Release me. Now. Or I have to send reinforcements." I looked at the wall of enormous men. I knew they would never let me go back. I was caught in their power. A terrible sensation of fear squeezed me as the reality of my situation struck me once again. I thought of how I had looked at a group of men on the street, thinking that maybe they were going to beat me up. And now here I was face to face with some of the most physically fit people I had ever known. I thought of the incredible power these people held over me. They had the strength to do anything they wanted. With eyes that seemed to pierce me, one of the men grabbed the baton from the officer. He had a look of hate as he pointed it at my face. I realized, this was it. If I cried out for help, I knew that I would be seriously harmed. The man who was standing on the other side of the table from me looked at me, and then back at the men. He spoke. "This is my best worker. Do you want to mess with me?" There were several noes. I was about to be in deep trouble. The officer with the baton came up to me, and said, "This is one of the best guards in the school. Don't fuck around with her." I nodded in agreement. "She just goes nuts sometimes, you know? She's really a great guard." The officer left. I watched as the baton disappeared back into the middle of the table. "I hate to see this for you. You have so much more to give." With a heavy heart I left school. In the end, I was punished by the same man I had given so much to. In the darkness of the night, I wondered if the pain of his love was equal to the grief I felt now. Had I done something so bad that I could never escape his judgment and curses? But I knew I was not his responsibility. I thought of God, who lived in a place where he cannot be touched by hatred. I knelt down on the cold concrete. I turned my back to the wall, and began to pray, "God, do you see me, do you hear me. I am not afraid of you. You know I am not responsible for this. If I am, take it from me. If I have done something bad, I want to be cured from it. Make me whole. Make me strong. Make me know that I can love again, and that it's okay to live in the world." As I prayed, the dark fog of pain that overwhelmed me seemed to vanish. There was something so great about the feelings of reconciliation and joy that came over me. It was as if I was floating on a strong wind. I saw Jesus on the other side of the gates of hell, pulling me towards him. This would never have been possible if God had not given us his heart, which is filled with compassion. As I walked out of the darkness into the light of day, I saw God in everything and everyone I loved. And in that moment, I knew that God had the answer for me that no one else ever could. God gave me the most amazing gift that day. He gave me his love, and the trust that it will always be there for me. For God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. I love this book! I learned a lot about this and a lot more in my reading. You don't have to use a computer to read it, though, just one book that you can read. This is the story of life for the first century. How are you and what does this story mean for you? Have you ever thought about these things? Let's get into this world together. I can give you a link, also if you want. There are a couple of places where you can join, and one other thing, if you want to talk. I would love to have this video with you to talk about this book. Let me know what you would like me to talk about. How would you like me to end this? I can use your link and your name for anyone who wants to get the message. Thanks so much for having me here! Thanks for listening to the sermon, the book, and the videos and music. I love you, my friends. Good night. God bless. Amen. Pastor's Brief Bio: My name is Rosa Rodriguez. I was born and raised in Boston, MA. I graduated from Boston University and Northeastern University in Boston. I have a Master's degree from Lincoln Christian University in Lincoln, Rhode Island. I have been an ordained pastor since July of 2014. I love God and I am passionate about Jesus, and being in community with people, especially with God's children, I encourage them to find their purpose. My family is my strength, spiritual adviser, church family, hired helpers, and everything in-between. I am married to my husband Dave and I have three wonderful children. Our Vision: We are all children of God and our vision is to exemplify the unconditional love that we experience in God's house through the unconditional love we have for God. Our purpose is to provide a place where everyone can be who God created them to be. We Believe: That the Bible is the Word of God and that we believe every word in the Bible is inspired by God and that it should be understood as God's word. We Respect All Persons: We respect all persons and strive to create a safe environment. We Encourage: We love that we can encourage each other, so that everyone feels valued and that everyone has an equal voice in the decisions made here. We Believe: That a life lived to the fullest glorifies God. We believe that our worth is in Christ and we are to be honoring and glorifying God for who we are. Our prayer: We love that we are not afraid to ask for forgiveness or to receive forgiveness for all our mistakes. God is loving, He is forgiving, and He is willing to accept us just as we are. This Church is Not a Cult: We believe that the Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) and Father alone are our God and Father. We love that Jesus is God and His Holy Spirit and that we as Christians respect others views on Jesus and different religions. We are not afraid to talk about what it's like for people of other faiths because we love people and we want to love the people. Pastor's Twitter: https://twitter.com/pastorsw ord Pastor's Email: pastorswordboston@gmail.com Pastor's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/po litical-t ruth-d