He opened the door, and before he even flipped on the light, the scent of fresh-baked homemade bread drifted into his consciousness.
How did that scent always make one feel like coming home?
Had Mrs. Tucker actually baked the bread in his house?
She had mentioned something about soup and a salad, and checked about allergies. She hadn't said anything about homemade bread.
Flipping the light on, he saw the candle sitting on the island in the kitchen. Flickering, the light not as bright, obviously now that the lights were on, but somehow emitting a warmth and welcome that warmed his soul.
He thought again of the analogy of the light in the Bible, howJesus didn't want us to hide our light, but to put it where it could be a welcoming sight for others.
What a great reminder. One he already knew, of course, but so many times he forgot. How a Christian could shine as a light, reflecting Jesus in everything they did. Giving people who were lost and hopeless encouragement and cheer in the midst of troubled times.
Two containers with lids sat on the counter, and as he drew closer, he realized that neither one of them was fresh-baked bread.
But where was that delicious smell coming from?
That's when he looked a little closer at the candle.
A label that looked to be printed off a home printer declared "Winter's Candle Shop," and the address was Mistletoe Meadows. So obviously, the candle came from someone in town. Perhaps someone who went to the church and who donated it to be a blessing to the new pastor.
Boy, were they.
The scent was: homemade bread.
That explained it. And, wow, did they nail that scent.
The salad and soup looked delicious, and the soup was still warm, so he dug around until he found the box where he'd packed the meager silverware he had, and sat down at the kitchen table. Then, before he even prayed for his food, he stood back up, grabbed the candle, and walked it over to the table.
He set it down in the middle, so he could watch it flicker and burn as he ate.
Then, setting the gifts of food and light in front of him, he bowed his head and thanked God for the blessings in his life, the new direction, and prayed that he would have discernment to see what door God was going to open for him next.
He knew that sometimes when it felt like everything was hopeless and a person had hit bottom, that's when things really turned around.
He had been doubting himself all day. Why was he leaving achurch that had been growing for years? Sure, it felt like family, but they were seeing God work and move, and thirty to fifty congregants in the rural area where he was, was a good number.
It was far more than the five that he'd started with on his first Sunday there. That had included his parents, who had since passed away.
Still, he was almost positive that God had something really special planned for him. And, as he got warm soup in his belly, made himself eat the salad because it was good for him, and enjoyed the flickering light of the candle and that delicious homemade bread smell, he began to be encouraged that taking this new pastorate could be the very best thing that had ever happened to him.
God had a way of working things like that.
Chapter 2
Olivia pushed her hair back away from her face and stretched her back to try to ease the ache in it. She had another hour of work to do before she could head home for the night.
Thankfully, the twins were still small enough to snuggle on the cot in the back room, and they'd fallen asleep hours ago.
She sighed, looking over the inventory in her candle shop as she packed another gift set, making sure to put plenty of stuffing in the box so the candle would arrive intact.
If it broke, it was on her to replace it, and it came directly out of her profits.
Plus, she didn't want people to order candles from her and have broken pieces arrive in the mail.
The mail orders had seen an uptick in the last few years, but her bread and butter were still the local orders, like the church who ordered candles for their candlelight service every year.
They always requested special candles, custom-made for that service, and then the candles that were left were burned all through the month of January, so people could bask in the glow of Christmas, even though all the other decorations were taken down.
