We Have Not Been Listening

Book excerpt: St. Augustine, an African-American mega church located in the heart of Nashville, becomes a welcoming haven for its community after a strange and inexplicable event. Thousands of people have gone suddenly missing, each one leaving behind only a pile of clothing and personal belongings. Wrecked and abandoned vehicles create gridlock on every street. Hospitals and first responders are overwhelmed by the demands on them, leaving those not caught up in the wreckage to search on their own for the answers they need but are afraid to find. Bishop G. T. Thomas, the influential pastor of St. Augustine, finds himself struggling to explain what has taken place, even as he and his church associates strive to help those injured and stranded as a result of these events. As the gravity of their situation begins to sink in, each person must find a way to deal with the truth they now recognize-truth they had previously failed to heed-and begin their search for a new and hopeful way forward to God's grace and mercy. We Have Not Been Listening is a work of fiction aimed at shining a light into the self-deceptive darkness of human hearts by telling the story of church-going people who discover they've been left behind and missed the second coming of Christ.