Page 25 of In This Moment
Wendell settled in at his desk again. Sometimes he felt like the apostle Paul, a man bound for chains and prison because of his public support of God Almighty.
But whatever the price, he would pay it—all in an effort to obey the Father.
Wendell sorted through a stack of papers and found the report that had started it all. The one he’d put together two summers ago.
The one titled “In This Moment.”
His football from Les Green still sat on the top shelf of his bookcase, the words crying out to him every day, every time the Raise the Bar club met.What good can I do in this moment?Wendell smiled. Yes, he had answered the call, and his mission remained the same. To love the students at Hamilton High. And live up to the job duties he’d agreed to when he was hired. Toestablish a schoolwide vision of commitment to high standards and ensure the success of all students.
A text message flashed across the screen of his cell phone. He glanced down and saw Alicia’s name.
I’ll be praying for you tonight. You’re doing the right thing, telling those parents about the good news at Hamilton. So glad you’re being bold for Jesus!
Wendell’s heart skipped a beat.Alicia... you still care. Thank You, God, for this.Wendell texted his reply.Thank you. That means more than you know.
He pushed the happy thought from his mind. The approaching meeting needed all his attention.
Tonight he would tell the parents how Hamilton High had changed, and how students now had a vision of commitment to high standards. How so many more students were actually succeeding. How their lives had been changed. And he would tell them that he couldn’t take credit for the dramatic changes at Hamilton. Not when it was the Lord alone who deserved the praise. He would tell all of this to the parents—some of whom were bound to be shocked or even angry.
And then Wendell would trust God for whatever happened next.
8
One of the best things Cami loved about her new life, since she’d given her heart to Jesus, was the way she walked through her days not in the presence of anger. But in the presence of God.
Last week their after-school club had talked about the fruits of the Spirit. As people developed a friendship with God, the fruit in their lives showed. Love and joy, peace and patience. Kindness. Gentleness. Self-control. They were an outgrowth of believing the Lord and obeying Him. The fruits were the most amazing thing Cami had heard in a long time because they were true.
Cami was already feeling all of them. More love toward her friends and her family, a joy that couldn’t be described—even on days when all she could think about was how much she missed her mother. Cami felt peace over her father’s drinking and her little sisters’ constant questions about their mom. And patience was so much more a part of her routine.
Patience hadn’t stood a chance before, when anger was her constant companion.
Cami could be kind and she could be good—even when her father was mean to her. She wasn’t perfect, but she desired only to grow stronger in her faith. Self-control was another thing. Most of her senior classmates still didn’t attend the Raise the Bar meetings, and often they asked Cami to join them at parties on the weekends.
But drinking with them was the last thing she felt like doing. When she finished her homework and studying each night, she only wanted to read over the Bible passages from the week.
School was out for the day, so Cami took her books and her backpack to the football stadium, where Jordy and the team were practicing. This afternoon she was especially glad for the peace that filled her heart.
Because truth be told, she should be a little more afraid.
Yes, her life was better than it had ever been. But her father had no idea who she was or what she had become. And he definitely didn’t know that Cami liked a guy in the club. She settled on the top row of the bleachers and found Jordy. He was the quarterback. Number 7. Easy to find among the mix of players.
Never had she imagined a year ago when she attended the first Raise the Bar meeting that she and Jordy would ever like each other. No one at school seemed to mind that she was white and Jordy and his family were black.
What mattered was their hearts, the way God had brought them together. The closer Cami drew to God, the more aware she was of Jordy’s incredible qualities. Next year, they both wanted to attend Liberty University.
Cami wanted to study professional writing, and Jordy wanted to play for Liberty’s football team. Then he wanted to earn his master’s degree in business administration.
They weren’t dating yet. But their feelings grew stronger every day.
There was just one problem—Cami’s father.
Her dad didn’t know about the Raise the Bar club, and he didn’t know about Cami’s newfound faith. He certainly didn’t know about her feelings for Jordy. Cami felt bad not talking to her dad about any of that, but what was the point. Her father’s hatred toward all things Christian was steadily growing. He blamed the Lord for losing his wife to a church man, and he was becoming more outspoken about having God’s name removed from public conversation.
A whistle blew on the field, and Cami watched Jordy take charge of the huddle. The players clapped and then lined up in front of the ball. Jordy yelled out a few commands, and the ball was snapped into his hands. He danced back four steps, and then unwound his six-foot-three frame in fluid motion. The ball soared across the field and into the hands of one of his teammates, who ran straight for the end zone.
“That’s what I’m talking about, Jordy!” the head coach yelled as he ran onto the field. He smacked Jordy on the back. “Just like that.”
Cami smiled.
