Chapter 20
It’s Never Too Late
Nick and Piper were excited to return to their church to hear the message of the new youth pastor. Piper was particularly excited about the identity of the new youth pastor: Chase. The crowd that day was unusually large, suggesting that others, too, were excited about hearing his words. She and Nick took their seat towards the front of the large room, noticing that the many tiny lights were still dotting the walls. The pastor’s messages in the weeks before had focused on finding the light, following the light, and letting one’s light so shine. She wondered what messages the new pastor would impart.
Pastor Chase made a few brief introductions before the congregation and choir sang a series of uplifting songs from a list of classics. Chris Tomlin’s “Our God is Greater,” was the first song, followed by Passion’s “Even So Come” and the classic song, “Amazing Grace.” Piper watched the men and women of the choir as they sang and rocked to the music in an enthusiastic showing of their love for the Lord. The songs made Piper feel very emotional and, as always happened, her eyes became watery. People in front of her raised their hands into the air, swaying gently to the songs. Realizing that love was all around her, warming the hearts of so many in need, Piper slipped into an inner awareness of peace and serenity.
When the songs ended, the lights focused on the pool of water in which people were baptized. The pastor was inside and he baptized two young women who declared that Jesus was their Lord and Savior before being submersed into the water. The congregation clapped and cheered for the women, thrilled to see two more people who would be joining them one day in paradise.
A short while later, Chase stood up on the podium and began his sermon with a story. “I am so excited to begin my tenure as a pastor here at the Fellowship Church. Pastor David has taught me a lot and I hope the Lord will guide me as He guided David to develop and deliver sermons that impact you in positive, life altering ways. Not too long ago, I was doing anything but serving the Lord, but then I had an epiphany.”
“Some of you haven’t yet had that epiphany, but don’t give up. God is always working to bring you into His arms. He uses your friends, relatives, colleagues, customers, and others to direct your paths. That’s how He did it for me.” He turned to Nick and Piper. “Nick and Piper O’Brien, thank you. I would have never made it here if I had not listened to you. You two changed my life!”
“Let me share a little story of my past. I was a heavy gambler with an ego the size of Cuba and a zest for everything material, whether it be fancy cars or fancy houses. I was trying to punish God because He took my dad away from me at an early age by denying His existence. Time and again, He proved to me He was in my life, but I stifled His calls and His words. Then one day, I did the unthinkable. In an effort to pay off gambling debts, I stole money from a foster home. In God’s eyes, I was the lowest of the low. Maybe for this reason, God punished my wife and me by preventing us from bearing our first two children. My wife nearly lost her life and I spiraled into a rock bottom level of existence.”
“Broken and battered, I asked for help. I could no longer deny Jesus. The proof of Jesus, offered by two other angels in my life, Nick and Piper O’Brien, played out over and over in my mind. The words made sense. A lot of sense. So, I begged the Lord for forgiveness and asked Him to let me walk with Him. Though so unworthy at the time, I was confident that He would accept me. It said so in the Bible.”
“Think of the sins of some of the heroes in the Bible. King David committed adultery and was behind the murder of the husband of the woman with whom he was cheating. Saul began his early career hunting down the Christians who were worshipping illegally, so that they could be stoned or imprisoned. Saul ended his life as Paul, writing over half of the books of the New Testament. And David is part of Jesus’ lineage. God forgave both. God forgave me too. In fact, I’m living proof that nothing is impossible with God.”
“The Bible says that ‘all have sinned and fall short of the glory of the Lord.’ We have all sinned, but we can all ask for forgiveness. It’s not too late. It’s never too late. Focus your eyes on the unseen prize: eternal life in paradise.”
“Since I’ve decided to follow Jesus, things have changed in my life. It’s as if the grass is greener, roses more vivid, rainbows brighter, and the sky bluer. Because I believe so strongly in heaven, I know this life is only temporary, so I try to make each day special, each encounter meaningful, and each person around me feel special. As the Bible says, ‘whether you eat, drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.’”
“In other words, I’ve found paradise on this earth. As Jesus said, ‘the kingdom of heaven is within.’ My wife and I have been blessed with three children. All three came from the Collins Foster Home, where my in-laws had tasked me with volunteer work when my wife and I got married. Their ethnicities vary, representing three different continents. They bring so much love and joy into our lives that my wife and I feel truly blessed. They are here today, sitting in the front row….”
Piper looked over to where Chase was pointing and saw Cherie sitting with their three children. Their ages appeared to range from about two to five and their physical appearances varied. All looked happy in their formal church outfits. Button downs, dresses, khaki pants, and corduroys, they were well-trimmed for their father’s debut.
“Look at the way that Chase and Cherie have transformed their lives,” she whispered to Nick. “What wonderful lives they’re living.”
Cherie looked as beautiful as always, and Piper made a mental note to initiate a get-together soon. For a few moments, she reminisced about her experiences with Chase and Cherie. Recalling the ski trip, she pictured herself feeling jealous and wanting to find faults in Chase. She was only jealous because she wasn’t engaged at the time and she always had a strange girlfriend sort of competition with Cherie.
Ashamed of those feelings, Piper refocused on the words she and Nick had used to share the good word with them.
Those were God’s words. They came from Him. He saw the good in Chase and wasn’t ready to give up on him.
She looked up at Chase on the altar.
It sure paid off. And here I was feeling so smug on that trip about how Nick and I were doing a better job for the Lord. Look who’s doing a better job now. Those two are hitting it out of the park!
She thought of Chase’s old friend Oren, Sir Oren. Maybe she would one day meet Oren and be able to make the comparisons of the way he looked and acted in the dungeon to how he looks and acts on earth. Oren must have given up on Chase, but now he was working on Bob. Hopefully he wouldn’t be able to hurt him, as he hurt Chase.
Piper walked hand in hand with Nick as they left the service. To their surprise, they found Bob, Betty, and Brian by the front door. Bob was dressed in a freshly ironed button-down shirt and khaki pants, which gave him a much cleaner appearance than the usual.
“Wow, what brought you three here?” Piper asked Bob.
“Chase,” Bob smiled and shook his head. “Couldn’t resist seeing the dude as a pastor. He’s good up there. We’ll probably be coming back.”
“Yeah, he was great. And it’s great to see you,” Nick said with a warm smile.