✝ LOOK AT YOUR LIFE THROUGH HEAVEN'S EYES.

【Gabriel Lockhart // 32 // Pastor at the Holiday Community Church】

[knowingriggs]

“ So I was working on this drawing for my friend, it was a picture of her sister and her newborn nephew, she knew her sister would be getting lots of baby gifts and wanted to give her something different so she asked me if I’d do something, and of course I agreed. I worked on it for over four hours and still had more to do, but all that went down the drain when a customer as the comic store decided to spill their Slurpee all over it!

[hosannagcbriel]

GABRIEL LET out a little gasp of shock. “oh my gosh, that’s terrible! were you able to save it, or at least part of it?” He asked, clearly saddened by the event. “that really is a sweet thing to do for your friend, though. I’m sure she’ll understand. It was an accident, after all,”

[guccitama69]

[hosannagcbriel]

proudmcxican‌:

hosannagcbriel‌:

      Ari couldn’t help but beam at the other’s words, tilting his head to the side slightly as a response “Thank you. In my defense, my mother always taught me to never accept anything for free and now I think everyone’s suspicious thanks to that” he reasoned with a chuckle, eyes drifting to the tray as the other reached out and took one of the pastries. Ari was proud of his skills as a chef, there was no doubt in that, still he always found himself nervous when giving away some of his ‘stress foods’ as he used to call them.

      The smile on his features only grew bigger as the other complimented him, followed by a small chuckle “I did, yeah. Thanks. Can’t remember half of it but I sure as hell did. It’s a family recipe, my mom used to do this— type of syrup if you will, to dip it in… it’s pure heaven. I do remember the recipe, but you can take as many as you want. My son is just tired of sweets at this point. Do you bake?”

GABRIEL COCKED his own head. “Ah, well my mother always taught me that kindness begets kindness, I’m hardly suspicious of you,” He said genuinely. Gabriel had a difficult time being suspicious of anyone, let alone a sweet man offering pastries. Many thought it a product of his occupation, but it was more-so a product of the man himself. 

His smile only grew as he continued to munch on the treat. It really was unlike anything he’d tried before. “that sounds wonderful! I’m sure you do her justice, its hard to think that these -- sorry, what were they called? Anyways, that they could get better,” He urged. Though he perked up at the mention of a son. “oh yeah, how old is he? I have three, my oldest is eight. I bake a lot, and they never seem to get tired of it!”

[hosannagcbriel]

rilxycoleman‌:

hosannagcbriel‌:

“oh yea, there was like a solid fifteen of us, i don’t even know how we ended up as an official group, we were all in detention one day and we started messing around. then it became a joke and then more people joined and the next thing we knew. bam. we were one of the first acapella groups at the whole festival.” then life had gotten busy and they had all taken on parent rolls or full time jobs, they just hadn’t had time to keep it going. “don’t worry about it man, i literally loose my train of thought ever fifteen minutes in a day, i have no idea how my wife puts up with me. but you should give it a go, never know if you don’t try.” 

GABRIEL’S BROW rose in surprise. “fifteen, even? Gosh, that’s a lot! That’s funny, how it just sort of happened to work out like that. It’s very Greek Comedy The Fates Be With Ye type stuff,” He offered with a small smile. Gabriel was thankful for Riley’s kind words. He was right, of course, but the pastor hadn’t quite worked up the courage to preform as of yet. For the kids, sure, but they were by-in-large lacking judgment. Prone to kindness by default. “hm, that’s true. Still, I don’t know if I have the stomach for it. I will have to see most of these people in church on sunday,” He offered a shy smile and placed a hand on the back of his neck. “I could say the same thing about my wife. I think its because I give her baby-breaks,”

[hosannagcbriel]

rhapsodics‌:

hosannagcbriel‌:

“You very much are the type to do your research,” she nodded in agreement. Gabriel had always seemed that type to her – and she often envied his dedication. “That’s really nice of you to say. I’m not sure who actually did the nurturing other than myself, though, but we’ll just keep that between us otherwise I’ll sound really big-headed,” she laughed. “Yeah, I think so. I wish I could have more faith in the younger generation, but I think a majority of them think it’s still a cool thing to do.”

GABRIEL BEAMED. “thank you, it’s one of my many talents,” He said playfully, though her words rung true. He was a scholar and a critical thinker. A rarity in small towns like Holiday, but he coupled his knowledge with a fair amount of kindness and friendliness that made his thoughts easier to digest. Gabriel offered a small shrug. “who knows, sometimes we’re products of our environment, and sometimes we can learn to be our own heroes.” He said, in no mood to let Addy put herself down. “gosh I really hope not. My unbridled optimism won’t allow me to have anything but faith in them, though,”

[finlxywestbrook]

hosannagcbriel‌:

Finley couldn’t believe that he was actually excited about this. He had been buzzing to tell Addy about it when he had gotten home and he could tell that she had been impressed which just made it all that much better for him. With a bag filled with a jersey and a new pair of boots in his hand, Finley was excited to make his way to the park he knew the little league was at, a little earlier than the time he was supposed to be meeting Gabriel and Jonah, just to make sure. Looking around at some of the other dad’s that had already arrived Finley could tell a few of them were the very asshole he had warned Gabe about. Hearing a familiar voice behind him, grinning as he saw father and duo heading his way. “Hey man, you made it.” He beamed before he knelt down to Jonah’s level, crouching on one knee. “And you must be Jonah! You ready to play some ball? We got you some new gear here, so you really look the part.” 

[hosannagcbriel]

GABRIEL HAD been talking up the event all week, preparing his son for his new and exciting journey. He couldn’t help but think that he was more excited than Jonah, but then again his boy had never inherited his eccentricity, Gabriel had prepared as best he could, putting Jonah in a t-shirt and shorts, he carried with him a bag of supplies -- sunscreen, juice boxes, even band-aids if needed. As they approached the park he saw Finley’s familiar frame and called out to him. “Sure did! And early too, that’s rare for us, huh Jonah?” He hummed playfully, turning to his son with a huge grin. “this is Finley, you remember I told you about him? Say hello, buddy,” Jonah was the most shy kid Gabriel had ever seen. He had trouble speaking to most people, and hardly ever met their eyes. Lord knew why, but he was always doing his best to encourage the boy. It worked this time, since he offered a soft hello. “new gear? that’s so cool, huh?” the pastor said, trying to keep the momentum going. He was more than eager to help him into them, and offered as much. Gabriel kept his eyes on his boy as best he could, lest he evoke the wrath of another father. 

[awkwardrobot]

      Ari stood next to the nearest foodtruck he could find, one hand on his pocket while the other held onto a tray covered with tin foil, a soft sigh escaping his lips. To no one’s surprise, the chef had spent all night baking, a nervous habit of his. It was almost unconscious, almost as if after 2 a.m, his brain shut off and his body had a mind of itself. It was, for the most part, a nice surprise to wake up to an entirely different pastry that appeared out of nowhere, but it was starting to get tiring; not to mention he had decided he needed to stop feeding Arturo only pastries in the morning. 

     Alas, he found himself in the music festival with a tray of buñuelos that he couldn’t quite remember making and an almost apologetic smile as he approached a passbyer, eyes glued to the tray as he spoke “Hey, can I interest you in some free desert?” he began, scratching the back of his head with his free hand “I know it sounds… sketchy, to say the least, but I promise it’s not. I… overbake, constantly. And well, today I woke up to like, a hundred of these and well, here we are. I promise they don’t have anything weird on ‘em. It’s kind of like… funnel cake, but not really.”

[hosannagcbriel]

GABRIEL WAS an enthusiast of many things outside of the church. One of his biggest passions was baking. He adored it, both as an activity to preform with his children, and a personal hobby. He was no professional, but he certainly knew his way around a recipe. Gabriel was almost drawn to the area where Ari loitered, enticed by the smell of sweets.

Gabriel liked to think he was a cultured man, but even he couldn’t identify the pastries on the plate. He thought they looked wonderful, though. And his words: I overbake constantly, the pastor had never felt more understood in his life. “of course you can, I don’t think it sounds sketchy, I think it sounds kind,” He said enthusiastically, picking one up and taking a generous bite. They were amazing, and he couldn’t wait to point that out to Ari. “You made these? They’re wonderful! Do you remember the recipe? I’d love to make them at home!”

[hosannagcbriel]

rhapsodics‌:

hosannagcbriel‌:

“I’ll go along with that just because I don’t want to disagree and accidentally insult said cultures or myself,” she laughed. Knowing her, she’d probably end up doing both without even realizing it. “They all just have one track minds when it comes to those things, though. I’m glad I managed to steer clear of that part of life.” She shrugged a shoulder. “Yeah, you say that, but I’d love to actually sell them at a store one day and see just how many are actually sold. I feel like that’d prove your theory wrong.”

“THAT’S A safe bet, but I promise I’ve done my research,” most people were shocked to find out Gabriel was an aspiring scholar, though he’d already spilled his heart to Addy. “I think that’s a nurture issue, not a nature one. Because it looks to me like you’ve got a good head,” He offered softly, frowning a little. “You think so? I mean, of course the older you are the more likely you are to smoke but...I like to have faith in the younger generation,”

[hosannagcbriel]

yrsweetvalentine‌:

hosannagcbriel‌:

“Great ears, if I do say so myself.” Jake chuckled, fishing out his phone as he spoke. “Well, I really appreciate it. You looked like the friendliest face in the immediate area and I was right.” He had his answer ready, some comment about being lazy at the beach the whole summer and dreams of tea making, but paused. “Dude, you’re good. Do your thing, I’m just chilling.” He hadn’t checked grindr all day, a crime in itself, so Jake took the opportunity. ‘Anonymous’ was intriguing - someone that used too many emojis, but didn’t ask for nudes right away and held decent conversation. Jake typed with one hand, the other nursing his drink. ‘Sorry I didn’t respond right away, work was a nightmare today. i should win an award for standing on my feet for six consecutive hours. how’s ur day going?’ 

GABRIEL SPORTED a huge grin. “thank you, I try! To have good ears and a friendly face,” he mused softly. It wasn’t true, really. He just had a naturally kind and approachable demeanor, but it had yet to serve him wrong. Gabriel gave a nod of thanks, and went about texting his wife -- pickup plans for the next day’s soft ball practice. It was a quick issue to sort out. Just as Gabriel was finishing up, his phone gave another more distinct ding. It was Cupid on grindr. He figured there was no harm in replying while his companion was otherwise distracted. “no worries! I hope you’re feeling alright, at least. I’ve been doing good, tried a new tea that was amazing!” He tapped back, he shot the message out into the world wide web as he turned back to Jake. Unsurprisingly, he was on his phone as well -- it gave its own ding. Gabriel knew that sound all too well. It was definitely grindr. Weird, he thought. But there was no way Jake was Cupid. There must be at least a hundred other guys in town with the same app. Still...Gabriel hadn’t locked his phone yet. He sent out a simple smiley emoji, something that wouldn’t seem weird to Cupid. And there went Jake’s phone again. Gabriel could only stare, agape, at the man sitting across from him.

[hosannagcbriel]

yrsweetvalentine‌:

hosannagcbriel‌:

CUPID : that’s really amazing, guitar playing is preeetty sexy so goon on ya. 

CUPID : I do most of my work with oil paints, but ive been really interested in spray painting as of late - one of my current passions. I also love portraits, that’s where i get most of my profit.

ANONYMOUS: haha, you think so?😳 I just do it because it’s fun but I guess that’s a bonus! 😊

ANONYMOUS: that’s so cool! I really love oil paintings 🎨 i’ve been some pretty impressive spray paintings around town. is any of you stuff out for display? wondering if i’ve seen it! 😋

[rilxycoleman]

“You know I’ve been saying for years, I’m going to get myself involved in this music festival for years, and I haven’t done anything since I was 20 and I was part of the boys acapella group that won.” Riley mused as he kept an eye on his kids who were currently playing in the area that had been built up for them, he was going to be on dad duty for most of the time anyway but he didn’t mind. “What about you? You ever fancy giving it a go? Any hidden talents.” 

[hosannagcbriel]

GABRIEL WAS practically beaming at the prospect of Riley in an acapella group. The image was just...so cute it warmed his heart. “really? an acapella group? Gosh, I’m really sorry to have missed that. Must have been amazing!” He said with a huge smile. Gabriel cocked his head slightly. “well, I can play the guitar a little. I do it at bible study and I know a few songs but I think...” He trailed off, trying to catch a glimpse of his oldest kids in the hoard of children, they seemed to be safe and playing nicely with the others for now. “sorry, I think being on stage would freak me out at bit,”

[hosannagcbriel]

yrsweetvalentine‌:

hosannagcbriel‌:

CUPID : consider me ‘mr. right’ then   😉  😉  😉  😉

CUPID : actually that line was so cheesy, i’m currently hanging my head in shame. 

CUPID : guitar! nice! know any songs? hmmmm, well i’m an artist, if you’re into moody artsy men. if not then i’ll have you know i always played lacrosse my entire highschool/college career so i can also be a sporty guy. multi-facted, you know? 

ANONYMOUS: that’s okay! who doesn’t love some cheese, mr. right? 🧀

ANONYMOUS: a few! mostly folk songs but I can sort of strum by way through summer of 69! I’m definitely more on the artsy side. Never really got into sports, honestly. What’s your specialty? or are you multifaceted with art too? 😊

[hosannagcbriel]

rhapsodics‌:

hosannagcbriel‌:

“I’m pretty sure my brain is just constant white noise, so the colors of the rainbow sounds pretty good to me,” she shrugged. It was white noise most of the time, with the occasional blip of something else. “I never had any smokers in my immediate family growing up, though I do have the feeling that my biological father did, but considering I never met the man, I wouldn’t know.” She felt more than comfortable talking about the topic. “If that was the intention, though, they definitely worked.”

“WHITE IS a prestigious colour in some cultures,” Gabriel pointed out eagerly. “so maybe your thoughts are just of another class!” He tilted his head thoughtfully. “that’s good, though, it’s not exactly the best, especially when they don’t seem to see how it’s affecting others. And even if your biological father did, I’d say you’ve done pretty well for yourself to say off,” He offered her a warm smile. “for sure. haven’t done the research but i’d imagine sales are at an all time low,”

[thebookofsecrets]

[hosannagcbriel]

yrsweetvalentine‌:

CUPID : preeetty good. drinking my favorite cup of tea and now i’ve got interesting conversation.  😉 not a deal breaker for me, all good on my end. 

CUPID : oooh, so you’re not a murderer and you’re a sweetheart? lucky me~ if you were worried, i’m not a murderer either. sooo, anonymous, tell me a lil something about yourself. 

ANONYMOUS: neat, I’m glad. 😊 now you’re speaking my language! 🤯 I love tea & good conversation. looks like I’m talking to the right guy 😛

ANONYMOUS: I’d like to think so! 💘 And don’t worry, I didn’t think you were one. At least, I don’t think someone who’d want to hurt me would be worried about me hurting them! 😋 well, I can play a little bit of guitar! 🎸 what about you, cupid?

[hosannagcbriel]

finlxywestbrook‌:

hosannagcbriel‌:

“I’m leaning more towards the liking you side, but if the nicety’s get to much I will let you know. Not going to lie, 8 months ago I would have been throwing the ball at your head on purpose so this is an improvement for me.” Addy had done wonders on him and anyone that knew him could see. He just felt more calm in himself, he had never had an issue with confidence, but he had still always felt the need to prove his worth, and keep himself at the top, These days he felt more sure of himself, he was smart, he was good at football and doing well in college, he had an amazing girlfriend, why the hell would he need to put anyone else down to make himself feel good about that? “I mean my girlfriend probably wants a lie in from the Friday night shift and she’s honestly one of the only people I know around here so why not, I can keep you all clued up and help the little tike with his runs and gear. Plus the other dad’s can be assholes so it will be nice for you to have someone else there.” 

“THAT’S THE side I want to be on,” Gabriel mused, cocking his head at the younger male. “really? well you’ve really made strides then, because so far you’ve been nothing but polite and courteous. You should be proud of yourself, that’s not an easy thing to do,” Sure, he didn’t know Finley that well, but he worked in the church & he’d seen more people push to change themselves than he cared to count. Especially because most of them failed. “do I know your girlfriend by any chance? either way you can tell her lunch is on me, if she feels good enough to join us after,” Gabriel was all too willing to offer at least something for the boy’s time. “I really can’t thank you enough. I didn’t even know there was gear for him to wear.” Finley really had been sent to him from above, he thought. “I figured. well, hopefully they don’t mind a pacifist in their midst. I couldn’t care less who looses, so long as Jonah has a good time,” He knew his son wasn’t getting enough time to himself. anything he could do to make that even a little better, he’d certainly try.

[upppppsidedown]