"The Old Man and Love" is Pastor Ellis' newest fiction book, and the sequel to "Tragedy in Anytown." We have provided an excerpt and book review in hopes to engage you as a reader. Once again, Pastor Ellis utilizes the basic components of a human personality to name his cast of characters. It has 129 pages and is available at the cost of $12.00. All monies will be returned into Country Preacher Ministries, Inc. to continue our mission of spreading the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. If interested, please click on the contact page and send us an email. We will be happy to send it to you.

"The Old Man and Love" revolves around the different lives of the rich, and the poor, the saved and the unsaved, as well as the carnal and the faithful Christian. It shows lives of the depraved, and how people like this live and thrive in our society today. Often times going unnoticed before, during, and after the many crimes and horrors they put upon society and innocent people. Some may even get away with murder, while many times the innocent are wrongly accused. As in all of Pastor Ellis' books you will find scriptural references sprinkled throughout in a way that only he does best in order to hopefully help someone recognize something that may lead them to the Lord. "The Old Man and Love," portrays the many different personality traits that can be found in all of us, and shows how everyone responds differently when dealing with life's situations. It emphasizes the differences in the way the saved and the unsaved, handle things and shows how the saved call upon God, family, and the church for their concerns, or problems in life. It also shows how the unsaved, even while knowing in their heart there is a God, go to people they believe are saved for counsel and prayer, never once having a thought that they should call upon God for themselves. Or, ever knowing that Satan has complete control over their lives, leaving them far removed from God. For me, as a Christian I found it a sad reality that even when an unsaved person is in a dire situation they still do not call upon God. Even when they have enough knowledge about God to seek His help through others. The faithful Christian characters portrayed in the storyline are wonderful examples of how we all should hope to be. I found "The Old Man and Love" a very enlightening look at some of the obvious differences between the many personalities we find in life. Somewhere, in one of them I know you will find yourself, your family and your friends.

The Excerpt

The days slipped by, and Mr. Weak and Mrs. Lonely continued their affair. They knew they were wrong to be involved in such a relationship, but they were also enjoying it.

Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant. Proverbs 9:17

One day, Mr. Weak came home from work and tossed his shirt into the dirty clothes hamper. He thought he had removed everything from the pockets, but he had overlooked a little note Mrs. Lonely had sent letting him know when she could see him. It was this little note that would let a very big cat out of the bag. Now, unfortunately, it would not be long before the anger, hurt, and pain would begin.

Later that same day, while she felt up to it, Mrs. Weak decided to do a load of clothes. She was having one of her better days so she thought she'd make the most of it. Reaching down into the clothes hamper she removed all the dirty clothes and headed toward the wash room. Then she picked up each piece and checked the pockets, as she always did, to make sure there was nothing in them. Planning to do the colored clothes later, she tossed aside the blue shirt Mr. Weak had taken off earlier. As it fell to the floor into the pile, a white piece of paper slipped out of the pocket. Mrs. Weak just happened to see it and without any suspicion, she picked it up and continued preparing the washing machine to wash the clothes. As she started the machine and turned to leave the wash room, she quickly glanced at the piece of paper to see if it was anything important to save for Mr. Weak, thinking he might need it for work. As she opened the note, she could hardly believe what she read. It said, "Looking forward to being with you again at the same motel, at the same time, your Honey."

She just couldn't believe her eyes. Mrs. Weak groaned and clutched her heart as she began to cry uncontrollably. Her strength left her immediately, and she had to sit down. Still sobbing, she finally made it to her bed. Her shock and pain were so severe her moans filled the house. She never would have even imagined her husband would do this to her. They were both Christians and active in church. "Dear God, he's the Deacon," she cried! They both had always strived to live for the Lord. Or so she thought! Now this! She finds out, and like this, he is seeing another woman. "How long had this been going on," she wondered. What would she do? What would she say? Right now, she was too upset to decide, but after she regained her strength and composure she would figure out what actions to take.

After Mr. Weak left home that morning and was out on his route, he remembered the note Mrs. Lonely had sent him. Reaching up he removed the papers and items from his pocket looking for the note. He quickly noticed it was not there. For a moment, Mr. Weak panicked. Then, getting a grip, he assured himself that he could get the note when he returned home that evening. Hopefully, Mrs. Weak would not have found it. He had not heard her say anything about doing the laundry today, so he felt fairly confident she would not find the note. His worry was short-lived, as Mr. Weak's mind was on meeting Mrs. Lonely later that day. Not having any idea, that one day, he might be meeting someone else as well.

Poems taken from "The Old Man and Love"

Sometown

Sometown may be your town,

For these characters, all live there.

Or they could live in Anytown,

Just about anywhere.

Which person like these, are you?

Please answer me.

None are perfect it is true,

Does the Holy Spirit control you?

For some, having fun is their thrill,

While some are plotting how to kill.

Love can be found, going around,

But it's selfish, we often find.

Sometown needs more than a few,

To show real love, I wonder, do you?

When at the judgment, we all will stand,

Have you obeyed, the Lord's commands?

Raymond T. Ellis

9/26/09

Your Plans

Your plans you make carefully,

And work hard to achieve your goals.

But somehow things will happen,

And your dreams, they are stolen.

The hurt and pain that you feel,

Will trouble you to the grave.

As many people will wonder,

What was their grave mistake.

Others seemed to make it, though,

With peace and real happiness.

But somehow it avoided you,

And you've not been as blessed.

What is the secret to this life,

That you, somehow, have failed?

Could it be you were looking,

For real life, in the wrong place?

Raymond T. Ellis

11/6/09