and held out his hands in query. “What did Sister Kraft send us in here to talk about?”
Brother Kraft laughed. “Lots of stuff. But for starters, would you consider doing some preaching?” He asked Jase to fill the pulpit on the few fifth Sundays of the year. Jase checked his cell phone calendar and discovered a fifth Sunday ended May. Just over five weeks away. Not much time, especially considering how empty he was faithwise. Would he be able to find something of value to say between now and then? Yet how could he refuse? Gritting his teeth, Jase gave a nod of agreement. Then Brother Kraft asked if he’d take over visiting prospective families with high school–age children.
“It probably would be good for you to make a schedule and try to visit the homes of the kids who are members of our church and therefore members of our youth group, too.” Brother Kraft linked his hands over his belly and crossed his leg, giving Jase the impression this conversation would be lengthy. “It’ll help you get to know the kids better, and it’ll let the parents get to know you. Familiarity improves relationship.”
Jase’s insides jumped. Familiarity…Maybe seeing God as more than the Creator—trying to see Him as Father, someone personally interested in his life—would improve his relationship with Him.
“I generally plan visits on Monday and Thursday evenings. Around here, most school events are on Tuesdays and Fridays, so you’re less likely to find people home on those evenings.”
Jase nodded, his mind still pondering the title father. Lori’s confession about the way she viewed herself seemed rooted in a poor relationship with a fault-finding, emotionally abusive father. Maybe that’s why she had trouble feeling complete. When he was in college, he’d kind of scoffed at his psychology professor’s lecture on the importance of a father’s influence. At the time, it had seemed to Jase that the man’s prediction of diminished self-concept, emotional insecurity, and self-loathing in children who didn’t have involved fathers in their homes was just psychological mumbo jumbo. But after listening to Lori and honestly reflecting on his own childhood, he wondered if the professor had really hit the mark.
Was that why God invented the two-parent household? And why He called Himself “a father to the fatherless”? Was His intention, from the beginning of time, for all children to have what they needed to grow up emotionally healthy?
“Jase?”
Jase gave a start. “Huh?”
Brother Kraft grinned at him. “I asked you if you were good with taking over the tradition of honoring the graduating seniors the fourth Sunday in May?”
Jase scratched his prickly cheek. “I’m sorry. I drifted off and didn’t quite catch what you did in the past.”
The minister released a laugh and shook his head. “All right, let me say it again.”
This time Jase listened, and even though he had some qualms about standing up and making speeches about each of the kids who would graduate from high school this year, he thought he could do it. Zack, Leesa, and Ari were all good kids, and he already knew a few things he’d be able to say about them. Next year with Cullen, though? That might be tough.
He nodded. “Yeah, I can do it. If you have some kind of program written out that you’ve followed in the past, I’d like to see it. I think it would help me.”
“Leah keeps meticulous records of everything we do here at Beech Street. Check with her.”
“Okay, I will.” Jase braced his hands on the armrests, ready to rise.
“There’s one more thing…”
He eased back into the chair.
“Leah confessed she told you I’m having a little challenge, healthwise.”
Jase wouldn’t call congestive heart failure a little challenge, but he nodded.
“She encouraged me to ask you to take over some of the preaching and visitations, in part, to reduce my load and hopefully my blood pressure.” He grinned, and Jase couldn’t help but smile back. The man oozed friendliness and could probably put a grizzly bear at ease. “But there’s another reason, one Leah doesn’t know about, and I’d appreciate it if we kept it between you and me.”
How many secrets would the two of them share? They weren’t telling anyone else about Rachel’s lost ring or Cullen’s uninvited visit to his apartment, and no one beyond the deacons and Jase was supposed to know about the minister’s health situation. He hadn’t been sworn to so much secrecy since he joined a backyard club with a bunch of other grade school