Playlist and The Quotes:
Chapter 1 - Jer 29:11
Chapter 2 - If by House of Heroes
Chapter 3 - 1 Pet 5:7
Chapter 4 - Swept Away by Flyleaf
Chapter 5 - New Horizons by Flyleaf
Chapter 6 - Romans 10: 11-13
Chapter 7 - Hebrews 13:2
Chapter 8 - Exodus 20:17 tenth commandment
Chapter 9 - Fully Alive by Flyleaf
Chapter 10 - Cassie (acoustic) by Flyleaf
Chapter 11 - Matthew 7:7
Chapter 12 - Exodus 20:16 ninth commandment
Chapter 13 - Set Apart by Flyleaf
Chapter 14 - Romans 8:35
Chapter 15 - Exodus 20:15 eighth commandment
Chapter 16 - Have We Lost by Flyleaf
Chapter 17 - Exodus 20:14 seventh commandment
Chapter 18 - Arise by Flyleaf
Chapter 19 - Peter 4:8
Chapter 20 - Exodus 20:13 sixth commandment
Chapter 21 - Psalm 3:6
Chapter 22 - There for You by Flyleaf
Chapter 23 - Exodus 20:12 fifth commandment
Chapter 24 - Galatians 5:22-23
Chapter 25 - Exodus 20:11 fourth commandment
Chapter 26 - Tiny Heart by Flyleaf
Chapter 27 - Exodus 20:7 third commandment
Chapter 28 - Exodus 20:4-6 second commandment
Chapter 29 - Exodus 20:2-3 first commandment
Chapter 30 - Stand by Flyleaf
Chapter 31 - Matthew 25:40
Chapter 32 - Cassie by Flyleaf
Chapter 33 - John 3:16 and Hallelujah (Jeff Buckley version)
The Final A/N:
When I started this story, I don't know what I was thinking – maybe I thought I could prove a point that not all religion is bad or maybe that one's religion doesn't matter. Maybe this was an extended metaphor to not judge a book by it's cover. Maybe I just wanted to show how judgment can truly affect people. Maybe I wanted to examine the Ten Commandments and interpret their meanings in modern ways. Maybe I wanted to purge my own demons, my own negative experiences with religion.
Or maybe, I don't know what I was doing when I was writing it. I can admit that.
If you've made it to this final page of Hallelujah, then I hope reading this did something for you, because I know it altered me in ways I can't even describe. In many ways, I felt like I was writing myself, not Bella– and that was liberating.
I said in The General Disclaimer that I was no expert in religion – any religion – and that holds true. I'm not an expert in anything. I'm human. I'm imperfect. I make mistakes and I can be horrible and I can be amazing. If anything, I hope this story can help you realize that God is forgiveness as much as He is God. Making mistakes is okay. I hope this story helped you or entertained you, at the very least.
Thank you so much to everyone who read, followed, favorited, and reviewed – your personal stories, your favorite quotes from the Bible, your thoughts on religion, your encouragement, your confessions, and your support all made Hallelujah.
So, I'm signing off on this story. I'm saying good-bye to these characters. I love them, but they told their story.
As always, be brutally honest. I can take it.
~cupcakeriot