The young men had already formed teams of six to accompany them as they traveled.

               One by one the girls split away from the protective group and were watched as they walked into their homes. When the last girl was delivered to her home, the six boys rushed back to the school to see if there were any other young ladies needing protection. After ninety minutes of walking and protection, the rowing team and the rugby team met at the front of the school to happily see that all of the young ladies had been safely delivered home.

               “Did anyone have any trouble with anyone attempting to abduct any of the young ladies,” Andrew asked. A few young men spoke up and commented that they noticed several vehicles following them but thankfully there was no trouble from anyone.

               “This is very good news to hear or not hear,” Richard said. “For those of you who volunteered to contact the professional rugby teams and the rowing clubs, be sure to send off those emails tonight, and hopefully we will receive responses this evening or tomorrow. I will create a group email so that any important information can be communicated right away.”

               The next morning there was a great deal of communication throughout the school, that twenty emails from the professional rugby teams had been received and promises were made that a few of the professional rugby players would be waiting for them immediately after school so that they could assist in the protective efforts. The captain of the rowing team shared that they had received only four responses from the rowing clubs and that a few of the rowers would be present at the end of the day to assist and encourage.

               Richard and Andrew communicated this news to the rugby and rowing coaches that there would be assistance from a few of the professional rugby players and a few members of the rowing clubs at the end of the day. The school day came to an end, the young men from the rugby team and the rowing team hurried out to the pavement to meet and interact with the professional athletes who were waiting for them to arrive.

               Within ten minutes, the one hundred young ladies emerged from the building and were safely escorted home. This became a routine every day, leaving the young men, the professional athletes, and many parents chuffed to bits with the loving effort put in by the young men from the school. After two weeks of their protective efforts, the local media waited on the pavement with the few professional athletes and began reporting about the protective efforts that were taking place each day after school.

               The last day of school arrived and the young ladies were safely returned home. The teams of young men gathered in front of the school, congratulated one another on another great day of protection and they all dispersed to practice for the day. When each boy arrived at home, he learned that a cheque had arrived in the mail as a reward for their self-sacrificial efforts of protecting the young ladies every day after school. They soon came to realize that the financial remuneration was a gift from the professional rugby teams and the numerous rowing teams across the UK.

An Obvious Opportunity

 

                As the Divine Liturgy came to an end, the head priest made an announcement that all of the men of the parish needed to meet immediately after the afternoon meal, as a wonderful opportunity had been revealed to them, which he wanted to share with everyone and anyone that was interested in providing assistance. The afternoon meal was finished, and fifteen men gathered outside near the play area.

               “Thank you for coming together, everyone,” the head priest said as everyone gave him their attention. “I was approached by someone in the parish who has exceptional computer skills and he suggested that we begin watching when men or women are released from prison, which would give us the opportunity to interact with them, invite them to visit our parish, and hopefully draw them into becoming members. We will keep you all informed as this new effort begins to take shape, hopefully we’ll begin to see new visitors from those that we approach. I want to make one more comment, we will not be approaching prisoners who have a history of sexual assault.”

               After the head priest stopped talking, he watched as all of the men dispersed into the building, around the campus, and he watched as a few of them gathered their families and begin their drive home. Over the next hour, the head priest, the second priest, and the two deacons remained in a now empty facility. Every Tuesday of each week came to pass, giving the priests, the deacons, and several other men and women the opportunity to meet the former prisoners as they were released from prison. As they had hoped several of the former prisoners arrived on the following Sunday, and thanked everyone for their hospitality and kindness.

               After three months of this activity, the parish saw a steady increase in new attendees with many excellent and thoughtful questions. After six more months of consistent attendance, twelve people made the decision to be baptized and become part of the parish. Everyone in the parish was thrilled and excited to see the radical change in the new members, with a great deal of friendly interaction, new relationships, and an overall improvement in their quality of life.

               This sudden change in the people who were now members of the parish brought about many opportunities for everyone to be kind, interactive, to offer thoughtful advice and guidance, and provide an example of how to live and how to love. It is a well known fact and genuine reality that everyone has sins with which they struggle, as the historic members of the parish began to interact with the new members, they communicated the truth that everyone sins, everyone has weaknesses, and there is never a good reason to judge anyone else, criticize anyone else, or act as if you are one who has no need for instruction or guidance from others.

               They communicated that one of the most important aspects of being part of the Church is found in the need for regular confession and repentance. The two priests were overjoyed to see the change that was taking place in the new members, as they turned their back on lives of crime, neglect, and selfishness. The number of people who consistently visited each week continued to grow, as some of those whom they had approached many months before were now occasionally attending, asking questions, and expressing interest in becoming members of the Church.

               As the sanctuary became more and more full each week, discussions began to take place about the need for a larger building, more food, and greater efforts at expansion. Someone strongly suggested that a new dining hall should be built which would allow the sanctuary to be enlarged into the current space that was used for dining after each Divine Liturgy. With this suggestion, the parish leaders gathered to discuss the amount of money that would be needed to take on a new construction project, and how long it would take to raise enough money, begin the project, and eventually expand into a new dining hall, allowing for an enlargement of the current sanctuary.

               Three years slowly crept by as everyone watched the bank account continue to grow, all leading up to a time when new construction could begin. The Church leaders watched as the number of people continued to increase until the sanctuary was completely full, with everyone standing shoulder to should, front to back, and suffering through excessive heat and oppressive body odor. Many of the men and women of the parish continued to watch and interact with prisoners as they were released from prison, bringing about a steady increase in numbers.

               Every quarter of each year, the Church received a large anonymous donation, which was remarkably encouraging to everyone as they moved closer and closer to having enough money to begin construction. Overwhelming joy washed over everyone in the congregation as construction of the new dining hall finally began. Within two years of picking away at construction, the new dining hall was finally completed, creating the opportunity for the sanctuary to be expanded into the former dining hall.

               A quarterly report was written and submitted to the bishop so that he could be consistently informed and updated as the parish continued to grow and succeed in reaching those in the community around them. When the construction of the new dining hall came to a completion, the bishop arrived and took part in the blessing ceremony for the new building. The ceremony was a beautiful event with many other Orthodox believers arriving from different parts of North America, South America, and from different countries.

               The original members of the parish stood in awe of the massive number of visitors, dozens of priests, deacons, bishops, and metropolitans that joined them in their celebration of growth and social impact. Several articles appeared in nearby newspapers, on podcasts, and in several magazines throughout the global Orthodox world. After a time period of three months, the priests and the deacons received an invitation to travel to Moscow to meet with Patriarch Kirill, share the details of their wonderful and glorious progress over the past few years.

               Plans were made, details were put into place, and after a brief three-day trip to Moscow, the priests and the deacons returned home with many wonderful memories, beautiful photographs, and emotional and psychological bliss at such a rare opportunity to meet the Patriarch. The large quarterly anonymous donations continued, which moved the Church closer and closer to completing a few other projects for greater expansion, greater social impact, and increased communication with those in the community around them.

               Ten more years passed by, as the construction of a new sanctuary continued, creating more space and greater beauty, with larger numbers of Church members on a steady increase each year. Eventually construction was completed, which created a great deal of news and stories about the steady improvement of the Church and their unstoppable positive influence on the community around them.

               Over time, it became glaringly obvious that this congregation was growing, improving, and taking a radically different path than all other Russian Orthodox parishes across North America and South America. Their continued success allowed them to assist and contribute to the growth of the other congregations in the Americas. Following a surprise announcement from the Moscow Patriarchate office, this congregation was informed that Patriarch Kirill would be visiting them within the next year to congratulate them on their wonderful success and growth.

               Patriarch Kirill and Bishop Matthew arrived six months after the announcement of their visit, bringing with them a massive crowd of visitors from North America, South America, and from many other countries. Following their arrival, a meeting was held between all leaders of the Church, and the following Sunday, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated with a very full room of faithful Orthodox believers.

               The Divine Liturgy came to an end, which was followed by a well prepared and delicious afternoon meal. It was with great sadness that everyone at the parish watched as the Patriarch, and the bishop departed to return to their own parishes and communicate the wonderful success that this small congregation had managed to accomplish. Over the next two weeks, many photos were gathered and organized, to be consolidated into a printed full color photo book, available for anyone to purchase as a reminder of the wonderful event of which they were a part.

Returning Sacred Silent and Stronger

 

            Oliver rolled out of bed that morning, looked at himself in the mirror and was horrified at the extra hundred pounds that hung upon his body that was for the most part void of muscle mass. “Phew, I need to do something different,” he thought, “okay, Oliver, change your diet, exercise every day, and find others who will help you improve yourself.”

               With the approaching weekend, he traveled to the grocery store and made a commitment to himself that he would not buy cheap processed food stuffs, soda, or snacks. “Fruit, vegetables, healthy bread, and everything sugar free,” he thought. As he passed through the check out stand, he was pleased to see that his grocery bill was about half of what it typically was. “Wow, that was a wise move on my part,” he thought as he loaded his groceries into the bags that he brought from home, departed the store, loaded everything into his car and drove home.

               Six months passed by very quickly and he could see a change in himself after each week. “Alright, looking good, Oliver,” he said to himself, “keep this up and you will be stronger, healthier, and feeling better over all.” Having gotten into the routine of baking his own bread, cutting out dessert, and walking at least two miles every day an hour after dinner. “Alright, Oliver, this is your new mantra, come back to a new life where you are healthier, stronger, sacred, and silent.”

               Rising from bed on that particular Saturday, he was thoroughly pleased with his improved health, strength, and loss of weight. “Alright, Oliver, now that you are physically healthier and stronger, now you need to focus on your thoughts, your entertainment, and what things you spend your time thinking about.”  Having moved to a new community with a new set of friends and advisors, he struggled to change his heart, his mind, and his thoughts, in order to be a holy and sacred person. “Your thoughts need to match the things that you say you believe,” he said to himself.

               Oliver spent most of that day thinking about his previous life, who he allowed to influence his thinking, and those from whom he accepted advice and guidance. His mind moved into a place where he began comparing the actions and the words of others around him in his previous life. Now that he had godly, caring, and thoughtful friends, he began observing how they spoke, how they lived, and how they spent their time. “Don’t be a hypocrite, Oliver,” he thought, “you need to put in a great deal of effort to make your thoughts, your interests, and your words match what you say you believe and practice.”

               Two full years passed as he continued to put in great effort at making his actions, his words, and his interests match what he claimed to be and what others thought he was. Now he was a completely different man, with good, right, and holy thoughts and interests, he marveled at how good life had become after so much hard work.

               His greatest struggle was found in training himself not to be judgmental of others, not to condemn others for their bad choices, and to limit his use of time, his use of money, and his concern for others in a way that imitated the godly people over the last twenty centuries. Instead of distracting himself with the silliness, inanity, and emptiness of American culture, he pushed himself to spend his time reading Scripture, reading the lives of the Saints, and praying as often as possible throughout each day.

               Now that so much time had passed, he could see a radical change in his physical form, a change in how he thought about others, and how he used his time and money. Making a concerted effort to positively improve every area of his life, both physically, emotionally, psychologically, and financially, he could not have been any happier with the radical change that had made him into a new and better person.

               “It’s all about self-control, maintaining focus, and spending your money only on those things that are necessary,” he thought. With a focus on goodness, beauty, and truth, he was thrilled at the progress that was being made, now that he had good, godly, and helpful friends, he began creating a list of people, events, and situations from his former life, and then created a similar list of everything as it now stood. “Wow, what a remarkable difference,” he thought, “I am so glad that I put in the effort to make these changes.”

               As he slowly began a decline into old age, he could feel himself growing weaker and more focused on pursuing a life of holiness and truth. Certain that he had no more than forty more years of life ahead of him, he created a long list of things to accomplish, impact to be made on those he loved, places to visit, and time to spend with loved ones. Despite growing older and weaker, he maintained a regular cycle of exercise, healthy eating, and avoiding distraction from the emptiness of the culture around him.

               The corruption of the world around him left him troubled and tormented at the suffering and abuse that so many children experienced from those were supposed to be protecting them. He began to put in time and energy at helping those in need, the children who were being ignored and abused by their loved ones, wondering if there was more he could do to be a positive influence.

               “This is an insane culture in which we live,” he thought, “it seems like everyone is so focused on only pleasing themselves with no concern about the psychological and emotional wellbeing of others. Those who are weak, who are vulnerable, and need to be protected should be not used and abused by those who are stronger.” He continued to watch the news, and was happy to see that some action was being taken by those in authority to help those who were in dangerous situations. “This is all moving far too slow,” he thought, “more prayer, more activity, and more help to those who are being neglected, used, and abused needs to take place immediately.”

               As these thoughts continued to plague Oliver, he made the decision to only spend his money on those things that were actual necessities, and on anything that would increase the value of his home, and positively impact those around him. The consistent cycle of hot summers, cold winters, rainy springs, and rainy autumns made him realize that time is a cycle that will always follow the same pattern. “Okay, Oliver,” he thought, “using the annual cycle of the year as a pattern, create a pattern for yourself for each year on how you spend your time, spend your money, and with whom you interact. Think about the state of your body two and a half years ago, and how you changed your diet to make yourself stronger and healthier.”

               “Now apply that approach to what you bring into your heart and mind, so that your overall wellbeing becomes a stronger, more sacred, and more silent version of you that will be a better version of yourself,” he thought, “spend some time thinking about personal improvement, how to positively influence those around you, and the need and importance for purity of soul and mind.”

               “Here is a thought for you, Oliver,” he said to himself, “would you eat a pizza that was polluted with feces or dead bugs? This is how you need to think about what you take into yourself through your five senses. Filling yourself with empty distraction, foolishness, and cheap entertainment will not lead to a good outcome or a life of quality.”

               Now filled with joy and satisfaction at the positive path that his life had now taken, he committed himself to continuing that path and seeking instruction and direction from those holier than himself. Another decade passed and he marveled at how wonderful life had become now that he was on a good path toward that which was good, right, and true. The more time he spent around others, he continued to remain amazed at how many people spent so little time on things of value, but were content with distracting themselves with foolish activity and pointless entertainment.

               One week after his one hundredth birthday, Oliver began spending more time sleeping, more time with good and holy people, and in prayer. As he knew that his time on this earth was drawing to an end, he continued to be thankful for the decisions he made in the past to begin a new path toward goodness, beauty, and truth, rather than remaining content with entertainment of no value. “Now I am drawing close to eternity, to glory, and toward the presence of God,” he told himself, “I need to pursue holiness, pursue purity, and pursue that which will help me continue moving on this path toward these things.”

Loving Someone Not Like You

 

            Having escaped from a dire situation, over time he came to the realization that life was supposed to be peaceful, quiet, and socially interactive, as a few years passed, he looked over the last couple of decades and began to wonder how everything went so wrong for so long and what the solution to find a peaceful life would look like. It did not take long for him to figure out that the amount of deception that came from those who knew him, interacted with him, and pretended to be friendly was alarmingly large.

               As time continued to crawl past, he focused on being comprehensive in his thoughts, in his actions, and in his internal monolog, knowing that pursuing a life of holiness, honesty, and love for others would certainly lead to a better life for everyone involved. Thankful for the new group of friends, leaders, and neighbors revealed to him the ability to read what people were actually saying and doing communicated what was genuinely going on within them.

               Over time he looked back and learned to recognize the plastic smiles, the disingenuous words of kindness, and the conversations that went on behind his back, all of which communicated to him that what people said and did was often times the opposite of what they actually thought. He performed numberless conversations with himself over many years and began to pay careful attention to what his heart and mind dwelt on, eventually bringing to his mind the reality of the direction of his life.

               Frustrated and angry at the lies that had surrounded him for so long, forced him to change the contents of his heart, what entertained him, and what things he spent his time thinking about. When the final break took place, he spent more time watching how others interacted, how others behaved, and how the single women around him non-verbally communicated. There were many decisions to be made, gestures, actions, and subtle hints that needed to be understood as he continued to move forward in life.

               The idea of remarrying, finding someone else to love, and begin a new chapter made him realize the awkward state of ‘loving someone not like you’ was a reality he needed to come to terms with. The more time he spent with people, the more he realized that people would say one thing, act one way, and mean the exact opposite, which left him frustrated and disappointed with the normalcy of dishonesty.

               As time continued to creep past, he came to the decision that life needed to be simple, honest, and focused on being holy, focused on loving God, and focused on loving one’s neighbor. “You know,” he thought, “instead of focusing on making my life as comfortable as possible, I should direct my energy and attention on being one who contributes something of value to those around me.”

               All that he had learned over the past thirty-five years brought him to a place where he understood that being honest, being genuine, and being one who brings value was the best path to follow, rather than painting a picture of oneself that would make others feel a certain way when there was always changes to be made to one’s path in life. Now that life had re-started, he worked very hard at choosing those with whom he would spend his time, knowing that the input from others would have a direct impact on the quality of his life.

               Like the athlete who puts his time and energy into daily exercise and healthy food, he knew that the comments, thoughts, and input from others from certainly influence his heart, his thoughts, and the direction of his passions. The man who only eat fast food, processed food, and drinks cheap beer will see the influence of these things on his physical physique. Having someone else very close to him would bring about a change in the direction of his life, the direction of his thoughts and desires, and the content of his goals.

               As time continued to pass, he stepped back, reassessed his thoughts, his desires, and his passions, knowing that having a good handle on these things were an important part of following the right path toward that which was good, right, and true. “You know, having a few good friends who will help direct me toward holiness,” he thought, “will be far more valuable that taking on another spouse who will re-direct the quality of my life.”

               “Focus on wisdom, focus on love, and focus on being a good influence upon those around me,” he thought, “I need to work at keeping my thoughts, my heart, and my passions good and pure.” After several years had passed, he made the decision to write out a monthly plan, a yearly plan, a five-year plan, and a decades long plan so that he would be thoughtful and considerate of pursuing that which was good, right, and true. Now with a specific and thoughtful plan in mind and on paper, he committed himself to following this articulate plan.

               “Alrighty then,” he thought, “now I can say, ‘loving someone not like you’ is my new approach to life.” The long-term goals now written down, thoughtfully considered, and aggressively pursued, he made the decision to not worry about finding another spouse, and trusted that God would work out all things for his good and for the good of those connected to him. Disappointed with the last few decades, he finally came to the realization that deception from those around him seemed to be a normal part of life and interaction he received from others.

               As the age of retirement continued to draw closer, he focused his time, money, and energy toward taking care of his responsibilities until he was in a position that he could retire and enjoy the remaining decades of his life. He then created a comparison chart of his earlier life goals with the new goals he just now came to realize and understand were far more important that the childish goals he made in the past. “Visit places, meet people, do good for others, and be a light to those around you,” he said out loud. “There is no going back, there is no value in returning to what was lost, and there is nothing beneficial about trying to hang onto what was lost because of someone else’s dishonesty.”

               As the years continued to flow past, he watched as others made decisions, some good, and some bad. “When someone thinks only of themselves,” he thought, “they will eventually come to realize that each decision will impact the quality of their life, and the eventual end goal after making those decisions.” Feeling somewhat guilty for recognizing and acknowledging the path others chose to follow, knowing that the future they previously imagined would not turn out how they had hoped.

               Like watching a short video of someone making bad decisions, which would eventually lead to a slightly disastrous end and laughing to oneself as they fall victim to their own mistakes. When he came to this realization that watching others make bad decisions, he refocused his attention on his own life, his own decisions, and his plans for the next thirty years, hoping to be good, true, loving, and kind to those around him. “Don’t worry about other people,” he told himself. “Put your time, your money, and your energy toward making the world a better place, and positively impact those in your social circles.”

               Now painfully aware of his former mistakes, he vowed to not return to his previous errors, his previous mis-directed thoughts and passions, and promised himself that he would change everything he was taking into himself, both nutritionally, academically, and for entertainment. “Focus on what is good, true, right, and beautiful,” he said to himself, “what you put in what you will get out. The goal here is to be honest, holy, and a positive influence, not wealthy, not comfortable, but focused on an eternity in the presence of God.”

On the Corner and In the Pew

 

            Cassandra stood on the corner with ten of her fellow prostitutes, as the evening had begun to grow dark, she watched as most of the other girls climbed into cars as each vehicle approached the corner. Finally, a car approached her, called out for her company, invited her to climb in and visit a local motel with him. When asked about her fee for one hour of her time, she communicated that one hour of her time would cost him two hundred dollars, as they spoke, she realized that the man looked very familiar, and within minutes she recognized him as the pastor of a local mega church.

               Within twenty minutes of driving, he parked the car, walked to the office to rent a room, while Cassandra waited for him to return. When she saw him emerge from the office, she exited the car, met him on the walkway that led to the motel rooms, offered him a sweet smile, followed him into the room, and she requested payment before they started interacting.

               When the door closed behind them, she immediately began removing her clothing to lay them on the chair near the desk, she slipped the money into her shoe and turned to face the man who was also removing his clothing, holding a condom and eager to get started. “I was thinking you should start with some oral activity before we begin,” he said. Following his instruction, she dropped to her knees, and followed his direction.

               Cassandra then climbed on the bed on her hands and knees and could see him sliding the condom onto himself in the reflection on the glass of the cheap artwork on the opposite wall. He then knelt behind her and began his adulterous behavior for about twenty minutes to then climax and release an audible groan. “I need to go take a shower,” he said, “you can join me if you like.”

               “No, thank you, I’ve done all that I plan to do today,” she said. “I’ll get dressed while you clean up and then you can give me a ride back to the corner.”

               After ten minutes of listening to the shower run, Cassandra quickly dressed and waited for the hypocrite to return and get dressed to receive a ride back to her corner. “Thank you for the ride back,” she said, “will I see you again some time?”

               She climbed out of the car, joined the three girls that remained at the corner since her departure, and felt sick at the hypocrisy of the ‘supposed man of God’. She watched him drive away and then fell into friendly dialog with another girl who was still waiting for a customer.

Midnight came around and Cassandra and the three girls returned to their apartments to get enough sleep to be rested for the following morning. Upon returning home, Cassandra took a shower, slipped into comfortable pajamas, and immediately fell asleep to be wakened the next morning as a great deal of activity was happening in the apartment from her five roommates.

               She crawled from her bed, shuffled into the kitchen, found a bowl and filled it with breakfast cereal to join her roommates at the dining room table. “I had an interesting customer last night,” she said, “he paid me two hundred dollars for one hour of my time. When he approached me, I recognized him as the pastor of that megachurch on the other side of town.”

               “Eww, that is really messed up,” one of her roommates said, “you can be sure that he is married with children, I wonder what the leaders of that church would have to say about his late-night activities? It’s amazing to me how these men can create a story in their mind that they think justifies their adulterous activity.”

               “Before I went sleep last night, I had a thought,” Cassandra said, “I think we all should go visit that church, sit in the front row wearing mini-skirts without panties, no bras, and clearly visible nipples, I can almost guarantee he will recognize me, which will give us the opportunity to flash him while he is in front speaking.”

               “Yes, that is a great idea,” one of her roommates said, “we need to get him in trouble with the leaders, with his wife, and with his friends, I am definitely interested in joining you to make that visit.”

               “I’ll look up the time that their church service starts and let you all know, if anyone else is interested in coming with me,” Cassandra said, “make sure you wear an outfit that is very revealing which will draw his attention as he speaks, and will turn the heads of everyone else in attendance.”

               Cassandra researched the start time, communicated her findings to her roommates and they rode the bus to arrive fifteen minutes early and made the effort to sit in the front row. After the musical entertainment finished, the pastor walked to the front and Cassandra and her four friends raised their knees to give him a clear view. She watched as his eyes moved across each one of them.

               He spoke for about forty-five minutes, repeatedly glanced in their direction, and approached them when the service was over. He gave his usual friendly smile to each one of them, thanked them for coming and asked each one of them what drew them to this particular church.

               “None of us had any type of religious upbringing,” Cassandra said, “all of us were talking yesterday morning and thought it would be a good idea to try to connect with a church and see if any of them were friendly and inviting.” As she spoke with the pastor, she noticed that all of the middle-aged men, their wives, and the teenage boys gave them a great deal of visual attention. After about thirty minutes of dialog with the pastor, with the elders, and a few other people, the five women left the building, walked to the bus stop and rode back to the bus stop near their apartment.

               “Wow, that was an interesting experience,” Cassandra said, “I would argue that all men are the same and like to look at beautiful, scantily clad women. Also, did you notice the looks of hatred and judgmentalism coming from all of the women there? I had another idea, we should make an effort to reconnect with the pastor, the elders, and do our best to seduce them and video record our interaction.”

               “I really like that idea,” said one of her roommates, “we need to find their names, their addresses, if they’re married and where we can find them and seduce them. Everyone needs to get into research and find these details. Yeah, I get it, we all know that all men are the same, but to put on a public face of being a religious leader and then do stuff like this in secret is seriously deceptive.”

               Three days passed and Cassandra and her roommates found the names and the addresses of those in leadership at the megachurch. “Okay, let’s put together a plan,” Cassandra said, “there are five of us, there are five leaders, so we’ll each take one and develop a plan to seduce them and hopefully record the interaction that can be delivered to the local news stations and anyone else in positions of authority.”

               Being incredibly successful in their efforts, all five women managed to find and seduce the five leaders, record their interaction, and deliver the videos to those who needed to see the behavior of the church leaders. Within two weeks’ time, they began seeing news reports about the five men being removed from their positions of authority at the megachurch and the church was eventually closed with no new leadership.

               “Woo Hoo,” Cassandra said, “we succeeded in exposing what these men have been doing and you can be sure that each of their wives will be filing for divorce. We all need to continue watching what happens, if anything, at the megachurch. I really hope that they close the doors permanently and never re-open.”

               “Oh, I have a friend that is very skilled at hacking into computer systems,” one of her roommates said, “I’ll have him research the internet and watch for divorce proceedings and if anything happens with these men. Now that they have been exposed for their hypocritical behavior, you can guarantee that they will be finding other work not related to religious activity.”

               One month passed, and one of Cassandra’s roommates shared that her friend had uncovered that all five men had been divorced by their wives and were on their way to prison for several years. “Oh, also,” she said, “the megachurch is no longer functioning as a church and has been sold to an adult film company as a location to record more films.”

               “If I remember right,” Cassandra said, “when we visited that one time, there were very few people in the audience, now that they are closed, I’m sure the other people have found other churches to attend. Oh, please have your friend maintain an active history on these five men, where they go, and when they’ll be released.”

               “Yes, that is a great idea,” her roommate said, “I’ll talk to him and keep everyone updated as he communicates what he learns. It is weird that it is considered a megachurch when there were so few people there.”

               Three months passed and Cassandra’s roommate shared that the five men were incarcerated in a prison on the south side of town and would not be released for three more years. “I am looking forward to see what these men do when they are released from prison, what kind of work they’ll go into and if they maintain contact with their former spouses and children,” Cassandra said.

               On the day that the five men were released from prison, Cassandra and her roommates borrowed a friend’s car, drove to the prison main entrance and secretly watched the five men emerge. They crossed the parking lot, climbed into a single vehicle, and were immediately followed by Cassandra and her roommates, giving them the opportunity to see where the five men would live. Thankfully, they traveled to a shared apartment relatively close to Cassandra’s apartment.

               One week after they returned home, one of Cassandra’s roommates received an email from her computer hacker friend, informing them that the five men were making the effort to start another church in an abandoned building in the most derelict part of the city. “Yeah, good luck with that,” Cassandra said, “the chances of anyone interested in listening to them after their years of deception is highly unlikely.”

               One month later, Cassandra and her friends located the new church and found that there was no one in attendance, other than three homeless people. When all activity came to an end, the five girls drove back to their apartment before the pastor and the elders left the building.