Hello again! Haven't posted in this story for a little while, but here's a nice, double-length chapter to make up for it! I hope you enjoy it! As always, thank you to Em for her help and amazing input!


1:02 a.m.

She watched him walk away with another girl. Leading her down the hallway. They were laughing. Smiling. She had short, blonde hair and he was holding her hand. She was touching and letting her fingers linger on his arm.

He had asked her if she had a problem with him going on a date and she had said 'no' when she had really wanted to say 'yes, take me instead.'

Now one date had turned into a second and now a sixth. It was more than she could bear to watch. Her best friend was being taken away from her right in front of her eyes, and she had no one to blame but herself. She had allowed it, encouraged it.

She couldn't take it anymore. She knew that he had feelings for her too. Or at least he used to. She had to say something… "Jack! Wait! Wait, I need to talk to…"

Jack woke to her tossing and turning, mumbling words he couldn't decipher. Except his name. His name was as clear as day on her lips. Her back was still against his bare chest, the scent of her hair traveling so deep inside he knew it would linger for weeks. He hoped it would. They hadn't been asleep very long and she was already dreaming. Somewhat of a nightmare it seemed. He tightened his arms around her to comfort her, but she continued to moan in distress. He backed away and rolled her to face him and instinctively she climbed right up to his chest and snuggled into his neck.

And then she was calm again. Sleeping peacefully as if nothing had ever happened.

But he sure wasn't. Her body pressed firmly up against his side as he rested on his back. She was half laying on top of him, one leg even draped over his torso and her left hand flat on his chest. Her cropped top riding up a bit and he could feel her stomach skin-to-skin. He looked at her ring finger and allowed himself to think about how different this situation could be.

He fought his young body fiercely. He wasn't used to laying like this with anyone, let alone his best friend and she wouldn't even remember this tomorrow. But he would.

He wanted her to be awake. Because if she was awake, he could tell her. Tell her how he wanted to be with her. He wanted her to stay asleep. Because if she was awake, he wasn't sure what would happen. How much control he'd have.

He kissed her forehead and she mumbled something else and pushed into him. Her nails raking across his body before relaxing her cheek back into his chest, her lips on his skin, soft and carefree in her sleep.

After many deep breaths and even more minutes, he finally relaxed. His left arm went limp under her and his right arm rested on her leg over his torso.

Their breathing synchronized and their heartbeats echoed each other as they slept.

He caressed her cheek softly in the morning light. She peered back at him with ocean blue eyes and let her hand graze over his chest. He knew she felt the goosebumps rise up on his skin and his body harden under her fingertips. "Good morning."

Her lips looked so soft and inviting. He hadn't been courageous enough to do it before but he'd always wanted them. His eyes always lingered on them.

He leaned toward her. There wasn't much space between them to start with, but he was breathing her now.

"Kiss me Jack." Her words were whispered, timid.

His kiss was slow at first, with just his lips to hers, as he felt the delicate skin under her chin, while his body ached to just be a little closer, to feel the softness that made him so vulnerable and ready for her.

And then he pushed, parting her lips with just enough tension to make her have to. She breathed into his mouth as his tongue swept her inside, once, twice and then again as she let her own tongue hit his, tasting the ice cream and the sugar she had hours ago.

Her lips were sweet and velvety in his mouth. The kiss was passionate, both enjoying the first time their lips had met and not wanting to forget it. But he found himself wanting more, so he took a chance and pulled on her hips a little. She climbed up over him further and her fingers gripped his hair.

The clanking of a cabinet door roused him from his dream. His heart racing, his breath sharp. Her hair tickling his chest. He knew for sure now that he couldn't do it. He couldn't encourage her because he wasn't ready. He liked her, he wanted her for sure. But he wasn't ready for her. Wasn't ready to be the man his Father wanted him to be. So he would wait. He had to.

And hopefully she will too.

She woke up shortly to the sound of his heart pulsing rapidly in her ear, feeling it on her cheek. She wasn't sure how she had gotten there, resting on his chest, but he didn't seem to mind too much as his arms were wrapped around her. She knew it was a dangerous place to be. So close and yet so far. She couldn't let herself think this way. She liked him, she wanted him for sure. But he didn't seem to be ready. To know what he wanted. So she would wait.

Maybe someday.

2:50 p.m.

The six friends settled back into regular life as the air grew chilly and the leaves began to drop. November was flying by, Thanksgiving quickly approaching. And an anniversary as well. But not the happy kind.

When Jack entered her dorm room, he smelled cinnamon and pumpkin. She had a candle going and was busy studying for one of her finals. She was pacing back and forth, her signature notecards in her hands.

He laughed silently as he watched her, her back turned to him. She loved to answer in her head and then turn the card over and celebrate being right. A little victory dance each time.

When she turned, she jumped. "Jack! Seriously, you need to stop doing that!"

He chuckled and walked closer, giving her a warm hug like always. "Sorry, you are just too easy."

And like always she ribbed him and he pretended to fall down, and causing her to shriek yet again because of the candle.

"Holy moly Jack, let's have a fire too! We're not even technically supposed to have candles in here!"

She quickly reached to move the candle and he couldn't help but notice her long slender fingers, her blouse and her jeans, always so perfect, so molded to her.

As she pushed the candle back on her desk, he watched her smile and her eyes go to him, big and bright. "I can't take you anywhere."

This was true. He helped her get re-centered but not enough to make her think he wanted more.

"Don't you just love the smell of pumpkin pie?" She smelled the air and savored it.

She was the one who always took his breath away. "It makes me a little hungry. And it makes me think of all of the big Thanksgivings with my family. Great memories."

He took the cards from her hands and started quizzing her. She finished the whole stack effortlessly. "I don't know why you stress. You never miss any of them."

"I think just the act of writing them out helps me remember it all. Want to go for a walk?"

"Sure. I sort of wanted to talk to you about something anyway."

Her gaze met his and she wondered why his hazel eyes suddenly looked sad. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. Let's just walk for a while. Is that okay?"

He grabbed her coat and helped her into it. He buttoned his pea coat while she put on her favorite boots.

They walked in silence for a while. She could feel that he was struggling to get words out. She wrapped her arm through his and squeezed it. "Jack, tell me. What's wrong?"

He kept walking, eyes straight ahead, afraid to look at her. He knew better. "It's Tuesday. Tuesday will mark 2 years since my Father… since the accident."

The air suddenly grew colder. "Oh, Jack. I'm so sorry. I don't… I don't even know what to say. I'm so sorry." She stopped walking and wrapped her arms around him tightly.

His enclosed her body. The feeling of her next to him, the smell of pumpkin lingering on her was more comforting than anything she could say. They remained in the embrace for several minutes. Silent tears streaked down his cheeks and hers too. Hers for the brokenness she knew he felt and the sadness left unresolved. His for the way his Father's absence had stripped the joy from not only his Thanksgiving, but his life. He finally broke and wiped his cheeks quickly.

She reached for his hand as they continued to walk. "The best thing I know to do for you is to pray for you. So that's what I'll be doing. I'm already scheduled to sing on the praise team Tuesday night. I know you don't normally go, but I'd love for you to come."

He let his hand slip from hers. "Elizabeth, I appreciate your sentiment and the offer, but honestly, I don't even know what I believe any more."

She looked up into his face and saw a fragmented man. A man who had been forced to grow up quickly.

He drew in a deep breath. "I grew up in a Christian home and then my Dad's death crushed me. The faith of my childhood wasn't enough anymore. I couldn't reconcile the God of my childhood with my reality. 'Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible told me so.' But how could a God who claims to love me, take something so important to me? He was my very best friend, Elizabeth. I love my Ma, but he was my world, my rock."

The tears were big and salty and threatening to spill all over again as he blinked fiercely, avoiding her gaze. Her heart was breaking for him. For the monumental event that had stripped him of his very faith.

She reached for his hand again. "Jack, I've lived what most everyone would consider a very, very cushy life. Very much in a bubble. I've haven't lost a single person close to me. Not one. I've never known what it's like to really need for anything. My parents both love me and have done everything in their power to keep me safe and grow me into a kind and decent human."

She squeezed his hand and continued. "I won't even pretend to know what you've been through. In fact, I tend to avoid hijacking other people's suffering to build a case for or against God. I feel like if I haven't walked in their shoes, I cannot assume where their pain will lead them. I think it's insulting for me to claim it or assume anything because suffering can be a path to extraordinary faith just as often as it can lead someone away."

The hurt was so distinctly present in his body. He was so clearly confused and lost. But he was letting her in. And he hadn't let anyone in like this before. He led her over to a bench in the shade. They both sat and looked out at the blue-gray fall sky. Leaves blowing in the breeze.

She turned to him and spoke softly. "This idea of a 'superhero God' from our childhood… a God who always takes care of us, who doesn't allow bad things to happen to us… I've learned that that God doesn't exist, Jack. The whole idea is just one, huge unmet expectation because we were told God is good when we were too little to comprehend why God would let bad things happen. Bad things happen to good people all of the time. In fact, Christianity started with God allowing a very, very bad thing to happen to a very, very good person. Further, all of the first century Christians were treated terribly by the Roman Empire."

He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "I never thought about it that way I guess. I simply stepped away from it all. I left it all behind. The accident undermined everything that I believed about God and his sovereignty. But the idea of a Godless universe leaves me with an even deeper feeling of despair." He sighed and relaxed back against the bench again, putting his arms behind his head. "I just feel stuck in the middle, Elizabeth. I see people believe it, cling to it, even my Ma. But I just can't fathom believing in a God who would allow such suffering."

"If a child came to you and complained that their Dad was unkind, unjust, absent and uncaring, would you automatically assume that their Dad didn't exist?"

"No."

"Exactly. The child's very presence is evidence that the father does exist. You would question his goodness, of course. Why do we assume that God is good and just? Because someone told us that. They did not get that by observing nature. Nature is not good and nature is not just. Nature is not fair. Pain and suffering is not an argument against God. It calls into question the justice of God, yes, but not the existence of God. It makes perfect sense for you to be angry at God. It makes perfect sense for you to be disappointed in God. But not to simply deny his existence."

She continued while he sat quietly, soaking in her words like the sunshine. "When we are young, our parents and teachers accommodate to our capacity. We learned the absolute basics about God. Because we were incapable of understanding more. But eventually we have to grow up and seek more permanent answers. We have to ask questions and seek truth."

Jack considered her words and concluded that he'd just run from all of it. Given it all up. He simply didn't have the energy or the desire at the time to try to understand, to seek the truth.

She pulled a knee up on the bench, settling in. "So how do we know that God is a good God? I believe we know that because the things that Jesus told us and showed us about God can be trusted. Christianity began with people who saw and lived something and then believed in the person that they saw rise from the dead. It wasn't because of faith. They saw it. Jesus wasn't asking people to believe His teachings based on faith. He asked them to believe based on evidence. What they saw happening right in front of them."

"So what did Jesus tell us about God? Jesus first told us that God is Spirit. Not a physical being, but rather something beyond, something above creation. He also told us that God is Father. Not a physical reflection of our earthly fathers. But that God is personal, and he desires a relationship with us. Jesus knew that the closest our feeble, earthly minds can come to understanding the personal nature of our Creator is 'Father.' Finally, John was the one that told us that God is Love, that he is good. John grew up as a Jewish boy and then he watched Jesus, he watched God, and concluded that God is LOVE. And John had seen unspeakable bloodshed in his lifetime, especially against Christians. He himself was exiled and yet he still concluded that God was a good God."

"Go back tonight and read the book of John. I think you'll learn a lot about God from John."

They sat for a long while. She just let him think and he took the time to do it. He still wasn't sure about any of it, but her words were thought-provoking. Rational even. They made him curious. He had always been given such faith-based answers to his fact-based questions. And she was laying out facts. History. It wasn't just 'you feel it and know' answers. And he appreciated that. He appreciated her intelligence.

They walked back to the dorm and he opened the door and walked her back to her room.

"I was planning to go out to the farm Saturday to get your bike. Might you want to go out there with me?"

He grinned at her and she was so grateful to see it. "Because you need me and my bike rack to bring it back?"

"Well, that would be helpful, but I could fit in my trunk if I had to." She smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "I really just wanted the company and thought you might like to spend a day on the farm."

"I would like that. Your parents won't mind?"

"Of course not! My Dad will be over the moon!"

5:43 p.m.

Friday's classes felt like they drug on and on. Jack couldn't focus. He just wanted it all over with so he could spend some more time with Elizabeth. He read the book of John, like she had challenged him to do. In fact, he had stayed up much too late reading it multiple times, dissecting it and looking up the history surrounding John's life. But he still had questions. Questions that he trusted her to answer kindly and without judgement.

There was a knock at his door and he rose to answer it. It felt like God had answered his prayer when he opened the door. If I still believed in that sort of thing.

"Hey! Lee and Rosie already left for Thanksgiving break. Apparently they're both skipping class Monday and Tuesday. Want to go have dinner with me? You know I don't like to eat alone."

"Sure. Just let me get my shoes on. Where's Paul and Faith?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Not around. Maybe running? I think it'll just be us."

He smiled happily, but didn't let her see. "Fine with me."

They ate dinner and returned to her room and watched TV for a while. He wanted to bring up his questions, but they were having such a good time, he just couldn't. He enjoyed being with her. Just being around her.

"Oh, before I forget, would you like to go riding tomorrow while we're out there? The weather is supposed to be nice." She touched his arm.

"I don't remember the last time I've been riding, but yes, that sounds like a fun plan. Should I bring a change of clothes?"

"If you want, but nothing fancy. I'm sure my Mom will cook for us and we won't go anywhere. Heck, I'll be hard-pressed to get you away from my Dad! I probably won't even get to see you once we get there," she laughed jovially. "Promise me you won't let him come on our ride."

He chuckled. "Promise."

8:15 a.m.

He pecked on her door and she opened it. A whiff of pumpkin still lingering in the air. "I see you're still burning that candle, you rebel!" he winked.

She grinned lightheartedly. "It makes me happy. Reminds me of happy things." She blew it out and gathered her things. She was already wearing her riding boots, jeans and a thick sweater. He held out her coat and she slipped her arms into it.

"Nice boots, cowboy." She gestured to his well-worn Durango boots and admired his behind in the boot-cut Levi's that fit him so snugly. "Where's your hat?"

"Back home. Almost didn't bring the boots with me, but now I'm glad I did.

9:15 a.m.

They bypassed going into the house and went straight for the barn. Elizabeth was trying to ensure that her Dad didn't invite himself along and knew the best way to do that was to avoid him entirely. She just couldn't be mean and say 'no' if he asked, so she had told her Mom of her intentions and of the conversation she hoped to have with Jack about his faith, or lack thereof.

She opened the doors to the barn and he followed. She was surprised to find her horse, Honey, and her Mother's horse, Taylor, ready and waiting for them. Sergeant, her Father's horse, was still resting in his stall, munching on some hay.

"Apparently my Dad has already been out here this morning." She turned and smiled at Jack. "Shall we?"

They led the horses out of the barn after greeting them and giving them a quick scratch.

Elizabeth put her foot in the stirrup and started to mount Honey when she felt Jack's strong hands on her hips. She was quite capable of doing it herself, but she also knew there was no way she was going to tell him that. She looked at him over her shoulder and smiled. "Thank you."

A little boost and she was up and ready. He mounted Taylor so quickly and smoothly that she was sure he could probably ride bareback. A little click and a light snap of the reigns and they were on their way.

Jack admired how straight her posture was. How smooth she rode. She was a much more sophisticated rider than he was. He was a farm boy. He grew up herding cattle and getting jobs done. She grew up with riding lessons and dressage.

He told her about the time he, his Dad and his brother were hunting. "They had ridden up ahead of me and when I caught up to them, they were on the other side of this stream. I was sitting there looking at them, wondering how the heck they got across. The stream was only 5 or 6 feet across, but 3 or 4 feet deep in the middle. They're all 'what are you waiting for? You can do it!' so I set off at a gallop, kicking my horse's sides, aiming for the bank on the other side."

Elizabeth's eyes were big. "So did you make it?"

He laughed. "It was sort of like one of those cartoons where the coyote is jumping across the canyon… you think 'we're going to make it!' and then 'oh no, we're not!' We missed the top of the bank by about 6 inches and of course the horse landed happily and climbed up while I bounced down the bank and into the creek."

Elizabeth started giggling and he looked over at her and smirked.

"Yes, the same exact reaction I got from my Dad and Tom. Laughter. Turns out they had gone through a gate in the next field and they had just wanted to see if I was dumb enough to try and jump it."

"Bet I could have made it," she teased.

"Oh, Miss Fancypants, I'm sure you would have!" he winked. "But I'd pay $100 to see you round up a herd of cattle."

"I bet I could do it with some coaching. Maybe you can teach me someday. And I can teach you to jump."

"Deal."

They rode along for a while, just exploring the farm. Elizabeth showed him some of her favorite spots and they each shared more stories from their past.

10:40 a.m.

Soon, they stopped and dismounted and Elizabeth pulled out the snack her Mother had left in the barn for them. They were feeding the horses some carrots in the shade of a large elm tree when Jack found the courage to speak again.

"So I think I agree with you that there is a God. But I'm still struggling with the goodness and the suffering. Why does he allow it?" He looked up at her with broken eyes. "Not just mine, but all of it."

She looked at him with love and respect and kindness, thinking about his words and his experiences. "Jack, do you see how we are standing in the shade right now? What is required so that we can have shade?"

He looked toward the rising sun. "Light. The sun, I guess." He shrugged his shoulders.

"Correct. But we cannot have shade without the sun. Sun can exist without shade, but shade cannot exist without the sun. In the same way, evil requires good. Love and goodness preexisted un-love and evil. God created a good, perfect world. Love was first, just like the sun was first. It is this world that is full of brokenness. This world is full of un-love. Because we chose that. We choose it every day on some level."

"So, just 'we chose it'—that's why there's evil in the world?" he wasn't satisfied.

"Jack, how do you even know there is evil in the world? Why do you recognize that the world is broken and why do you recognize that you know what you ought to do, that you know what is right and good? Why are you so comfortable in the shade? It's because deep inside, you know there's a sun. You know there's a Son who is good. Who taught us what good is. He is the Sunshine, he is the Light."

She continued. "But yes, this same God allows us freedom and choice and sometimes we choose very poorly. We recognize evil and injustice because we know good and we know justice. He taught us that. When you appeal to good and justice you are declaring the very existence of God. When you seek shade, you acknowledge the sun. You acknowledge God's goodness."

Jack stood there quietly letting Taylor munch another carrot. Pensive.

"The good and just version of God was introduced to the world by Jesus. Until Jesus came along, there was no belief that any god was good and just for everyone. And He introduced this concept to the world when there was neither justice nor good for anyone. Jesus' first century followers embraced the teachings about a God who was good and just in a culture of injustice. The fact that there are millions of Christians around the world today speaks to the strength of the beliefs of those first century followers—those who endured the worst, yet believed the best. They believed that God loved them and cared for them despite their circumstances."

Jack thought about the dire circumstances that he'd read about the night before while he was reading about John. About how John was sentenced to the Isle of Patmos to die because every time a Christian was martyred, many more believers rose up. The authorities sent him away to die alone quietly to try to stop the surge. But John's words were powerful and rose above the brutality and hate because Jesus' followers knew that God was good and would redeem them.

"When John wrote that God is love, it was a mind-boggling concept for his readers. No one believed that the gods were good in that time. In fact, they were known for being awful, for making awful things happen. But Jesus brought us the concept that God is love. But that's not all He brought. He also brought us that God is a just God."

Elizabeth's voice grew somber. "If anyone had a reason to stop believing in God because of injustice and suffering, it was Jesus."

Jack sighed and interjected. "The man who taught that all people have inherent value and all are worth dying for was executed by the very people He came to save. The man who came to teach us about what is good and just and perfect was treated so very unjustly. And still, He allowed it to happen."

Elizabeth looked up into Jack's eyes. "Terrible things, terrible experiences aren't evidence that there is no God or that God is uncaring. He cared so much that he allowed Christ to die for you and for me. It is evidence that we desperately need God, that we need his grace, that we need his mercy. And if you genuinely care about justice, you should want Christianity to be true! Because the evil and injustice in this world are nagging reminders that something is wrong with it. It makes us long for justice and closure that is not even attainable in this world."

She took a deep breath. "When God saw that our freedom took us in the direction that it took us, the direction he suspected it would… When we fell short… God allowed an extreme injustice in the world so that He can be with us. So that he can redeem us. He did not send a judge. He sent us a rescuer. He sent a Savior. 'For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.' Jesus told us that! God in his infinite mercy, in his infinite goodness, provided a way to save us from our own sadness and destruction. He didn't leave us alone in it. He gave us hope. So we could live."

Her hands reached for his and she looked into his teary eyes. "Jack, do you think a FATHER like that would leave you? Abandon you? Dismiss you? Dismiss your pain? A Father that gave his very Son to save you, to be with you? Do you think he doesn't care about you?"

His lip quivered. "But I just ran. I left him. I left it all. I hid from it. I didn't want it."

"But he didn't leave you, Jack. He knows where you are. And he knows your heart, your pain. And he loves you. He always will."

They rode quietly back to the barn where they took care of the horses, brushing them down in silence. By the time they got back inside, Grace already had lunch on the table and they all enjoyed friendly conversation. William stole Jack for a couple of hours in the afternoon, giving Elizabeth some time alone with Grace. No one spoke of it for the rest of the day.

Elizabeth went to bed wondering if anything she'd said had made any difference to Jack, but she knew she'd done her best. She cared about him so much. Too much probably.

Jack went to bed carrying a lot of emotion. She had spoken with such depth, such wisdom, and with such passion. She truly believes it. And he was slowly realizing that he might too.

Sunday and Monday passed quickly and Tuesday morning was full of classes and busyness. Elizabeth had secretly arranged for one or the other of their friends to be with Jack all day. It was her turn to be with him after lunch, but when she arrived at his room, she found him fast asleep with his Bible on his chest. A smile lit up her face as she lifted it off of him gently, finding that he was again reading in John.

4:55 p.m.

When he awoke, it was dark and there was the smell of pumpkin and cinnamon in his room. What time is it? He was dazed and confused, as the sun had already set. As he moved from the small bed and walked to his desk, he found a lit candle and a note.

"Bringing Thanksgiving to you. Thinking about you today. Your partner in crime, Elizabeth. PS. See you tonight at 7."

She had been in his room. Of course she had come to check on him. She always did things like that. She was the embodiment of God's goodness in his life. When he looked at the clock it was close to five. He knew she was already at rehearsal and he still needed to eat dinner. And decide whether or not he would go.

6:52 p.m.

He stepped into the crowded atrium and was overwhelmed and surprised by the number of people there. He looked around for Elizabeth, but presumed that she was probably already up on stage. He then looked around for Paul, the only other person he knew would be there. He was greeted by two friendly girls, who seemed like it was their job to make strangers like him feel welcome. He still felt awkward and out of place, but he thanked them anyway.

When he didn't find Paul either, he followed the crowd into the large auditorium. He sat down at the end of a row near the back as the lead singer of the band welcomed everyone. Jack was surprised by the full band, lights and speakers—it was all much more modern than the piano and organ he'd grown up with. It was somewhat like a concert experience. Upbeat and fun. The guy leading the band introduced himself as "Adam" and drew high-pitched cheers and clapping.

Jack hadn't been paying attention to the Adam's words and soon realized that he must have told everyone to greet each other because people were offering their hands and shaking his with a variety of greetings. All with big smiles on their faces, especially the girls.

Elizabeth joyfully spotted Jack in his Cub's hat from the stage. She gave Paul a knowing glance and a smile, nodding towards Jack in the crowd. Paul had been inviting Jack to come for a while, but hadn't been successful. He smiled back at Elizabeth, acknowledging that it just took the right person to get through to Jack. And Elizabeth was the person.

Everyone settled back in front of their seats, but remained standing. Jack looked up at the stage to find Elizabeth and found both her and Paul smiling back at him. That explains why I couldn't find Paul either. And that's a beautiful Fender Strat he's playing. He didn't realize that Paul played guitar, but there he was, playing a nice electric guitar and singing background vocals. And he was surprisingly good.

Jack recognized the first couple of songs as Elizabeth had them playing in her car when they were driving out to the farm a few days before. He surmised that probably wasn't due to chance but rather her practicing.

Elizabeth kept a close eye on Jack throughout the time of worship and noticed that he was actually singing along by the third song. Oh how I wish I was beside him. She had only heard him sing in the car, but she knew he could, and that he did well. She also just wanted to be with him. Supporting. Encouraging. One more song and then I can.

Jack watched as Elizabeth stepped out in front of the other two girls beside her. Adam spoke up, announcing the last song. "This is a new song that just came out by Worship Central called "Can't Stop Your Love" and Elizabeth is going to be singing it with me. I hope you guys enjoy it."

Elizabeth searched for Jack's eyes and found them as the music started. She harmonized well with Adam. The words struck Jack right away.

The struggles that I face, the choices that I've made

Can't stop Your love for me, can't stop Your love

The darkness of the night, the scars I try to hide

Can't stop Your love for me, can't stop Your love

Where can I go, where can I go?

From Your presence? In Your light I am known

I'm surrounded; I will not walk alone

She sang the second verse by herself. Jack just stood there listening. To her voice. To His voice.

Whatever lies ahead, You're with me every step

Can't stop Your love for me, can't stop Your love

It's true with every breath, it's true that even death

Can't stop Your love for me, can't stop Your love

Chad joined her again for a bridge and she broke into a smile. She knew the words were true. She believed it.

No mountain is too high, no ocean is too wide

Can't stop Your love

No power is too great, You overcame the grave

Can't stop Your love

It was too much for him. He had to get out of the crowd and breathe. He felt a great weight lifting off of his shoulders but he wasn't ready to let go just yet.

The song finished and as quickly as she could, Elizabeth ran out into the atrium looking for him. It was completely dark in the parking lot. She found him leaning on his Jeep. "Are you okay? I saw you leave. I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner. I was afraid you left."

"I just needed some air. I'm okay." He reached for her hand.

She took it and felt him shaking. She knew why he left. "It's true even if you don't believe it, Jack. Even if you're not ready to believe it."

She hugged him tightly, knowing that's what he needed. He just needed someone to listen. To be there. He was grateful that he didn't have to ask or to pretend with her. "Thank you, Elizabeth." He leaned back in the embrace, their faces inches apart. "Really. You have no idea how good you are for me."


I have to give credit to the man that spurred so much conversation on these topics between my husband and I. It was after listening to the podcasts from Andy Stanley's "Who Needs God?" series that much of this is gleaned from. I would implore anyone who is fascinated by this type of thinking and logic in regards to religion and faith to listen to this series. Most of what I drew from was from 3, 4 and 5 of the 6-part message, but the whole thing is phenomenal. It's free online. Just Google it! :-) As always, feel free to PM if you have questions. Leave me a review and tell me your thoughts!