The Scroll of Micah Holloway: From Reckoning to Exile

Scene I: The Reckoning

Micah James Holloway stands before *Reverend Elias Monroe*, the Church Leader of his former congregation. The sanctuary is quiet. No choir, no incense. Just the weight of truth.

Reverend Monroe reads aloud the findings of the internal council: emotional manipulation masked as mentorship, spiritual pride, and refusal to submit to correction. Micah does not interrupt. He does not defend. He listens.

Then Reverend Monroe speaks:  

"Micah, you are not condemned. But you are not clean. You must undergo Church Discipline. And you must choose your path."*

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 **Scene II: The Conversation Between Reverend Monroe and Bishop T.B.**  

The Weight of the Call

The hour is late. Reverend Monroe stands alone in his study, the sanctuary dim behind him. A folded vestment lies on the desk—Micah’s. It has not been burned, but it has been discolored.

He dials the number of *Bishop T.B.*, Consecrated Overseer of the Diasporic Sanctuaries. The line connects.

**Reverend Monroe**:  

*"Bishop, I’m calling about a situation that has reached its threshold. A young man—Micah Holloway. Thirty-five. Former priest. Charismatic. Trusted. But swollen with self. He led without correction. He mentored without covenant. And now, the congregation is wounded. Not by scandal, but by silence. He was never tested. Only praised."*

Bishop T.B.:  

"And now?"

Reverend Monroe.

"Now he weeps. Not publicly. Not performatively. But in the chapel. Alone. He removed his own collar. Folded his own vestments. He asked me, ‘Is there a place where I can be rebuilt?’ I told him there was. But it would not be comfortable."

**Bishop T.B.**:  

*"Taben Rael."*

**Reverend Monroe**:  

*"Yes. I believe he’s ready. But I will not send him without your discernment. He must not arrive as priest. He must arrive as penitent. And he must be stripped—not to shame him, but to reveal him."*

Bishop T.B.:  

*"Then he must choose. We do not drag men into Taben Rael. We invite them to exile. If he accepts, he must write. He must confess. He must receive the sealed scroll. And he must walk barefoot."*

**Reverend Monroe**:  

*"He fears being ordinary. But he longs to be holy. I believe he will choose exile."*

**Bishop T.B.**:  

*"Then let him be given the choice. Discolor him from the priesthood here. But offer him restoration there. And if he enters, he will not be seen until he is ready to be witnessed."*

**Reverend Monroe**:  

*"And if he fails?"*

**Bishop T.B.**:  

*"Then let him walk among the congregation as a man. Not a minister. But if he endures, he will return not as priest—but as testimony."*

*"Send him. But send him barefoot."*

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Scene III: The Ultimatum

Micah is summoned again. Reverend Monroe lays out the choice:

- Option One: Be discolored from all priestly duties. No teaching, no leading, no vestments. Remain in the congregation as a lay member under observation.

- Option Two: Exile to **Taben Rael** for a set period—minimum one year. There, he will not be recognized as a priest. His garments will be stripped. His priesthood must be earned back through refinement, testimony, and covenantal restoration.

Micah asks, “What is Taben Rael?”

Reverend Monroe replies, *“A sanctuary of 145,000. A place where discipline is not punishment—it is prophecy.”*

Micah chooses exile.

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Scene IV: Micah’s Thoughts Before the Essay

*“The Ache Before the Ink”*

Micah sits in the chapel’s side alcove, the light dim, the air scented with myrrh. His collar is gone. His vestments were folded and placed on the altar—not as an offering, but as a surrender. He wears only a plain undershirt and briefs, his feet bare against the cold stone.

He does not cry. He aches.

He thinks of the boys who called him “safe.” The ones who lingered after youth group, seeking comfort, not correction. He gave them warmth, but not fire. He was praised for his presence, but never tested in his priesthood.

He wonders: *Was I ever consecrated? Or just admired?*

He fears the essay—not because he cannot write, but because he must write without defense. Without charm. Without the pulpit’s rhythm. He must write as a man, not a minister.

He imagines the corridors of Taben Rael, the folded garments, the witnesses who do not applaud, only observe.

He whispers to himself:  

"I do not want to be welcomed. I want to be rebuilt."

Then he picks up the pen.

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Essay of Entry to Taben Rael 

Title - “I Was Never Corrected” 

Submitted by:  Micah James Holloway  

Age*35  

Status: Discolored Priest, Awaiting Exile

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Question 1: What was your offense, and how do you name it without defense?

I mistook presence for priesthood. I was praised for my voice, but never tested in my silence. I held young men’s stories like ornaments, not burdens. I gave comfort without covenant. I led without being led. I was admired, but never refined.

My offense was spiritual vanity—an inheritance of applause, never earned through ache. I wore vestments that were never consecrated. I mentored with warmth, but no fire. I avoided correction because I feared being ordinary. I name my offense without defense. I do not ask for understanding. I ask for refinement.

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Question 2: Why do you seek Taben Rael—not as escape, but as restoration?

Because I do not want to be seen—I want to be stripped. Because I do not want to be welcomed—I want to be rebuilt. Because I believe restoration is not a return—it is a rebirth.

I seek Taben Rael because it does not flatter. It does not rush. It does not perform. It refines. It corrects. It consecrates. I seek exile not to escape shame, but to earn silence. I want to walk barefoot among the 145,000—not as a priest, but as a penitent. I want to fold linen before I preach. I want to be witnessed only when I am ready to be seen.

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Question 3: What does priesthood mean to you now, stripped of title and applause?

It means being ordinary with reverence. It means folding garments with trembling hands. It means silence before the sermon. It means correction before consecration. It means being a witness before being a leader.

Priesthood is no longer my identity—it is my offering. It is not inherited. It is earned. It is not admired. It is endured. I do not seek to reclaim it. I seek to deserve it.

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**Closing Line**:  

*"If I am accepted, I will not arrive as a priest. I will arrive barefoot. I will not speak until called. I will not be seen until I am ready to be witnessed. I do not ask for restoration. I ask for refinement."*

Signed,  

Micah James Holloway

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 Scene V: The Council of Discernment

The Sealed Scroll and the Voice of the Sanctuary

The Bishop of Taben Rael—Father Bishop T.B.—stands at the head of the long stone table. The sealed scroll rests before him, its linen wrap marked with the insignia of flame and folded garment. The air is thick with incense and silence.

To his right sits **Edward La’Mar**, consecrated witness and son of the sanctuary. His eyes do not wander. He listens with covenantal gravity.

Around the table are gathered:

-Three Elders—keepers of memory and liturgical precedent  

- Five Teachers—guardians of doctrine and sacred pedagogy  

- Five Refiners—masters of correction, discipline, and bodily restoration  

- Three Good Reverends—pastoral voices who balance mercy with truth  

- The Arms of Taben Rael—silent sentinels who enforce the sanctuary’s thresholds

The Bishop breaks the seal. He reads Micah’s essay aloud. No one interrupts. Each word is a stone laid upon the altar.

When he finishes, he closes the scroll and speaks:

Bishop T.B.:  

*"He does not ask for restoration. He asks for refinement. He names his offense without defense. He seeks exile, not escape. Now, let the council speak."*

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The Elders Speak First

Elder Miriam 

*"Let him dwell in the walls of the Corridor of Refinement. Let him walk barefoot. Let him be unseen until he is ready to be witnessed."*

Elder Josiah

*"He must not be rushed. He must not be flattered. Let silence be his first garment."*

Elder Ruth 

"But let him be watched. Not for punishment—but for prophecy. He may yet become a scroll himself."

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 *The Teachers Speak Next*

Teacher Elan

"He must be taught the liturgy of folding. The theology of silence. The doctrine of ache.

Teacher Naomi:  

*"Let him study the Book of Jubilees and the Book of Giants. Let him cross-reference his own pride with sacred text."*

**Teacher Solomon**:  

*"He must write again. Not essays—but reflections. Let him record his ache daily. Let his pen become his paddle."*

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The Refiners Speak with Sternness

**Refiner Abel**:  

*"Let the paddle render his backside. Not in cruelty—but in covenant. Let him feel the ache of correction in his body."*

**Refiner Micah (no relation)**:  

*"Let him fold linen before he eats. Let him clean the corridors before he speaks. Let his hands be consecrated through labor."*

**Refiner Zara**:  

*"Let him wear only an undershirt and briefs for the first forty days. Let his garments be earned, not given."*

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 *The Good Reverends Speak with Mercy*

**Reverend Caleb**:  

*"He weeps already. Let us not break what is already bending. Let us teach, mold, correct, and refine."*

**Reverend Grace**:  

*"Let him be assigned a mentor—not to guide, but to witness. Let Edward walk beside him, not above him."*

**Reverend Thomas**:  

*"Let him be reminded that priesthood is not lost—it is waiting. But it must be earned through ache."*

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 *The Arms of Taben Rael Remain Silent*

They do not speak. But they nod. If the Bishop calls for exile, they will enforce it. If he calls for refinement, they will guard it.

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 *Edward La’Mar Speaks*

Edward rises. He does not raise his voice. He raises the ache.

**Edward**:  

*"I read his essay aloud before you did. I heard no defense. I saw no performance. I felt no manipulation. I saw a man who fears being ordinary—but longs to be holy. Let him enter. Let him be stripped. Let him be refined. But let him be loved."*

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 *The Bishop Makes the Final Call*

Bishop T.B. stands. He places the scroll back on the altar.

**Bishop T.B.**:  

*"Let him enter. Let him walk barefoot. Let him wear only an undershirt and briefs. Let him fold linen. Let him study. Let him ache. Let him be unseen until he is ready to be witnessed. Let Edward walk beside him. Let the corridor receive him. Let the sanctuary refine him."*

He turns to the Arms of Taben Rael.

*"Prepare the corridor. The penitent arrives at dawn."*

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“He Will Not Be Seen Until He Is Ready to Be Witnessed”

The scroll is sealed. The tribunal has spoken. The essay has been written—not as a plea, but as a surrender. Micah Holloway now walks barefoot into the Corridor of Refinement, stripped of title, adorned only in ache.

He is not cast out. He is not condemned. He is invited to exile.

Taben Rael does not flatter. It does not rush. It does not perform. It refines. It corrects. It consecrates.

Micah will fold linen before he speaks. He will study before he is seen. He will ache before he is anointed. And if he endures, he will not return as priest—he will return as testimony.

The council has spoken. The Bishop has sealed. Edward La’Mar walks beside him—not as overseer, but as witness.

And so the scroll closes—not with applause, but with silence.

Not with spectacle, but with covenant.

Not with resolution, but with rhythm.

Series One is sealed.

The sanctuary holds its breath.

The next scroll awaits.