The Test

The Test is a narrative centered on a young man whose faith is profoundly challenged after he is identified as a suspect in a crime. As his reputation deteriorates, he grapples with doubt and begins to question his relationship with God. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:03

Welcome to Echoes from the Pages Podcast. I am your host, DeAdre Nicole, author, content creator, and podcaster.

SPEAKER_02 0:11

Echoes from the Pages Podcast is a platform where Christian fictional stories are brought to life, thoughtfully crafted around real life experiences with you, the listener in mind. In this episode of Echoes from the Pages, you will meet a young man by the name of Elijah Carter. Seventeen years old, Elijah is the heart of this story. He's known in Mercy Chapel Church as a good kid, faithful, respectful, always trying to do what's right. But when money is stolen from his church and the evidence points to him, his reputation collapses overnight. Elijah's role is both the accused and the seeker of truth. More than that, he's on a deeper journey, one that tests not just his innocence, but his faith in God when everything around him says to give up. This is the test. Elijah just as many Christian believers faith is continuously being tested. One Sunday afternoon, a thunderstorm came without warning. The sky tore open like a curtain pulled by unseen hands. Thunder cracked so violently it rattled the stained glass windows of Mercy Chapel. Inside, seventeen year old Elijah Carter stood alone. According to some, he wasn't supposed to be there, not after what happened. Three nights earlier, the church safe had been broken into donations, money meant for missions, for feeding families, for hope, gone. And somehow Elijah's fingerprints had ended up on the safe.

SPEAKER_00 1:49

I didn't do it.

SPEAKER_02 1:50

He had said again and again, but people stopped listening after the third time. Even Pastor Williams, a father figure to many, including Elijah, he once baptized him, taught him, and believed in him. But when the accusation happens, he becomes distant and silent.

SPEAKER_00 2:16

You know I didn't do it, he said aloud, voice shaking. So why aren't you doing anything?

SPEAKER_02 2:23

Lightning flashed, filling the sanctuary with white light. For a brief second, Elijah thought he saw movement, someone standing near the back pews. He spun around.

SPEAKER_00 2:34

Hello?

SPEAKER_02 2:35

No answer. Just rain hammering the roof. He exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair.

SPEAKER_00 2:42

Great. Now I'm imagining things. You're not imagining.

SPEAKER_01 2:47

Thank you for tuning in to the Echoes from the Pages Podcast. Please join us next Tuesday at 6 a.m. Eastern Standard Time for the second installment of The Test. Discover whether Elijah is merely imagining what he sees and hears, or if there is truly someone present.