Francine Rivers - Her Daughter’s Dream

She’d never heard anyone talk so naturally about God, though she didn’t see what God would have to do with Jason’s decision. Wasn’t it all about free will? “Why would God care what you do? I mean, doesn’t He want us to decide for ourselves? That’s what I’ve been told. It’s up to us to find out what makes us happy.”

He tilted his head to one side. “Well, yes, God wants us to be happy. But there’s a whole lot more to it than that.”

“Really? What do you mean?” Jason Steward sure wasn’t what she had expected.

“God gave each of us specific talents and abilities. He has plans for us. He has a purpose for your life.”

“My life? I’m not so sure about that.”

“You can be. It starts with being in an intimate relationship with Him. Then, just like any other relationship, it will influence what you want, what you do, what you believe.”

The conversation was starting to make her uncomfortable. “ Intimate isn’t exactly a word I’d use about God.”

Jason stood. “Hey, just think about it. If you open the door and let Him in, everything in your life is going to change. I promise.”

Maybe that’s why he’d told Christopher to bring her. To evangelize her. She didn’t care one way or another about God. She just wanted to keep Jason talking. “Is that what happened to you?”

His eyes glowed. “Yeah.” He looked behind her. “Ready or not, here they come.” He swung his chair back into place as Christopher and his friends surrounded the table and found seats. Dawn helped her brother get started on his project, then helped a couple of the other kids. Jason introduced her to Mrs. Preston, who said Christopher was a terrific kid and a pleasure to have in class. As if Dawn hadn’t heard that a thousand times before.

It didn’t take long to finish the burning bushes. Mrs. Preston called the children together and took them outside, where she handed them over to other volunteers who gave them a choice of games to play.

Jason stood beside Dawn. “Do you go to church?”

She said, “Of course,” and told him where. When he asked about their youth group, she shrugged and said with a congregation of less than a hundred and comprised mostly of people older than her stepdad, who was in his forties, there weren’t enough teenagers to have one.

“Come to ours then. We meet here tonight at seven thirty. We hang out, play basketball, eat junk food, and have a Bible study. Give it a try. See what you think.”

“I’d have to ask my mother.” Mom might disapprove, but she wouldn’t have grounds for argument. She was bringing Christopher to VBS here, after all.

“Do you need a ride?”

Her heart fluttered. Would he offer to pick her up if she said yes? “We live in Alexander Valley.”

“I can introduce you to someone who lives up that way.”

“Never mind.”

A piercing whistle came from the parking lot. Jason gave a wave. “I have to get back to the sanctuary and set up for the closing. Thanks for helping today, Dawn. Hope I see you tonight… and tomorrow.”

She looked for Jason when she accompanied Christopher’s class back into the warehouse. He stood on the platform, talking and laughing with the two girls who had been onstage with him while the classes settled into their designated seats. Pastor Daniel had the microphone again and encouraged everyone to get settled quickly. He explained how the children’s offerings would buy books for an orphanage in Mexico. He asked if anyone had a guest. Dawn held Christopher’s hand down. Pastor Daniel went on. “Keep giving out those invitations! We have plenty of room for more.”

He tossed the microphone to Jason, who had everyone up and singing again. After several songs, Jason gave a short closing prayer and called out, “See you all tomorrow!”

Dawn grabbed Christopher’s hand and headed for Mom standing against the wall with several other women. She came toward them and smiled at Dawn. “I see you survived.”

“It was okay, I guess.” She didn’t want to sound overly enthusiastic and have Mom wonder why. “I said I’d help again tomorrow. One of the guys invited me to youth group tonight.”

“Invited?” Her mother gave her a quick glance. “As in asking you for a date?”

“No. He just said to come. He thought I might enjoy it.”

“I’d rather you didn’t go.”

Dawn bristled. “Why not?” Christopher could do anything he wanted, but she asked for something and the answer was no?

“You have a church.”

“So does Christopher, but that didn’t stop you from signing him up for VBS at Cornerstone.”

“Because Mitch’s church doesn’t have one.”

“It doesn’t have a youth group either.”

“VBS only lasts three more days, Dawn.”

“I’m not asking if I can join the church, Mom. I just want to see what youth group is like. I’d like to hang out with kids my own age, Christian kids.”

“Let me think about it.”

The CCC youth group consisted of fewer than twenty kids, mostly girls grouped together and talking while five guys played basketball. Another guest invited by Jason, Tom Barrett, had come to stick his toes carefully in religious waters. As soon as he was introduced, Jason took him to join in the basketball game. Kim Archer, the pastor’s daughter, took charge of Dawn, inviting her to grab a folding chair from those stacked against a wall and join the gaggle of girls. Dawn knew some of them already, their names at least. She’d seen Sharon Bright, Pam Preston, Linda Doile, and Amy King at school, not that they would recognize her.

“Hey,” Sharon said. “You were in my PE class. Dawn ran right past everyone during track.”

Dawn added her chair to the circle. “I played soccer for six years. Coach Perez made us run a mile before every practice.”

Pam twisted her hair up and put a clip in it. “Why didn’t you try out for the team? We could use you.”

“Thought I’d take a break. Try something else.”

“Such as?”

“Studying.”

“That’s where I’ve seen you.” Linda crossed her ankles. “In study hall. You sat in the back row by the windows.”

“Yep.”

The girls talked about school and how their summers were shaping up. Dawn took quick, surreptitious glances at Jason playing basketball with the guys. Sharon said her family was heading for Tahoe next week for a family gathering. Linda had a job in a pizza parlor near the downtown mall. Amy wished she had a job at the mall. She was working as a nanny for three children. She almost hadn’t come this evening. Bed had looked pretty good, and she had to be back at the Johnsons’ by six thirty in the morning. Kim answered the church telephone. She was filling in for the church secretary, Mrs. Carson, who was in Los Angeles helping move her mother into a residential care facility.

“What about you, Dawn?” Kim asked. “What are you doing this summer?”

Dawn pulled her gaze away from Jason. “Not much. I don’t have a driver’s license, and we live out in Alexander Valley.” She shrugged. “I’m doing laundry and cooking for the family. So far, no one has died.”

Pam laughed. “My mother says you were a big help in her VBS class this morning.”

“All I did was put out some art supplies.”

“I’ll say thank you anyway. You saved me from being drafted into duty.” She shuddered expressively.

The basketball bounced their way. “Hey, ladies!” Jason called. “Save us some steps?” Dawn got up, caught it, and gave it a light kick so that it landed right in his hands. “Good kick!” He grinned and dribbled the ball halfway down the court, passing it to Tom Barrett, who took two steps, jumped, and shot it smoothly over the heads of three others. It dropped perfectly into the basket. Jason and Tom gave each other high fives.