The next morning, Dad paced back and forth in the office parking lot, when I arrived at 8:30. His neon yellow tie hung at half mast on his white shirt, his top button remained unbuttoned. His gray suit coat draped over the blue and white sign in front of the handicap parking space. A scowl etched his lobster-colored face. He was boiling.
“Jeremiah, we need to talk. Now!” he said through clenched teeth.
Dad knows! I thought. How I wish the gift of faith was still working in me. Guess I’ll have to trust in the Lord’s grace to see me through this.
I avoided his blistering eyes and nodded.
“Okay.”
He reached over and slung the suit coat over his right shoulder.
“Follow me,” he spit out over his shoulder as he marched toward his silver Mercedes. “Jump in.”
I opened the door and sat down in the black leather passenger seat. Dad climbed in the driver’s side.
“Better buckle up,” he said without looking over.
The Mercedes’ tires squealed as we pulled out onto Pine Street in front of an oncoming city bus. Instinctively, my right hand reached for the seatbelt and pulled it tight across my dark blue slacks. I snapped it. Then, I tugged on it just to make sure it fastened properly. I straightened my red tie and ironed out the wrinkles in my light blue oxford shirt.
We headed west on the one-way street. Then, he turned a razor-sharp right into the Starbucks on the corner of Octavia Street. He read the confusion on my face.
“This is a timeout, sort of like you use to pull on me when you were young,” he said without smiling. “I was so upset that I didn’t brew any coffee this morning. Like Napoleon, I am senseless without the stuff. Would you like one?”
With our two coffees, we drove north to Lafayette Park. Dad pulled over to the curb and parked. He sipped some coffee. Then, he rotated in his seat toward me, his eyes blazing with fury.
“Now, what were you thinking about when you pulled that stupid stunt yesterday at City Hall?”
The only other time in my life Dad had been that angry with me was when I dropped out of college and broke-up with Kari. This was out of character for him. Usually, he joked around and carried on a light-hearted banter with people.
“Where did you hear about it?” I asked.
“Arlene phoned and said she saw you on Channel 26.”
“Good old Arlene and cable TV, huh?”
“And if Arlene knows, everybody knows,” he mumbled. “Right?”
I nodded.
“So, answer my question, will you?”
“The Lord told me to do it.”
“Oh, boy!” he said with a deep groan. “Does this have to do with your thinking that you’re called to be a prophet?”
“Yes.”
“Jeremiah, Jeremiah, Jeremiah. I thought we were past that by now.”
I blew out a deep breath.
“Dad, it’s my calling – I can’t just lay it down because it causes discomfort to loved ones or me.”
He rose up and pointed a finger in my face.
“Listen son,” he bellowed, “shooting off your mouth in San Francisco will cause bad things to happen to you. This is not the Bible Belt, you know. Open your eyes. This is the liberal capital ofAmerica. San Franciscans hate having their noses shoved into their crappy smelling sins by a Christian who thinks he’s a prophet. Do you hear?”
I looked out the window at two junior high kids who walked by just then. The smaller boy slapped the pudgy one on the back and took off running. The victim stood still for a moment, his mouth hanging open. Then, he ran after the other one yelling, “I’m going to kill you when I get a hold of you.”
The smaller boy stopped a half block away and put his hands to his mouth. “You ain’t never catching me, fat boy.”
Then, he turned and scooted down the street.
“Son, do you hear what I’m saying?”
I nodded but swallowed the hasty words, waiting just behind my teeth.
BUZZ! BUZZ!
Dad answered his cell phone.
“Yes.”
He listened for a long time.
“Okay, we’ll be right there. Tell everyone the sales meeting is canceled for this week,” he said as he started the car.
“It seems the switchboard is lit up with calls for the prophet. Six people want to list their homes with you. Can you believe that?” he said as he shook his head. “I would have guessed your career was buried yesterday, but what do I know, huh?”
The news about possible listings mellowed dad. He reached over and touched my arm. “Son, I’m just trying to help.”
“I know, dad.”
“Did you know Kari got married?” he said as we drove down California Street.
“No, when?”
“Last year. She married a trial lawyer. They bought a home two blocks away from her parents in Pacific Heights.”
“She deserves a good man.”
He glanced over.
“Jeremiah, that should have been you?”
I shrugged and looked out the window.
The years of training in the high desert helped me to not dwell on the what-if’s of life. Still, it required extra discipline on my part to shove this news aside.
Kari in Pacific Heights – oh Lord!
(The above is an excerpt from my soon to be published book, Jonah)
I’ve included the excerpt to remind us:
Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.” (Mark 6:4 NLT)
If you are called to be a prophet, don’t expect your relatives to be cheering you onward as you point out the sins of cities, states and nations. Jesus had a problem with his family and you can probably expect much of the same.
(Continued in Part 6)
Larry Who 
Looking forward to reading your book.
Derrick,
Thanks.
Very good chapter from your new book. I love that line ,
‘Follow me,” he spit out over his shoulder as he marched toward his silver Mercedes.’
I’ll have to remember that,when I want to write of an ‘angry’ retort.’He spit over his shoulder’ I think adding this part from your book helps add the in-sight of, it is not all glory. You are right they are not excepted,most of the time.
Cheryl,
Thanks. Family members have seen our flaws close up and remember us when we were less than we are now and they have great memories.
Boy do they. 🙂 The first words out of their mouths when I share something that I think God wants me to do, something new to try, a way to help or serve, is . . .”oh no.” It’s so encouraging. haha!
Thanks Larry! Can’t wait for your book! 🙂 You have a fan club already.
Debbie,
Thanks. I obviously know how it feels…it hurts.
Larry,
Believing family and friends don’t seem to have a problem when a finger is pointed at an adulterer or a homosexual but try telling them that God makes it clear in His Word that Sodom was destroyed for how people treated the poor and that we know this because He said that was a reason for judgments that came on Israel and suddenly…
Try to tell them that murdering innocent women and children to bring democracy to their country is a sin and suddenly all kinds of excuses are made.
Mention that the US has more people in prison than any other nation in the world, including Russia and China, and that most are there for small amounts of drugs and are non-white, mostly African Americans and they will justify it.
Let them know that the white American church is racist because of how we treat the stranger and alien and they squeal like swine about the need to “protect” ourselves from outsiders not like us. Duh!
Sorry but though I agree that the world needs prophets I see more sin in the church than the world. The world doesn’t know Him. We say we do and yet we support injustices at home and around the world.
I suspect it will be better for the unbelievers being cast into the lake of fire than those of us who are left outside the door of The City where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
To spend all eternity knowing one was His bride and yet be rejected in the end would be excruciating.
Judgement is coming but not for the sin of sinners. ” If my people who are called by my name…then I will heal their land.” This land is sick and it is not the homosexuals or the whoredoms or the abortions of the unbelievers. It is coming because of the Church. Period!
Prophets are needed everywhere and I applaud them all but they especially need to be prophesying the judgment on the church as it is fast approaching and few see it coming.
It ain’t the devil folks when your precious edifices are destroyed by a tornado it is God who allowed it to shake what can be shaken in us. He has a reason for all He allows. We need to embrace it and face ourselves.
Sorry L. Haven’t gotten to preach for a while as I quit posting on my blog since it was becoming too focused on the negative all of the time. Daddy is softening me. I was much more severe a year or two ago.
I am looking forward to your book brother. I loved “New Wind Blowing” and the review of Jonah. I have passed NWB on to several people since you made it available.
Bless you both.
Tony,
Well, I hope you feel better now.
I agree that judgment is generally against the church for what it has not done and what it has done. But the scriptures that bother me are:
For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days before the flood, they were eating and drinking and marrying and giving in marriage until the day Noah entered the ark and they did not understand until the flood came and took them away; so will the coming of the son of man be. (Matt. 24:37-39)
Yes, we need to rid ourselves of sin in the church but we have a responsibility to warn people in cities, too.