All the normal blah-blah
*****
The truth is, I always knew that I was different. There was always a part of me that felt as if it were trapped and yearned to be released. The closest I ever felt to that release was an orgasm. For years, I thought that my sexual activities were the only way to gain that feeling. Then I found Grace Church.
In the ecstasy of worship, I could feel the same release, and for months I thought I'd been cured of my past sins. But the past has a way of catching up to you. So it did on that Wednesday afternoon.
Pastor Paul (Wrens), the worship leader of the church, asked me to attend a meeting with him and the senior pastor, Rev. Bill (Martin). It was with trepidation that I approached Rev. Bill's office. Before I knocked on the door, I checked myself in the hall mirror. I brushed a stray strand of my golden-copper hair behind one ear and tightened my ponytail. I already knew that I was appropriately dressed. I took a breath and knocked.
"Enter."
I stepped in and both men rose to greet me. Rev. Bill spoke first. "Welcome, Brandi. Please have a seat." He directed me to the empty chair facing his large mahogany desk. Pastor Paul was in chair next to mine. As we sat, I became conscious of the reality that this meeting was about me.
Pastor Paul began. "Brandi, when we brought you on, it was with the understanding that your earlier behavior was in check."
I tilted my head, looking at him, then Rev. Bill, then back to Pastor Paul. The earlier behavior was my sex addiction. I had freely disclosed this and had worked through recovery. "Yes, that's right. Is there a problem?"
Rev. Bill spoke up. "Brandi. Perhaps you can explain this?" And he handed me his phone and I looked. Then I gasped. Then I remembered the night last week at the club.
I blushed a deep red, which on my fair skin, is very scarlet indeed. "Where...where did you get this?"
Pastor Paul sighed. "So this IS you then?"
I looked again but it was obviously me, on my knees, sucking some guy's cock, eyes up to the camera. It was a night of hedonistic revelry. I'd backslid into my old ways and the guys at the club were more than willing to oblige me. "I had a moment of temptation," I said, handing the phone back.
Rev. Bill's voice rose slightly. "A moment? The person who sent this said he has 235 more!"
I closed my eyes and silently cursed with every word I used to use so freely. "I'm sorry," was all I could manage.
"Sorry is a start," he said. "I'm afraid that we will have to ask you to step down from the worship team until we can work this out."
Embarrassed and humbled, I responded, "Yes, sir. I understand."
"Brandi," Pastor Paul spoke, "Rev. Bill and I want to help you. To get you past this. You understand that, right?"
I stood up and flattened my skirt. "Sure. I know. I'll see myself out. Thank you.' When I left, the tears started to flow. I cried for ten minutes as I walked around the church compound before settling into the chapel, a little used building which was the main sanctuary years ago.
It was dimly lit and I sat at the front, two pews back, before a long stained glass window. I prayed. I prayed hard and long. But all I felt was shame. Then I sensed someone entering the chapel. It was Pastor Paul.
He sat down next to me, handing me a small box of tissues. "Here."
"Thanks." We sat quietly for a few minutes. "I'm not a bad person, Paul, it's just..."
"Hey, I know. We're all sinners, right?"
I scoffed. "Yeah, right. It's just that my sins were captured in picture form."
I felt his hand touch my shoulder nearest him. "Not just pics, I'm afraid."
A new flood of tears ensued. "What am I going to do?" I wailed into the tissue.
He slipped his arm over both my shoulders and gave me a side-hug. "Like we said, we're going to work this out. You're a very talented musician, Brandi, and I don't want to lose that. I don't think you really want to quit the church, do you?"
I thought about that for a moment. Did I? No. I shook my head. "But when this goes public, everyone will know what a slut I am."
He turned his body to mine and, with his free hand, lifted my tear-stained face to his. "Brandi, you're thinking about this all wrong."
I sniffed back a tear. "Am I?"
"Yes," he responded. "You're thinking that your sex drive is a curse. But what if it's a gift?"
I furrowed my brow. "A....a gift?"
"Sure. The Spirit gifts special abilities to believers, right?"
I nodded, "Yeah."
"So, what if your sexual appetite is actually a gift that can be used for the church?"
"Is the church planning on opening a brothel?" I sarcastically asked.
He chuckled, "No, that's not what I meant. But think of it like this, we know that gluttony is a sin, right?"
"Yeah. One that too many members indulge in," I added.
"True," he laughed. "But even though it's a sin, we still have potluck suppers and encourage the women to cook up a storm, right?"
"Sure. So what?"
"So, they are not feeling guilty about contributing to anyone else's gluttony. They just use the gifts that God gave them."
I dried my last tear and leaned back against the hard wooden pew. "I still don't get how I can exist as 'me' in this environment."
He gave me another hug and stood up, turning his body to mine and leaning back on the pew in front. "You know how stressful ministry can be."
I nodded, "Yeah."
"Well," he began, "We, I, think you can be of service to the ministry team."
"How can I do that? I'm already banned from the music team."