Seekers Book Two - Chapter 5

Five: Servanthood

Chase ran to his father’s side. Solomon and Rain had filled him in on the incident in the coffee shop—minus a few details. Captain Dae Simon was laying in his bed in the hotel room. He was soaking wet with sweat and thrashing around while shouting “No!” over and over. Solomon said he was having an experience similar to Marc’s withdrawal from the sprint.

He took his father’s hand and Captain Simon woke up with a start and looked at his son. “No. No more. Don’t hurt me. Don’t hit me again!” He said. Rain told Chase that in his father’s fantasy, Chase had become Skar.

“It’s OK. It was just a bad dream,” Chase said softly.

Dae sat up and embraced his son and said, “Oh thank God you’re OK. I didn’t think I’d make it back in time.”

“In time for what?” Chase asked.

“In time to save you from Adam,” Dae said.

“What are you talking about? Why do I need to be saved from Adam? He’s a true shepherd of God. He’s already shared so much with me. In fact I was coming to tell you that Marc, Lin and I have decided to stay here and join the Lantern. Marc and Lin are moving into their dorm as we speak.”

“That’s not a good idea,” Dae said.

“Well, I really don’t care what you think. Don’t be a hater, Dad. I really don’t want to leave on bad terms with you.”

“Leave? Where are you going?” Dae asked his son.

“To be a servant,” Chase responded turning toward the door.

Solomon and Rain were standing outside the door and heard the last exchange. Solomon asked if he could have a word with Chase. He showed Chase the last two scriptures they had found. He also mentioned that Rain had sensed fears of many people in the VR world. Chase was outraged at the accusations.

“What makes you think that Adam has anything to do with this? You’re a hater too. I can’t believe this. I thought you of all people would be on my side, but you’re just like him. Oh well, it’s OK. I forgive you and I’ll be praying for you to find your way.” Chase stormed out of the hotel.

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The hospitality towards the two men and the young girl ended immediately. They were kicked out of the hotel and asked to leave the town. However Captain Dae Simon had a ways to go before being well enough to travel very far. Luckily the city was big enough that they easily found places to take shelter and hide out. Several weeks passed and Dae became stronger. Soon, they decided to use the coffee shop as their base of operations and they made plans to rescue the others.

“That’s the dangerous thing about false teachers,” Dae said to Solomon and Rain. They ground their theology in truth. They even use scriptures to back themselves up. Adam’s ideas would be magnificent if carried out properly and humbly. Which leads me to his weakness—vanity. He comes in the name of the Lord, but gradually gets these kids to worship him. After all, he is the “Shepherd of the Lord.”

“I don’t understand. How is that his weakness?” Rain asked naively.

Dae shook his head and said, “I forget how young you truly are. A child should never have to learn these lessons this young. His ego is his weakness. He likes feeling powerful, but the problem with power is the more you get the more you want. This little flock isn’t enough. If the opportunity arises, he’ll move on if he thinks he can find a place that will make him more powerful.”

“What can we do?” Solomon asked.

“Pray. The only thing we can do is pray for the light of God’s truth to shine on the situation.” They joined hands and began their intercession.

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Two hundred miles away on an Indian reservation a young woman washing clothes in a nearby riverbank felt an urge in her spirit. She was a strong believer and knew what that feeling meant. She immediately dropped her wash and walked up the shore. She knelt before a large rock and began to pray.

“The Word says, ‘God is the Light and in Him there is no darkness.’ I thank you, Lord that you have also been called Truth. So at this moment, I pray dear Lord for the light of your truth to shine on this situation—a light so bright that there can be no shadows. There shall be no secrets hidden in the cobwebs. There shall be no doubts or fears nor any deceit that will not be exposed. I thank you for that light now. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

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Lin had befriended Dara. She had one of the gentlest hearts Lin had ever seen. She seemed way too soft-spoken to be one of the leaders. Anyone could tell it was a roll she was not quite comfortable with.

The lights went out in the women’s dormitory located on the second floor of the Lantern club. Dara waited an hour until everyone was asleep, and then got up and tip-toed towards the bathroom. Lin hadn’t quite fallen asleep, so she waited a few minutes, then got up and followed. She arrived to find Dara trying to sob quietly.

“What’s the matter?” Lin whispered.

“Shhhh,” Dara said. “They’ll hear you. No one can know that you found me in here like this. Promise me you won’t say anything.”

“Why? You haven’t done anything wrong have you?” Lin asked. “Dara, you can tell me. I want to help you. I promise I won’t say anything.”

“Adam doesn’t like his leaders showing weakness. I have to get control of my emotions,” Dara said composing herself. “You’d better get back into bed. There’s not supposed to be any noise after lights-out.”

“Not until you tell me why you were crying.” Lin was determined to get involved.

Dara began choking up again. “Sam asked me to marry him,” she said.

“That’s great! Why are you crying? You’re nearly 18. You’re old enough to get engaged.” Lin was actually a bit jealous. She had been dreaming of her wedding day since she was six.

“Marriage is strictly forbidden. Adam says we shouldn’t conform to ‘worldly’ establishments. Sam knows this. If Adam finds out we’ll both be…” Dara was unable to finish her thought due to uncontrollable sobbing.

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Meanwhile in the boy’s dormitory down the hall Marc sat straight up, his eyes shot wide open. He had relived the night on the burning bridge every night since it happened. Tonight it was different. Instead of discussing their stolen kiss Jan turned to Marc and said, “Pray with me.” They bowed their heads and Jan began this bizarre prayer about truth and light. It didn’t make any sense. Everything suddenly got very bright. The light was nearly blinding. Then he woke up.


Chase never slept at all. He hated the way he had left things between Solomon and his father. Adam told him that he did what he had to do. The disciples all had to abandon their families to follow Christ. Sacrifices had to be made.

On the other hand, Chase was reminded of the two scriptures that had been found this very town--Stern warnings about those who come in the spirit of God. And what was that about the false prophet telling people they weren’t allowed to eat and drink certain things? The more Chase laid there contemplating, the more questions arose in his spirit.

He was reminded of the days in the schoolhouse. Solomon had once said that the word of God is the ultimate truth. Everything must be judged by the Word. Adam’s teachings were based out of scriptures. At least the lessons he taught the first day were. Chase had noticed that Adam was referring to the scriptures less and less. He said that God had a new word for a new day. Chase was growing more and more disturbed. He decided he would ask Adam a few questions the next morning. Then he would try to find Solomon and ask him a few as well.


“Before we go back in there, I need to ask you a favor,” Dara asked Lin. Lin shook her head yes and Dara continued, “underneath my mattress is a silver disk. Can you make sure Draik doesn’t get his hands on it.”

“That’s an odd request,” Lin said.

“Just promise me.” The desperation in Dara’s voice was creepy.

“I promise,” Lin said and they both snuck back to their bunks.

When Lin awoke the next morning, Dara was gone. The other girls were huddled around her bunk discussing her disappearance. From what she could overhear one of the boys named Sam was also missing.

Lin feigned sickness as the others went to breakfast. When she was sure she was completely alone in the room. She snuck over to Dara’s bunk and lifted the mattress up. Sure enough there was a silver disk there. Lin could have sworn that this was an access disk. She quickly dressed, slid the disk into her pocket and took off to find Marc and Chase.


She couldn’t find Chase, but Marc had managed to keep his mini-computer hidden from the others. There was a lot of confusion this particular morning regarding the two deserters. Marc and Lin managed to steal away to a storage closet where they decided to activate the disk. In moments the computer beeped. The scripture appeared on the screen.

Dearly loved friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the truth of the Good News. God gave this unchanging truth once for all time to his holy people. I say this because some godless people have wormed their way in among you, saying that God’s forgiveness allows us to live immoral lives. The fate of such people was determined long ago, for they have turned against our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Jude 1: 3-4.

“Look,” Lin said. There’s two other scriptures out here that Solomon activated since we’ve been here.” They read the scriptures and looked at each other and Lin said, “I detect a theme.”

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Chase wanted answers. Yet he knew he had to be careful. Either he was about to tread on Holy ground or on a field of serpents. He was still uncertain because Adam’s words had so much truth in them. There was just something he couldn’t put his finger on. Adam had told him to stop listening to the voices that surrounded him and listen to his inward voice. So he decided to call upon the Lord once more. He found a quiet spot and began to pray.

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Rain had experienced something in the VR world. She had felt the fear of a large group of people. She couldn’t get the face of the old lady in the cell out of her head. She was determined to go back in and find out more. Dae decided he would go with her.

“Absolutely not!” Solomon protested. “That would be like a recovering sprint addict throwing another patch on his arm for old time’s sake. Do you know how dangerous that is? I’ll go in.”

“No,” Dae said. “It has to be me. She found the old lady in my fantasy world. Besides, you’re the computer expert. We need you out here to track the virus. Maybe if we locate the source, we can find the real-world location of these people.”

“Let’s spend some time in intercession before you do this,” Solomon responded. “I can only do so much out here, but perhaps the Spirit of the Lord can guard your minds while you’re in there.”

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She was beckoned again. The urgency seemed stronger this time. A climax was coming. She rose, wrapped herself in a blanket, and exited the teepee. She didn’t know the names of those she was to intercede for, but she could see their faces as if they were standing in front of her. They did seem familiar. It was an hour before she was to get up anyway. She began to arrange wood to begin rekindle the campfire that had died down. She sat and began to pray and intercede once more. This time she prayed that the Lord guard the mind of the child and the man. She also prayed that they find what they were searching for. Soon she was joined by other Native-American maidens who joined her in her morning prayer. The prayers shot like forceful laser beams into the heavens where they were heard by the Creator who set all things into motion. He nodded his head and spoke His words, “Let there be Light.”

Copyright 2008 Johnny Howard All Rights Reserved

Seekers Book Two - Chapter 4

Four: Through the Dark and Winding Tunnel

Dae rubbed his eyes. This couldn’t be happening. Not now. Not after all he’d been through. He feared he would never see his real son again. “Solomon, Rain!” He screamed hoping somehow his physical body might react and get the attention of his companions out there.

Meanwhile Solomon and Rain began looking through the store windows and calling Dae’s name. Rain saw a silhouette that looked like a human body in one of the windows but it just turned out to be a cardboard cutout.

“Over here,” Solomon called Rain towards the web cafe. There was a sign on the door. It read, “Try our new virtual reality experience: must be 18 or over.” Solomon pushed the door open.

“This feels familiar,” Rain said as they stepped through the door. “I feel a presence here that we’ve fought against before.”

It didn’t take long for them to spot Captain Dae Simon plugged into a VR terminal. Solomon neared the Captain and tapped him on the shoulder. No response. He pressed the exit button on the temple of the glasses—again nothing. Solomon looked at the screen at the terminal. “Something’s wrong,” he said.

“Imaginations!” Rain said as she neared Dae. “He’s caught in a fantasy like I was. We have to get him out now, Solomon.”

“I’d like to, but I just can’t yank the glasses off of him while he’s neurally connected. His brain will be irreparably damaged.” Solomon pressed a few keys on the keyboard and continued, “It looks like there’s some sort of virus implanted into the system. I don’t know if I can clear it.


Dae’s bedroom door opened and what appeared to be about a fourteen year-old Chase stormed in. “Why don’t you just stop!” He yelled. “For the zillionth time, there are no such people as Solomon and Rain. Now take your medication and shut up! I’ve got some friends coming over in a minute.”

“You know,” Chase continued, “it’s bad enough that you ran Mom off with your craziness but do you have to ruin my life too?”

“Sorry. I’m sorry son,” Dae said reaching his hand toward Chase. Chase waved his hand and slammed the door as he exited the room.

This was becoming a nightmare fast. Dae got up and went into his bathroom. He looked into the mirror. He was at least a hundred pounds heavier than he remembered. His hair was gone, his teeth rotten. He opened the medicine cabinet and found a bottle of pills. He impulsively took one without even reading the label. Apparently this was his perfect life now.

As he exited the bathroom, he was grabbed by several young boys. “Mr. Dae Simon,” Chase, the obvious leader of the group said, “you are a hater. You are a hater of the young. You are a hater of the cause. Most importantly you’re a loser who was never there for your son. For all of this you must be punished like all the rest.”


The second service began just like the first. Only this time Adam had heard that Lin could sing and asked her to sing a special song before he began his sermon. It was beautiful. She chose an old favorite of her mother, “All I Need.”

Chase used this time to try to focus in on God and silently pray. He wanted to be taken in by all of this, but there was just something amiss. He couldn’t wait to reconnect with Solomon and his father and see what they thought. As soon as Lin finished her song, Adam decided that he wanted to pray over some people and called them forward. Chase was the first.

“The Lord would have me say,” Adam began his prophecy, “Child stop listening to all of the voices that surround you. Your maturity will come when you learn to listen to your inner voice and what it’s calling you to do. Understand the voice of the shepherd. He will not lead you astray. Thus sayeth the Lord.”

Chase wasn’t sure what to think, but would ponder it later. He was suddenly anxious to hear Adam’s lesson for today. He was a lot more interesting and dramatic than Solomon.

Adam spoke about how Jesus was the Good Shepherd but now the role of the pastor was to be the shepherd over the flock. He said, “Therefore, God has now appointed me to be your Good Shepherd. Through the words he gives me, I will guide this flock.”


Dae’ body began twitching and he was sweating profusely. His body was going into shock. Rain took his wrist and tried to check his pulse. “His heart is racing,” she said.

“The virus is feeding into his darkest fears,” Solomon said tapping on the keyboard. The only way we can bring him out safely is if we can get him to reject the fears and concentrate on things of peace. Once he’s calm he can focus and come back to reality.”

“Can you write an antivirus that will help?” Rain asked.

“It will take time, something I’m not sure we have much of,” he responded.
“Can you jack me into his dream?” Rain said picking up another pair of VR glasses.

“Absolutely not!” Solomon said. “That’s very dangerous”

“Look, I’ve been where he is, remember. I know I’m just a kid, but you have to trust me and just do it. God will help me save him.” She put the glasses on and plugged into the second slot on the console. “Besides, you’re the only one who can control the system from out here. You’ll take care of me. I’m ready. Let’s do it.”

“And a child shall lead them,” Solomon said as he pressed a button activating Rain’s VR experience.


Adam approached Chase immediately after the service and invited him to a meeting of the inner-circle. The inner-circle was reserved for those Adam felt had leadership qualities. “Chase, it’s time for you to relax. It doesn’t have to rest on your shoulders anymore. It’s time for you to relinquish some of that responsibility and just be a follower for a while,” Adam said.

Draik continued, “Part of our responsibility as leaders is to be servants. We want you to let us take care of your needs for a while.”

Dara, Draik’s twin finished the thought, “It’s OK to let go and enjoy some freedom.”

“I don’t know,” Chase said.

Dae woke up in the floor of a cell. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he realized that this was completely familiar. The sights, the smell, it all seemed so recent. He touched his chest. His shirt was gone and his body was grimy with dirt and sweat, and… blood. Suddenly the pain from the bruises returned.

“No!” he yelled. He knew exactly where he was.

The door to the cell opened and someone stepped in. He recognized the silver uniform and the long black baton. “Skar,” he whimpered.

“Wrong!” came the voice as the baton struck him. “What’ the matter, Daddy, don’t recognize your own flesh and blood?”

“No, it can’t be.”


It took a moment for Rain to adjust to her surroundings. It seemed like she was in a dark tunnel. She began walking forward while constantly praying. She heard sounds ahead. She felt disturbed by them. She noticed a large empty laundry hamper and climbed in. Something seemed oddly familiar about the role she was playing. After the footsteps passed, she climbed out. She looked down at herself and noticed she was wearing a candy-striper uniform. “I’m Lin,” she said out loud as the revelation struck her. “I must be in the hospital basement.” Lin had told Rain the story of how she had escaped from the hospital with Chase’s father. Rain never thought she would get to experience it first hand.

She heard screams—many screams. She could feel the fear of the many people trapped here. “Wait a minute,” she thought. “I shouldn’t be able to sense the fear of anyone but myself and the Captain.” She looked into the door of a cell. She saw an old lady look up and mouth the words “Help me” silently. Rain backed away and turned back to the corridor. She had to keep moving forward and find Dae quickly before she got sucked in.

Then she remembered something—a song. Lin had sung it to her. She had to remember it. She didn’t have the voice of an angel, but it was her only hope. She prayed for help and the words began to flow out of her mouth. Suddenly she heard the whimpering voice returning the lyrics.

She saw the wrench Lin used to break the padlock and picked it up. She wasn’t sure if she had the strength to use it, but she had no choice. Apparently she had to play it out the way it happened. She found the cell and swung the large wrench. The lock broke immediately and fell to the ground. She opened the door and stepped in.

He was mumbling something about Chase being Skar. She took him by the hand—the angel. The song, now the girl—it all seemed so familiar again. She took him by the hand and said they needed to get out of here. He dropped to his knees and just cried.

“I can’t, I can’t,” Captain Dae Simon was defeated. “Where’s my wife? Where’s Sylvia?” He just repeated over and over. Rain was getting scared herself now.

She just began to pray, “Father God, I thank you for bringing peace into this room. Peace that passes all understanding…” Slowly the atmosphere changed and so did the surroundings. Suddenly they were in a baseball field. Rain was sitting next to Dae who was holding a video camera. He was filming his son’s baseball game.

“We have to go now,” Rain turned and said.

“I can’t. I promised him. I’ve broken so many promises,” Dae said.

“He needs your help now—out there. We all do.” Rain took his hand.

“I’ve tried. The exit button doesn’t work,” the tears began to flow down his cheek again.
“Because you didn’t really want to go back. You didn’t want anyone to see your weaknesses. You didn’t want to feel the pain anymore. So you decided to escape. It’s understandable. But there are a lot of people out there who need you right now. You can save your son just like he saved you. You just have to want to go back. Take my hand.”

“I can’t,” Dae said shaking.

“Yes you can. Come on. We don’t have much time.” Dae took Rain’s hand and they both closed their eyes and pressed their right temple thus deactivating the Virtual Reality program. Dae immediately fell to the floor, assumed the fetal position and cried.

“Are you alright?” Solomon asked Rain.

“Yes, but we’ve got a problem. I think I know what happened to all the adults.”

At that moment the terminal beeped and a silver disk slid out. Solomon stuck it into his mini-computer and activated the next verse:

“Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.” I John 4:1

Copyright 2008 Johnny Howard All Rights Reserved

Ketchup

My sincerest apologies for not getting stuff posted lately. I'm about to do you all a favor and massively post the rest of the Seeker's Book 2. That should keep you reading for a bit. I have not written book 3, so I will keep you anticipating for a while.

Also, keep your eyes peeled for the completion of the "Origins" story I've peppered in between the Seekers stories. I'm sorry it hasn't been finished yet. I've had a bit of writer's block lately - too many things going on.

I'm doing that because I have a new idea for some new stories I want to try my hand at. Something a bit more in tune with where we are today.

The series will be called "What If?" and will be sort of a weird cross between Fantasy Island, Touched by and Angel, and Angel (spinoff of Buffy the Vampire Slayer). What if you could get one do-over. You could change one decision. Just one. What would it be? Would it make a difference? Would it create a better life or make it worse? So keep your eyes peeled.

Again, sorry for the delays.

johnny

Seekers Book Two - Chapter 3

Three: The Glass House is Shattered

“Look at this,” Solomon said turning to Dae, but he was gone. He and Rain glanced in all directions but didn’t see him. “Where did he go?” he said to Rain.

Rain shrugged her shoulders. “Should we go look for him?” She asked.

“Maybe it’s better that we split up for a bit. We can cover more ground. Perhaps he’s found something interesting as well.” Solomon reached down to the ground and picked up a piece of red paper. It was a flyer of some sort. In large black letters it said “The Truth.” What followed was the manifesto of the organization known as The Lantern.

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He woke up in his bed. The smell of coffee, bacon and eggs permeated the atmosphere. He glanced out the window. Another perfect, sunny day beckoned him. It was Sunday. That always meant breakfast in bed with the Sunday paper followed by a wrestling match with his four year old son. Depending on the weather the whole family might go to the beach for a swim, or maybe the park to fly kites. Norman Rockwell couldn’t have painted a better portrait. What about church? What about God? Somehow he just never got around to it. Did it really matter? It was just a fantasy. He wasn’t harming anyone. Yet somehow it always made him feel guilty, but only after he unplugged from his trip into Virtual Reality.

Mr. Dae Simon had discovered this secret world shortly after the war started. Some of the soldiers used it in the evenings to find some sort escape in the midst of turmoil. The VR glasses transmitted an impulse into the eyes which connected it to the part of the brain that controls dreams. If you could dream it, it existed in this virtual universe. Most people used the VR glasses to do the impossible—become a superhero, fly to the moon, or marry the most beautiful supermodel. However, all Dae Simon wanted was a normal life. In this world he worked a normal nine to five job. His wife was at his side and eternally as beautiful as their wedding day. Chase remained a four-year-old mischief-maker. Everything was always perfect.

Something was wrong. Today was different. Thunder echoed through the little town. Lightning knocked out the power to his house. Sylvia, his wife and Chase’s mother, ran into the room terrified. Chase flew quickly by and jumped into his father’s bed and under the covers.

“What’s going on, dear?” Sylvia asked.

“I don’t know,” Dae said, “but I guess we’ll just have to stay inside today. I think it’s going to rain.

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Chase remained a little skeptical, but Marc and Rain had fallen hook, line, and sinker into the realm that was The Lantern. After all, it made perfect sense. He was using the scriptures that they had uncovered and released to the internet, so he had the verses to back himself up. Everything he said, did fall in line with The Great commission and what God called them to do—to be servants, to reach out. Yet Chase couldn’t help but think there was some element missing. He just couldn’t put his finger on it.

“So where do we start?” Lin asked. “I mean there’s not a lot of people to reach out to in this empty community.”

Adam laughed. He delighted in Lin’s enthusiasm. “No, but there is a great big world out there. God has spoken to me as to the new direction. I’ll be talking about it in our service tonight. Come it’s lunch time.” Lin was escorted to an area filled with tables and chairs where she sat at a table with Draik and Dara, Adam’s team captains.

The food served consisted only of raw fruit and vegetables. Dara stood and said grace and everyone began eating. The Seekers thought it was odd that there was no bread or meat of any kind, but were thankful for the hospitality and provisions provided that they decided not to say anything.

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Something had changed. In an instant the storm had stopped and Dae was now standing at the head of a table filled with children. Chase was right in front of him and before them was a birthday cake. Dae was helping Chase hold the knife steady that was to cut the first piece. Dae counted the candles—six. Sylvia was a few feet away with a camera. “Say Cheese!” She shouted. A dozen small voices echoed in unison.

“What’s happening?” Dae said out loud. He was clearly disoriented and that frightened Chase and Sylvia. He was wandering around the room, knife still in hand.

“Honey, are you OK? What’s the matter, dear? Why don’t you give me the knife sweetie?” Sylvia tried to keep her voice upbeat so as to not scare the children. “You must be getting another one of your headaches. Why don’t you give me the knife and go lay down? I’ll take care of the party from here.”

In a daze, Dae handed the large kitchen knife to his wife and wandered into the bedroom where he laid down. Something has changed with this program. He closed his eyes and pressed his right temple. This action should have activated the escape button on the glasses and returned his mind to reality. It did not work. He tried again. Nothing. He suddenly felt trapped. Like the air in the room had lifted. Suddenly he realized that he now had no way to get out of the very thing he was using to escape.

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Meanwhile Solomon had finished reading the Manifesto of the Children of the Lantern. It all sounded well and good—discussing The Great Commission, ways to serve the community, ways to reach the world for Christ by meeting the needs of the people first, then once they’re hooked it’s time to introduce them to God. Solomon could find nothing wrong with the doctrine. It was all scripturally sound, exciting even. It would have been an ideal way to reach the lost in the hands of the right person.

“Hey,” Rain said reading over Solomon’s shoulder, “I think there’s some writing on the back.” Solomon flipped the sheet over and noticed what appeared to be an access code. “Let’s check it,” she said.

Solomon reached into the pocket of his white jacket and pulled out a pocket computer. He flipped it open and pulled up the website. He punched in the access code. “I hope it will take the code without a disk,” he said. His answer came mere seconds later when the scripture illuminated the small screen. Solomon began reading:

“Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from what we believe; they will follow lying spirits and teachings that come from demons. These teachers are hypocrites and liars. They pretend to be religious, but their consciences are dead.
“They will say it is wrong to be married and wrong to eat certain foods. But God created those foods to be eaten with thanksgiving by people who know and believe the truth. Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it. We may receive it gladly, with thankful hearts. For we know it is made holy by the word of God and prayer. First Timothy four, one through five.”

“What do you think it means?” Rain said.

Solomon responded, “I think it means we need to find the Captain and get to the others now.”


Copyright 2008 Johnny Howard All Rights Reserved

Origins Chapter Six

Origins Chapter Six

Genesis 1:14-19
14 And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.


“Day Four. A lot of people view this as being about light and darkness, day and night. It is, but this is where God establishes the linear time that we know. The bright light of the sun measures the day, and the lesser light of the moon measures the night and establishes the seasons.” Jack said as he stared across the breakfast table at Terra.

They had met in the school cafeteria early that morning. Jack said he has some things he needed to take care of later that day and wouldn’t be available to work with her. Of course, this made Terra furious, but she had to understand that even Jack had other classes and responsibilities besides biology. Plus, Jack was starting to look a little pale. He dismissed it as that cold he had been fighting the last several days.

“OK. So how does this prove God exists?” Terra said. She was becoming more and more curious about Jack’s lessons. She really wasn’t convinced of anything yet, but she had to admit, she was becoming more open-minded to his point-of-view. Of course, she would never tell him that directly.

“Well, think about it? How could such literal order come from such random chaos?” Jack stopped and looked at his watch. “Can we meet up later? There’s somewhere I’ve got to be.”

Terra shook her head yes as Jack got up, grabbed his tray, and left.

Terra couldn’t help but ponder what Jack was saying. How could such order come from random chaos? It was an interesting question. Jack didn’t show up to biology class. Terra was concerned – not mad like she would normally get, but concerned. She dismissed it and continued to contemplate on their discussion by making a mental list. The sun supplies warmth, and life to the planet, but during the evening, the moon with its phases helps coordinate the seasons. It’s seems very symbolic considering that earth is in orbit around the sun and the moon is in orbit around the earth. The moon isn’t really a light source at all, just a reflection of the sun. Sort of the way that human beings are supposed to be a reflection of their father. This mental connection shocked her. She wanted to dismiss it and forget about it, but she also wanted to share her epiphany with Jack. She wished he was here.

Terra went through the rest of her classes still haunted by her thoughts about God and whether He really does exist. It seemed so illogical, but she was starting to think that maybe that was the point. As she was walking through the campus, she found herself outside of the school chapel. Chapel was optional, and since she chose to opt out, she had never actually been inside before.

She stepped inside. There she met a woman named Ann. Ann was a volunteer. Ann asked if she could help Terra.

“No, I really don’t know why I’m here. I’m sorry,” Terra said turning to leave.

“I’ve been expecting you. Jack said you might stop by,” Ann said. Terra was speechless. “It’s OK. I’m not going to hurt you. Why don’t we just talk a while.”

The two went to a little counseling room just off the main chapel. Terra told Ann about her epiphany earlier. When she was finished, Ann got up and turned the lights of the room off. This shocked Terra.

“Tell me what you see?” Ann asked.

“Nothing, it’s dark.” Terra responded.

“Not completely, but that’s good.” Ann said. She took out a flashlight and turned it on. “Is that better? What do you see now.”

“I see everything in the room now, but it’s still dark and there are shadows cast from the flashlight.”

“Would you say that the shadows that are cast prove the existence of light?” Ann asked moving the conversation forward.
“I’ve never thought of it that way, but I guess you could. Is it sort of like the eastern religions teach? Good cannot exist without evil – yen and yang. They balance each other out?”

“Well, not exactly. You see, good has always existed and will continue to exist after evil is no more. It’s more like when I turned the lights off, you said it was dark. But it wasn’t really completely dark. You could make out the outline and shapes of the things in the room. There were glimpses of light from the door frame and peeking around the edge of the windows shades. Yet through that lesser light you had two things that I bet you didn’t realize you had – hope and faith. You had hope that I would turn the light back on soon. You had faith that when I flipped the switch, the school had paid the electric bill and that the light bulb that we placed in the fixture would not be burned out and the light would come on. Are you with me?” Ann’s lesson was hitting home with Terra. Yet Terra was growing more confused.

“I mean I guess so, but I still don’t know how that proves God exists.”

“Well, sometimes you are near the light – like when the light in this room is on. Everything’s clear and it’s easy to see what’s in front of you. Then, sometimes you are distanced from the light. Even though it’s there, you’re too busy focusing on the darkness and the shadows to see the little glimpses that are guiding you. It’s always better to walk in the light, but sometimes your choices lead you into dark rooms. It is then that you need two important things – hope and faith - Hope that daylight will come soon and faith that the light will shine again.

“It’s sort of like how the sun and the moon work in tandem to create the seasons. Summer – filled with light and warmth. Then autumn comes and the beautiful colors signify that there is a time for things to come to an end so that new things can begin. Winter, a cold season of waiting – it can seem so bleak. Yet just when hope is lost, spring arrives to teach us that life can be new again. Think about that for a while and come back and talk to me any time.” Ann’s speech rounded out a very odd afternoon for Terra. Two days left and now Terra wasn’t sure she was ready to find out what was in store.

Copyright Johnny Howard 2008 - All Rights Reserved

Seekers Book Two - Chapter 2

Seekers Book Two - Chapter 2

Two: Of Wolves and Wool

He placed the VR glasses on and hooked it into his wristwatch. In seconds he was connected to the internet. He spoke the vocal commands out loud. He was nervous, though. He hoped no one would hear him. “Search files.” He said. “Load datalog 4597631. Update stream. Scan sequence. Upload datastream, Sylvia9. Continuous play.” He then sat back in his chair. Relaxation immediately set in. He was now lost in a fantasy. It was there that Captain Dae Simon remained for the rest of the night.

He managed to wake up before the others. He felt shaky, almost like in withdrawal. It wasn’t possible, though, he had taken no drugs. He never quite understood the side effects of the night in virtual reality. He also felt really guilty. He couldn’t understand that either. He wasn’t harming anyone. He wasn’t harming himself. He wasn’t breaking any laws. He was just escaping. The VR world was normal. The VR world was safe. In virtual reality, he was a father, a husband, and a friend to all. He went to work every day and came home to a picture perfect household every night. It never rained. No one was ever sad. It was almost heaven. Almost.

____________

Lin and Rain had developed a very close friendship. Lin had a very kind demeanor. She almost instinctively knew how to get along with everyone, especially Rain. She always made time to play games, braid hair, and talk to Rain. Rain loved it because Lin was the only one who would speak to her as if she was an equal and not just a dumb kid. Unfortunately, Rain tried to keep these feelings bottled up because they made her feel guilty. She felt guilty because on some level she liked Lin more than Jan.

For the first time in several weeks, civilization appeared. They were heading into a small town. They were quite unsure how they would be received, but they would have to take that risk. They had run quite low on supplies. They headed into the heart of the small city. It was odd. It seemed almost deserted—not a sole on the street.

Solomon looked at his watch, “11:00 a.m. Shouldn’t there be some hustle and bustle going on?” he said.

“One would think,” Marc responded and the others agreed. They came up to a building with a large flashing neon sign that read “The Lantern” in bright green letters. Music was pulsating from inside. The Seekers decided to take their chances.


Rain began shaking. Her sensitivity to the spirit had developed her ministry gift of discerning of spirits into a vital tool for the team. She sat down on the ground and began crying.

“What is it?” Solomon sat down next to her.

“The sheep are sleeping with the wolves. They are in danger and they don’t know it,” she said weeping.

They entered what looked like a dance club filled with people like them, teenagers. The one exception immediately walked toward them with his hand extended. The friendly-faced man wasn’t much older than the others, probably somewhere in his mid-twenties.

“Welcome to the Lantern,” he said as he approached Marc. “I’m Adam, nice to have you here.”

“I’m Marc,” he said shaking the man’s hand. Adam then greeted all the other youngsters, completely ignoring the older men and the young girl.

“What brings you out to our little part of the world?” Adam asked.

“Just passing through,” Chase said taking control of the conversation. After all, he was the leader. “The town looks unusually deserted. Where are all the adults?”

“Well, you’re looking at him. This is our town. Won’t you allow me to introduce you to the Children of the Lantern?” Adam turned to the group behind him. “First, there’s my right hand. Please meet my team captains. Without them, things would never get done.”

A boy and a girl stepped forward. The young man extended his hand first. “I’m Draik. Nice to meet you.” Chase, Marc, and Lin all shook his hand. The others remained ignored.

The girl followed. “I’m Dara, Draik’s twin sister. It’s an honor.” The introductions were soon complete.

Chase was very careful about giving out too much information to these new acquaintances. They seemed friendly enough, but there was something a little odd about this group.

Dae stepped forward and offered his hand. He had grown a little agitated at being ignored. “I’m Dae Simon, Chase’s father. Can you tell me what happened to the other adults?”

“That’s easy. They were all lost in the war. You see, most of these children are remnants from the war. I took them under my wing and together we found this abandoned town and started to rebuild it. I’m sure you all must be hungry and exhausted after your long journey. Why don’t we get you settled in and then we’ll get you something to eat.” Adam waved his hand and two more youngsters came and escorted the group to an abandoned hotel next door to the club.

It was luxurious. At one time this hotel must have housed royalty. Even though their hosts seemed odd, they were not short on hospitality. This was proven by the large baskets of fruit and other provisions that had been left in the six private rooms prepared for their newest group of guests The Seekers wondered how often they had visitors in this deserted ghost town After years of running they decided to enjoy this respite as long as they could.

After showers and naps the group reunited in the lobby of the hotel to figure out what their next move would be. The question was answered immediately by Adam who just seemed to appear out of nowhere.

“I trust that you are all well rested?” Adam cordially addressed the teens. For some reason the adults and Rain remained ignored. In addition Rain seemed to just tense up every time Adam came near her. There was just something wrong with the whole situation. Adam continued, “If the three of you aren’t busy, I would like to invite you to our meeting. It starts in ten minutes at the Lantern.”

“What kind of meeting?” Solomon broke in.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I was talking to the teens. You see my services are for the youngsters only,” Adam responded.

“OK, then I’ll ask,” Lin said, “What kind of meeting?”

“I usually don’t share this information until after you’ve been to the meeting, but very well, you look like the trustworthy sort. We are followers of Christ. We have secretly gained access to some of the ancient texts once referred to as the Bible and we seek to know and follow the ways of God. We don’t try to force our beliefs on you, we just ask that you have an open mind,” Adam said.

“What kind of access the ancient texts are you referring to?” Solomon asked and was given a dirty look by Adam. Solomon turned to Lin and motioned for her to ask.

“This is ridiculous,” she said. “You heard him. Please answer his question.”

Adam rolled his eyes and said, “If you must know there’s a web-site published by a group called The Seekers. We download the texts from it.”

“Well, this must be your lucky day,” Marc jumped in but was quickly elbowed in the stomach by Chase who wasn’t ready to give out that much information.

“Sure we would love to come to your meeting,” Chase mimicked Adams cordiality. “We’ll see you inside in just a few minutes.” Adam shook his head in acceptance and turned and left. Chase turned to the others. “I’m not sure I trust this guy, but I think we should play along. If this is legit, then this may be a safe haven for us to return to. It would be nice to have some allies.”
Captain Dae Simon agreed. “OK, but be very cautious. Remember Rain has been sensing evil in her spirit since we got here. A man who totally ignores his elders doesn’t set to well with me either.” He looked at Lin and Marc as he made his final statement, “Do not reveal who we are unless it’s absolutely necessary. I don’t want you to lie, but you don’t have to reveal everything either. Solomon, Rain, and I will scope out the town. We’ll all meet right back here this afternoon, say 4:30 p.m.” With that the group split up. Chase, Marc, and Lin went into the Lantern to check out the ‘service.’

________________


Solomon, Dae, and Rain strolled down the deserted streets of the town. Ironville, as it was once called seemed to be quite a historic place—a center of commerce and symbol of all things modern. One thing that immediately stood out, however, was the fact that the city remained completely intact. Unlike the deserted communities that were once inhabited by the “Christians” this town held no real relics of the fallen faithful. It looked like most other cities inhabited by the soulless contemporary world. In fact, there was no evidence that the Great War had even touched this area.

They walked downtown and gazed through empty shop windows. Nothing had been harmed at all. It was as if the patrons could just walk back in and pick up with business as usual—as if nothing had happened at all.

Dae had separated himself from the other two. He had grown to enjoy Solomon’s company, but he just wanted to be alone. He spotted a sign that called to him. “Web Café” was printed in large fancy letters. He pulled at the door and it opened with ease. He was surprised but elated. He slipped into the dark empty coffee shop. Coffee had never and would never go out of style. There was still a lingering aroma of caffeine in the air. He closed his eyes and inhaled. He was immediately taken to another place, one he longed to return to. He sat down at a terminal and turned it on. Surprisingly everything worked as normal. He spotted a pair of VR goggles at one of the other terminals. He plugged them in and put them on.

“This is incredible,” he thought out loud, “I haven’t jacked in to this powerful of a connection in years.” He took one more whiff of the caffeinated aroma and pressed a button on the keyboard. Immediately he was home.

_____________________

They sang five songs, three fast and two slow. Lin had a hard time making it through the last one. It was a favorite of her mother—a simple refrain about the amazing grace of God. Tears began to fall as she raised her hands.

Marc turned his head slightly and glanced at her. It was beautiful to hear the voice of an angel once more. He caught himself and jerked his mind back to reality while scolding himself for even thinking about Lin. It had only been weeks since he lost his soul mate on the burning bridge. He turned his thoughts toward Jan and hoped she was resting peacefully in the Father’s arms.

The songs ended and everyone sat. Adam took the podium and began by welcoming the visitors. The three stood and were welcomed with a round of applause. Soon after, Adam began his sermon.

“Today, I have a challenge. Over the past few weeks, we have discussed the plan of salvation outlined for us in the scriptures. Most of you have accepted Christ in your hearts and have chosen to walk the narrow road. We’ve learned that God loves us and accepts us no matter what. Titus 3:5 says ‘Not by works which we have done, but by His mercy He saved us.’ All we have to do is believe and proclaim our belief and we are saved. It’s called faith.

“God is good. He takes us as we are. Yet we are not to remain as we were. We are new creations. God’s grace provides us with our ticket through the pearly gates, but shouldn’t there be something more? Should we rely on our blind faith forever? The answer lies in ‘The Great Commission.’ Matthew 28:20 says we are to Go into all of the world and make disciples of all nations. Lo He is with us always, even till the end of the age.

“James 2:17 says, ‘So you see, it isn’t enough just to have faith. Faith that doesn’t show itself by good deeds is no faith at all—it is dead and useless.’ Therefore, I say that it’s time for us to branch out. We must begin to take back the land that has been stolen from us. Just as the mysterious Seekers have invaded cyberspace to free these words for us to study, we must now go one step farther by living the words. Are you with me?”


Copyright Johnny Howard 2008 All Rights Reserved

Origins Chapter Five

OK, I have heard from some that they would rather I post some more of the Origins story.

Sorry, for abandoning it. I posted what I had written years ago, but it sort of stopped and I've been so busy and have been a bit blocked of where to go with it. I'm moving past the writers block, so here's Chapter 5. You might wasnt to scroll back through the history and reread the first 4 chapters. I had to. :-)

johnny

Origins Chapter Five
Genesis 1:9-13
9 And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good.
11 Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

Day Three. Terra was ready. She had pulled out a bible her grandmother had given her before going off to college and read through what day three entailed. She was anxious to see what Jack would have in store for her today. She would never admit it out loud, but these last couple of days had been a pleasant escape from the monotonous routine.

They actually had biology class to sit through today. Ironically, the lecture was on the life cycle of plants and how it was related to the seasons, which was related to the earth’s rotation, which was related to the … Jack’s mind began to wander into the hokey pokey at this point. Terra noticed this and elbowed Jack in his side. Jack’s yelp resounded throughout the classroom and completely disrupted the class.

“Jack, would you like to add something,” Professor Smith said in a very professory voice.

“No, sorry, sir,” Jack responded.

Jack managed to hold his own throughout the rest of class. Upon leaving, Terra grabbed Jack by the arm. “OK, what have you got for me today?”

“Nothing,” Jack responded.

“Nothing? What do you mean nothing?” Terra asked irritated as usual.

“Well, I think Professor Smith did a good job of proving the point.” Jack said.

“Well, I think you’ve just lost the bet and we should meet in the library,” Terra said.

“Alright, fine,” Jack shot back. “Meet me at the school greenhouse at 4:30 p.m. sharp.”

“You’re telling me to be on time?” Terra said sarcastically.

“It’s imperative.” Jack said. With that, they split up to go to their next classes.


Terra showed up on time as usual. Surprisingly, Jack was there waiting on her.

“To everything, there is a season. A time to every purpose under heaven,” Jack started quoting from Ecclesiastes. “You see, sometimes the beauty of creation is that the mysteries aren’t very mysterious at all. The lesson doesn’t always have to be about scientific theories, or facts, or evidence of how things came to be and how long it took them to come into existence. The lesson is that there is beauty in patience.”

“Why was it so important to meet you here at 4:30?” Terra asked.

“You’ll see,” Jack said as the entered the greenhouse.

“Wow, such big words from the likes of you. Who knew?” Terra interrupted joking, but Jack was oddly serious today.

“The third day is significant because it gave us some vitally important things – first of which is ground beneath our feet which we can be planted firmly to grow and mature. Yet even more important is life itself. You see, it is on the third day that God created the provision of life. Plants were the first living things on earth. They were also the provision to sustain life. You must eat to live, and vegetation is necessary to sustain all life as we know it.” Jack said.

“OK, this all back to basic science, what does God have to do with this?”

“Everything. You see, there is a time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to live and a time to die. Each moment in between these times is precious and should be counted to its fullest. But you see, as time passed, the world forgot about the provisions that were made and started looking to other sources. They forgot about the beauty of waiting for the harvest and became caught up in living for the moment. That’s why God had to make a sacrifice and send his only Son to the world.”

“Oh spare me the Sunday school lesson,” Terra said getting aggravated as usual.

“Let me finish,” Jack said, “This Son of God came to earth and lived as a man. Walked the ground beneath his feet, like a seed planted, he grew into a beautiful rose – just like this one.” They stopped in front of a potted plant that had a single red rose budding from it.

Terra was stunned, “…but how? It’s not the season for this?”

“I know,” Jack said. “It’s a miracle.”

“How did you know?” Terra asked.

“You wouldn’t believe me because it defied the laws of science.” Jack responded.

“Tell me,” Terra said.

“I planted this rose bush back in the spring. Nothing happened. I gave up on it. Then I saw some activity three days ago. There was a bud trying to open up, but there were weeds that I had not seen that were growing around it trying to choke out its life. I decided to do nothing and observe when God reminded me of His scripture. I watched my rose bud break off and fall into the dirt. Then a little voice told me to come back exactly three days later. Now here we are.” Jack responded.

“You’re making that up,” Terra said.

“This is what happened to God’s Son, Jesus. He was choked out by the society he was sent to save. They put him to death. Yet on the third day, God again made a provision for life and the sustaining of it. His Son conquered death and bloomed again. This victory was God’s way of providing new life to the world and the ability to sustain that life by accepting it for ourselves – to learn and grow from, and then to spread like the vegetation throughout the rest of the world.”

“The rose thing is neat and all, but you’re starting to sound like some sort of fanatic.” Terra said.

“I was afraid you would feel that way. That’s why I was reluctant to share this moment with you today. I wanted to rejoice and be happy, not ridiculed.” Jack said.

“I’m sorry if you feel that way about me,” Terra said, not sure if she was angry, hurt, or both.

“No, I’m sorry. It was important for you to see this – and it was important for me to share it. I can’t think of anyone else I would have wanted to have here with me right now.” Jack said as he gave her a big hug. “Besides, we still have a few more days to go before the bet is over.”

Terra shoved Jack away from her and she let out a big groan.



Copyright 2008 Johnny Howard, All Rights Reserved