This time Jill Anne spoke again. "We had a much different group then. Only three of us here today remember who Clay Banks even was, but we remember her marrying him here in our sanctuary. Oh God, we prayed and prayed, prayed that somehow she'd be spared the wrath of this very evil man."
A few hums of agreement and an "amen" erupted from around the circle. "Yes, indeed," said Dyan, "he was an evil man. My mother used to say they prayed for Clay Banks almost all of his life, but they just did not take root in his heart. He was a mean boy who grew up to be a mean man."
"We knew we should not pray that she be set free from him," Mary continued. "We knew that would happen someday, but God will not be rushed. He does things in his own time." A few more "amens" followed. "We knew we had to focu
