

GREAT CHASM FIXED

a short story of everlasting life

William Cayhews

Smashwords Edition | Copyright 2017 William Cayhews | All Rights Reserved

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment and may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

~ Great ~

"I thought I was not supposed to be sad here... but I was...

because... it pained me to see him like that...

so... I asked..."

~ Richard ~

A large, quick, bright flash of light lit up the night.

"What the hell was that! Out in the park. Did you see that?"

"Yeah," while he automatically reached over and lifted the radio to his mouth, "This is unit 16:19. We've got a disturbance out here in Abraham Park. Flash of bright light. Proceeding to check it out."

"Roger that, 16:19."

"Just pull over right there, Sarah, and let's go see what we got."

The sound of gravel crunched under their boots and broke an otherwise silent night in the park.

Sarah led the way toward a tall thick hedge, "It looked to me like it came from over there."

"Yeah, well, just keep your eyes open. It's pretty dark out here tonight. You never know..."

"I know... I know--"

"Hey! There they are! Hey! Police! Stop where you are!" He quickly grabbed his radio, "We got a 10:17 in progress... west side Abraham Park..." then he gestured to Sarah and shouted, "Go! Go get 'em, Sarah! You got 'em..."

Sarah quickly dashed after a few thugs as they ran away deeper into the park, "Stop! Police! Stop where you are!"

The other officer continued around the hedge from where the thugs rabbited and came upon a man lying on the ground, groaning.

He rushed up to the man and knelt at his side, "What the hell? Hey pal... hey... are you alright?"

Then back into the radio, "We got a victim here. Possible 10:30. Male... Caucasian... age 50s... unconscious... but vitals good... request EMT."

"Roger that, 16:19."

The man stirred and groaned, "five..." and gasped for air, "five..."

The officer continued to assess the man's condition as he talked to himself, "You'll be Ok, pal... shit... alright... let's just see what we got here... damn... what the hell happened here..."

Sarah jogged back to the crime scene and panted, "They're gone, Lucas... I lost 'em over that hill..." She looked down at the man on the ground, "Whoa! What the hell... is he Ok? Was he mugged?"

"No. He's fine, but I can't get any response at all from him."

"Will you look at that."

"I know."

"That is one nice suit. Who is this guy? Any ID on him?"

"No. But there's this on him..."

"Damn. Is that a Rolex?"

"...and these..."

"Looks like we got here just in time. Those would have fetched a pretty penny."

The man stirred and groaned some more, "five..."

"What's he saying?"

"I don't know... EMTs are on the way. I wonder what this guy's story is."

"That's weird. Why did they take his shoes... and socks... why did they--"

"They didn't, you idiot. Are you kidding me? You don't take shoes and leave jewelry and that watch... I don't know... I've seen some weird things out here, but this one is right up there at the top with the weirdest."

A gradually loudening siren from off in the distance heralded the end of the somewhat sedate crime scene. Then it shifted to a bustle of activity as the EMTs rushed up with their medical equipment and began to assist the victim.

~ Lazer ~

I peered into the room and saw him lying asleep on the hospital bed in the ICU. He was hooked up to the typical intensive care unit medical monitoring equipment, IV and feeding tubes.

After a few moments, Coyote and I went ahead and walked into the room toward the hospital bed. It must have looked like we had just come in from a walk on the beach because I was barefoot, with my khaki pants rolled up to my calves; and because I usually prefer to wear a simple plain white button-up short-sleeved shirt with it a little open at the collar. Coyote is only a plain light brown dog, like an Australian dingo.

We walked up to the bed, "Well boy, let's see how he's doing today."

I looked down at him for a while, "Hello there. It's me again... your old friend, Lazer. You doing Ok? I know you can hear me. Right? At least, I think you can."

After getting no response at all, I smiled and continued, "So anyway, we're just here today to check up on you again."

I gave Coyote a little rub behind the ears, "Aren't we, boy.

"Yeah, Coyote and I are your pals. We want you to know you have friends in the world."

I patted the side of the bed, "Lean on up here, Coyote. We gotta let him know everything is going to be Ok."

Coyote obediently jumped up, placed his front paws next to him and began to lick his hands. It made me smile.

But suddenly, he sat up quickly, opened his eyes wide and gasped rapidly, as though the wind had been knocked out of him. Coyote immediately retreated back down to the floor and I stumbled as I jumped back like a startled cat.

I quickly walked back up to him, "Whoa! Whoa! Hey! It's Ok!" I patted his shoulder. "It's Ok. Let me... let me go get someone to help you."

Coyote and I quickly left the room, while he simply continued to look around, dazed. He began to breathe somewhat more regularly and attempted to get his bearings.

~ Faith ~

The man was now in a different type of hospital bed, no longer in the hospital ICU. And he wore a long-sleeved white pajama shirt instead of a hospital gown.

A woman walked into the room. She was carrying a food tray, which she put on a rolling table next to the bed and then positioned the table over the man's lap. She then raised the back of his bed up closer to a sitting position. They exchanged a few barely audible pleasantries and then she left the room.

The man began to eat the food on the tray.

Down the hall, two women were carrying on a conversation. They were both dressed in business attire. One was holding a clipboard upon which she was making notes.

The other was a younger woman, "Well, all I know is we've got a goldmine here, Grace. We have to make sure he's well taken care of." Grace glared at her. "Seriously! Did you see his clothes... and that jewelry? This guy is loaded."

"He'll receive the same level of excellent care as all our clients, Judy. Nothing more and nothing less."

"Oh, come on, Grace! You have to work with me on this one. This guy has donor written all over him. We take care of him -- he takes care of us."

Grace lowered the clipboard down to her side and started to walk away.

Judy turned to follow her, and as they walked past the doorway to the man's room, Judy glanced in toward him, "I wonder who he is..."

Some time went by as the man finished his meal. Then the same woman who brought in the food tray returned to his bedside. She exchanged a few more quiet pleasantries, as she rolled away the food-tray table, picked up the tray and walked out of the room.

After a few moments, a different woman walked into the room and headed toward the man. She was dressed in a white doctor's lab coat and light gray slacks.

"So, still nothing?" The man shook his head. "Still no idea who you are, or where you live, or..."

He shook his head, "No. Sorry."

"Do you remember my name... from yesterday?" He shrugged. "Faith... like Faith Hill, remember?"

"Where is that?"

"Where is what?"

"You said Faith Hill. Where is that?"

She laughed, "Uh, Faith Hill is not a place, she's a person. A country western singer. You've never heard of Faith Hill?" He shook his head. "Ok, well, so anyway, it's just Faith. My name is Faith."

"Like in God?"

She smiled, "Yes. That's right. Like faith in God... So anyway, the police are coming back today. They should be here any minute." The man noticed her as she checked her watch. "They said they are performing a missing-persons check and they also want to run your fingerprints, if that is Ok with you." He held up his hands, looked at his fingers and then rubbed them together. "That's Ok, right? We're only trying to help you figure out who you are."

He looked from his hands back to her, "Yes, of course, whatever you think is best. I most certainly appreciate all you are doing for me."

"So, I was telling you yesterday I am the resident physician slash psychologist here at Abe's Heart. We are a shelter for people who, well... we're simply here to help all kinds of people who simply need a little assistance getting back on their own two feet."

"How long have I been here?"

"It has been seven days now. But you haven't been here during that entire time. You were in the intensive care unit at the hospital before they brought you here. You were in a coma."

"Seven days? What have I... how did I..."

"You have been unconscious the entire time since the police found you out in the park that night. Do you remember any of that?" He shook his head no, but she continued, encouragingly, "But you are in perfect health, otherwise. We're even moving you out of the clinic later today... into one of our regular rooms."

A male police officer walked into the room toward the hospital bed.

Faith looked over at him, "Oh, hello Lucas."

"Hello Faith. And hello to you, sir. How are you today?" The man shrugged. "Well, I know you are having trouble remembering things, but I am the one who found you out in the park that night.

"You look good. I'm glad to see you back among the land of the living."

The man looked puzzled.

Lucas stammered, "I mean... it's just that... well, it was a strange night, but now here you are and you're looking well."

Smiling and hitchhiking his thumb back toward Faith, Lucas continued, "They do great work here. You are very fortunate to be surrounded by people like Faith. They do a great job of helping people out who are having a little trouble getting back on their feet."

"I certainly fit that category, do I not?"

"Don't worry, they'll take great care of you here at the shelter. You'll be back on your feet in no time.

"Anyway, let me officially introduce myself – I'm Officer Lucas Theophilus with the Greater Chasm County Police Department. I'm here to see if we can do a little detective work that will help us discover your identity. Are you still unable to remember anything about who you are?"

"Yes, unfortunately. Nothing at all."

"Well, we checked, but nothing at all showed up on any of the missing-persons reports, so I'd like to take your fingerprints and run them through our database, if that is Ok with you."

"Yes, please, do whatever you think will help."

Lucas rolled the food tray table over next to the bed, assembled the fingerprint kit and started the process.

The man held up his hands again, looked intently at his fingers and then turned toward Lucas, "Where do you take them? How do you get them off?"

Lucas laughed, "Yeah, we peel them right off your fingers, run the report, and glue them back on when we're done."

Lucas looked over at Faith and they both laughed.

The man laughed hesitantly and then asked, "Will it hurt?"

Lucas looked incredulously at Faith, "No. No, it doesn't hurt at all. I'm sorry. I thought you were joking. Have you seriously never had your fingerprints taken?" The man shrugged and shook his head. "Well, actually, you probably have, but this happens to be one more thing you can't remember. Right?"

"I suppose so."

"Anyway, all I do is put this ink on your fingers and then press them against this paper chart. Your fingerprints transfer to the paper. That's all it is. Don't worry, it's quick and painless."

"It's Ok, Richard. People do it all the time."

The man smiled, "Ok."

Then he looked at Faith, puzzled, and asked, "Is my name Richard?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry. No. Uh... we don't know what your name is yet. I'm sorry. It's just that they got into the habit of calling you Richard while you were in the coma."

"The what?"

"It was during the time when you were unconscious at the hospital." He looked puzzled. "It was your watch. You were wearing a watch when they found you. It has an inscription on the back -- Richard Darling. I don't know. Is that your name?" He shrugged and Faith giggled. "Anyway, everyone figured we could at least be somewhat certain your first name was Richard."

Richard smiled and agreed, "Yes, I suppose so. That would seem to make perfect sense."

Lucas went through the process of pressing Richard's fingertips onto the charts, "Ok, that does it..." winking at him, "...Richard."

He began to pack up the fingerprint kit, "We're all set. I'll go back to the precinct station and run these through the database. We'll see what comes up. Thank you for your cooperation, sir." Then nodding to Faith, he saluted, "See you later, Faith."

"Bye, Lucas. And as always, thank you so much for all you do for us."

"All in a day's work, m'lady," as he left the room.

"I'm really very sorry, I hope that did not embarrass you in any way."

"Not in the slightest. Do not be troubled at all by it." Then he gestured toward her wristwatch, "So, I own a... watch?"

"Uh, yes. A very expensive gold watch."

"And, it has something to do with measuring time?" Faith looked puzzled. "You referred to it in the context of discerning time." He reached out toward Faith and she showed him her watch. "I see. These arrows point to the numbers. And the numbers are the first watch, the second watch, and so on? Is that why you call it a watch?"

"Uh, well... you know... I guess so... I don't know why it's called a watch."

Richard shrugged, innocently.

"So, anyway, let's continue, shall we? Any memories at all?"

Richard smiled, "I remember your name is Faith."

Faith smiled back at him, "Well... that's a start."

"Do you have faith in God?"

"Yes, I do, actually. And... that may also be a good question for you. Do you have any religious beliefs?"

Richard pondered the question, "Remind me of them."

"You know -- Judaism, Christianity, Islam..."

Richard squinted his eyes, "Judah..." He looked off in the distance... "I am... of the tribe of Judah..."

"You are a Jew?"

"Are they from the tribe of Judah?"

"I suppose that's how they... I guess that's where it comes from. I don't know."

Richard thought further, "Jews are the leaders of the synagogue... I do not think I am one of them... I am... I remember I am an Israelite... are we in Jerusalem?"

"No. But we're close. Just north of there in Sychar."

Richard was startled, "Samaria?"

"Don't worry, Richard. It's Ok. Our philosophy here at Abe's Heart is we are all homeless to one degree or another. So, we all work together and do our best to help each other out, no matter where we are on life's journey."

Richard sighed and thought for a moment, "Did you say Christian?"

"Yes. Christianity."

"Are they zealots?" Faith looked puzzled. "Christ is Greek for Messiah. Are they Messianic Zealots?"

Faith was still puzzled, "It's Christianity... Jesus Christ... Christmas... Easter..."

"Jesus?"

"Yes. Jesus Christ. Jesus of Nazareth. Born on Christmas... in a manger... by the Virgin Mary..."

"Born of a virgin?"

"Yes... and then crucified." Richard winced. "But He rose from the tomb... on Easter. That Jesus."

Richard looked puzzled and confused.

"You don't know any of this?"

Richard shook his head and then repeated the information he just heard, "Nazareth... the Messiah..." Then he looked at Faith and said, "Some of these things are coming to my mind."

"Good!"

"Isaiah foretold that the Messiah would be born of a virgin, like you said. But everyone knows the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem, the city of David... and certainly not in Nazareth."

"He was born in Bethlehem. Joseph and Mary, well, His parents traveled to Bethlehem when she was pregnant... it was Joseph's hometown... the--"

Richard interrupted, excitedly, "Then... the Messiah has come? And the zealots... are they His people, His followers? Is this Christianity His following?"

Faith shrugged slightly, "I guess that is pretty much it. Yes."

"But is He ruling in Jerusalem? He was to rule on the throne of His father, David."

"That was a long time ago, Richard, and well... like I said, He was crucified... they took Him and... well, He died and was buried in a tomb. But then, three days later, He rose from the dead... and He ascended back into Heaven. So, He's not alive anymore, I mean, He's alive, but He's not here with us anymore."

"Interesting."

Faith thought for a moment and then added, "But there is the second coming. And, I know He is supposed to come back. Maybe that is when He will be in Jerusalem."

"Hmmm, it appears that everything Isaiah the prophet said about Him is true..."

Faith looked somewhat shocked, "So, you remember these things?"

"Yes, I suppose I do. Fascinating..."

"Well, maybe we should take a break. Are you Ok?"

"It is rather amazing that I do remember these types of things but not other things, such as, information about who I am..." Then he thought for a moment and asked, "And, what was that other... you said something like Islam..."

"Yes. Islam is another major world religion."

"But that is Arabic. It means submit. Who are these people? What do they submit to?"

"Well, I don't know much at all about Islam, but a long time ago there was this prophet, Muhammad, and he--"

Richard interrupted, "He was an Ishmaelite?"

"I don't know."

"Muhammad is an Ishmaelite name. And... people followed him?"

"Tons of people. It is one of the big three."

"And, these big three are they all in harmony... the Judaism and Christianity and Islam?"

Faith looked incredulous, "Are you serious! No way! They fight and fight... and they always have."

"But they are all from Abraham. Abraham was the father of Ishmael and Isaac and the grandfather of Jacob. David was from the tribe of Jacob's son, Judah. If this Jesus was the Messiah, He was the Son of David. They all come from the same place. Why don't they..."

"It simply does not work that way, Richard. It would be nice if it did, but it just doesn't. Religions basically only divide people. They don't seem to unify people at all. And there are more than merely these three.

Richard simply sat in the bed and slowly shook his head.

~ Victor ~

A day or so later, I saw Richard eating lunch in the dining room. The shelter must have the same taste in clothing as I do because he was dressed in a white button-up short-sleeved shirt and khaki pants like me.

Coyote and I came over and joined him at the table, "They used to not let Coyote in here... in the dining room, but then I think they saw what a great job he did at cleaning up all the food that fell on the floor. He loves it in here." I rubbed Coyote's ears, "Don't you boy."

Richard looked over at us and smiled, "The food is very tasty."

"Yeah, the cooks here are really great."

"So, Lazer is your name?"

"Yeah."

"Is there a story behind that? I don't think... well, I suppose I do not remember many things... But is Lazer a common name?"

I laughed, "No, not at all. The story is... well, my real name is Eleazar, but when I was growing up, my little sister had trouble with that mouthful, so she simply shortened it to Lazer. The rest is history. Everyone simply started calling me Lazer from then on. You know how families are."

While Richard continued to eat, I glanced over to the other side of the dining room and noticed one of the shelter employees come in the door and then stop to refer to some notes he had in a 3-ring binder. He was wearing a simple plain light brown button-up short-sleeved shirt and gray pants.

I looked back at Richard, "Well, it was nice chatting with you again, Richard, but it is time for us to hit the road... Right boy? Places to go and people to see. So, we'll see you later, alright?"

"Alright, thanks for stopping by..." he smiled, "Eleazar."

As I approached the shelter employee on my way out, I gave him a slight nod of greeting, but he did not acknowledge us at all as we walked past him. He seemed focused and intent on a mission, and merely lowered the binder to his side and continued to walk toward Richard at the table.

Richard looked up and smiled, "Hello Victor."

"You remember my name."

"Yes." He pointed to his head, "Things are loosening up, at least a little, upstairs."

"May I join you for a few moments? I have some news for you."

"Please do."

"Do you remember anything else about me?" Richard made the attempt but then shook his head no. "It's Ok. I work in the Business Office here at the shelter, with Judy. I am an accountant. Anyway, I have some news for you about your possessions. As you requested, I was able to sell your watch and the other items of jewelry and get a good amount of money for them. I deposited it all in the bank, but you... of course, you are free to have it whenever you want it."

"Thank you, Victor. I do so appreciate the time you invested and the efforts you have made to help me get that taken care of."

"Certainly. It was our pleasure. No trouble at all." After an awkward silence, "So, Judy was wondering if... I mean, do you remember anything about who you are yet? Where you live? Family? Anything?"

Richard shook his head, "No. Nothing yet."

"Well, Judy told me to let you know you are welcome here as long as it takes for you to get well. And, if there's anything you need, just let us know."

"Thank you."

"Oh, yes, and one more thing. I was not able to sell your clothes. They are wonderful clothes. I wish they fit me. That is one nice suit. But as you may imagine, there is not much of a used-clothing market for a suit like that. If you have the kind of money it takes to get a suit like that, you don't go to the thrift store to get one. Right?"

"No. I would imagine not."

"I had one idea, though, that I wanted to run by you to see if it would be Ok with you." Richard nodded. "Well, it's my cousin, Leah. She's the costume designer at the local theatre company. I'm fairly certain they would love to get their hands on your suit... you know... to use for some rich character in a play, or whatever. So, if you don't mind, I thought I would run the idea by her. She might want to buy it. What do you think?"

"Sounds good to me."

Richard ate a few more bites of food. Then he looked over at Victor, who seemed like he didn't know what to do with an awkward silence, "So, accounting, huh?"

"Oh, yeah, I've always been fairly good with numbers... I'm a pretty logical person, in general. I see most things rather matter-of-factly." Richard smiled.

Victor searched for something to say and then asked, "Do you like science? I like science."

"I don't know. Tell me some science."

Victor pulled out a chair at the table and sat down, "Well, it's super fascinating to me. I was recently reading about nuclear energy and... well, it's just so fascinating at the nuclear level. We have discovered all these atoms and protons and neutrons and electrons..." He stopped and looked over at Richard, who had a glazed look on his face. "Do you remember any of this stuff?"

Richard shook his head, "No... not really... I..."

Victor spoke excitedly, "Oh man, you're not going to believe this! We have these super powerful microscopes and we have discovered matter is, in actuality, made up of all these teeny tiny atoms with protons and neutrons and electrons that are all rotating around each other." He knocked on the table with his knuckles. "This table is merely a bunch of molecules." Next, he held out his hand and flipped it over a few times. "My hand... my entire body is merely a bunch of molecules."

"And molecules are..."

Victor took a pen out of his shirt pocket and reached over and slid a napkin in front of himself on the table. "Here, let me show you," as he began to draw on the napkin. "This is a... let's say... a water molecule. Water molecules are made up of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom, like this." He directed Richard's attention to his drawing on the napkin.

"And then, atoms are like this..." as he drew on a different part of the napkin, "they have a nucleus in the center... and then the atom has protons and neutrons and electrons that orbit around the nucleus like this. And all these millions and millions of atoms and molecules make up matter." He knocked on the table again, "Like this table and my hand." And then he held out his hand again.

Richard slid the napkin over in front of himself and took a look at it. Then he looked at his hand, turned it over and began to slide the palm of his hand across the surface of the table. "So, if these atoms and molecules are moving around, why does the table not move?"

"Because they are so small and moving so fast that to us it feels like it is solid."

"So, it is actually the opposite of what it appears to be."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"You are right. It is fascinating. Fascinating, indeed. And is your drawing accurate? Because it seems as though there is much space in which all the many parts rotate."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"So, there is more space than parts."

Victor shrugged his shoulders, "Yeah, I guess. What are you thinking?"

"Well, maybe it is like here in this room," looking around and pointing to different locations in the room. "There is much more that is not here than what is here." Victor looked at him as though that were an odd conclusion. "Yes, well... you are right... it certainly is as you say... very fascinating."

Then, after pondering it a bit further, "But if all these parts are spinning around as you say -- so rapidly that it feels solid to us... well, what then keeps them from simply spinning out of control?"

"Well, that is the amazing thing. There seems to be some type of an energy field and, well... unfortunately, we have also figured out how to release that energy in a very destructive way." Richard looked puzzled. "We have figured out how to release it in a positive way also but mostly in a bad way... as weapons of war... we actually have the power to destroy the entire world with it."

Richard was shocked, "What?

Victor knocked on the table again, "On a similar, smaller scale it's like if you busted up this table and used it for firewood. On the surface, it looks like only a dead piece of wood. Right? But if you apply heat to it, or some source of energy, the atoms in the dead wood start to react and break up and change. Then the wood releases energy in the form of fire.

"So, the energy of fire is sitting in there within the wood the entire time, but it doesn't come out until the balance is disrupted. And then, when the energy part of the wood is gone, all that remains is smoke and ashes. All the molecules were combined together and unified as wood, but then they all changed into something else. It was a solid piece of wood, but after the nuclear reaction, all that is left is fire, smoke and ashes. So, after the energy is released as fire, all that remains is... smoke and ashes."

"So then, the world is like a piece of firewood? And these weapons have the ability to exert enough energy onto it to disrupt whatever is holding the atoms together? And all we then have is fire, and smoke, and ash?

"Yeah, I guess so. That's pretty much it."

"But until then, what does hold all the atoms together? He lifts up the napkin, "They seem like they are spinning around so rapidly that they should simply fly out of control."

"They call it atomic glue, or dark matter, or... well, they don't really know what it is, but that is what they call whatever it is that is holding it all together." Richard nodded. "I've heard some scientists refer to it as God's glue."

Richard continued to nod his head, "God's glue. Interesting. Well, we should hope and pray God keeps a good tight grip on it... or keeps others from letting it go." Victor nodded.

~ Joy ~

The next day, Richard was in the activities room sitting at a table with a young woman who worked at the shelter. She had a pleasant look on her face -- the kind that seems permanent, regardless of what is going on behind it. Her green eyes were a perfect complement to the same color button-up short-sleeved shirt that hung out over her plain gray slacks.

She and Richard were playing a board game, but he was simply staring off into space and twiddling with a game piece that was on the table in front of him.

After she moved some pieces around on the board and turned over a card, she looked over at Richard for a few moments..., "Earth to Richard... hello... it's your turn..."

Richard snapped out of his daze, "Oh... I am sorry, Joy. Is it my turn?"

Joy laughed, "You're funny, Richard." He smiled. "Actually, you're a good sport. You gave it the old college try, but this simply isn't doing it for you, is it. I guess it's not all that therapeutic after all, huh?"

"I am sorry, Joy. No. I suppose not. It is interesting and all. I do think it could be a lot of fun... but it actually... well, it makes me think of all the things I do not know -- the things I have difficulty remembering." Joy looked puzzled. "This game is all about building cities and roads and buying and selling goods and... well, it is about all these things I know are a normal part of life, but... I still do not remember doing any of it myself."

Lucas and Judy then walked into the activities room and up to the table where Richard and Joy were seated.

Coyote and I also casually strolled into the room, but I sat down at one of the tables behind them and simply listened to their conversation.

Lucas greeted them, "Hello Richard. Hello Joy."

"Hi guys."

"Hello there."

Lucas smiled, "Well, we looked everywhere but here in the rec room. Right Judy?" He looked over at Judy and she nodded in agreement.

Then Lucas continued, "Do you have a minute, Richard? I have the fingerprint results for you. And then, Judy had something else she wanted to talk to you about."

Richard eagerly looked up, "Yes! Please."

Lucas sighed, "Well, unfortunately, there were no records at all. I even checked with some other agencies. That's why it took a few days." He shook his head, "I'm sorry to tell you this, but there is absolutely no information at all about your identity. You certainly have never been fingerprinted, that's for sure." Richard looked away and Lucas acknowledged, "Still no memory?"

"I remember things. I have information. Just nothing much about myself."

"Well, I have witnessed amnesia cases before... a few times, actually... and every time, the memory does seem to heal. Unfortunately, it always does seem to take some time. But just hang in there, Richard. It'll come. Let me encourage you to stick with it. It will come back."

Lucas then stepped back slightly and glanced under the table and smiled, "So, still going barefoot?"

Richard nodded, "Yes. It is the strangest thing. I do try, but it gives me vertigo every time. As soon as I try to walk, I feel disconnected from the ground. It feels as though I am going to tip over. I do not understand. It certainly is quite strange."

Lucas looked over at Joy, "Well, strange certainly describes what I thought when we found you that way in the park that night."

Richard agreed, "Well, regardless of my strange idiosyncrasies, I do thank you, Lucas. I sincerely do appreciate all the efforts you have performed to help me out."

"All in a day's work, my friend. And again, I am sorry for being the bearer of bad news, Richard." Richard nodded. "Ok. Well, I have a few other items of business to go over with Grace, so I'd best get to it."

"Thank you, Lucas."

"You are most welcome. Ok, bye you two..." He saluted them and then looked over at Judy, "Alright Judy, you're up."

As Lucas left the room, Judy turned toward him, "Lucas is such a nice guy. We are so lucky to have him watching out for us. It certainly does seem to be more than merely a job to him. I think he honestly cares about each and every person here."

Richard looked down at the table, "I am sure I would be dead without him."

After an awkward pause, Judy continued, "So, I was only looking for you to let you know we are all finished selling your possessions."

"Yes. Thank you. Victor actually informed me of that yesterday."

Judy stammered, "Oh, yes... that's right. He did tell me about that. Sorry. And, yes, he is still working on selling your suit of clothes, but other than that, we are finished with your assets."

"Great."

"So, your assets will be ready for you whenever you want them, but I want to make sure you understand you are completely welcome here at Abe's Heart until you feel you are ready to venture out on your own. We are committed... devoted to doing anything and everything we can for you."

Richard smiled and gave Judy an acknowledging nod, "Thank you. You are all so very kind to me. I do not know where I would be without you." Judy smiled. "And, certainly, if I ever do remember who I am... well, obviously, I have access to some extensive resources, so I will not hesitate to pay you back as amply as possible for all your care and kindness."

Joy glanced over at Judy and then back to Richard, "Richard, you are our friend, you don't owe us anything.

Judy stammered, "Yes... that's right... we, of course, do have our operating costs but..."

"It is Ok, Judy. I do somewhat remember how business works. I think I must have been quite good at it. Not to worry, I do not have to possess a perfect memory to know what it takes to run a place like this... and to know that funding an operation like this is always difficult at best."

Judy nodded, "Yes, unfortunately, you are correct about that."

Richard thought for a moment, "And, I think I might be correct about something else, Judy." He looked at Judy and smiled, "Some free financial advice for you. This will sound ironic... but let me simply tell you one thing -- if you have money, my advice to you is to spend it on others.

He waited a moment for that to sink in, "Which I know is what you do here at the Abe's Heart shelter. But I have a feeling you might also need to hear that one for yourself, as well."

Judy agreed sheepishly, "I suppose you are right about that. Thank you. I am way too driven by the almighty dollar." She took a deep breath, "Thank you, Richard. That was a good bit of financial counsel for me."

Richard stood up from the table and walked over to Judy and gave her a hug, "No. Thank you. That was good therapy for me."

Judy blushed somewhat, "Well, Ok you two, I have to get back to my never-ending To-Do list... so, I'll let you two get back to your game. Bye for now."

"Bye, Judy."

"Goodbye."

As Judy walked away, I felt like it was a good time for us to exit as well, so I gave Coyote a pat on the side and then we followed her out the door.

After a few moments, Joy looked over at Richard, "So, where were we?"

Richard raised his eyebrow sarcastically, "As I recall, we were having a rousing game of--"

Joy interrupted him, "Yeah, right, I don't think so... I'm not the one with no memory, sir."

"Ouch."

"Sorry... and, I don't blame you for feeling sad or angry or frustrated about... anyway, I can see how this game might stimulate thoughts about the life you created for yourself. And, how frustrating it must be that you don't have a clue about your own real cities and roads and a home."

"It did unlock a few things, I think... such as, those things I told Judy. I do not know where that came from."

"It came from your heart." Then she pointed to her head, "You may not have it all intact up here, but down here," pointing to her chest, "you're golden."

"You are a treasure, Joy. And, I do so appreciate all you do for me. I was enjoying the game at first but then..."

"I know what you mean." She started to slowly pack up the pieces of the game, "It's Ok. I don't think you should worry about it at all. Like I suggested to you at the beginning, it seemed like maybe it would be a good way to get some brain activity going for you."

"I think my brain activity is frozen."

He paused as Joy continued to pack up, "What about you, Joy? What kind of houses are you building? Where are your roads taking you?"

Joy cocked her head, "I don't know. I suppose I want what everyone wants -- a home, a family... someone to love, someone who loves me..."

"So, not like the game."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the game is all about building roads and houses and cities as though that were the final objective. Correct?"

"Yeah. But it's just a game."

Richard paused and continued to search his thoughts, "It is somewhat interesting what I do remember, Joy." He hesitated and then looked over at her, "You are going to think this is a rather odd and random comment, but do you know that old story about the Tower of Babel?"

"A little... from Sunday School stories when I was a kid."

"Why in the world I remember it now, I do not know. Probably because I have always been quite puzzled by it and I suppose this game made me think about it for some reason.

"But anyway, I always wondered why God stopped their progress in building the tower and confused their languages and dispersed them.

"I was taught it was because they were an extremely wicked people... idol worshippers, and that they were building towers to worship the gods of the stars, or something like that.

"But I remember God saying something like, 'We have to go down there and stop them because if We let them go on, nothing will be impossible for them.' And I thought, 'Well, what is wrong with that? Does He not want us to be successful? What is wrong with our accomplishments?'"

Joy nodded and tried to track with his thinking, "Yeah... so..."

Richard continued, "So, it is like this game. What is wrong with building cities and roads and providing for people and creating... well, the fact is, I began to see the city of Babel more as a utopia than a den of wickedness.

"They were united. They had a cause. They were all working together in harmony toward an agreed upon objective. They were being successful. And they had this magnificent tower to prove it. I began to see it as an example of humanity at its best.

"And that is when God's statement did make more sense to me, 'Nothing will be impossible for them.'

"I began to see it as everyone having everything they wanted. Everyone cared for. Everyone housed in this wonderful tower and everyone fed and satisfied."

"I've never heard it taught that way before."

"I know. Me neither. But does it not make better sense of the story?"

"I guess so. But what is wrong with that? What's wrong with everyone being cared for? Sounds like a good thing to me."

"I agree with you. But obviously, God did not think it was a good thing, because He intervened and stopped the building project by confounding their language and dispersing them.

"And I think, since it actually, or possibly was a utopia and everyone had what they wanted, He intervened because they were not seeking what they needed. If you have what you want, then you do not seek what you really need.

"They were not seeking Him, the One Whom they really needed. He was out of the picture to them. There was no need... there was no reason for them to seek God. They had no need for God."

Richard paused for a moment and then continued, "If we have everything we want, we miss out on what we need because we have no desire to pursue it -- to pursue Him, even though He is what we really need.

"God's objective is not utopia. His objective is togetherness with His people. And if His people do not feel a need for Him, then they will never seek Him... to be together with Him."

He looked over at Joy and shook his head, "Am I crazy? Does this make any sense at all? Do you see what I mean?"

Joy nodded slightly, "Actually, surprisingly, I do. I know that when things are going fine with me, I don't seek some of the more important things in life. But when things are rough, I ask questions, and I seek answers, and I want to know what the bigger picture is."

She looked off and then back at Richard, "When those types of things are going on in my life, I call it having to pass through a lot of storm clouds before you can truly appreciate the rainbow at the other end of them."

Richard nodded, "Very well said, young lady. Well said, indeed." He smiled at her, "But I believe that rainbow is from one of the other old stories.

~ Truman ~

A day or so later, I was back in that same area of the shelter walking by the rec room and I heard some beautiful, simple piano music playing. I looked into the room and saw a young man seated at and playing the small upright piano that was over in the corner of the room. He was an interesting looking sort, with longish hair and clear blue eyes, which, like Joy, seemed to match the color of his button-up short-sleeved shirt that was out-tucked over his light gray pants. Coyote and I walked over and leaned up against the wall to listen for a while.

It was not long before Richard also came into the room. He walked up and then also stood there listening to the young man play for several moments.

Toward the end of a song, the piano player casually glanced over at Richard, stopped playing and smiled, "You're Richard. Right?"

Richard was slightly startled, "Yes. I am sorry. I did not mean to interrupt your playing. Please do continue. It is lovely."

"You're the guy who can't remember anything. Right?"

"Well, yes... but I do at least remember that much."

"That much what?"

Richard smiled and answered, "That I am the guy who can't remember anything."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to--"

Richard interrupted him, "It is perfectly fine. Do not worry about it. Believe me, I am as confused about it as everyone else."

The piano player extended his hand out toward Richard, "My name is Truman." Richard shook his hand, "Like as in Capote... Truman Capote."

Richard nodded, "Like Lazer's dog?" Truman was confused. Richard looked over at Lazer and Coyote, "Like Coyote?"

Truman was puzzled and laughed, "Yeah, sure, if you say so. Like a coyote... that works for me."

Richard laughed with Truman, "Well regardless, you play well, Truman. It sounded lovely."

"Thank you. Just tinkering away at an old folk tune. It seems to help liven things up around here. It can get a little dreary."

"Yes, I have noticed."

"But music is very powerful \-- totally spiritual, if you ask me. It has this totally invisible, yet tangible, effect on people."

Richard nodded in agreement and then looked around the room, "You do not live here, do you?"

Truman laughed, "No. No, I simply enjoy stopping by every now and then. Like I said, it's a little thing I can do to brighten up the mood around here."

"It certainly is nice."

"Yeah. And, it's a pretty interesting experiment, too." Richard looked curious. "You know how I said music is spiritual. Right?"

"Yes."

"Well, sometimes I intentionally play these minor chords. Ok? And I leave them unresolved, like this." He demonstrated on the piano. "And then I watch the people around me... and they get noticeably on edge and uneasy. Then after a while, I play the major chords and resolve them..." He again demonstrated on the piano. "And then I look around and the peace simply seems to return to the room."

"Interesting."

Truman smiled, "I guess it's a little mean to mess with them like that, but at least I always bring them back to the place of peace at the end of my little experiment with them."

Richard thought for a moment, "I heard somewhere that nature sings in a minor key."

"What do you mean?"

"I have heard that when the wind howls through the trees or through cracks in windows or doors, the sound it makes is in a minor key."

Truman shrugged, "I've never heard that one. I guess I'll have to listen more carefully next time."

"Or animals... howling wolves or braying donkeys. Things like that are also in a minor key."

"I don't know, but that makes me think I'm going to have to listen to the birds more carefully now, too. Some of them squawk and screech like crazy. Those are probably minor tones, like you say, but I wonder about the ones that are pleasing to the ear. I'll have to check it out... kind of weird..."

Truman tinkered away at a few notes, while Richard thought for a moment, "It seems as though I have also heard somewhere that all of nature has been groaning since the Fall."

"What fall?"

"Adam and Eve. The Fall of Man."

"Is that what they call it?"

Richard laughed, "I am remembering the strangest things."

"That's called Original Sin. Right?"

"Yes, I think that is the same thing, but my problem with that concept is the notion that every human after Adam and Eve should suffer the same consequence as them. They are the ones who made the choice. And they suffered the consequence -- they, 'surely died.'

"They made the choice, so they deserved the adverse consequence of that choice.

"But I did not make that choice, so why do I deserve that consequence. I was born into the consequence of their choice.

"And, I did not even choose to be born into it. God brought me into existence in this world. So, why do I have to suffer the consequence of someone else's Original Sin?

"If anything, I deserve a way out of the adverse consequence that they caused. And furthermore, since God is the One Who put me into this fallen place, it seems incumbent upon Him to provide a way out of it for me... for us..."

"I guess maybe that is what Jesus did... when He was crucified?"

"This Jesus of Nazareth... He is an interesting sort. Faith was telling me about Him. But what do you mean about Him being crucified as a way out? That is not a way out. That is a curse."

"I think He was crucified to pay for the sin of the world. I think it was John the Baptist who said something like Him being the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world."

Richard thought for a moment, "But that is another prophecy of Isaiah, 'All we like sheep have gone astray, but God laid on Him the iniquity of us all.'

"I suppose maybe He was the sacrificial Lamb -- the Way out of this cursed world?"

"I don't know if I see it as being all that cursed. It's so beautiful, when we stop and take the time to look at it... and appreciate it."

"But God told Adam that was one of the consequences of his disobedience -- the ground would be cursed. I believe that since then, all of nature has been broken, and that we are born with a broken nature, a sin nature."

"But that just doesn't... I mean, to me everything seems to be in amazing harmony. It is us who are not in harmony with it.

"I see it as this one universal energy source and I am merely a small part of it, my unique part in it... well, to the extent that I allow myself to be a part of it. Like tuning into it. Letting down the resistance. Going with the flow. When I do that, I feel this amazing force flowing along and I am merely carried along with it.

"And, I hear music in it. Wonderful, beautiful music..."

"The music of love..."

"Exactly! If we could all simply stop thinking of ourselves and become one with the universal energy of love... if we could... well, I think things would be a lot different around here. A lot better. Not so cursed. Right?"

Richard thought about it, "It is a pleasant thought. I will give you that. But to me, love as a noun does not do much for anyone. If love is merely love, it simply sits there being itself and not doing anything for anyone. Great... Love... What do you do with that?"

"You just bask in it... you revel in it..."

Richard shook his head "I simply cannot see what that looks like, though. Love as a noun is merely an emotion. But as a verb... love is a decision. It is active. It is moving toward something. I can see it when it is expressed -- when one person is loving another person -- when love is active.

"Acts of love, I think, are more important. Sacrificial love, unconditional love, like I see when a mother is caring for her children, or when a friend is helping out a friend, or like many of the things I see around here at Abe's Heart.

"Or, like you," he gestured toward Truman, "coming here to play the piano. You could be doing any number of other things, but instead, you are here playing the piano because it brings a little joy to a person like me."

Truman nodded in agreement, "Yeah."

Richard thought for a moment, "Love can exist alone. But its true beauty and essence can only be manifested in the space between one and another.

"There cannot be merely a universe in unity with itself. There must be separation. There must be a space between one and another... where love can be expressed... where love can exist."

He thinks for a moment, "I think it is as simple as the statement, 'I love you.'"

"What."

"'I love you.' When you say, 'I love you.' there must be an I, and there must be a you. Love can only exist in the space between I and you."

Truman shook his head, "You are a crackpot, Richard."

Richard laughed, "I know."

"But you are correct, of course. So, I'm going to have to give these things some more thought. I don't know. You got me thinking."

"I think it was you who got me thinking. And, I thank you for that. Thinking has been a real challenge for me lately."

~ Hope ~

It was getting old and frustrating. Richard was exasperated. He looked down, "It has been so many days now, Lazer. This is getting so tiring... what is going on with me?"

I thought for a moment and answered, "It seems to me as though it is more about what is going in with you. There seems to be a myriad of things on the inside that you are working through."

"But it is not working. This is a hopeless mess..."

I squinted my eyes and looked off to the side and slightly upward, musing out loud, "That's a great idea..."

"What?"

I snapped out of it, "Oh, uh, I was only thinking sometimes it helps to be busy... you know, working on something... to distract your mind from thinking so much on a specific problem."

Richard concurred, so I hitchhiked my thumb behind us toward the kitchen, "So, why don't you go back in the kitchen and see if there is something you can help them out with in there... they are always busy back there. I think it would be good for you." I smiled, "The kitchen seems like it might be the perfect place to whip up a little hope for you."

"I suppose it is worth a try. I feel like such a freeloader around here anyway."

Richard left us and turned and walked back into the kitchen.

A young woman was standing at the kitchen counter washing dishes in the sink. She wore a white apron over her light pink button-up short-sleeved shirt and gray slacks. She was younger than the other workers in the kitchen, but she was hard at work and seemed focused on the task before her.

Richard walked up to the counter, "Excuse me."

The young woman was startled, "Oh!"

"I am terribly sorry."

"Oh, no, it's Ok. I was just... well, my mind was off somewhere else and I... can I help you with something? Do you need..."

"Actually, I would like to help you." She was puzzled. "Is there anything around here with which I could help you?"

"Uh, no... not that I can think of, but thank you... that is very kind of you to offer." Richard looked discouraged. "Are you Ok? Should I call..."

"You know how you just said your mind was off somewhere else?" She nodded. "Well, that is what I need. I need to go there \-- somewhere else. It is not working here, and I am going crazy."

"You're Richard. Right?" He nodded. "I'm Hope... I mean, my name is Hope... I am a volunteer here at Abe's Heart."

Richard nodded, "Pleased to make your acquaintance, ma'am."

Hope smiled and bowed her head, "And I am equally pleased to make yours, sir." She gave Richard a sympathetic look. "That must be really..." She paused for a moment and then reached over, picked up a dish towel and extended it out toward him. "Here. You can dry. It actually does get a little boring back here. So, I could use some company."

After a few moments of doing the dishes together, Grace rushed into the kitchen. She looked around frantically, spied Hope, and then rushed toward her and Richard.

She was frustrated and harried, "Oh, there you are... I thought you were in the rec room today... with Joy.

"I'm sorry, Grace. Did I get my schedule wrong?"

"No, no, you're probably right. I'm just going crazy today... We have that visit tomorrow with the board and... ugh, I only wanted to make sure you were all set for the school coming over tonight to help with the evening meal... I swear those kids are going to drive me to drink... something as simple as serving food... God, you'd think they were from a different planet, or something...

Hope smiled, "They kind of are. Right? And, it hasn't been all that long since I was their age."

"But you are the exception, my dear. That is for sure."

Hope accepted the compliment, "Thank you. But anyway, yes, we are all set for tonight."

"Thank God. One less thing to worry about. Although, I don't even know why I was... you always have everything under control, Hope... but it's such a force of habit for me around here... just trying to keep it all on track..."

Richard commented, "Sounds like a severe case of human doing versus human being to me." Hope and Grace both looked at him, puzzled. "It is not difficult at all to detect your vast amount of doing is probably preventing you from pouring anything in the vessel of your being."

"Well, now look who's the authority on mental..." she stopped herself, paused and took a few slow breaths.

Richard pointed out, "That is probably the key right there, Grace -- breathing. Did it not feel good, to simply stop and take those few slow breaths?"

Grace was still breathing slowly, "Yes... of course..."

Richard smiled, "You do not have to be a psychologist to know that."

Grace acknowledged and concurred with his wisdom.

Richard thought a little more and added, "Adam got the first dose of that life-giving breath of God. Now all the rest of us need to do is merely slow down, or stop... and take it in more regularly."

Grace nodded in agreement, "Amnesia might not be such a bad condition after all." The three of them laughed. "Thank you, Richard, for your amnesiatic advice. Ok, so... now I'll try to go and balance in some human being along with all the human doing that is on my agenda... and I'll try to remember to slow down every now and then and..." she inhaled slowly, "breathe..."

Grace left the kitchen and Hope and Richard went back to their task of washing and drying the dishes.

"Grace is such an amazing woman. I really admire her."

"Apparently, you are quite an amazing woman yourself, Hope."

"According to her, so... I guess so. I am who I am."

Richard stopped drying and looked down for a moment. Then he looked over at Hope, "Who am I, Hope?"

"Well, you don't exactly have to suffer from amnesia to struggle with that one. Right? She looked around the room, "Probably most of us in here are also asking ourselves that same question to one degree or another."

Richard sighed deeply, "I suppose you are right about that. But... you seem fairly content with yourself. What is your secret?"

Hope answered unconvincingly, "Yeah, I guess I'm fairly content..."

"No?"

"Well, it's sort of weird sometimes because... well, I just wonder sometimes about my motivation." Richard was puzzled. "Like, I think I started helping out here at Abe's Heart because I was feeling guilty."

Richard was curious, "Guilty?"

"Well, not guilty as though I did something wrong, kind of guilty. Guilty as in feeling not good about myself. Like, not feeling as though I was being enough or doing enough. Like I was falling short, or simply feeling guilty about not being good enough."

"Doing and being... that is probably how Grace started out." Hope nodded. "So, not feeling guilty about doing something overtly bad but rather, not doing something good.

"Kind of weird, huh."

"Yes, kind of."

"But that's why I volunteer here. It really helps me to feel good about myself."

"So, what is wrong with that?"

"Well, it's like I said, sometimes I question my own motives. Like, do I really care about the people here, or am I only in this for myself, you know?"

"Yes. I suppose I do."

"And then sometimes I wonder, well, how good is good enough? If I am doing it for me, am I just going to get addicted to it and have to do more and more before I feel satisfied?"

"Interesting observations, young lady. You are quite perceptive."

Hope rolled her eyes, "To a fault, believe me."

Richard thought for a moment while they continued to do the dishes, "Actually, it sounds a lot like religion to me."

"What?"

"Faith was telling me about all these many world religions, so what you are saying makes me think about them -- these people who are staunch adherents to a particular religion who do the same thing. They sense an awareness of something 'not good' in themselves, that they try to placate with some type of 'sanctified' activity. As though, if they do enough prayers and enough study and enough crawling up and down stairs while beating themselves on the back with a stick, they will be justified."

"Yeah. I guess that makes sense. I know a few people like that. And one in particular who really bugs me... because he is always trying to jam it down my throat. But seriously, it is so obvious to me that it is nothing more than for himself. He doesn't really care about me -- he cares about the number of converts he can add to the notches on his belt. Right?"

"Yes. I know the type. The hypocrites, who are merely out to appear holy and to satisfy their own personal agenda."

Hope thought about that for a moment, "But how do all these religions get full of people like that? It seems like it should be just the opposite. It seems like, religions should be full of people who care about others and love others and are generous and giving."

"Like here at Abe's Heart."

"Yeah, I guess. Sheesh, I sure hope this place doesn't become some self-serving religion someday."

"Maybe most of them started out like this here but then lost the... well, whatever it was they had in the beginning... the passion... the fire of God..."

"Well, for this place I know it was God. The founders of Abe's Heart, well old Abe was amazing. He was well-known for having a heart for... well, for people like you who find themselves in need of a hand."

"True religion, I suppose."

"Yeah... maybe that's the difference. Yeah. I think places like this, or religions, or whatever, get kind of dead when they lose the relationship-with-others aspect of it... or the relationship-with-God aspect. Right?"

"Yes. I suppose so."

"The truth is, the key is probably being much more about relationship than religion. We have to keep the relationship alive and prevent religion from killing it." She paused to think about her insight. "Wow. I think that is it, Richard.

"And, that helps me, too. I mean, with what I have been thinking about my work here. I have to remember it is not about me. It is about you... and everyone else here." Richard smiled. "And, it is about God. Old Abe always said it was God's place. I think I need to pay more attention to that."

Richard laughed, "Well, actually, I suppose we had better pay more attention to these dishes... before they stack up to kingdom come--"

Suddenly, and without warning, the fraction of an instant was all it took to usher in a combination of a bright flash of light with blinding blackness. The building jumped. People screamed. The jarring crack of deafening noise whipped through each room.

Everything was instantly converted to some degree of rubble and debris. The air was throbbing with confusion and infected with billowing particles of metamorphosed matter. Everyone was stunned and dazed and confused and disoriented.

It was not too long before a strong focused beam of light broke into the smoky blackness. It swept back and forth surveying the debris of rubble.

Lucas cried out, frantically, "Damn it! What the hell! Ugh... Ok... hey!" He swept his flashlight back and forth. "Hey, you guys! That had to be a bomb. I gotta check it out." There were more loud crashing sounds as the building gave way to its fractures. "Shit! Damn it! I can't see a damn thing. Hey! Are you guys Ok in there?" A collage of random pieces of plaster dropped from the ceiling all around him and jolts of electricity sparked against the black walls. "Hey you guys! Just hang in there! I gotta go get some help!"

Finally, the unnerving episode settled into a progressive state of early onset oblivion.

~ Chasm ~

"There was something strangely familiar about this place...

I had been here before... I am certain...

I have been here before..."

The area was punctuated by crackling sounds and random sparks of electricity coming from different locations in the ceiling, where there were several conduit-type cables and loose wires hanging down among a variety of cracked boards and other building materials that were swaying between the wires.

A grayish light over the entire area revealed unsettled dust randomly billowing through the air. The entire scene looked like an old black-and-white movie. There was no color at all.

All the rooms in the shelter seemed to have congregated into one gathering place. There were no walls. Furniture was all damaged and resting in various levels of brokenness on the floor.

Faith, Victor, Joy and Truman stood motionless, and then... slowly, each of them began to move around, as though they were toys coming back to life after being re-wound.

Hope was seated on the floor in front of the tipped-over hospital bed. Richard was lying next to her with his head in her lap. Hope began to caress Richard's forehead and gently comfort him.

Several moments passed before anyone spoke.

"This is ridiculous. Where the hell are they... they should have been here by now." Victor paced around impatiently, "When are we going to get out of here?" None of the others responded. "Ok, that does it for me. I'm going to find a way out of here myself."

Faith called out as Victor started to leave the area, "Victor! Don't!" She walked toward him and then stopped, "Victor! Get back here! We all need to stick together!"

Truman stepped forward, "I'll go after him."

"Be careful, Truman. We don't know..."

"Yeah, I know... But who knows? Maybe we will find a way out of here."

Faith called out as Truman left the room, "Just be careful."

More time passed, as Faith and Joy continued to move randomly and aimlessly around the area.

Hope gazed down at Richard in her lap, "What is wrong with him? Why doesn't he wake up?"

"This is exactly how he was when Lucas found him out in the park. I don't understand exactly what is--"

Suddenly, there were a few brighter and louder cracklings of electricity coming from the wires hanging from the ceiling. Richard sat up quickly and shouted, "Five!", which greatly startled Hope, so she instinctively scooted backwards. Faith and Joy rushed up to them.

Richard was breathing heavily, "What..." He franticly looked around, "Where..."

"It's Ok... It's Ok... You're alright, Richard... Everything's going to be Ok..."

Richard looked at her and then all around the area. He rolled over to a kneeling position, took several deep breaths, and began to get his bearings. The others gathered in closer around him.

"We're all here. There was a bomb. We're stuck in here, but help is on the way. Lucas is--"

Richard groggily attempted to shake off his confusion, "What... I... Oh, God... no... God, no..." He paused and looked around in shock, "I remember... I remember everything."

"It's Ok, Richard."

"There was a bomb outside. Do you remember that?"

"Everyone died. It killed everyone... my family... my friends... all the servants died... everyone... even the beggars outside on the street..."

"It's Ok. We're safe for now. Lucas is coming back with help. And Victor went to find... and Truman... we're going to be Ok."

Richard stood up quickly, "I have been here before. I remember..." He looked all around, "I am so sorry... this is all my fault..."

"What are you talking about?"

"They came for me. I am so very sorry... they came for me. I... Oh no... God... no..."

Richard slowly looked around at them, "I did the same thing to you that I did to them... they all died because of me..."

"What are you talking about, Richard?"

"Oh, God... this cannot be happening again... this cannot be..."

"We're Ok, Richard. Help is on the way. I'm sure of it. Don't worry."

Hope walked up to Richard and caressed his back and looked into his face, "It's Ok, Richard. We're all here. We're going to get out of here. Lucas is coming--"

Richard breathed more normally and looked at Hope, "It is not Ok, Hope." He repeated firmly, "It is not Ok."

"What do you mean?"

"I have been here before. I... oh, God... God help us... please..."

"Maybe you should sit down. You--"

Richard interrupted insistently, "Please, all of you... please listen to me. I am so sorry. This is all my fault... again..." He put his hands on his head, "Why is this happening? Why is this happening again?"

Richard paced around for a few moments and then looked at them, "I remember everything now. So, please listen to me."

He closed his eyes and rubbed his head.

Then he lifted his head, lowered his hands, and looked around again at all of them, "Look. The one thing you know about me is I had money... a lot of money." They all nodded. "Oh, God, I am so sorry. I did not mean for this to happen again."

"It's Ok."

"No. It is not Ok."

Richard sighed deeply and continued, "So, you all know I had money, well, let me tell you, I did not exactly... well... I did not exactly make a lot of friends to get my fortune. They finally caught on to what I did to them... and... well, let us just say they were not too happy about it."

He shook his head, "I never saw it coming. The next thing I knew I was here, and we were all dead... everyone... every last one of us..."

"It's alright, Richard. We'll be out of here soon."

Richard looked intently at Faith, "What did you say happened to me? What did you call it when I was unconscious for seven days... before they brought me to Abe's Heart?"

"You were unconscious, unresponsive... you were basically Ok, but you were in a deep coma... not responding--"

Richard interrupted, "Coma. What is a coma? You, you said coma."

"You were in a coma. It's like you were somewhere else. Your body was functioning perfectly fine, but your consciousness was..."

"... somewhere else."

"Yeah."

Richard looked around at them and took a deep breath, "We are all somewhere else."

"What?"

"I am telling you. I have been here before. I know this place. We are somewhere else."

Hope started to cry. Then Victor and Truman re-entered the room.

Victor pointed at Richard, "Hey, look who joined the party. Back from the dead, eh Richard?" Richard looked down. "Well anyway, guys, there is nothing. No way out of here. Every way we went was blocked off. Really kind of weird. Right, Truman? It's like--"

"I'll tell you what it's like. It's like a weird dream. Like one of those weird morning dreams when you dream you wake up, but you are still asleep... and still dreaming. You know... like a weird dream version of life, but then you realize you are still dreaming."

Faith, Joy and Hope stared at Truman.

Truman looked confused, "What's wrong?"

Richard answered, "We are in a dream. That is what." He looked at all of them, "Listen, please. You all must listen to me very carefully. I have been here before. Please let me tell you how this is all going to go down."

"What the hell is he talking about?"

Hope was still a little teary, "Richard says we are all in a coma."

"What?"

Truman looked over at Hope, "What are you talking about?"

Richard interjected, "Please listen to me. If you will all please listen carefully to me, I will tell you exactly what... I will tell you where... Oh, God... please hear me out. And, please be patient. And by all means, please keep an open mind. This is going to take some time... Oh, God... time... how am I going to tell you about time..."

"I don't understand."

Richard took a deep breath and paced around, "Please try to think about several things all happening at the same time... all at once... all right now... this is happening and... well, something else is happening also. You may be lying flat on your back somewhere... you may be... so many things are... you are..."

"This is insane."

Richard nodded in agreement, "Yes."

"Really, Richard, what are you--"

Richard sharply interrupted her, "I died, alright... I died and this is exactly the same place where I was when I died." He looked around, "The furniture is different, but I assure you, this is exactly the same place.

"I do not understand why I am here again. I died and went to..." He stopped abruptly.

"Well, that is probably the first thing I should tell you -- it is not a die and 'go to' process -- it is a die and 'stay in' process.

"You do not die and go to Hell, you live and stay in Hell. You do not die and go to Heaven, you live and stay in Heaven.

"You choose where you are before you die. And then, when you die, you simply stay in the one you chose, and the other one goes completely away.

"Before you die, life is a mixture of both Heaven and Hell, but after you die, it is either all one, or all the other."

"Why are you... you're scaring me..."

Richard walked up to Hope and gave her a hug, "I am so so sorry about all of this, Hope." Then he looked around at the others, "But if you will all please bear with me, and listen to me, and let me... it really is quite simple. But it simply is not what it appears to be, so it is difficult to grasp and comprehend."

"This is ridiculous."

Richard looked at Victor, "It is similar to what you were telling me about molecules and atoms. Do you remember that? It is similar to that picture you drew for me on the napkin. We talked about the space between all those moving parts -- all those various pieces of matter rotating around each other in a field of space. And, we talked about how the space between them was equally as important as the parts themselves.

"This is the same thing -- the spiritual realm is the space in between the parts. It is all around, and it is as equally important as the parts.

"All the many parts of life exist in the space of spirit.

"That is why Heaven and Hell are not 'go to' places. Our entire lives take place in a mixture of both Heaven and Hell within spiritual space... until we die... then one of them goes away..."

Truman got a pensive look on his face and walked over to Richard, "So then, the good news is... if what you are saying is true... then we are not dead.

"Because it appears we are still currently experiencing both Heaven and Hell, here in this strange space."

Richard curiously pondered what Truman said, "Yes, you are correct. You are not dead. This is not death." He paced around, thinking, "But I cannot for the life of me understand why I am here again, Truman. I do not have any idea why we are having this conversation. I made my choice already. I left it all behind."

"Behind where?"

"In life. In the realm of the now and the not yet -- where you can make a choice.

"But here, in this strange place you cannot make a choice."

Richard looked around at them again, "I wanted to go back there. I wanted to tell... I wanted to warn them..."

"What do you mean, 'the now and the not yet'? That doesn't make any sense."

"It is your life. It is where there is still the mixture of Heaven and Hell I was telling you about. Where you can do things in the now... before the not yet. When you still have a choice between seeking one or the other.

"That is what I wanted to go back and tell them -- that the most important thing about existing in the temporarily mixed space of Heaven and Hell, is seeking...

"Because we obtain what we seek.

"As we live our lives in the midst of both Heaven and Hell, if we seek the presence of God in Heaven, we will find Him. If we seek the absence of God in Hell, we will find it."

"So then, it must be the absence of God that drives us into the presence of God -- kind of a Yin Yang thing going on."

"Like, 'absence makes the heart grow fonder.'"

"Yes. And from the sounds of what you both are saying, it appears that maybe you are all very close to the presence of God in Heaven." He looked down and shook his head remorsefully, "My brothers were not. They were like me."

"What do you mean?"

Richard looked around at them and started to explain, "This mixture of Heaven and Hell I was talking about -- I think you know this to be true. Each of you have lived long enough to know that this is absolutely true.

"Think right now of times when you have sought the presence of God in your life. It could be in a variety of different ways. You know what I am talking about, especially you, in a place like this where you serve others selflessly... when you give of yourselves to others... when you love...

"Did you find His presence in those times? Think about it. Think about what that was like. Those were the times when you were in Heaven.

"Unfortunately, I am sure it is also quite easy for you to think of times when you were seeking the absence of God in your life. When you wanted something for yourself... and you did not care about others. You wanted it and you reached out and took it."

"I never did anything like that."

"Yes, I do not doubt that at all, Joy. I doubt any of you are thieves. But think of it as being similar to theft... but not in a material sense. Think of it as the type of theft when someone takes another person's dignity by talking about them behind their back; or when they take credit for another person's accomplishment to make them look better; or when they take another's worth by judging that person to be less than they are.

"All of these are examples of when people seek and actually obtain the absence of God. All of them were times when they were in Hell.

"And I doubt any of you are murderers. But every time you said something mean or critical or harsh about someone, you were actually assassinating their character. You were killing a part of them to make yourself look better. You were putting them down to raise yourself up. It was the same as though you were to stick a knife deep into their back.

"We do it during our entire lives. All the good, wonderful, beautiful, honorable, true and right things happen in Heaven. All the horrible, wrong, evil things happen in Hell."

"This doesn't make any sense at all, Richard. Heaven and Hell are judgements... destinations... end results... not... not processes. You are making them sound like processes... or like formulas in an equation, as though this, plus this, minus that, plus this, equals whatever... or, if you stack up all the good things you did against all the bad things you did, you get whichever pile is larger."

Richard sharply interrupted her, "Oh God, no Faith. Please. No... not at all. Not in the slightest. I beg you, all of you... please listen to me." He stopped and looked around at all of them, "You all must not get this wrong. This is of critical importance...

"It is not about the amount of seeking, as though you can outweigh one or the other. It is about a one-time decision, a matter of your will, to begin a process of seeking Him and His presence and then making on-going continuous decisions to do so for your entire life.

"It is about leaving behind your own way and living for His way. It is a surrender. It is a giving up of yourself to live for Him. To follow Him.

"Then, if you do that and you choose to live in the presence of God in Heaven, you will continue to live in Heaven after you physically die. If you choose to live in the absence of God in Hell, you will continue to live in Hell after you physically die."

He shook his head, "We all pick... one or the other... forever... I know... I have been there."

He paused and looked around at them, "Unfortunately, I ferociously pursued the absence of God when I was right there in His presence.

"Please do not make the same mistake I did. I am begging you. Please seek Him."

Victor took a few steps away and then quickly turned back around toward the others, "Has anyone else had enough of this bullshit."

Richard walked toward Victor, "I wish it were bullshit, Victor, but it is real. Heaven and Hell are real... and God is real... I am trying to tell you God is real... Heaven is real... and Heaven is definitely the place you want to... the place you want to 'stay in.'"

He looked down, "I know because I chose to 'stay in' Hell.

"It did not seem like Hell, of course, because it is such a huge lie... a lie I bought hook, line and sinker. I had everything -- money, power, pleasure... everything. I was rich beyond measure.

"Yes, I certainly possessed great riches, but in reality, they possessed me. I was a slave to them. I lived to serve them, and to keep them, and to get more and more of them.

"I had everything I wanted.

"But what I did not realize was, I had nothing... absolutely nothing I needed.

"That is the huge lie.

"Hell is everything you want. And Heaven is everything you need."

"Well, having everything I want sounds pretty good to me. Right?"

Richard was deadly serious, "Victor, I am sorry. Please listen very carefully to what I have to tell you... and please forgive my bluntness. You have no idea how gravely wrong you are about that. I went down that road... and let me tell you...it does not lead to where you think it does."

Richard looked around at all of them, "I am fairly certain all of you were probably thinking the same thing as Victor. It was merely he who voiced it.

"It is normal. It is completely natural and normal to want these things... these things that satisfy immediate desires... these things that are pleasurable... enjoyable...

"But the more important thing to understand is that satisfying these temporary appetites in life is merely... well, the purpose of those appetites is to make us aware of the greater hungers in our life... the spiritual hungers. We try to satisfy these greater spiritual hungers with these temporary things... but it does not work.

"Believe me, I had everything... and all it did was cloud the fact that I had nothing.

"I had nothing... and I was starving to death.

"And, let me tell you what everything is like when it is all you have, and when it is actually nothing."

Joy interjected impatiently, "Why are you talking in riddles? Just spit it out, Richard. What is going on here?"

Richard took a deep breath, "We value all these things because they are limited. And, not only are they limited, but the time in which to enjoy them is also limited."

Richard looked over at Victor again, "You said having everything you wanted sounded good to you? Believe me, the value of those things decreases vastly when you have all you want... all at once."

"This is bullshit."

"Imagine right now, your favorite meal. Go ahead... imagine the perfect setting, the perfect courses... appetizers... soups... salads... entrees... desserts... go ahead.

"A pleasant thought, is it not? And, you can almost smell it and taste it.

"Now imagine eating and eating and eating all day long, all night long, day after day after day for years and years... and never getting full... never satisfied.

"It becomes nauseating... What was intoxicating becomes nauseating... What was desirable becomes abhorrent.

"It is everything and it is nothing."

"It's still a riddle, Richard."

Richard paused to think for a moment, "Not when you factor in time. And, you of all people should know how important time is, Truman. Music is nothing without time." He got a pained look on his face, "It is just a blaring, excruciating cacophony of noise.

"There is no beginning, no middle, no end... it is merely one huge blast of, aargh..." He winced and covered his ears.

"Listen. Please. You have to understand this -- there is no time in Hell. Everything happens all at once... and therefore, it does not happen at all.

"This is going to be difficult to grasp, but please try to understand what I am saying.

"There is no time in Hell because God created time in order to limit Himself... so His presence could be experienced by others... by us. He created time so His infinite presence could be experienced by other finite beings.

"Do you understand what I am saying?

"Time is what gives us the ability to experience His presence. He created time in order for us to be able to experience Him. He put Himself into a timeframe, so we could enter into it and experience a relationship with Him."

Victor shook his head, "You are seriously off your rocker, Richard."

Richard took another deep breath, "The first thing we discover in God's creative process is a reference to time \-- in the 'beginning'. Time was the first thing God created. It allowed for a space into which He could place His creation. It was not the heavens and the earth that were created first -- it was time.

"The 'beginning' was time.

"He created a timeframe and then He occupied it with His presence and expanded it to allow for the continued creation of the heavens and the earth.

"Time was created so we, finite beings, could experience the presence of an infinite God."

Richard looked around and saw they were having difficulty understanding what he was trying to explain, "What I am trying to tell you is, since Hell is the absence of God, there is no time in Hell. And, without time, there is no... well, for example, there is no anticipation of a delicious meal. And, there is no satisfaction of having eaten it.

"It is everything and nothing."

"I don't understand what you are--"

Richard interrupted Hope, "Go ahead. Imagine every aspect of a perfect life. Go ahead." To Victor, "Imagine everything you want, Victor, everything.

"There is no way to experience it because there is no time in which to experience it.

"And, why is there no time? Because there is no presence of God. No space. No room.

"Time needs room to breathe. Time needs a place to expand... a journey on the way to a destination... a point A and a point B." He looked at Truman, "A beginning, and a middle, and an end. Time needs space, but there is no space in Hell.

"And, why is there no space?

"Because there is no presence of God."

Suddenly, several quick bright and crackling jolts of electricity came from the wires hanging from the ceiling. There were loud crashing sounds. Everything went dark and Hope screamed loudly.

After a few moments, the lights came back on slowly. Hope was gone and the kitchen counter where she was doing the dishes was mysteriously suspended in mid-air just below the ceiling.

Victor rushed over to where Hope was last standing and looked around for her, "What the hell! What the hell is going on here! Hey! Hope!" He started to run out of the area. "I gotta find her!" He ran out.

Faith was alarmed, "Where did Hope go?"

Richard walked over and looked up at the floating kitchen counter, "She is somewhere else. She woke up."

"What is going on here?"

Richard looked at them, "I realize I was not making much sense to you all. Everything and nothing... no time... no space... no God... What you need to understand is God is the only thing that is infinite. God is the only thing that is eternal.

"We are merely everlasting beings. We have a beginning and then we exist forever. All of us. Everyone.

"Everyone has everlasting existence, so it is not quantity of life that is important -- it is quality of life that is important.

"And, the only way to have high quality existence is in Heaven -- in the presence of God. Without God, there is no space, no Heaven to expand into... no room to grow... no way to be more...

"Without God, we can only be what we can imagine -- nothing more.

"You all thought that sounded good -- having everything you wanted, everything you could imagine, everything you could dream of. But it is not... because that is all it ever could be -- what you can imagine, instead of what God has in mind for you.

"It would be like Coyote being happy to sniff out the crumbs under the tables in the dining room and happy to score a few scraps of human food but being completely unaware of the feast in the kitchen. Or, it would be like when Lazer takes him out at night for a walk -- he is completely happy sniffing out another dog's scent in the bushes, but he is totally unaware of the magnificent starry sky above him."

"What in the world are you talking about? What coyote? What laser?"

Richard looked at her, confused, "Lazer and Coyote. The young man with the dog -- always hanging around at the shelter."

Richard looked around at each one of them, but they did not seem to know what he was talking about.

Richard gestured toward Truman and continued, "Look. What if Truman could only play a simple scale on the piano, up and down, only seven notes over and over but had no concept of what a symphony would sound like? Or, a painter... what if a painter had only had the seven basic colors to work with and had no idea...

"In Hell, there is no God, so there is nowhere to expand, to grow, to be more of who we have been designed to be.

"There is no space. There is no journey. There is no time. There is no anticipation. There is no satisfaction.

"Hell is everything and nothing. Everything you want and nothing you need."

"And then Heaven is everything we need?"

"It is everything for which we were created. It is our destiny. It is what we were intended to experience. It is everlasting life."

"You said everyone lives forever."

"Everyone does exist forever, Truman. But it is not about mere existence. It is about life. Life means high quality existence. Death means low quality existence."

Richard walked back over toward the others, "Do you remember what God told Adam and Eve would happen if they ate the forbidden fruit?"

"He said they would die."

"He said, 'In the day you eat of it, you shall surely die.' Well... did they drop dead when they ate it?" He looked around, "No. So, what did 'surely die' mean?

"And, they were probably wondering the same thing. It had never happened before.

"Think about it. What happened after they ate the fruit?"

He looked around at them again and then answered the question, "Separation. The absence of God. Hell.

"God walked into the garden and said, 'Adam, where are you.' Why would He have to say that? Because there was now separation between Him and them. And, it was not a question. It was a probing statement. He was telling Adam to take a look at where he was. He was separate. He was in Hell.

"God was present in the Garden, but Adam was in Hell... he and Eve, both... hiding from God in the trees. They had 'surely died.'"

"And, they covered their nakedness."

"Yes. The mixture of Heaven and Hell had begun. They had the beauty of their innocence together with the guilt of their disobedience.

"They ate from the tree. They knew good and evil. Heaven and Hell.

"They made a choice..." He looked down, "We all make the choice."

Then there was another series of sudden bright crackling electrical jolts from the ceiling wires, and loud crashing sounds. The lights went out quickly and Faith let out a scream. When the lights came back on, Faith was gone, and the hospital bed was also floating in mid-air just below the ceiling.

After a few moments, Victor ran back into the area.

"What the hell is going on here? Shit! What the hell!"

"Now Faith is gone, too."

"Gone where?"

"Somewhere else."

"They woke up."

"We're in Hell."

Richard looked at them all, "Not yet."

"I heard that crap you were talking about. Adam and Eve and all that bullshit. All that hellfire and brimstone stuff is bullshit."

"You are correct about that, Victor." He paused and closed his eyes tightly in pain and then he looked over at Victor, "Because it is actually worse... much much worse than hellfire and brimstone.

"But fire is a good word to use to describe it... partly because of the sensation of pain fire causes... we all learn early to avoid fire because of that.

"But it is an even more appropriate word because of how it consumes. Hell consumes all the burning passions we have -- all the deep-down burning desires we have to be who we truly are, who we were meant to be, who God created us to be."

Richard thought for a moment, "Do you remember, Victor, when you were talking about molecules and you used a burning log to explain it to me?"

"Yeah."

"Each of us is filled with... we are packed with potential... we have immense untapped gifts and abilities... some of them we know about and others we only partially sense, or dream of..." He stepped away and looked off, "We have those dreams... we know there is more..."

Then he looked back to them, "All of that is consumed by fire... because God is not there to quicken it... to bring it to life... to ignite it... to fan it...

"It is like your log example, Victor... your piece of wood. You told me about all the energy that was present inside that dead piece of wood. And then, through fire, it was released. But it merely went up in smoke and left behind dirty, dusty ashes... that blew away in the wind."

"Is that what happens to our dreams... I have those dreams..."

"Me, too."

"Those dreams are your light... your inner spark of divinity... God's likeness in you... put there by Him... a little piece of Himself that He puts into each one of us. It is our opportunity to be like Him.

"We can let it go up in smoke or..." He paused to think, "Remember how at the beginning of Creation God said, 'Let there be light.' That is why Hell is also referred to as darkness... outer darkness... God's presence is not there... there is no light... no creativity... no dreams...

"God is the Light of Creativity. Darkness is the absence of anything new."

"But what is all of that lake of fire crap? How can you have water and fire together? They can't co-exist. They are mutually exclusive of each other. It's impossible. Just more religious bullshit, man."

Richard looked down for a few moments and then looked over at Victor with a grave look on his face, "The lake is endless, Victor. It goes on and on forever. There is no way out. It is everywhere. It is wholly pervasive... it is smothering... it is an all-consuming nothingness..."

Joy spoke quietly, "I don't want to die."

Truman walked over and put his arm around Joy's shoulders.

Richard took a deep breath, "Joy, you may remember a few moments ago that I told Truman, 'Life means high quality existence, and death means low quality existence.'

"That is what you do not want. You absolutely do not want that death.

"And... that death is the result of the two hungers I was telling you about -- the greater hungers in life -- the spiritual hungers.

"They are the same as every hunger, so when they are not satisfied..."

"You die."

"Yes, death is the result of not satisfying hungers. So, if you die, it is because you starved yourself. You did not avail yourself of nourishment... spiritual nourishment."

"And, we are all hungry."

"Yes."

"And, we all need our hungers to be satisfied."

"Yes."

"But what are we hungry for? I feel like I'm starving to death, but what am I hungry for?"

Richard walked toward Joy, "We are hungry because we have deficiencies... deficiencies that demand satisfaction. If we lack food, we are hungry for food. And, food is the only thing that will satisfy that hunger.

"It is the same with the two spiritual hungers. We have a moral deficiency that makes us hungry for righteousness; and we have a relational deficiency that makes us hungry for relationship.

"I was talking to Hope and she was telling me she felt guilty, but it was not a feeling of guilt for doing something wrong -- not that kind of guilty feeling that is attached to some kind of wrong behavior. She was telling me about the type of guilt that comes from simply not feeling like you have done enough, or are good enough, or..."

"Or, just that general feeling of not being... or... or even the thoughts we have that are not kind... I simply feel rotten sometimes about how I treat people in my own mind... it is like a general sense of guilt..."

"Yes, and that general sense of guilt is a good thing... because it is a by-product of the spiritual hunger for righteousness. It drives us to find a way to satisfy it. It is that moral deficiency, which causes the strong hunger... the hunger that is designed to draw us to God... to find satisfaction in Him... instead of all those other things in the world we think will satisfy the hunger... but actually do not..."

"Like the things you were talking about that you had in your life, which did not satisfy your hunger... they were things you wanted but not things you needed..."

Richard looked down sorrowfully, "Yes. Only God can satisfy that hunger for righteousness."

"What about the other spiritual hunger? You mentioned another hunger -- a hunger for relationship. Is that why we are lonely? I feel so lonely sometimes."

Richard looked intently at Joy, "That loneliness comes from Him.

"I had no idea... if we only knew... if we would only stop and listen... if we paid attention to that longing... it is in every one of us... longing and longing to be satisfied...

"We all have that intense longing because we are like Him... loneliness was His entire motivation for creation."

Richard looked around at them, "There He was. He was Himself... He was all in all... He was everything... glory exceeding abundantly beyond all..."

He looked at each one of them, "And... He was alone...

"He IS creativity. And there was no one with whom He could share Himself. He IS love... and there was no other... no one separate from Himself whom He could love.

"He was all He is... and yet, He was...alone..."

Joy added soberly, "And so are we."

Richard nodded and then continued, "Do you remember the first thing in God's creation that was not good? Every day of creation was good... good... good... and then very good. But then, something was not good."

"It was Adam." Truman grasped for understanding, "It was not good for him to be a..." He stopped and looked intently at Richard, "It was... it was not good for Adam to be alone."

"Adam was a picture of God. Everything around him was perfect. Everything around him was lovely... the garden... the animals...

"But there was no one to share it with... no suitable companion.

"We are God's suitable companion. We are His Eve.

"God was lonely. So, He laid Himself down... and rested... and took us out of His side..."

Again, Joy added, "He was hungry. He was hungry for a companion..."

"And so are we. Right? We are hungry for Him...

"And, you are going to say only God can satisfy that hunger in us as well. That spiritual hunger, deep down in us. That hunger to be loved... to be the other whom God longs to love..."

"Yes."

"He is the ultimate relationship we are longing for."

"He is the Lover Whom we are longing for. Our soul longs for His loving touch upon our lives. We were made to be in that loving relationship with Him... Forever."

Richard looked at each of them individually for a moment, "Maybe now you see what is going on deep inside us all. These hungers that are screaming to be satisfied... and can only be satisfied by Him -- our Savior and our Lover.

"We crave a Savior to satisfy our hunger for righteousness. And, we long for a Lover to satisfy our hunger for relationship.

"Those are the two minor chords in the universe that are crying out to be resolved."

Suddenly, there were several more bright flashes of crackling electricity from the wires in the ceiling. There were more loud crashing sounds. The lights went out quickly and Truman cried out loudly. When the lights slowly came back on, Truman was gone, and the piano was hanging in mid-air just below the ceiling.

Victor blurted out, scared and angry, "What the hell is going on here!"

Joy started to weep, "I don't want to die..."

"This isn't funny, Richard. What are you doing? You need to stop this right now!"

"I'm a good person... I haven't done anything wrong... I'm nice to everyone... I try to be kind... I come here... I help others... I..."

Richard walked over to Joy and held her close for a few moments. Then he took her by the shoulders, held her at arm's length and looked into her eyes, "It is not about being good or bad, Joy... it is about saying yes or no. That is the one great sin -- saying no to God. Even King David, after committing adultery with Bathsheba and murdering her husband, Uriah, confessed to God, 'Against You only have I sinned.' David realized everything we do eventually affects God... personally."

Victor was irritated, "I suppose that is why it's all about 'Vengeance is Mine,' saith the Lord? What about all that vengeance and wrath of God stuff I hear about? That bugs the hell out of me."

"You may not respond to that type of message, Victor, but others do. God does everything necessary to reach everyone. His message of love is designed to penetrate everything we put up against it. He does not judge what we do as much as He judges the walls we put up to keep Him out."

"Well, that's a hell of a judgement..."

"There is no judgement at all..." He paused, "Actually, there is a judgement, but God does not judge anyone. He is the Ruler of the Universe... but He does not pronounce judgment on any person."

"You are cracked, Richard. Even I know that. It's all I ever hear about -- the great day of judgement... 'You better watch out! Books are going to be opened... and the good deeds better outweigh the bad deeds, or you are toast.'"

"No..." He slowly looked down, "It was not a conviction of crimes I committed. God already knows every crime of every person. No. It was not my crimes.

"As the books were presented before me, all I heard was a record of how many times I said no."

He looked back up at them, "If anything, it was my judgement of God. It was a reckoning of every time I said, 'You are not God -- I am god. I do not answer to you -- I decide what I do. The world revolves around me. You exist for me. I am not Your image -- You are mine. You are there to give me what I want...'

"It was like Moses and the Pharaoh. I had every opportunity, but I kept hardening my heart, exactly like Pharaoh did, over and over again, until..."

He continued, solemnly, "Until... God had no choice but to accept my choice.

"He could not violate Himself. He could not violate His Word. He gave me the freedom... He could not overrule me. I judged Him. I judged His offer. I said, 'No.'"

Victor walked over to Joy, "Joy, this is just serious bullshit." Then he paced back over to Richard, "I don't know what is going on here, but this is bullshit, Richard.

"Everything is based on good and evil, right and wrong, crime and punishment. You can't simply throw all that out the window. If something is wrong, it must be righted. If something is stolen, it must be returned. A price must be paid. The whole concept of justice is based upon wrongs being righted... being paid for... recompensed."

He took a few steps away and then turned and pointed his finger at Richard, "No 'Righteous Judge' can merely wink at injustice. It must be accounted for. You can't simply wish it away. Forgiveness of a debt requires repayment." He turned away.

"You are correct, Victor."

"How? How does... I don't understand... I don't want to die... I didn't do anything wrong..."

Then again, there came several sudden bright flashes of crackling electricity from the ceiling, and crashing sounds. The lights went quickly off and Joy screamed loudly. When the lights came back on, Joy was gone, and the activity table was hanging in mid-air just below the ceiling.

Several moments of silence went by.

Victor spoke quietly, "She didn't do anything wrong, Richard."

"You are correct, Victor. Her wrongness is not a result of a choice she made. Neither is yours... and neither was mine. Our wrongness is not a result of something we do.

"So, the issue is -- will we do something to right the wrongness? We can stay in it, or do something to get out of it.

"That is what I have been trying to tell you all.

"I had an opportunity to get out of it... to right my wrongness.

"Sadly, I did not take it.

"The path was made crystal clear to me. I had an absolutely clear choice -- stay in my wrongness, keep worshipping all the things I had built up around myself... my possessions... my power... my pleasures...

"Or, leave it and follow a Way I knew deep down in my soul was the right Way to go.

"I knew it. Deep down in my soul... I knew it.

"But I walked away."

Victor spoke after a few moments, "You said we don't choose our wrongness."

"Yes."

"Well, then we didn't choose all this wrongness we are surrounded by, either. I can't prevent being affected by all this crap around me. Maybe we would make better choices if it weren't for all this crap we are bombarded by every day... all day long, every day."

"I agree with you."

"Really?"

"Yes." He looked at Victor, "You do not like it when I talk about Adam and Eve, but let me tell you another thing about them with which you will probably agree."

"Ok, what?"

"You did not eat the fruit. I did not eat the fruit. We did not disobey. We do not deserve the consequences of their disobedience."

"Exactly."

"And furthermore, I did not choose to be born into this... this crap, as you say. I had no choice. God put me here. He put all of us here."

"I know! That is exactly my problem with all this Original Sin crap. I did not make any of this wrongness! Joy didn't make any of this wrongness! Why should we have to suffer for it?"

"Interesting choice of words."

"What?"

"Suffer." He paused for a moment, "Someone had to suffer... Isaiah foretold He would suffer..."

"Who?"

"The Messiah... the Suffering Servant... He went the Way of Suffering... so we would not have to...

"Victor, there is a Way... He is the Way... there is a Way out of the wrongness..."

Victor was agitated, "The wrongness we didn't cause! The wrongness that surrounds us... that we cannot escape... the curse... the devil... all the evil forces in the world..."

Richard sighed deeply and shook his head, "And, that is one more thing that is misunderstood... one more of the things people certainly do not realize about life, Victor. People have no idea that the evil forces in the world, which do indeed surround everyone... those evil forces are actually powerless without the people whom they desire to torment."

"What do you mean by that?"

"When we give our attention to them, basically worship them -- these 'other gods'... we give them power, we energize them. If people stopped giving themselves to them, worshipping them, then they would wither away. They are powerless in and of themselves..."

"You are cracked out of your gourd, Richard!" He paused, "What about all the Satan this and Satan that crap I keep hearing about? Satan tempting us to do evil and harassing us to stay away from God. Like a roaring looking for someone whom he can devour. What about the great cosmic battle between God and Satan... good and evil?"

Richard looked away sadly, "Good..."

"What?"

Richard slowly looked over at Victor, "There is no cosmic battle, Victor. There is no good versus evil. There is no battle at all. There is no winner and no loser. There are only some people who say, 'Yes' and some people who say, 'No.'

"Like all of us, Satan actually... merely got what he wanted... what he demanded. And in so doing, he lost the presence of God.

"And, that is all it is, for all of us.

"If we do not come to Him, we remain absent from Him."

He shook his head and looked down, "You should see him now -- the Great Serpent of Old. He is the epitome of a wasted life... of wasted unmet potential...

"He is a worm now, Victor. The Great Serpent is a slimy insignificant nothing worm."

He looked over at Victor, "No one respects a liar. You know that. Liars are despised. Well, that old Serpent is the greatest of liars -- the Father of Lies.

"Imagine for a moment what that looks like in light of the Truth.

"He is despised and pitied among all the... among everyone there..."

Victor paced around the room for several moments, looking at all the furniture hanging in mid-air, "Why am I still here... with you... where did they go... am I dead... am I going to wake up?"

"Heaven is real, Victor. So is Hell. They are not places you 'go to' when you die. They are two different realities everyone chooses to 'stay in' forever.

"Hell is having your way. Heaven is having His Way.

"There is no 'final judgement day'. The judgement is made every day of your life. It becomes final when you die. And, it is the judgement you make about God. You are the judge. You make the ruling -- either He is God, or you are god.

"The convictions you hold during your life determine your sentence -- convicted to everlasting Hell, or pardoned to everlasting Heaven.

"We have all been pardoned through the sacrifice of God Himself. He truly is the 'Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world.'

"It is available for all of us, Victor. We accept, or reject. We are forgiven, or unforgiven. We say 'Yes,' or we say, 'No.'"

Then there were a few flashes and cracklings of electricity from the ceiling. There were loud crashing sounds and Victor ducked and covered his head...

But nothing happened to him. Slowly, he began to look around...

And then, excitedly, he ran over to one side of the area and started calling out, "Hey! Look!" He pointed, "Richard! Look! There's a guy out there! Hey!"

Richard walked over to where Victor was pointing and saw us walking in from the outside.

Victor jumped up and waved his arms wildly, "Hey! We're down here! Help! We're down here." He looked at Richard, excitedly, "Do you see that guy with the dog? There's a dog! They're smelling us out. Richard! They're going to find us! Hey!" He waved wildly, "Down here!"

"That is Lazer. That is who I was telling you about. That is his dog, Coyote."

Victor looked at Richard dismissively, "Ok, whatever..." Then he looked back at us and shouted, "Hey! Hey! We're down here!"

Coyote started barking rapidly and loudly. Several flashes and cracklings of electricity came from the wires hanging from the ceiling. And there were loud crashing sounds as the lights went quickly out. Victor cried out loudly.

Coyote stopped barking.

When the lights came back on, Victor was gone, and the dining room table was hanging in mid-air just below the ceiling.

Coyote and I slowly walked down a pathway that led into where Richard was. He was pacing around and looking at all the furniture hanging in mid-air.

~ Fixed ~

Richard looked over at us, "So... it was you there at the shelter." I nodded and he sighed, "We meet again."

"Yes."

"But why did they not see you?"

"I was only there for you. Not them. I was there... if you needed some assistance, I was there to guide you through this."

Richard continued to pace around looking up at the furniture hanging from the ceiling. Then he looked over at me, "What will happen to them?"

"You know."

Richard sighed deeply and looked down, "The same thing that happens to all of us."

After a few moments, he looked back at me, "When I asked if I could go back and warn my five brothers, my request was not denied, but rather, I was told it would not help... it would not make a difference.

"I thought I could give them more information, but he said Moses had given enough. But I insisted... I insisted that if someone came back from the dead... certainly that would convince them..."

I looked at Richard, "There was a resurrection from the dead."

Richard nodded his head and then sadly looked down, "And... they did not believe."

Then he looked back over at me, "Why?"

I sighed, "We all have enough information. It is not for lack of information we do what we do. His Kingdom of Heaven is crystal clear. It is in the mountains... It is in the valleys... It is in the sunrise... It is in the sunset... It is in an infant's laughter... and it is in our dying breath."

"Then... why did I come back?"

I knelt down and gave Coyote a few rubs behind the ears. Then I looked up at Richard from my kneeling position. My response was quiet and clear, "I asked Him."

Richard was puzzled, "What do you mean?"

"I saw that look in your eyes when you asked to go back and warn your brothers... I saw you burning with remorse over not being able to do so...

"I would look at you often...

"Then... I realized that you were... you were me. You were the beggar... hungry and languishing in His absence.

"And then, after a while, I realized... that I was you... I was the one who was rich and full and satisfied with the pleasures of His presence.

"So, I asked Him.

"He did it for me."

Richard shook his head thoughtfully, "His grace... there is not a moment... not a moment I do not regret having separated myself from... from how He simply cannot cease to pour out that unstoppable grace..."

"I know."

"Moses knew about His grace... when he was up on the holy mountain... when God showed him His glory as He passed by... and He told Moses His name...

"He told him He Is the One Who Is... the One Who is compassionate and merciful in His feelings for us... and the One Who is gracious in His actions toward us...

"And... He is so extremely slow to anger, Lazarus... He gave me every opportunity to..."

Richard paused, "His love... His great great love... resting like a massive weight of glory on His truth... His rock-solid truth... and faithfulness that endure forever... and ever... and ever."

Then Richard looked over at me, "We see it, you know. We still do see it... all of us who left it behind...

"Not the reality of it. But we see the memory of it... the memory of what was right there in front of us... but we walked away... away from that relentless opportunity to be forgiven.

"We also see what that forgiveness cost Him... what He was willing to do... to express that great great love of His...

He looked knowingly over at me, "It was us, Lazarus... we are what it cost Him... all of us whom He loved... but did not allow ourselves to be loved by Him. He suffered the loss of thousands... thousands upon thousands of us who would not accept His love."

Richard paced around for a few moments in the silence and gravity of his thoughts. Then he glanced over at me with a profound look of conviction on his face, "I met Him once."

I looked curiously at him.

He continued, "Yes. I did. I heard He was in town... so, I thought I would find out for myself.

"He was getting ready to leave town, but there He was, standing with His disciples. So, I ran up to Him and bowed down before Him... not to honor Him, of course but to show Him I knew the proper etiquette... that I was of the elite and knew how to properly show respect...

"I announced, 'Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may inherit everlasting life?'

"He turned and smiled... and He looked intently at me and said, 'Why do you call Me good? There is none good but God alone.'"

Richard closed his eyes momentarily and sighed, "He saw right through me, Lazarus... my façade was crumbling..."

"But then, He answered, 'If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.'

"Well, regardless of the unethical things I had done to gain my fortune... according to my own moral standard, I certainly had obeyed the Law of Moses. So, regaining a modicum of confidence, I dared, 'Which ones?'

"Again, He smiled, 'You know the commandments: you shall not commit murder... you shall not commit adultery... you shall not steal... you shall not bear false witness...'

"Then, curiously, He paused for a moment, looked intently at me and then He continued, 'Do not defraud... honor your mother and father... love your neighbor...'"

Richard paused and got a pained look on his face and then looked at me, "Why did He add that, Lazarus? Defraud. Why did He say, 'Do not defraud?' He saw right through me. I was standing there open and bare in front of those piercing eyes... looking right through me, into my naked soul."

Then Richard straightened his posture and stiffened, "But I could not let Him know that, or the others around me. So, I feigned confidence and said, 'Teacher, all these I have kept since I was a child. So, what do I still lack?'"

Richard's confident posture melted and he looked away, "After I asked that question, the smile slowly went away from His face. He looked puzzled for a moment, and then slowly, a look of warmth washed all over His face, as He held up His finger and said, 'One thing you still lack. If you wish to be complete, go and sell all your possessions, and give to the poor. And, you shall have treasure in Heaven.'

"I froze... I could not escape from that intensely loving gaze.

"Then the smile returned to His face and He added, 'And, come, follow Me.'"

Richard silently walked over to one side, away from me and Coyote. After a few moments, Coyote walked over to Richard and started to lick his hand. Richard knelt down and stroked Coyote's head and then he looked back at me from his kneeling position.

"I could not do it, Lazarus. I..." He shook his head, "I could not do it.

"So, I found myself simply yielding to my feet as they turned and slowly carried me step by step away from the Way, and the Truth, and the Life.

"But as I walked away, I hesitated slightly and turned my head back toward Him... to hear what He said next. His back was turned, but I still saw Him shake His head and say, 'How difficult it is for those who are wealthy to enter into the Kingdom of God. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.'"

Richard paused and shook his head sorrowfully, "Sadly, it was extremely easy for me to simply continue walking away. I went right back to it, Lazarus. Back to the world I had so carefully constructed around myself... to protect myself from myself... so I would not have to face how poor I was, deep down in my soul... how hungry I was... hungry to be loved...

"It was not long... actually it was incredibly fast how I sank back into it. It was all I knew, Lazarus. It was all I knew how to do. I could not give it away.

"But in the end... I did give it all away. All of it. I gave it all away."

Richard got up and walked back to where I was, "And, I never once gave you anything. Nothing. No kind of food, no kind of help, and certainly never a kind word.

"And yet, you did this for me. You gave me this brief piece of Heaven to cool my burning tongue."

I nodded.

Richard paced around the area for a while looking at the various pieces of hanging furniture. I watched him and gave Coyote a few rubs behind the ears.

Richard stared off into space, "So... there are five of them..."

"Yes."

"And?"

I simply shrugged my shoulders.

Richard looked at me, "I tried to tell them. They were looking to me for answers." He paused, "I suppose they need to look at the other One Who came back from the dead."

"Yes."

"They need to listen to Him. They need to seek His presence."

"Yes."

"They need to come to Him."

Richard took a few steps away and looked off in the distance, "It is getting hot, Lazarus."

"I know."

Richard adjusted his clothing, "I am getting so hot."

I walked over to a small wooden supply cabinet that was behind the hospital bed, reached into it, and took out a small clear glass bowl of water, and walked back to where Richard was.

Richard fainted to his knees and I gently knelt down next to him and put the bowl of water down in front of him. Then I cupped my hand under Richard's chin. His eyes were closed. His forehead started to bead with sweat.

With my other hand, I cupped my fingers into the bowl, lifted my hand out, and then gently poured some water onto Richard's tongue.

Suddenly, all the furniture that was hanging in mid-air quickly dropped to the floor with a loud crash. There was a large quick bright flash of light, and then everything went totally dark.

After a few moments of silence and darkness, Truman's simple piano music started to play.

~ Five ~

Hope was flat on her back. She woke up. Her ears were ringing to the pulse of her heartbeat, but it sounded as though it were a miniature steel drum band rehearsing in her head. She closed her eyes and quietly entertained the notion that it was all a bad dream.

Reality returned when she opened her eyes, turned her head to the side, and was startled to see one of the kitchen carving knives embedded in the floor next to her head. She blinked and pictured herself as an unwilling assistant on the receiving end of a carnival knife-throwing act.

As she rolled over onto her elbow and sat up, she discovered her legs were pinned under some busted up kitchen cabinets. But there was no real damage revealed when she pushed them off of herself.

She stood up and brushed debris and dust off her clothes. Then she took a deep breath and took a few moments to solemnly thank God.

Faith sat up and vacillated between being completely stunned and uncontrollably terrified. An incessant trembling had control of her entire being, so she rolled over onto her lower arms and knees and planted her forehead on the ground to encourage blood to travel downward to her needy mind. Her basic instinct to pray happened to match her posture perfectly, "Please help me... God, please help me."

Grace and Judy entered the rec room in their process of scouting out the shelter to find anyone who might be in need of assistance. Grace pushed a fallen bookcase out of their way, "Thank God the students weren't here when this happened."

Truman was lying on the ground near the piano. As Grace stepped over the rubble and walked carefully over to him, it looked to her as though he were zipped into a giant piano pocket because all the piano keys seemed to have jumped out of their place and landed neatly in a row next to him. But at one end of the row, the black keys looked as though they had been unzipped from the white keys. On the other side of Truman, the brass harp and strings were lying flat on the ground and appeared like gold stitching on a pair of fancy denim jeans pockets.

She knelt down next to him and caressed his head, "Truman... Truman... it's me, Grace. Are you Ok?"

He stirred and blinked his eyes, "What the..."

"It's Ok. It looks like you're Ok. But we have to get out of here. I'm sure the rescue team will arrive here soon and I know they are going to want to get everyone out of here."

She helped Truman up and they gingerly walked over to where Judy was sitting on the floor at the other side of the room.

Joy was lying next to Judy, who had nuzzled up next to her and put Joy's head in her lap. Judy was doing what she could to care for her, as she looked up at Grace, "I can't seem to wake her up. She seems fine but..."

"We gotta get her out of here, so let me do what I can to lift her up."

Grace moved to the other side of Joy, "I'll take this side. We can do this..."

"I don't want to die..."

"Joy... Joy... it's me, Grace... you're Ok... it's me and Judy and Truman. We're getting out of here. We're going to be Ok."

The three of them helped Joy get to her feet.

"I didn't do anything wrong..."

"It's Ok, Joy... we're all going to get the hell out of here."

Victor walked into the dining room and called out, "There she is! Thank God. Hope, are you Ok?"

Hope was still quite dazed and wobbly. She tried to get her bearings, "I think so."

Lucas heard Victor and rushed into the room. He walked up to them, "Wow. Another miracle. But Ok you guys, we gotta get out of here now. The rescue team is going to go through this place like a dose of salts."

"No way! I gotta find him! I'm not leaving here until I find him."

"Please, Victor, I'm telling you, there was no one here by the name of Richard. Everyone is accounted for. They are all outside being taken care of." He handed a clipboard to Victor, "See for yourself. This is the client register. They are all checked off. There's not even a Richard on the list. You can see that for yourself."

"You were the one who found him out in the park! I don't know why you don't... What is going on here? Damn it!"

Suddenly, rescue team members descended upon the dining room and began to quickly usher all of them out. Victor attempted to resist, but they were not allowing any resistance to the predetermined clockwork of their efforts.

Outside, Victor continued to express his frustration to the others, "What is wrong with you guys... I'm telling you, we have to go back in there and find him!"

Faith walked up to him and checked the bandage on his head, "Victor, please calm down. You have obviously experienced a fairly severe head trauma. Your thinking is off. Just give it a rest. Soon it will all settle down in your mind. You'll see."

Victor sat down and put his head in his hands, "I don't know what is going on here... I have to find him... I don't know if he's Ok or not... we can't just leave him in there."

The others could not even begin to process what Victor was rambling about as they were being attended to by the various emergency personnel.

Coyote and I walked around inside the shelter clinic. It was a mess. I walked over to the supply cabinet and took out a clear glass bowl full of water. My reflection looked different.

I took a long slow deep breath and ceremoniously lifted the bowl above my head. Coyote started barking wildly.

Outside, Victor suddenly looked up and over to the shelter. "The dog..." He stood up and looked around. Everyone was busy, so he carefully snuck away unnoticeably and quickly, and went back into the building.

I slowly tipped the bowl over and let the cool water pour all over my face.

And then, before a single drop could splash to the floor, there was a quick bright flash of light. Victor ran into the clinic just as Coyote and I disappeared.

Joy looked over and saw Victor coming out of the building. She thought it was rather odd, considering the circumstances and his previous distress, that he had a look of confidence on his face, accompanied by a slight smile.

She walked up to him, "What's wrong, Victor..."

"He tried to help us. He was there. I'm telling you, he was there. He was trying to help us."

From Jesus of Nazareth in the Gospel According to Matthew:

"Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart,

and you will find rest for your souls.

For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?

Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?"

From the Letter of Paul to the Church in Rome:

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek.

For the same Lord of all, is abounding in riches for all who call on Him.

For "Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved."

How then will they call on Him in Whom they have not believed?

How will they believe in Him Whom they have not heard?

How will they hear without a preacher?

How will they preach unless they are sent?

Just as it is written,

"How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him

who brings good news;

who announces peace and brings good news of happiness;

who announces salvation,

and says to Zion, 'Your God reigns!'"

dedicated to my five

Copyright 2017 – All rights reserved – William Cayhews

williamcayhews@gmail.com

