Late Night Gospel StudyThe sermon that morning had been about obedience, and how doing what you were commanded to do took precedence over the commandments. It was controversial and the after service coffee gathering would be filled with discussion. The reverend Spillbacks had tried to make the sermon sound generic, referring to the story of Abraham's almost murder of his son by commandment, Joseph not exposing Mary as a whore despite the religious laws, and several other cases where people violated the commandments when they were instructed to do so by religious teachers. Although directed to the entire congregation, Spillbacks wanted one person in particular to hear the sermon; Jennifer Barlow, a very religious woman who attempted to have child like faith that made her seem almost moronic.He made his way through the well wishers drinking coffee and chatting about the implications of that morning's sermon, careful not to become too involved in any particular conversation. He knew Jennifer would be in the group and would not hurry home, but wanted to make certain he talked to her. It was a delicate balancing act of wanting to seem extremely interested in conversations without actually getting involved or staying too long with any particular group. He felt a tug on his arm; someone grabbed him just above the elbow. Oh hello Mrs. Cuddle he said turning to see the handsome woman in her early thirties looking up at him. Reverend Spillbacks, she said looking up at him, I want to thank you for coming to my home to minister to us last week. I so want to thank you for the blessing you gave me. My husband and I were wondering if you might come for a late supper on Tuesday. The Reverend knew that her husband would not be present. He had begun visiting the Cuddle family about six months ago. The husband and wife were unofficially separated with irreconcilable differences. The man traveled a lot with work, and she was often left alone. The almost constant separation resulted in the wife being left alone for long periods without male companionship which had caused a strain on their relationship. The reverend's visits had been under the guise of encouraging reconciliation and had done much to reduce the source of conflict. He had met almost exclusively with the wife on a weekly basis for bible study, prayer, and as she put it ministering to her needs as a woman. Of course, about 7:30 he said taking her hand. Go with God, sister. He turned right to avoid Cassandra, but not in time. She had seen him and was making her way toward him. She wanted to make certain that he would be available for their weekly prayer session. He had told her that confirmation was not necessary and it was best to keep their meetings confidential to avoid becoming the subject of the gossip that went through a small church group, but her needs were strong and her confidence was not. It seemed she needed the constant reassurance that he would be there for her when she needed support. As she got close, he made eye contact and mouthed Wednesday after school. She had winked, and smiled at him. She was deeply grateful for his help and support and thought they were being so clever keeping a secret from everyone else in the world.She had come to him almost a year ago when he first accepted the ministry and moved to this small community. She had been an average student but lately her grades were shipping. She had come racked with guilt and needed to confess her sins to someone. She was now almost fifteen, but when she had hit puberty, she had been hit with a flood of emotions and lust that she didn't understand. She had begun staring at boys, having sexual dreams. A year later, she had started masturbating, and could not stop. She had hoped he would tell her it was not a serious sin and she should not worry about it. He had done just the opposite and condemned her not only for fornication, but also for pride, and deceit lying both to God and herself. He had quoted her scriptures