Joey Raines
Bio
I mostly write from raw events and spiritual encounters. True stories shaped by pain, clarity, and moments when God felt close. Each piece is a reflection of what I have lived, what I have learned, and what still lingers in the soul.
Achievements (1)
Stories (42)
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Maps Are Not Always Paper
I didn’t go looking for writing. Writing found me. I did not start because I loved stories. I started because there were things inside me I could not explain. Memories with no proof. Moments that did not belong to the physical world. I needed somewhere to put them. Somewhere that could hold what my life could not carry in silence. Writing became the place where I could finally see the shape of what had happened to me, like tracing a map of something that had no outline. I did not know it then, but every strange moment and every unseen thing was pushing me toward the page, marking coordinates I would only understand years later.
By Joey Raines2 months ago in Humans
Behind the Sheet
We moved into the house in late fall, the kind of season where daylight fades before you feel ready. The nice elderly landlord walked us room to room with a natural smile, pointing out upgrades and fresh paint and how the furnace had been recently serviced. He kept talking, but every time we reached the hallway, he angled his body away from the last opening at the far end. He never looked at it directly. He never mentioned it.
By Joey Raines2 months ago in Fiction
Same Breath. Winner in Parallel Lives Challenge.
I saw the semi drift across the rain and slide toward my lane. I jerked the wheel right. Tires screamed. The world tilted, and the headlights spun over wet blacktop while the car fishtailed. Gravity pulled me sideways, and my stomach fell. I waited for the hit that would end everything.
By Joey Raines3 months ago in Fiction
The Pizza Shop Battle I’ll Never Forget
When my wife Candace and I first got our pizza shop, it felt like a dream. A small neighborhood place with a brick oven, a steady stream of regulars, and the smell of garlic that seemed to hang in the air no matter how much we cleaned. We had bought it from a man named Bill, an older Italian guy who was known around town for having a sharp tongue and an even sharper way with money.
By Joey Raines3 months ago in Motivation
Do You Trust Me?
Some lessons don’t come through sermons or scriptures. Sometimes they come quietly, when you least expect them, through something as simple as a phone screen and a voice that asks one question you can’t ignore. This is the true story of how God spoke to Joey one night while he played poker on his phone, preparing him for a storm he didn’t see coming.
By Joey Raines3 months ago in Confessions
The Angel on Valencia Road
I was driving somebody to the airport in a cab one day. The year was 2004. Back then, there were three cab companies that picked up passengers at the airport in Tucson. I drove for one of them, but I had also started my own small cab company on the side. The airport had strict rules, so my personal cab wasn’t allowed to line up with the main companies at the terminal. Because of that, I split my time. I drove for the company half the day, then used my own cab the other half, trying to build something for myself.
By Joey Raines3 months ago in Confessions
One More Round
There was a knock at the door. Three of them, actually. Jax froze with his hand on the arm of the couch, the sound cutting through the air. Nobody knocked on his door anymore, not in a long time, not since everything stopped feeling like a home. It sounded like Misty’s knock. He stood up slowly, his heart pushing against his ribs like it wanted out, and crossed the living room that still smelled faintly of her perfume, no matter how many times he cleaned. The door handle felt cold in his palm. As he turned it and opened the door, there she was, Misty, standing there with her hair pulled back the way she wore it when she was about to spar, eyes bright and wide. Her lips curled into a small smile that hit him right in the chest.
By Joey Raines3 months ago in Fiction
The Fire on the Route
The morning started like any other. The school bus rolled through the neighborhood, stopping to pick up kids. Inside the bus, everything felt normal. Kids talked, backpacks shuffled, the usual routine. Some were still half asleep. Others were already loud, talking about games or whatever had happened the night before. The bus aide checked seat belts and made sure everyone was sitting down. Just another morning.
By Joey Raines3 months ago in Humans
A Cruise for Only Two
The private party felt like it was running on its own rules. Soft lights, music low enough to feel secret, drinks passed around without anyone counting. Danny had found it by mistake, following the wrong hallway and catching a glimpse of a door that never should have been open. James was already inside, leaning against the bar like he owned the place. He had been on ships like this for years, knew the tricks, the hidden corners. Danny was wide-eyed, clutching his first drink like it might anchor him.
By Joey Raines4 months ago in Fiction
