Chapter 9: The Stranger

No phone, no internet, no hydro, no interruptions.

He sat unassuming on the back row. The small church was a good place to worship, unrecognized. This man, well known in upper class circles was wanting a measure of annonimity as he took time to worship The Lord. Travelling far from home on a business trip, but also trying to ease the pain of his wife’s death, Jason Fisk needed the peace of The Lord’s Day.

Even in this strange town he felt he had to hide his identity. Surely someone here would recognise him, and the clammour would begin. Even in this church, he felt he needed to remain anonymous.
He purposely came in late. The congregation was just finishing their first hymn. The end line of ” How Firm a Foundation” met Jason’s ears as he stepped through the door.
“I’ll strengthen thee,help thee and cause thee to stand, upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand”
His favorite hymn. God knew exactly what he needed. He needed strength. He needed to be upheld by God’s Hand. All his multi- millions could not hold him up in his time of grief.
Coming on this work trip to present his latest invention to the military was how he thought he could dull the pain. The miriad of meetings, deal discussions, and presentations did nothing.
Jason found a pamphlet from this small church in a restaurant restroom. He scanned the words, ” Got Questions?” on the front and knew he had lots of them. Church and his faith had taken a backseat since his wife’s death,nearly a year ago, and he knew he needed to get things back on track.

He rubbed at his fake facial hair, and tugged at the ill-fitting sweater that his driver picked up at a thrift store. He could not very well hide his identity in a $2500 tailored Italian suit. The scuffed shoes added the touch he wanted. Unrecognizable, that was his aim.
He scanned the congregation. Mostly middle aged couples, a few elderly couples and a few young families. Only one single lady. She looked to be about Jason’s age. He wondered if she, like he, was grieving a loss. Jason turned his attention back to the singing. There were some good voices in the group, and Jason added his baritone to the mix. The young man leading the song service was maybe 25. How good to see a young man serving the Lord Jason thought. He, himself had been like that when he was that age. His financial success had clouded his faith, but that was about to change.
The songleader finished the last song, and the children went off to classes. The young man sat with the lady he had noticed earlier. Jason wondered if she was his Mom.
The Preacher got to the pulpit and had people open Bibles to Psalm 53, Jason used a Bible from the pew rack and found the passage. The Pastor read,
’The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.'
God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God.
Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.’

Jason felt the tugging of The Spirit right away. Even though he knew the Lord, he had acted more like that fool. The Pastor talked about how the world goes about their lives ignoring God. He put himself in every line the Pastor presented. Except for the truth that Jason knew the Lord, he was very guilty of going back, and doing his own thing.
Again he knew that this was where he was suppose to be today. This was the beginning of a new,closer walk with the Lord.
Before he knew it, the service was over and men were coming to meet and greet him. He had already decided to give a fake name, he could not be recognized.
Jason gazed out the window, and read the words on the wall poster.
“Hi, glad you could be with us today I am David Haines.” Came the greeting from the young Pastor, interrupting Jason’s thoughts.
“Hi.” Jason answered, “I am Peter, glad to be here. Good message, was a blessing.”
Jason barely recognized his own words, but he found that he meant them.
“Are you local or from out of town?” Asked the Pastor.
“I am from out of town, just here for work.” he figured there was no sense lying about obscure things.
A few other people stood by to greet him. Such a friendly bunch, he thought as he chatted and answered basic questions.
The lady who was alone stood off a bit and watched him. He noticed her nodding at his answers and seemingly searching his face.
When the group cleared some she approached .
“Hello, thanks for joining us today.” Then in a whisper, she said, “I know you Jason Fisk, I would know those eyes anywhere, but your secret is safe with me. I understand your needing to be private. Sorry about your wife, she was a sweet lady.”
Then she quickly went on to introduce herself, and her 3 children who were there. Jason was nearly speechless. All he could say was, “Thanks.”

Jason made his way out of the church, and around the block to where his driver waited for him.
Katheryn Jamieson, Jason wondered at the lady who recognized him. Who was she? How did she recognize him? He wanted to go back, to talk to this lady, but he knew propriety was saying, no.
He went on his way, going about life, but with a different sense of purpose. God’s purpose, as the Pastor had titled his sermon.
Jason finished up his business deal, and looked over the signed papers that sealed a multi- million dollar deal. As important as this deal was, he could not shake the words, “I know you”. When he had some time he was going to have to search his social media profiles and see if he could find a Katheryn Jamieson. That was the only way this lady could have known him, for he was sure that he had never met her before.

Back home he drifted through the week of meetings, which wrapped up one of the largest deals Jason had made in the past 5 years.
He resolutely resisted the urge to hop on his jet to see Katheryn. How could someone have such a draw on his heart so soon after his dear wife’s death? It had only been 11 months, and although the deep grieving was over, he still missed her. The change came when he had picked up his Grandma’s Bible a month ago. Inside the fly leaf was written in Grandma’s unmistakable script.
’Sin will keep you from this Book, or this Book will keep you from sin.’

Sin. Jason knew that he had not been walking with the Lord. He knew that his lifestyle had pulled him away from Truth. He also knew that he was a Christian, a bad one, but saved by the blood of Jesus he was. He remembered his dear Grandmother leading him to faith in Christ when he was just 12 years old. Times were very different then. He, his two sisters, his Mom and Grandma, lived in a two bedroom house, on a small acreage.
Since he was the only boy, he had the loft bedroom after they had moved in with Grandma. His sisters were younger and had no memory of the terrible accident that took their Dad and Grandfather. When the girls were 3 and newborn, and Jason was 6, a drunk driver swerved on the highway and killed his dad and grandpa, as they were coming home from work.
Dad had worked with Grandpa in a small hardware store. Jason loved being there. He tinkered with tools and developed a love for mechanisms of every kind.
After the accident Grandma tried to keep the store running, but it was too much for her. Mom, Jason and his sisters moved in with Grandma. Mom had her nursing job at the small srs. Home, and it was enough to keep them. Grandma used the insurance money to pay off the mortgage, and all the debt, so the financial burden was light.
Jason shook his mind back to the present. Grandma and his Mom were both gone, and his sisters had both married and moved away. Jason kept his Grandma’s house as a retreat, when he needed to get away from the stress. That was where he was going to go for a break. The words, ” I know you…” kept running thru his mind. He thought, ” This means more; that lady may know me, but Jesus knows me as well, and He is convicting my heart.”
“Well, Kathryn, you know me, and I am going to know you, but first I need to know Jesus better.”
Jason drove to the airstrip where he kept his little Cessna. The trip to Grandma’s would only take 4 hours and he wanted to relax. He needed to re-evaluate his life. He settled up last -minute office details and told his secretary, ”George, I will be out of touch for a while. Only in a dire emergency, life and death, can you reach me at this number. “
Jason handed George the phone number for the small store in the community where his Grandma’s house was.
“My cell phone is staying on the plane, so don’t bother calling it. Do not put this number in your contacts. Memorize it, give it to NO One. Is that clear?
George answered an affirmative, with a jesting salute. He knew his boss, and knew that when Jason needed to be alone, it was because big things were in the works. Little did he know what big things were brewing this time, a better walk with Jesus.

Only packing a few essentials, he had a complete wardrobe at the Cottage, he prepared for the trip. He had his driver take him to the airstrip, affirmed with him the tentative plans, (only other person he trusted with the phone number) and fired up his baby.
Jet flight was essential in his work, but his little red and white Cessna 172 was his joy. The flight to ‘home’ was filed, and he was off. A quiet 2 hour flight, followed by a quiet two hour drive. His beat up old Chevy was in the hangar. It was a work truck, and served its purpose. He pulled out the truck, parked his plane, and locked up the hangar. If he saw 10 vehicles on the drive it would be amazing. He made one stop, one and a half hour into his drive at the small village store. He picked up groceries, let Matt know he was at the Cottage, and filled his gas tank, and two Jerry cans of diesel for his generator. The last half hour drive was spent listening to a Christian radio station, one of the few stations he could pick up out here. He caught the end of the message the radio preacher was delivering. “Sometimes, to hear the still small voice of God, you have to get alone.”
No phone, no internet, no hydro, no interruptions. Exactly what was needed, to be alone and reconnect with his Saviour.
Jason pulled in front of the beloved house. He had left everything as it was since childhood, just doing repairs and general maintenance to keep the house usable. The memories that flooded every time he walked through the door, this time brought tears to his eyes. “Okay, Lord, You are softening this lump of clay. I know this feeling, and want Your work in my life. I need You. I have so many questions that only You can answer.”
Jason fixed himself a salad and after his light lunch he took a walk to the creek that ran behind the house, beyond the garden.
Here was his Grandma, and Mom’s prayer spot. A bench nestled in a grove of trees, with a log Cross overlooking the water. The ground was still packed from years of use, at the foot of the Cross.
“Okay, here goes.” he whispered as he knelt where two generations had knelt before him.
The peace that washed over his heart was almost palatable. He had never know such peace.

Words came flooding to his memory.
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding…” Jason had been leaning on his own understanding far too long. His intelligence was not his friend when it came to spiritual things. All his learning had pulled him from the simple truth of the Gospel
“Yes, Lord.” Said Jason, out loud, as he got up from prayer, and sat on the bench. He pulled his Mom’s worn New Testament from his jacket pocket.
Fumbling through the pages he found a familiar passage.
John 14,
1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

The passage read at four funerals, Grandma’s, Moms, Dad’s, and his wife’s. It was etched in his memory. Jason took comfort in it, and let that be a starting point for a new beginning.
How to proceed?
A big question. Jason knew that his work lifestyle was not conducive to walking with the Lord. He knew he needed to make some BIG changes.
The two weeks flew by, but Jason felt like a new man. He had taken some counsel from the Pastor at the country church in the area. The man reminded him of the Pastor he had met on his last business trip, Kathryns Pastor. The similarities added to the resolve he made to change, change his whole life.

Jason cleaned up the cottage, packed his bag and headed to his plane.
First item on the agenda, a phone call.
“George, I’m on my way back, please set up a critical meeting with the Board, tell them they ALL must be in my office, Monday morning, and just to you, I am retiring, but that is between you and me. See you at the airstrip at 4 pm.”
Jason wished he could just be a fly on the wall when the announcement was made. He knew that his business partner was up to the challenge. He could keep the company going.
Jason pulled up to his hangar, and prepped his plane for the flight. Two hours to go over his speech , even though it was well prepared.
Jason landed, and George met him on the tarmac.
“Sir, that was quite the bombshell. May I ask what happened to make you decide this course of action?”
George was more than a secretary, he was Jason’s best friend.
“Well, for one, from now on, drop the sir. You are, as of right now, fired….with a HUGE pension, and now just my best friend.”
Jason put an arm on his friend’s shoulder.
“….and, if all goes the way I hope, my best man, in a few months.”
“Sir???” came the baffled reply.
Jason laughed, and promptly opened the car door, for his ‘friend’.
Monday morning came faster than Jason was prepared for. Never had a business meeting held such a grip on him. Dealing with money deals seemed trivial in comparison to what he was about to do. His time at the Cottage was focused on one thing. The Lord. This meeting was going to be more like a sermon than a big corporation changeover. Jason fully intended to give the Gospel to his board members. He was more nervous than he ever was presenting a million dollar deal to foreign leaders. He was going to introduce his board members to the King!
His partner, Randy Atkins, was a nominal Christian. They had a few chats over the years, but never anything substantial. Jason knew that Randy would take the company in the right direction.
Jason walked into the full board room. Not a seat was empty. George flanked Jason, with one sheet of paper. There were no piles of memos, no folders, no PowerPoint presentations. Jason took the note from George.
“My dear collegues, I have 3 points of business this morning.
-As of 9 am, I am resigning as CEO.
-Immediately after this meeting, I turn all operations over to Randy.
-Most importantly, I have a wonderful explanation of my decision.”
Jason went on to introduce the board members to Jesus. The Saviour Who had made His presence heard in his life. He did not expect everyone to understand, nor did he try to justify his decisions to anyone. Randy watched with admiration.

As Jason moved from the head of the table and sat down where Randy had risen from, there was not a sound. You could hear a pin drop.
Randy said only one brief statement.
“Jason, I speak for all members, that we will miss you, and wish you well as you embark on this journey. Thank you for your confidence in my abilities, I will not disappoint.”
Jason rose to say goodbye and make one parting statement.
“I will send all of you an invitation to my wedding” Leaving the group bewildered he left the room and made one phone call.

Jason knew a great PI, Alex Windsor was the one person who could give him the information he needed about Katheryn. One person he could trust to keep his searchings a secret. As soon as he settled business, he would call.