The Making of a Preacher's Family - Prep

The Theme of the Story

Theme: Family is Forever. "Leave no one behind."

Resolution:

1. Matt is sold-out to the Lord. Ministry is everything to him.
2. Artista became a preacher's wife by default. She has never embraced the role with her whole heart.
3. Zenith embraces the role of daughter and the minister's assistant throughout her childhood and early teens because she wanted to be close to her daddy. Matt took her for granted, and ultimately personality of the Pleaser ran out of gas when she turned 21.
4. Aurora had an honest distaste for the role of preacher's daughter from the very beginning. She fought with her life, with the rules, and with the unwanted role as a strong-willed child. At age 15, she had a conversion of the magnitude of the Apostle Paul. Everything changed. She wanted to serve the Lord from the heart because the Lord transformed her throughly.
5. The weavings of loyalties and traitorous tendencies in, around, and throughout the family make the family of Matthew Paul Marks appear to be a mess. Yet, the final result will show a group of individuals, who are truly connected by blood and by the spirit with the desire to "leave no one behind."
6. The family seemed to be of one mind and of one spirit, during the twins' late teenage years of 15-21, since Artista was still alive back then, too. However, the unity was merely on the surface, since Artista taxed her heart severely trying to make-believe, that she was sold-out as the preacher's wife. When she had a heart attack and died in the days, that followed the twins' 21st birthday, the family unraveled, quickly changing from four apparently-dedicated Christians to two believers, who were totally sold-out to Jesus of Nazareth.
7. The next decade aged Matt, markedly, since his dearly-loved wife was now with the Lord as her body occupied a chifferobe in the local graveyard, and one of his dearly-loved daughters had totally rejected him without so much as a word for the duration.
8. Finally, the "goodness of the Lord leads us to repentance." (Romans 2:4) Aurora's persistent attempts at contact paid off. Zenith was completely transformed herself. She and her wife repented of their lifestyle choice, annulling their contract marriage because the wife had been saved, too. Now, during the decade of separation, the two ladies had adopted three children, which meant, that they needed to live close by for the sake of the children. Matt was fine with their continued friendship as long as it didn't include sexual contact since "that is against the commandment of the Lord Jesus Himself." (Matthew 19:4)
9. By the time Matt passed away there were six remaining people connected to the Marks family, who were dedicated to the Lord, and who were committed to serving Him for Time and for Eternity.
10. Families in this life endure many challenges, heartaches, and disagreements, but as The Triune God is made the center of the family one lasting Truth will rise to the surface. Drawing closer to the Lord draws us all closer to each other.