Save Our

SOULS
by Jeff Mixon

Whatever we cherish that tends to lessen our love for God or to interfere with the service due Him, of that do we make a god. Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets
Copyright 2013 by Jeff Mixon

SAVE OUR SOULS

by Jeff Mixon

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my immediate family members, living and deceased: Hughery Mixon (father), Georgia Mixon (mother), Larry Buchanan, Gregory Buchanan, Sharon Rose, Victor Mixon, Charles Mixon and Captain Rico Mixon. Thank you for your unconditional love and support throughout the years! I love you all!

Thank you, Father! Thank you, Son! Thank you, Holy Spirit!

A special acknowledgement and thank you to a special group of people that the Lord has entrusted to guide an admittedly difficult spirit into Gods Kingdom:

Sharon Rose Timothy Bennett Pastor Greg Jackson Jerry Woodson

The Divine Law

An expert in religious law tried to trap Him with this question: Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the laws of Moses? Jesus replied, You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself. The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments. This divine law, as some call it, encompasses the Ten Commandments with a particular emphasis on the first commandment: Thou shall have no other god before me. During the period when the Ten Commandments were written, the Israelites fresh out of Egypt -- made a habit of worshipping metallic statues and various other idols. Applying the first commandment to this behavior was fairly simple. In modern times, however, the application of the first commandment to our daily behavior is more complicated. As if she anticipated this confusion, prophet Ellen G. White clarifies the first commandment with her captivating brand of prose. In Patriarchs and Prophets, she writes: Whatever we cherish that tends to lessen our love for God or to interfere with the service due Him, of that do we make a god. Glory. Supremacy. Admiration. Respect. Approval. Power. Wealth. Cars. Houses. Jewelry. Sex. Television. Sports. Even vengeance. Whichever of these we cherish more than we cherish serving the Creator upon whom our happiness and very existence depends we have turned into our god and placed that god (who can not love us) above the God that has provided us with food to eat, water to drink and a mouth with which to eat and drink. Obedience to the first commandment is the most effective shield against thoughts, propaganda and reactions capable of manipulating souls in hateful, destructive ways.

Prologue

How would you react if you began dreaming dreams involving people you know, or people youd only seen on television -- if those dreams began to come true? What if the dreams began to stretch further and further into the future, but played out always with eerie precision? For most people, these questions are impossible to answer. Experiencing one paradigm shift in a lifetime is extraordinary. For those whom God endowed with the ability to discern its spiritual relevance, the election of 2008 represented a small paradigm shift a mere precursor of things to come. Occurring without clear recognition of Gods controlling hand, the ensuing rancor of the Tea Party masked the unity and love that the outcome of the election inspired in the most powerful country on earth. Quietly, however, the 2008 election shook the leaders of the global political and economic structure that the Bible refers to as Babylon. According to the prophet Daniel, the Tribulation Period, a seven year period of supernatural turmoil, would end with Jesus Christ returning on a cloud (Daniel 7:13-14 & Revelation 14:14). My dreams outlined world events occurring in the years prior to the Tribulation Period, a time of enormous hope and massive confusion. In the last days I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and old men will dream dreams. Acts 2:17 Save Our Souls is the tale of an ordinary group of people from Akron and Cleveland, Ohio. Declared unnatural threats to the safety and security of the United States of America in the year 2017, we are forced into hiding by the Department of Homeland Security. We didnt know how many of us there were or why we were chosen to receive an outpouring of Gods Spirit. Yet, at the climax of the cosmic struggle for redemption, Lyla and I found our selves on the front line of a battle against Satans army. Fortunately, we had the aid of a powerful, faithful companion.

SAVE OUR SOULS

by Jeff Mixon

Chapter 1
WE MEET

IT ALL BEGAN with a situation no more profound than those you see daily on soap operas. Uncle Kevin had invited me to a backyard barbeque in Akron, Ohio. I was surprised when Lyla, my future wife, showed such an obvious interest in me. Women as beautiful as Lyla usually wait for men to make the first move. Still, she was low-key, ladylike and fun not too aggressive. According to her mother, a single wine cooler had made Lyla giggly. So, I couldnt help teasing her about being an alcoholic as she sat on a yard couch next to me. Legs folded to one side, she leaned slightly towards me. She reminded me of Meghan Good in the face, but she was taller and slimmer; not hard on the eyes at all. Lyla slapped my arm gently every now and again; my punishment for teasing her and making her laugh. This is too easy, I thought to myself. Attracted to Lylas beautiful spirit as well as her magnificent outer features, I hoped that Id get a chance to show off the new black-onblack, convertible Mustang that Uncle Kevin gave me as a graduation gift. It looked almost exactly like one that I had seen in his used car lot when I visited a couple of months earlier, except this one was brand spanking new. Those 20-inch rims shined like new money in the hot Akron sunlight. Whenever I stared at it, I couldnt help sensing the

admiration of friends, male and female, and even strangers. That sweet-looking Mustang was the perfect way to announce my status as a recent college graduate. This, Im ashamed to admit, was the type of thing that was important to me before establishing a relationship with God. I had no way of knowing back then that God had brought Lyla and I together for a much bigger purpose. On that day, though, I couldnt thank Uncle Kevin enough for the car or for inviting me to the barbeque where I met this very beautiful, very classy young lady. After the barbeque, I took Lyla for a long ride with the top down, watching the wind blow her long, straight, jet black hair back like a scene from the movies. Driving home the next day, I credited my new ride for helping me seal the deal with Lyla. Although we didnt get involved in anything physical, we cuddled all night in one of Uncle Kevins guest bedrooms. Everything was moving along just fine. I refused to risk screwing things up by moving any faster. Lylas pace was just fine with me. Akron is only half an hour away from Cleveland, so we spent the next week traveling back and forth, visiting all the sights and stuffing our faces with food from every culture. We visited Put-n-Bay Islands, Kelley Island, every club in The Flats, Severance Hall, the Omni Theatre, Cedar Point, Kings Island, Sea World, the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame, Jacobs Field, community festivals, the zoo, the Metroparks. You name it, we were there. With Lyla at my side, it seemed like I was doing everything for the first time.

With the exception of this single irrational moment, the world seemed perfect when Lyla and I were together. That was before Uncle Kevins wife Katrinas birthday party. That was the night that I met Lylas evil cousin Celeste, the night that this biblical soap opera really begins -- a character lesson like nothing I ever imagined. For a time, I placed a large, custom-made plaque with Romans 12:19-21 inscribed on it on my bedroom wall. Each morning, I read aloud this message from the Apostle Paul between brushing my teeth and showering: Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, I will take revenge; I will pay them back, says the Lord. Instead, if your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In

doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads. Dont let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. In the early phase of my relationship with Lyla I believed in the doctrine that says fight fire with fire. For whatever reason, Celeste was constantly breathing fire; directly at Lyla. It didnt take long to discover that there was no love lost between Lyla and Celeste. Celeste was slightly more attractive physically. But her personality was mean and uppity. The glare in Lylas eyes when Celeste claimed to be happy that Lyla had finally found a decent man could have split a diamond in half. Had Donnie, Celestes husband, not steered her into the next room, things probably would have gotten ugly. Lyla suddenly needed a ride to the store. In the car, I began to see just how successfully Celeste had pushed Lylas button. One comment and my sweet, mild-mannered girlfriend started cursing like a sailor. I was sure that she must have cursed before at some point in her life, but never around me. It was intense to say the least. With agitated body movements, Lyla spit her words out in dramatic fashion. That bitch! I swear I could hit her in the head with a baseball bat. Okay, I thought, somebody needs to calm down. But Lyla was just getting started. I could tell by her reddened complexion that she needed to blow off some steam. So, I drove to the store quietly. Once Lyla quieted down, I attempted to engage her in conversation. But it just got her going again. You still upset? Youre DAMN RIGHT Im upset Phase II of Lylas tirade lasted another five minutes. Then, finally calming down, she apologized. I had never seen this side of her. Sitting with a half-embarrassed look on her face, I think she eventually realized this. As I pulled into a parking spot at the grocery store, she clutched my right bicep and laid her face against my shoulder. Im sorry, she apologized again.

For a second, I was tempted to ask her why that particular statement had made her so upset. But I thought better of it. Thats okay, I said, Im glad you had a chance to get it out of your system. Do you wanna go back in there? Not really, she frowned, but we probably should. Lets get a drink first, I suggested, believing that she needed more time to cool off. I didnt want to take a chance on things getting ugly between the two feuding cousins. Perhaps I was over-reacting, but this initial episode had taken me by storm. It made the one disagreement that we had seem like childs play. Based on Lylas quick reaction I gathered that this feud had been simmering for some time. I drove to a nearby liquor store and grabbed a pack of plastic cups and two ice cold bottles of White Zinfandel. I put one in the cooler in my trunk for later then opened the other one. I made sure that I poured Lylas cup to the rim, then had her sip some before we toasted. To Aunt Katrina! Happy birthday! Happy birthday, Aunt Katrina! Lyla started giggling before she finished her first cup. It felt good to see her smile again. By the time she finished the second cup, she was relaxed and enraptured by a song playing on the radio. But the encounter with Celeste had left her in a feisty mood. It wasnt long before she was shaking her head and moving her upper body to the music. It was very sexy, but we needed to get back to the party. But Lyla seemed to be of a different mindset. When I mentioned that her bra strap was showing, she stopped dancing for a minute. Then, looking me in the eyes, she said: So! I was just Ill pull it all the way down. As a matter of fact, here; let me take it off since its bothering you. After holding the bra in the air above my lap, she drops it onto my swelling crotch and start wiggling around to the music again.

This was more than too much for me, I thought, starting up the car. Where are we going? she asks, amused by my sudden primal stare. To your house! Lyla couldnt even wait until we got upstairs, ordering me to take my pants off while she placed a pillow on the floor for me to lay my head on. I promise Ive never done this before, Brian. I had no complaints, though. As a matter of fact, I was about to tell her, dont worry about it. Just promise me youll do it again. But there was something about the way her breast bounced around and the sound of her slamming against my pelvis that hit a switch. I couldnt even get out, dont worry. Dont Dont Oh shit! Oh my goodness! Oh shit! Oh shit! ....... Oh shit! Before leaving her house, Lyla changed into a short, skintight skirt and heels that made her legs look long and shapely. Walking up the steps behind her, at one point, I couldnt help noticing how round her behind and calf muscles looked. I was already thinking about going another round later that night. By the time Lyla and I returned to Aunt Katrinas party, Celeste and Donnie were on their way out the door, headed for a spotless 2017 Explorer. When I pulled up Celeste gave the Mustang a quick look over and complimented my taste in automobiles. Not only was this a not so cleverly disguised jab at Lyla; but Celeste went on to explain that Donnie wanted an all-year-around car. Thank you, I said, ignoring the intended slight. Then I turned to Donnie. Im Brian, I said, shaking hands. Nice to meet you, Brian. Im Donnie. Welcome to the family.

Donnie wore an apologetic smile as Celeste hissed and huffed. She was the poster child for high-maintenance women. When I glanced in her direction, she frowned and looked away. Then she quickly walked around to the passenger side of the truck. That is a nice truck, I added. Thats a slick ride, too. Well have to trade some time. Sounds like a winner. We shook hands one more time before he opened the door of the truck. When I glanced at Lyla, she was waiting patiently. Celeste was staring at her through the windshield, but she kept her eyes glued on me. Wearing shades now, she appeared very relaxed. Thank goodness. Donnies pleasant demeanor eased things a little. But there was still tension in the air. Celeste seemed angry about something. But her tight, skimpy outfit was enough to distract a priest. I wondered for a second whether anger made her as horny as it seemed to make Lyla. But I quickly removed that thought from my head. Way too much cleavage and side boobs for me to allow my imagination to take off in that direction. See you later, cousin! Celeste yelled as Donnie pulled off. The sarcasm in her voice made me turn to look back. When I did, she was still staring at Lyla with those hateful green eyes. It would all make sense to me one day. And boy, would that be a shocker! When Donnie blew the horn, Lyla turned and waved. See you later. Then, under her voice, added: bitch! I couldnt blame Lyla. Id met Celeste less than five hours ago and was already hoping that Id never see her again. As the spiritual world would have it, though, wed run into each other often. Wed butt heads in a manner that would open all our eyes to a reality that none of us were prepared to see.

Chapter 2
Pastor Ricky