Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: FAITH (strong, confident belief in God) (02/26/15)
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TITLE: Out of the Blue | Previous Challenge Entry
By Lamar Taylor
03/05/15 -
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“In the kithchen!”
The smell of peanut butter cookies met him at the door.
“Mmm. My favorite.”
“They’re for the Bible study tonight. Wait until then,” Marci teased.
“One or two won’t be missed.”
“Just try,” she warned, giving him a playful pat on the cheek.
Chad said, “Marci, I was praying and out of the blue came a thought.”
“Peanut butter cookies?” Marci replied, poking him in the ribs with a spoon.
“Hey, I’m trying to be serious.”
“Okay. What was this thought ‘out of the blue’ ?”
“I think the Lord wants us to move to Oregon.”
“What? When? Why?”
“Hold on, now, Honey. It was just a thought.”
Marci said, “Chad, we’re just getting to know this congregation. I’m tired of moving. My dad moved us around a lot when I was a kid. And besides, our baby’s due in a couple of months.”
“I understand, Darlin’. He was a preacher, but this thing isn’t in concrete, yet. If it’s from the Lord, maybe he’ll let us wait until after the baby’s born.”
“How can you understand? You lived on the ranch all your life until we went to college.”
“Look, Hon, let’s just set it aside for now. Look at the bright side. We’d be closer to your mom and dad.”
“You know I don’t get along well with my folks.”
“But we’ve changed, Marci, God changed us. It might give us a chance to improve that relationship. And Stan and Roberta live in Oregon, too.”
Marci gave him a doubtful stare. “Dinner’s on the table.”
************
“Marci! You’re here.” As they hugged, Roberta said, “We’re so happy you’ve moved to Oregon.”
“Well, we don’t know what we’ll do here. We’re just trying to be obedient to God. We’ve come here on faith. That’s about all we’ve got right now.”
“There’s no better place to be, Girl.”
“Well, I know you’re right, but that doesn’t mean it’s been easy.”
“Of course not, but you’re welcome to stay with us while you sort things out.”
“Thanks, Roberta, but we don’t want to impose on you.”
“Nonsense. It’ll be like old times, like when we were in Bible college together.”
Chad, looking weary, came from the UHaul truck and put his arm around Roberta’s shoulders.
“Hi, Roberta,” he said.
“Stan’s at the church. I’ll call him and let him know you’re here.”
************
As they sat around the dinner table, the phone rang. Roberta walked to the kitchen to answer it. Chad and Stan continued to talk while Marci fed Levi. Roberta called from the kitchen, “Stan, it’s Sam.
“Excuse me, guys. Sam Foster is our board chairman and his wife has terminal cancer.”
Roberta returned to the dining table, looking longingly at Levi, resting his head in the crook of Marci’s arm. Marci saw the look in Roberta’s eyes and asked, “Would you like to hold him? I need to get something from the bedroom.”
“I’d love to,” said Roberta, taking Levi in her arms.
“Such a beautiful boy,” she said.
“Takes after his dad,” quipped Chad.
“You wish,” Roberta shot back. “He looks like his mother. He has her eyes.”
When Stan came back into the room, Roberta asked, “How’s Clarice?”
“About the same,” replied Stan, “but Sam didn’t call about that. Where’s Marci?”
“She had to go to the bedroom for something.”
When Marci returned, Stan said, “Sam has a proposal to make to you two.”
Chad answered. “What? He doesn’t even know us.”
“He knows about you because we’ve told him. Anyway, Sam has a 60-acre horse ranch about 20 miles west of here, on the other side of a small mountain range. That’s his home, but since his wife has cancer, they’ve been staying with their daughter in Beaverton to be closer to the doctors and the hospital. He wants to know if you and Marci would consider house-sitting their place for awhile. It would be rent-free. All you have to do is keep the place up, make sure the horses are fed and watered and exercised some, even ridden once in a while.”
“Really?” Chad responded, a look of disbelief on his face. Marci’s eyes were wide as she looked from Stan to Chad.
“Honey…?”
“It’s an answer to prayer, Chad. You love horses, and we both like to ride.”
“And,” Chad said, with tears in his eyes, “it’ll give us a chance to rest and pray and wait for the Lord to show us the next step.”
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well done!
God bless~
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