::Warning:: This chapter may step on some toes… mainly on atheism… If you hate me after this chapter… I'm really sorry!

I don't own HM or any of its characters. Nor do I own God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit. No, you see, they own me!

Chapter 18: Renewed Power

"Cliff, you really don't have to leave." Jack said for what seemed to be the hundredth time. Cliff sighed, "I already told you, Jack. My heart has forgiven you, but my mind has a little bit of catching up to do! Plus, it'd get awkward now! And lastly, I need to find a place of my own anyway!"

Jack raised an eyebrow, "So… moving in with the carpenters is finding a place of your own?" Cliff smirked, "No… but it's a step! I'll start working with them full-time and I'll save up enough money to have them build me a house!" Jack sighed heavily, "I really wish you wouldn't do this, Cliff. I mean, I've already apologized a hundred times and such."

Cliff smiled at him, "Did you mean those apologies, Jack? Are you really sorry that you slept with my cousin?" Jack didn't answer for a few minutes. "I… I guess not really…" Cliff put a hand on his shoulder, "And that's one thing that would make things awkward for us. Don't worry. It's not like we'll stop being friends. You're still my best bud around here."

Jack smiled and slapped Cliff's back. "You'd better believe it! Well, come on, we'd better get whatever stuff you do have to the carpenters'." Cliff nodded and pulled a small rucksack onto his shoulder. "Got it." Jack laughed and sighed, "I'm gonna miss having you around to help, ya know." Cliff smiled, "I'll help you when I can! Just give me a call… err… well, come by and ask whenever you need it!" Jack nodded and they started the short trek to the carpenter's house.

On the way, Cliff spoke up. "So, have you thought about what your grandfather wrote?" Jack didn't answer. "Jack?" Jack shook his head. "I've tried to avoid the subject."

Cliff sighed. "You can't avoid it forever. One day, you're going to have to make a decision." Jack looked at him, "I have made a decision!" Cliff smirked, "Then why are you avoiding the topic?" Jack fell silent again.

They reached the meadow in a few minutes, and they were greeted with the sound and sight of nature. Birds sang. The stream gurgled softly. A hare climbed out of its burrow, sniffing the air.

The trees were in full bloom. With green and bluish leaves, it was beautiful. But, by far, the most beautiful sight was the occasional cherry blossom tree, whose leaves were a bright pink and red.

"Look around you, Jack. The animals. The vegetation. The life of the forest. No one tree or animal is the same. Each one is complex and different than the others. Look at yourself. Each muscle, bone, and organ works together to power it. For our bodies to be made so perfectly would be impossible for 'chance'. But, here they are, working hard to keep us alive. How is that possible?" Jack didn't answer.

Cliff continued. "Even Darwin admitted that to assume that our eyes were made by chance would be absurd. He didn't say hard or improbable. He said absurd. As in crazy. Insane. Why do you, how do you, ignore that? Look at the small flower." Cliff bent down and picked up a small moondrop flower. "Jack, do you even know how complex this tiny flower is? It has many, many parts to it, and each has a distinct function. Some are for seed spreading, some are for germination, some are for growth, and some are for food storage. The list goes on.

"How could this flower be made by chance? More over, how could this very earth be made by chance? By a big bang? Even that theory is so absurd in so many ways! Why? Because it explains nothing!" Jack turned to Cliff, his face red. "Cliff! Don't you get it? I like what I am! I like who I've become! I like my life! I don't need to trying to change me!" Jack blew past Cliff.

Cliff hurried to catch up to him and ended up in front of Jack, causing him to stop in his tracks. Cliff put his hands on Jack's shoulders and leaned close to him, bringing his face within a foot from Jack's.

"Listen to me. I'm not trying to change you. I'm just trying to show you the truth that you've forgotten! If you'd listen, maybe you'd learn something!" Jack's glare never left his eyes, but Cliff knew that he'd listen.

"Try to remember, Jack. Have you grown so cold that you can't remember the feeling you got when you were in God's presence? That feeling of awe? Of humility? Of love? Have you forgotten that?" Jack shrugged, "It's a matter of the mind. If we want to feel loved, we'll feel loved."

Cliff nearly laughed, "Jack, do you know how wrong that is? Tell that to a person who really wants to be loved but feels none. That person will laugh.

"Love isn't a matter of the mind, Jack. Love cannot be faked or produced in our minds. True love can only be produced through us to others. So, I ask you, where does it come from?

"And how about the other things? Like the Holy Spirit, the changed lives, the miracles, the fulfilled prophecy, or the many other things backing it. Where do those come from?" Jack's eyes had softened from their hardened gaze. Cliff knew that he was getting through to him.

"Why did you first begin believing God in the first place, Jack? It was because He touched you in some way, am I correct? Well then, if He's not there, what touched you?"

Cliff let go of Jack and began walking back in the direction. Jack stayed standing in the same place for a long time afterwards. Long after Cliff had left earshot and crossed the stream. He stood there for what seemed to be hours, when, in reality, it had only been a few minutes. All the while, Cliff's words, all of them, rang through his head. And they rang true.

Jack looked up to the sky. "Are you there?! Show yourself! Show me!" He yelled to the blue sky above. There was no answer. "Show me!!!" Nothing. Not even a sound. It was as if the entire forest had gone silent. "Where are you?" Jack whispered. "Where?!" He yelled afterwards.

After waiting for a few more minutes for something, anything, his shoulders sagged and he began walking in the direction of the carpenters and Cliff.

As he walked, he began, once again, telling himself how Cliff was wrong and there was no God. That all stopped though when he felt something small be crushed underneath his foot.

Jack lifted his foot and found a single crushed moondrop flower on the ground. He picked it up.

The petals had fallen off letting Jack see the inner flower with ease. On the naked flower were many different pieces. There were pistils and stamens. Many of each. The stem had multiple leaves on it.

Jack looked back to the ground and saw the crushed petals. Each part has a different job… He looked back at the flower, and for a second, he was ready. Ready to give up his dumb fight against God and return to His blessings. For a second, he believed everything. For a second, he knew that he had been wrong.

That only lasted a second though. The second afterwards, Jack growled loudly and threw the flower to the ground, stomped on it, and ripped it to shreds with his boot.

Cliff sighed as he saw his friend throw the flower down. "Why can't you just stop lying to yourself, Jack?" He whispered. "Why are you being so stubborn? Why are you letting yourself be blinded to the truth?" He turned his face upwards. "God? Why are you letting him do this? Why is he still running? Why aren't you doing anything about it?" Cliff's eyes were drawn to Jack once more and he gasped.

"Something big is about to happen…" Popuri said quietly. She didn't know quite how she knew, but she did know.

 "Mom? Dad?" She called as she ran out of her room. Basil looked up from a tomato he was studying and Lillia put her magazine down.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Basil asked. Popuri looked at both of them intently. "Something's about to happen. Something big. I think we need to pray."

Popuri's parents knew better than question her statement. Over the past few weeks, it had become more and more obvious that she had a gift in that area. When she said they needed to pray, they prayed.

And pray they did. They prayed even though they didn't know what to pray for.

A single tear rolled down Jack's cheek. He looked around the forest in awe. "I'm wrong, aren't I?" He wondered out loud. "I've always been wrong. You've always been there, willing to help me out. I just refused to see you. I let my pain and suffering get in the way. I took my eyes off of you and sank like Peter." Jack's legs buckled and he fell to knees. "You're really there! You did create the world. You did die for me! You were with me! You are real!"

The single tear turned into many. "You aren't a lie! You're real! Why couldn't I see that?" Tears flooded down Jack's face now, and sobs racked his body. "So much of my life wasted! So much damaged done!"

Jack felt a hand be placed on his shoulder. He looked up and saw Cliff kneel down next to him in the dirt. "It's okay. He's forgiven you." He said quietly. Jack just looked at him for a few more moments before embracing him tightly. "Thank you." He managed out between sobs. "Thank you so much." Cliff just grinned and patted Jack on the back. "Don't thank me…"

"I know… thank God." Jack finished.

I can't believe this… how did I ever live without Him? Jack wondered. How could I ever doubt Him?

"So, how are you feeling?" Cliff asked as the two walked towards the carpenters' house again. Jack sighed, "Like… like I just had a big load taken off my shoulders." Cliff grinned. "Jesus seems to have that affect on people."

Jack stopped, just remembering something. Cliff looked at him quizzically. "Cliff, I'm sorry. For everything I did to you. The stubbornness. The anger and rudeness… and… Karen and me." Cliff smiled. "Jack, no hard feelings. All's well that ends well, I always say."

Jack shook his head. "I'll find a way to make it up to you, buddy. I guarantee that." Cliff sighed, "Well… there is one thing…"

"Karen." Jack said solemnly. Cliff looked up at Jack, surprised, and nodded. Jack sighed, "Cliff… I love Karen." Cliff was taken aback but sighed, "Jack, if you want me to keep quiet about—"

"Which is exactly why I'm going to tell her next time I see her." Cliff nearly choked. Jack raised an eyebrow at him. "What? If I love someone, I should want that person to be saved for all eternity, shouldn't I?" Cliff smiled, "You seem to be getting used to this again pretty quickly!" Jack smiled back, "You have no idea."

Cliff rapped on the carpenters' door. Matt opened it seconds later. "Hey, guys! Long time no see!" Jack smiled, "Yeah. Busy with farming and stuff." Matt laughed, "Sure. Whatever. Anyway, come on in! We were just about to eat some dinner. We have enough if you'd like!" Jack was about to decline but Cliff spoke up. "Yeah! We're both getting kinda hungry. Right, Jack?"

Jack looked at Cliff in wonder. "What are you—" Cliff gave him a look. "Oh yeah! I'm starving!" Matt looked at the two weirdly before stepping aside to let them in.

The five men ate quickly and Joseph began barking orders at Matt and Mark, telling them to get back to work.

"Joe, I need to tell you something." Cliff right after the two left. Joseph looked at him. "What have I told you about calling me—"

"The Army has a new recruit." Cliff said gleefully. Joseph looked at him quizzically. "What do you…" He trailed off as he figured it out.

He looked at Jack. "So, you've decided to join our rag-tag team of Christians?" He asked with a smile. Jack just looked at Joseph to Cliff and back again. "Um… I have no clue what you're talking about…" Joseph and Cliff laughed. "There's a lot you don't know, Jack." Cliff said before breaking out into laughter again…

"…love him not… I love him… I love him not…" Karen said softly while picking the petals off of a moondrop flower.

She was sitting with her feet dangling off of the dock at the beach just thinking about Jack. She had even gone so far as to start picking petals off of the moondrop flower. It was a strange experience for her indeed.

"I love him… I love him not…" She plucked off the last petal. She looked at the flower in amusement. "Liar." She said with a grin.

Karen tossed the flower into the ocean and watched as a wave crashed down upon it. "So… this is what love is like… bliss…" She said quietly. Then she giggled. Giggled! A giggle from Karen Roberts meant one of two things. Pure bliss or… oncoming doom…

Jack couldn't believe this. He had known about a few of them, but this many… Anna, Basil, Lillia, Rick, Joseph. He would have never guessed for them to be Christians. Much less be in an underground Christian group. "Today's full of surprises…" Jack said softly, too overwhelmed to include much emotion.

The eleven talked excitedly getting to know each other better and sharing testimonies and such with the newcomer. Jack happily noted that a lot of these people were turned onto Christianity by Jack's own grandfather.

Finally, it was Jack's turn to share his testimony. He did so easily, until it came to the point where his mother had…

"Then… six years ago, my mother… Well, she was a cop. Six years ago; she was shot and killed by a bank robber or something. It was all downhill after that. At first, I blamed God and then I stopped believing in Him altogether. Until today anyway. Today, my eyes were finally reopened and I could see God again."

There was a knock at Rick's front door. Rick quickly excused himself from the group and rushed upstairs to see who it was.

Jack froze at a familiar voice. "Hey, Rick! Has Jack come by here lately?"

"Um… no, Karen. Why do you ask?" There was an awkward pause. "Um… well… I was just um… wondering if he's bought anything from the shop… lately…"

"Like what?" A pause. "Uh… you know… a blue…"

"Vase? Saibara sells that, not me." Another silence. "No… a blue…"

"Carpet? Sorry, I haven't sold those for a while now. I do sell this magnificent—"

"Feather! A blue feather!" Karen screamed. Rick didn't reply for a long time. When he did, it was a snicker.

Jack turned a deep red. Why'd you have to go and do something like… wait… she wants to know if I bought a… blue… feather? Jack's heart nearly stopped. A BLUE FEATHER?! She's expecting a… PROPOSAL! Jack started choking.

Cliff came over and slapped his back. "Quiet down, man! Do you want her to hear?" He hissed while doing so. But it was too late…

"What was that?" Karen asked when she heard the fit of coughs. "Uh… nothing! Nothing at all. Just one of my inventions doing weird things!" Karen looked at him weirdly. "It sounded like someone was choking." Rick laughed nervously, "No! It was um… sputtering! Yeah, sputtering. I still have to…" He laughed nervously again. "work out the uh… bugs…"

Karen raised an eyebrow. "Work out the bugs, huh? Well, could I see it? I've learned a thing or two about bugs on the vineyard." Rick started laughing uncontrollably. "Learned about bugs on the… vineyard! That's a… good one!" He kept laughing at which Karen rolled her eyes.

"Rick. What are you hiding?" She asked plainly. Rick stopped laughing immediately. "N—nothing! W—why would I be hiding any…thing?" Karen shrugged and pretended to start walking out the door.

"Well… I'll see you… later!" Karen spun around and rushed past the confused Rick and into the basement where the sound had originated…

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Well… I was going to continue the chapter further, but then I thought, why? Why should I finish the chapter with a nice little, fix-all-loose-ends ending? It's so much better to leave it at a cliffhanger! Brings the people back! That would be a good thing after the evolution bashing I did in this chapter! Then again, I was only telling the truth. If you don't like it… take it up with my Daddy (God).

Okay, I'm sorry for the after-chapter preaching here, but I gotta do what I gotta do!

Maybe what I've written has opened your eyes. Maybe it hasn't. But there is one out there who is close. This is to that one.

Don't hold back. God's real and He loves you more than you'll ever know. Don't delay your decision any longer. Life is too uncertain. Past experiences aren't any kind of reason to hold back from God any longer. Please, God loves you so much that He was willing to die for you. He did die for you. He died the worst, most humiliating death there was at that time. Please. Don't let anything stand in your way to God.

Sorry, for those who don't understand why I just outright said that. But I'm going to leave it at that.

Anyway, R&R!

God Bless forever!

--Ben