That unusual sensation of warm, scented liquid flowing over his head and down his shoulders returned. All at once, he understood it. An anointing. That’s what it was—an anointing. In Jase’s mind, puzzle pieces were sliding into place and forming a picture. A wondrous picture he could never have painted on his own. “Kenzie, Rachel and I intended to be church planters. We wanted to share the gospel with people who hadn’t yet heard the story of God’s love and grace. When she died, our dream died with her. I didn’t think I’d have the chance to carry the salvation message to those who needed to hear it. To be honest, I wasn’t sure I even believed it myself anymore. I was so…broken…by my loss.”
Tears swam in her blue eyes, and he battled them, too. God’s ability to make beauty out of ashes was stirring the neglected embers of his faith to life again. He sought words to help her understand. For her to see how God meant this moment to happen.
“You want to take a trip. It’s a mission trip, because you intend to carry the story of salvation to your family members, who are ensnared by legalism. It’s exactly the kind of trip Rachel and I had hoped to make. But now it’s you going. And if this money”—he lifted her hand and pressed the envelope into her palm—“funds your trip, it’ll be as if Rachel and I have a part in it. Don’t you see?”
Her gaze dropped to the envelope, then shifted to his face. Indecision played in her eyes.
He closed her fingers around the envelope and leaned down slightly. “Take it, Kenzie. Rachel and I prayed to see souls saved. When your family members find Jesus, their lives will change from that moment into eternity. It will be an answer to our prayers. Let us send you. Please?”
Ruby sniffled and put her arms around both of them. “Listen, you two. I don’t believe in coincidence. Kenzie, I think that ring was meant to find you because God knew you’d be honest and try to return it. Jase, I think you were meant to come to Bradleyville so you’d be where the ring was found.” She’d looked back and forth at them, but now she aimed her gaze ahead, as if drifting off somewhere. “I think Kenzie’s pull to go home and Jase’s desire to reward the ring’s finder were prompted by the Almighty.” She gave a jolt, dropped her hands to her hips, and fixed a stern glower on Kenzie. “And I think if you don’t take that money to buy a bus ticket to Indiana, young lady, you’re a stubborn fool.”
Jase laughed, and Kenzie dipped her head and giggled. When she raised her face, she was smiling. She hugged the envelope to her chest.
“All right, Brother Jase. I’ll buy a ticket with the reward money and go home. And I’ll tell my family the story of how I was able to come. It’ll be evidence of God’s work in our lives.”
Jase closed his eyes. I asked You to show up, and You did. Bigger and better than I imagined. Thank You, Father.
Bradleyville
The evening of the fifth Sunday of May, Jase stepped behind the pulpit in the Beech Street Bible Fellowship sanctuary. Bats flopped around in his stomach. They had to be bats. Much too big and active for butterflies. Yes, he was nervous, but not the same kind of apprehension he’d experienced weeks ago when Brother Kraft had asked him to speak this evening.
Back then, he’d worried about finding something of value to say. Today, he had something to share—a story that had restored his faith and given him fresh hope—but how would the congregation react? They might feel duped and fire him on the spot. He remembered the sensation of warmth flowing over him at the police station. Instantly, the bats stopped circling and settled, bringing an element of calm in Jase’s soul. If they fired him, he’d take it as God’s means of moving him elsewhere.
“If you have your Bible, feel free to turn to the book of Jeremiah, the twenty-ninth chapter, verses eleven through thirteen.” He opened his Bible and read the scriptures. He didn’t need to read them. He knew the passage by heart, but he wanted to see the words printed on the pages of God’s Holy Word as he stated them. He lifted his head and smiled at the people seated in the pews. A bigger crowd