Debbie met Bill at "their" coffee shop, after Bill got off work and before they headed for the Tuesday night meeting. They hadn't seen each other on Monday, and Bill was eager to talk about the Sunday night lesson. He had been going on for a good five minutes before he realized she wasn't really with him. True, she was looking in his general direction, but her mind was obviously elsewhere.
"Hey, are you all right?"
She started, and then focused back on him with a little smile. "Oh, sure. My mind was just wandering a little bit."
He reached across the table, and took her hand. "Something we should talk about - wander through, together?"
She started to shake her head, then apparently changed her mind. Still, she paused a few moments before speaking. "Bill, I've decided to go to California for a little while."
He hadn't expected that, and just stared at her. She had withdrawn her hand from his, and now she reached for him, again. "I hate to think about leaving you, Bill, but this is a good time. I mean, I'm not working steady now, so I don't need to worry about taking time off a job. (And I need to get a full-time job just as soon as I get back, or I'll starve to death!) Besides, I haven't seen my folks for a fairly long time, and this would be a good time for that, too. I mean, before I get another job."
She smiled a little, but didn't really look at him. He shook her hand to get her full attention. "Is there more?" he asked.
"More? No, not really. I just think I need to get away for a bit."
He stared at her, thinking. "Debbie, what are you going to do about the baby?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, how long are you going to be in California - a week, a month, nine months... "
"Stop, Bill." She squeezed his hand. "I honestly don't know, yet. I promise you'll be the first to know, after me. And the trip won't hurt, one way or another."
He looked at her across the table. "I'm going to miss you an awful lot," he said, quietly.
She lifted his hand to her lips, and kissed it gently.
***
The Allens were hosting the small group that evening, and all those expected except Ed and Betty had arrived. Those who knew about Betty's visit with Evalyn were not surprised that Betty and Ed were not there. What did surprise them all was the appearance at the door of Carolyn Curry. Evalyn leapt from her place on the sofa, and ran to hug her.
"Carolyn, what in the world... "
"I told Herb to take a flying leap," she whispered in Evalyn's ear, as they embraced. "I'll tell you the details, later."
"Praise the Lord!" Ev said, very quietly.
Harry led a couple of choruses (Josh had convinced himself that this wasn't an official church activity!), and when everybody seemed sufficiently loosened up, Josh called them to order.
"Or, as much order as you're likely to get out of this group!" said Pete.
"Okay, relative order, then."
"How about 'small group order'?" asked Beverly.
"Why do we need a name for our order?" rejoined Donna. "I mean, here we are, off to a good start, without naming the kind of order it is. If we named it, would it change anything?" She had lowered her voice to sound suspiciously like Ed's, and the resemblance wasn't lost on those present. They looked at her. "Sorry, just being catty," she said, with minor contrition.
Josh sought to gain control, again. "Speaking of order, what I thought we might do now is talk more about the ‘Beatitudes’..."
“Before we do," interrupted Debbie, "Would you all pray with me?" They all looked at her with such concern that she had to quickly explain. "Hey, I didn't mean for it to sound like a crisis. I'm just going to visit my folks in California, and I won't be seeing you for a while, so... "
Ev came to her rescue. “We'd love to pray with you, Deb. And, Josh, let's pray for Betty and Ed, too."
"Why aren't they here? Is anything wrong?" asked Charley.
Evalyn answered by not answering. "I don't know where they are, tonight. I just thought it would be good, since they aren't here, to remember them."
"Good idea," said Josh, before anyone could ask other questions. "Are there other things we need to pray about?" Nobody mentioned anything. "Well, why don't we all join hands - no, don't stand up, unless you want to - just grab hold of someone where you are, and form a chain."
There was a little shifting to be able to reach the nearest person, then all closed their eyes and waited. The room was very still. A full minute went by; nothing happened. It was almost embarrassing, but no one wanted to be the first to open their eyes and look around. Two minutes. The room was deathly quiet, and yet the atmosphere was so heavy it seemed alive. Suddenly, a soft sweet sound began somewhere among them - a woman's voice, clearly, but not really identifiable as anyone's there. It sang, but not so much in words as in tones. It became louder, and as it seemed to fill the room a second voice started up, as sweet as the first but in a lower octave. There were words now, but not English words. The two voices seemed to wind around one another, going off on their own very different melodies, yet blending perfectly. A man's voice entered in, also singing foreign words and still another melody different from the first two. Then there was a second male voice, and after that, more until there was just one sound filling the room, a full chorus rising and falling and intertwining about itself. The sound rose to a mighty crescendo, a blending of what could have been a hundred individual voices, and then came to an abrupt end, except for one lone female voice that seemed to drift off into another room, eventually fading as if at some great distance.
The silence that followed was as intense as the sound had been previously, but it lasted only a moment. Before anyone could open their eyes or begin to think about what they had been experiencing, a new voice began. It was a man's voice, speaking clearly and precisely, but in a foreign language. The voice began slowly, reasonably, but increased in intensity and urgency until it was not shouting, but coming forth with a controlled power that beat on the senses like a shout. Then that voice stopped, and a woman's began, in English this time.
"I am the Lord, your God," the voice said. "I am here with you, and I am here to remind you of all the good gifts I have promised you. I give you peace; take it. I give you wisdom; take it. I give you understanding, and I give you love for one another and for those in the world - love that transcends and eclipses any love you have ever known. Take it. I give you power to change your lives and the lives of those touched by you, by My Spirit that works in you. Take it! And I give you permission to bind My old enemy Satan and all his demons, so that they might not hinder the works that I wish to do in you and through you. Take it! Take My mind unto you. Take My sword of righteousness. Take My peace, which truly passes all understanding. If I am God, then let Me be God! For I am the one over all others, and My words are not lies. Prove me!"
The voice stopped, and the room was still, again. Then someone said "Thank You, Lord", and it was as if a frozen world had suddenly thawed. Some people cried; some hugged one another, and some stared into space. Josh stood with hands held high above his head, eyes closed, and his mouth moving in silent words. Carolyn scanned from face to face, her own moistened with tears, and her eyes wide with excitement.
Harry began to sing quietly the words that Mary sang as she conceived Jesus. "My soul doth magnify the Lord, my soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. For He that is mighty hath done to me great things, and holy is His name."
Beverly began to sing with him, then Pete and Evalyn, and soon most were singing softly, savoring feelings that most had never had, before. They sang the chorus several times, one by one dropping out, until the chorus finally ended with a single voice trailing away. Everything was silent again.
"What happened, Dad?" Mike's question finally broke the stillness.
Josh was still deep inside himself, and it was Harry who answered. "We just had our own personal visit with God. He spoke specifically to us tonight, to bless us and encourage us and remind us of who He is and who we are." He laughed, happily. "Pretty exciting, huh?"
"Pretty scary, I say!" replied Charley.
"I know what you mean, but there's no reason to be scared. God talks in the Bible about each of the things that happened tonight. We had praises to Him, first in our choruses and then in private prayer languages that were just for His understanding. Then we had a message from God to us. And, since it was first spoken in a language that we couldn't understand, it was interpreted - translated into English - for us."
"But why in another language?" asked Bob Deveaux. "Why not talk in English, to begin with?"
Harry shook his head. "I don't know; I really don't." He smiled. "But it sure gets your attention that way, doesn't it?"
"And how!" exclaimed Charley.
There was a general silence for a bit after that, which Pete finally broke. "I think our prayers for Debbie and Betty and Ed are probably pretty well covered, even though we didn't say the precise words. But let's put them in English, anyway. Then, I suspect we can adjourn. I doubt we need any more discussion tonight, do we, Josh?"
Josh, who was still halfway in a world of his own, just shook his head.
"Okay, then. Dear Lord, we thank You for Your visit tonight. You've given us some heavy things to think about. Help each of us to know what to do with what we've seen and heard. And Lord, bless Debbie as she leaves us for California Be with her in everything she does; help her with every decision she needs to make. And please, Lord, be with Ed and Betty. They couldn't be with us tonight, but You know their special needs, and we ask You to touch them with Your Holy Spirit. Now Lord, be with each one of us as we leave here tonight. In Jesus' name we pray, amen."
***
Evalyn walked home with Carolyn, having arranged with Josh that he would pick her up there. (Well, she hoped she had arranged it. Josh was still pretty far off in another world when they'd talked about it. Maybe she'd have a ride, and maybe she wouldn't!) As they walked, they softly sang "my soul doth magnify the Lord," pausing occasionally to hug and laugh happily. They didn't really talk until they reached the Curry's house.
"Can you sit a minute?" asked Carolyn, as she lowered herself onto the front steps.
Evalyn looked toward the front door. "Is Herb... ?"
"I don't think so, but just in case let's talk out here. It's nice, anyway - not too cold, is it?"
Ev shook her head, and dropped onto the stairs beside Carolyn. Neither spoke right away. Carolyn started to cry softly, and Evalyn reached a hand toward her. "Hey, are you okay?"
Carolyn smiled through her tears. "Okay? Oh my, yes, I'm okay! I never felt anything like tonight. Did you?"
Evalyn shook her head. "No. Well, a little like tonight, but never - no, definitely never like this!"
Carolyn continued to look at her. "You were singing so beautifully, Evalyn."
Ev nodded. "Did you sing?"
"No, but I think I could have. I just listened - and watched. I never saw such peace on people's faces. I could feel that peace being absorbed into my body as you all sang, and then - and then when God spoke, and said that He had given peace to pass understanding, it seemed like it all was happening just for me. Oh, Ev, it was wonderful!"
They basked in their feelings, until Evalyn finally asked Carolyn how she had come to be at the meeting. "I think you said you ‘told Harry to take a flying leap'?"
Carolyn nodded. "I did, and almost in those very words. Oh, I was awful!" She stood up. "He was going on and on about how Josh was ruining the church, and about how terrible the group meetings were, and - and I got really mad. I told him that he had destroyed our family with his judgments and attitudes, and now he was going to do the same to the church. I told him - oh God, I told him that he was a mean, narrow-minded person who didn't have the sense to reach out for anything better than he had. Then I told him that he wasn't going to keep me trapped in his prison, anymore - that I was going to get help." She sat back down, and clasped Evalyn's hands in hers. "And I did, Ev. I did get help. It's the first time in I don't know how long that I can think of my daughter - of Vicki - without being sad. Ev, it's going to be okay!"
Evalyn moved closer to her, loosed her hands, and then hugged her tightly. "I know it is, Carolyn: for you, and for Vicki, and - and for Herb, too, if he'll let it be."
* * *
At the Allen's, everyone had gone except Pete, Donna, Josh, and the Felton kids, Karen had given up, and was fast asleep on the carpet. The others were savoring feelings and enjoying each other's quiet presence.
"Heaven came down and glory filled my soul," quoted Pete, from the song of the same name. "That's how I feel, even now.”
Nobody responded, but nobody disagreed. They didn't need to put it in words, They all felt it; even Mike, although his feelings were a mixture of uncertainly, awe, and pleasure.
"Therefore the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion," Pete began again.
Harry picked it up. "And everlasting joy shall be upon their heads. They shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and mourning shall flee away."
"What are you two going on about?" asked Donna.
Pete reached over and touched her arm. "Isaiah, my love. Isaiah... Isaiah something, I don't remember where. But I feel it!"
"You mean, ‘you've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in your heart'?" asked Beverly.
"Something like that, yes."
Josh hadn't said more than a couple of words since Evalyn and Carolyn had gone, and Mike was beginning to worry. "You okay, Dad?"
Josh smiled, quietly but deeply. "I sure am, Mike. I'm just - oh, just trying to keep the feelings for a while. I've never been through anything like that, before. That was God Himself with us! I was trying to remember everything He said." He reached out and put his hand on Mike's shoulder. "How was it for you?"
Mike shivered, reflexively. "It was eerie! I mean, it was beautiful, and I really felt a lot of good power there, but... Well, you know: eerie!"
Josh laughed. "Yes, I do know. 'Eerie' is a pretty good word for it."
They sat in silence a few minutes more before Josh stirred. "Well, we better go find Mrs. Felton. She probably thinks I've forgotten her, as it is."
***
Charley and Bob hadn't talked much on the drive back to school, but that didn't mean they weren't thinking. It was well after eleven o'clock when they got to the dorm, but by unspoken agreement they headed for Greg's room. Greg wasn't asleep, but he wasn't very much awake, either. They took care of that.
"Greg, you should have been there," Charley started in at once. "It was fabulous!"
"So I see," he replied, dryly.
"She's right, Greg," said Bob. 'We had a message from God in a foreign language, and then in English. He told us He was God!"
"He what?"
"He really did, no lie. This voice - actually, a woman's voice..." Greg started to interrupt. "No, wait, it’s true. It was the people there speaking, first Mr. Allen and then Mrs. Allen, but it wasn't, really. I mean, it was their voices that God was talking in, but it was God."
Greg, not surprisingly, was looking from one to the other as if both were crazy.
"He said 'If I'm God, then let Me be God'," Charley explained, dramatically. "It was wild!"
It took some time to give Greg the full story. When he had it, he was impressed, no question about it.
***
Debbie and Bill sat in Bill's car outside her apartment, Debbie leaning back against his shoulder. Both were very quiet. He moved her hair aside with his hand, and kissed her neck gently but a little absently. He meant it, no question about that, but heavy thoughts were mixed up with the feelings her closeness generated.
"Thank you," she said, quietly.
He started. "What?"
"I said thank you for the kiss on the neck." She turned her face part way toward him. "You did kiss my neck, didn't you?"
He answered by doing it again. "I sure did. I was thinking... "
"You were thinking while kissing my neck?" she interrupted, in mock chastisement. "I would have thought it would have claimed your whole attention."
By now, she had turned completely around to face him - an awkward move in his small car, but with quite satisfactory results. He kissed her lips. "Sorry, but you know what I was thinking..."
She interrupted him with another kiss. "Yes, silly. I'm only teasing. It was pretty exciting, wasn't it?"
He moved his lips slowly over her eyebrows and down her nose before answering. "I still have trouble believing it all happened." He pulled back a little, and grew pensive again. "What did happen, Deb? It was powerful. I never felt... "
He paused. She smiled and touched his face, but didn't say anything. "Did you?" he asked. She cocked her head, and looked a little puzzled. "I mean, did you ever feel anything like tonight, before?"
She nodded. "Well, not really like tonight, but the first time I prayed with Josh and Evalyn, we had some of the singing. Some of the feeling, too, but this was so much more."
He was silent awhile. "I wish I understood it. And I wonder why I never heard about it before. I should ask Pastor Deans tomorrow."
Debbie snuggled closer to him again. "That sounds like a good idea." She kissed his neck. "Now, why don't you go home? You work tomorrow, remember?"
He remembered, but it was some time before he went home.
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