Every Voice Heard by Sarah Hanks
My novella For the Love of Truth is part of the novella collection Every Voice Heard, which deals with church hurt and abuse. While the other two authors in the collection, NY Dunlap and D.T. Powell, wrote stories highlighting church hurt, my story dives into church abuse.
Today, I’m interviewing my main female character, Candi, shortly after she meets Justice, the main male character. Let’s dive in.
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Sarah: Hi, Candi. Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you. What job do you have here at Impact Church?
Candi: Thanks for having me. I’m the personal assistant to Pastor Richard Blake.
Sarah: That’s an important role. What do you like best about Impact Church?
Candi: The people at Impact have become my family. I love it here. Pastor Richard and his wife have become the spiritual parents I never had growing up.
Sarah: Richard is more than a boss then?
Candi: For sure. He’s both my mentor and spiritual father. He’s really taken me under his wing and taught me so much about God and what it means to be a Christian.
Sarah: How would you describe Pastor Richard?
Candi: He’s humble and godly. Everyone loves his sermons. He encourages us to walk out our faith. He’s a friendly, charismatic man.
Sarah: I heard a rumor you were seen talking to a handsome young man after church today. Someone new to the church. Is that true?
Candi: *Blushes* Oh, that’s Justice. He seems eager to learn more about Impact Church. Maybe he’ll join.
Sarah: I heard you two seemed especially friendly. Might there be something there? A potential romance?
Candi: I don’t know yet. I agreed to a date, but I need to make sure he’s the real deal before anything more can develop.
Sarah: What do you mean by that?
Candi: I need to know he’s a genuine Christian. You know, not a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Sarah: Got it. And if you find that he’s genuine?
Candi: Then, yeah. I’d be open to that.
Sarah: How do you think Pastor Richard would feel about that?
Candi: *Fidgets in her seat* I don’t know.
Sarah: Thank you, Candi. I look forward to seeing how things will develop.
~~~
Thank you for taking the time to learn more about Candi and her story. Church hurt and abuse is real and harmful. However, we serve a God who redeems and heals. He can turn even the most horrible situation around for good. Each story in Every Voice Heard showcases the goodness of God in that way. May you, dear reader, see His hand at work in your life.
For the Love of Truth blurb:
Candi loves her role as personal assistant to megachurch pastor Richard Blake. But when she meets Justice, he exposes the flaws of her “perfect” church family and she discovers her pastor isn’t who he seems to be. Freedom lies on the other side of truth, if only she’ll allow Justice and the Lord to lead her there.
10% of all proceeds go to beEmboldened, a non-profit that exists for the prevention of and healing from spiritual abuse.
Buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Every-Voice-Heard-Novellas-Collections-ebook/dp/B0FKHRWP3L
Sarah’s bio:
Sarah Hanks is a multi-award-winning author of split-time Christian fiction. Her background in teaching and children’s ministry prepared her for exercising her creativity as a writer, now her full-time job. She and her husband have ten children, a couple of whom seem to have inherited their mother’s love for playing with words and crafting stories. Though Sarah dreams of a cabin by the beach, the family lives jammed together in beautiful chaos near St. Louis, Missouri. She buys earplugs in bulk.
You can follow her on Facebook or Instagram @authorsarahhanks.
