Marcus Redding Starts Early

A nurse knocked quietly on the door. Marcus started to get up but she said, “No, you’re okay, just stay right there.” She checked Micah’s vitals. “He’s good. Do you need anything?” Marcus shook his head and the nurse made some notes the chart. She stepped back out and closed the door.

Everything was quiet. Marcus thought about the events of the last 18 hours. Lauren’s water broke at the restaurant, so everyone followed Marcus and Lauren to the hospital, relocating Noah’s graduation party to the waiting room. They called Lauren’s mom and her brother Eddie and they met everybody up there. It was one big family reunion/graduation party/slumber party. But it was no party for Lauren. Ten hours in labor and no progress. The epidural was effective, Lauren was okay—physically—and so was Micah. But he was content to stay right where he was. They waited and waited and looked at the monitor and watched the clock. Finally the doctor came and they wheeled her down to the operating room. They let Marcus come in and snap a picture of the great arrival. Micah swallowed some meconium, creating brief drama, but they took care of it quickly. They monitored his breathing and blood-oxygen levels and he was fine. Everyone from the slumber party took turns walking down to the recovery room to greet Micah and congratulate Marcus and Lauren.

As the afternoon went on they moved to their own room. For a long time Lauren held Micah and looked at him and talked to him. It took a combination of Marcus’ urging and her own exhaustion to persuade her to get her first sleep in 40 hours. While she got some rest, Marcus held Micah—Micah Samuel Redding—in his lap and rocked him in the rocking chair.

Everything was quiet except for the hum of the a/c unit. He watched the Weather Channel for a while but the big “H” was still parked over the South. Their laptop was sitting on the tray that goes over the bed. He held Micah in his left arm and reached out and rolled the tray to him. He arranged things just right and flipped open the computer. They had wireless internet access. Nice. He went to biblegateway.com and did a search for “children” in the Old Testament.

This scripture caught his eye, “He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children, that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments” (Psalm 78:5-7).

He thought about his grandfather. He just missed his great-grandson by a few months! Grandpa Sam passed his faith on to Marcus’s dad who passed it on to Marcus. Now it was Marcus’s turn to pass his faith on to Micah.

So he brought up the gospel of John and started reading to his son, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…”

More about Marcus Redding’s journey of faith next week.

Marcus Redding's Friday Night

Husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way (1 Peter 3:7)

Mr. Johnson let Marcus take off the rest of the afternoons this week so he could unpack. The baby was due soon, within two weeks, so they wanted to get settled before Micah came home. Marcus was making progress, but Lauren would get home from work, exhausted, ready to relax, and see that Marcus had insane ideas about interior design. Hanging pictures for example. Marcus thought their wedding portrait would go nicely in the kitchen. But when Lauren got home and saw this special memory right above the spice rack she asked Marcus what in the world he was thinking. She grabbed a chair and was about to step up on it to take down the picture when Marcus intervened. “Lauren, Lauren, relax. Here’s what we’ll do. You get off your feet and sit down and rest. I get things out of the boxes and hold them up. We’ll talk about the best place for them and I’ll do the lifting and stepping.” This worked out well. And they had most everything done by Friday. Just in time to go to Noah’s graduation.

Rejoice with those who rejoice (Romans 12:15)

Noah was Marcus’s cousin. He was graduating from high school. Everyone in Marcus’s family graduated from high school except Marcus. He dropped out of school after the accident and got his GED when he started to turn his life around. It always brought back bad memories when he heard the word “graduation.” And even worse memories when it was from his old high school. So he had an unusual aversion to graduation. But Noah was his cousin, and Noah was a Christian, and unlike most seniors, he wasn’t going out with his friends afterwards. Noah wanted all his family to get together and go out to Mercado’s and celebrate with him. So Friday night Marcus and Lauren headed into town. It was a perfect evening for an outdoor graduation: sunny day, 72 degrees, slight breeze from the north. Marcus sat next to Lauren in the bleachers and held her hand. He watched the procession, listened to the bland graduation speeches, and clapped for Noah. As soon as the kids all threw their hats into the air. Lauren squeezed his hand. He thought it was like a happy, hooray-for-Noah squeeze, but when he looked at Lauren she was wincing.

you do not know what a day may bring (Proverbs 27:1)

“Lauren, is it time?” She kind of caught her breath. “Um, I don’t know. It might have been a Braxton-Hicks contraction.” She’d been having those on a regular basis, just like the doctor said she should. But she didn’t want to draw attention to herself and away from Noah, especially if she was jumping the gun and this turned out to be a false alarm. “It’s okay, let’s go.” So with concern and excitement Marcus helped her stand up and walk down the steps and back to the car. They met all the family at Mercado’s and Lauren didn’t have anymore contractions. Everyone brought in graduation presents for Noah and they piled these on one end of the table. Chips and salsa and enchiladas and burritos were consumed and everyone was smiling. It was a happy time. After dinner Noah opened his presents one by one and thanked everyone. He asked his uncle, Marcus’s dad, to lead a prayer for him. As soon as he said “Amen” Lauren looked up at Marcus and said, “My water broke.”

More about Marcus Redding’s Journey of faith next week.

Marcus Redding Works Security

Mr. Johnson said good night and walked out the door. Marcus slowly closed it behind him. He stood at the door for a moment, looking at the doorknob, thinking. He heard junebugs buzzing outside. He turned off the porch light. He thought, “What have I gotten us into?” He took a deep breath and turned around and walked back to the kitchen table.

Lauren was leaning back, eyes closed, feet propped up on a chair. Marcus took hold of her right foot and gently pressed around her ankle. A little swollen. He sat down and said, “Well, that was interesting.” Keeping her eyes closed, Lauren said knowingly, “You’re not talking about my ankles, are you?”

She opened her eyes. She sat up and looked at Marcus. “What do you think about what he said about giving us the ranch?” Her tone sounded desperate. “I’m thinking about it.” Marcus saw a difficult conversation coming. Lauren went on, “This is a problem Marcus. He told us this ranch could be ours. I mean, that’s nice and I understand about Grandpa Sam and all that, but he doesn’t know us! We don’t know him! We don’t know if this is even going to work out for even a little while! I thought this was going to be a job, a place for us to get started, but he wants us to be the heirs to his kingdom. I don’t know about raising a family out here. There are no neighbors, the church is small, I might be able to handle the books and all that, but you’ve got the hard job working outside all the time. I don’t know about this.”

By now tears welled up in her eyes. She went on, “Look at my ankles. Look at my belly. Look at these boxes. I am due in less than two weeks, we haven’t hardly got settled, and now Mr. Johnson wants us to be 21^st century Jolly Ranchers...I don’t want to be trapped out here.” Now she started sobbing. “Oh boy,” thought Marcus, “now what do I say?” He looked at Lauren: red eyes, round belly, swollen ankles, TJC employee identification card still hung around her neck, shaking with her sobs.

Security. That one word came to his mind. That’s what she needs. Then he thought of Ephesians 5:25, “Husbands, love your wives.” So he stood up and walked to the couch and removed the six boxes that had been stacked there. He found a pillow. He walked back to the kitchen table and took Lauren’s hand. “What are you doing?” she said between sobs. “Come here,” he said, and he pulled her up and led her to the couch. He sat down at one end and put the pillow in his lap. “Lay down,” he said. “What are you doing?” she said, wiping her eyes. “Just lay down.” She sat on the edge of the couch and slowly swung her legs around and laid her head down on the pillow on his lap. He kissed her forehead and ran his finger through her long black hair and they stayed like that for several minutes. Just quiet. No sound except for junebugs and a sniffle or two.

“Lauren.” He just said her name. “What?” she said. And for a fleeting moment she looked up at him like a little girl who needed reassurance. Lauren, who was always confident, always reassuring others. “We are going to be fine. We are going to be just fine. And as far as Mr. Johnson goes…he’s an old sentimental man. He loves this place and doesn’t want to see it split up and sold off. Don’t worry about that. I don’t think he’ll pressure us into it. If he does, I’ll talk to him. Let’s take it one step at a time and see what happens. And these boxes, I’ll ask Mr. Johnson if I can take some time to unpack so you don’t have to. We’ll work it out. One step at a time. We’ll be okay. The Lord has taken care of us up to now, he won’t let us down.”

Lauren took a deep breath. “Okay, I know. You are right. I just want the best for this baby. And for us.” She was quiet for a while, then she looked back up at Marcus. “You know how we haven’t been able to come up with a name? I found one. It’s in 2 Samuel 9:12. Look it up. See if you like it.”

More about Marcus Redding’s journey of faith next week.

Marcus Redding's Future?

So Mr. Johnson was telling Marcus and Lauren that he was showing them kindness to honor Marcus’s grandfather. Just like David and Mephibosheth. That was how he started their dinner table conversation on this, the first night they would spend in their new home. But Mr. Johnson had more to say.

“Three months ago Carl said he was leaving. He’s worked for me longer than you two have been alive. Wasn’t sure what I’d do without him. He’s like my right arm. He runs this place. He’s as much a part of this ranch as the trees and the trails and this house. See, I’m an old man. I never married. I don’t have kids. My nieces and nephews are not interested in this place. They live in Austin and they have bumper stickers on their hybrid cars that say ‘Keep Austin Weird.’” All three of them laughed. “So Carl leaving forced me to think about the future. I didn’t want to just sell this place to whoever. I wanted to pass this place on to someone. To a family. So I started to pray about it. Wasn’t sure really what to do, I just prayed and prayed for wisdom. James 1:5 you know.”

Then he reached into his back pocket and produced a piece of paper. It had lines where it had been folded. It was wrinkled and worn. But from the way he handled it, it seemed to be important. He put it down on the table and smoothed it out and looked at it carefully. Then he looked up and out the window for a while. He ran his hand through his wavy, silver hair. He gestured for Marcus and Lauren to look at the paper. They scooted their chairs over to his side of the table so they could read it.

At the top Mr. Johnson had written, “Honest and hard working Christian couple. Strong work ethic. Organized. Self-starters. Eye for detail.” Under that were two lists. Written in pencil. Each list had five items.

“He has to: be self-disciplined, work within a budget, handle physical labor, take care of livestock, willing to learn all aspects of ranch management. She has to: be a good organizer, relate and communicate well, be a good administrator, have above average computer skills, be a good housekeeper and cook.”

“I was hoping for a couple like this. So Marcus when I heard about your name, well I already knew a lot about you. And Lauren, I know Mr. Condlefur up at TJC so I called him to find out about you. Then it turns out my niece went to school with your mother Ruth. And she couldn’t say enough good things about her.”

He hesitated and looked at Marcus, “This might be a little much right now, you might not think of it this way, and I’m not putting pressure on you with this, but I just wanted you to know what was on my mind. If this works out. If y’all like it here…I’d like to honor the memory of Sam Redding by doing something for his family. This place can be yours someday.”

Marcus and Lauren were stunned. Was this really happening? Were they really in their little apartment a few weeks ago? Had Marcus hit dead end after dead end looking for work? Was this man really offering them steady work for Marcus, part-time work for Lauren so she could stay at home with the baby, and what seemed like a pretty secure future?

Marcus spoke up, “Mr. Johnson, thank you for all this. Thank you. It’s a lot to think about right now, especially with the baby coming and all. Let Lauren and I talk about it and pray about it and we’ll talk with you again. We appreciate it very much.”

“I understand.” He stood up and shook Marcus’s hand and put his arm around Lauren and gave her a side hug. “We’ll talk about it more later. See you at 6 in the morning at my house Marcus.”

More about Marcus Redding’s journey of faith next week.

Marcus Redding's First Day on the Ranch

Monday morning at 7:00 a.m. Marcus stood in the driveway outside his new ranch house. An old pickup truck rolled in. Mr. Johnson was driving. He rolled down the window and gestured to a teenager sitting in the passenger side. “This is Justin. He’s going to be a senior at Brownsboro. He’s been my ranch hand for about a year now. Just started his summer break but he doesn’t get a break out here. Right, son?” He slapped him on the leg. “Yes, sir,” Justin said. Mr. Johnson turned back to Marcus. “Jump in. We’ll show you around.”

Mr. Johnson talked as he drove through the ranch. He had a quiet voice and Marcus had to strain to hear him. “300 acres. Goes back to my great-great grandfather. He was a criminal. Shot a man he thought was stealing his cattle. Johnsons have a temper.” Marcus took a nervous sideways look at Mr. Johnson, who winked at him. “Don’t worry, the Lord has taken care of that. James 1:19-21. I live by those verses, and some others.”

Mr. Johnson went on, “Livestock. You’ll learn how to inoculate, separate the sick, build feed troughs, make sure calves don’t get separated from their mothers. Check fences. Always check fences. We had that windstorm last Friday night. See over there.” Mr. Johnson kept his hands on the wheel and pointed with one finger. Marcus saw where an oak had fallen into a fence. The tree was cut up and the fence had been repaired.

“You’ll run the tractor. Bale hay. Identify and remove exotic plants. Hogs tear up the place. You have to set traps. Shoot the hogs when you can. Doesn’t make much difference though. Maintain the trails and roads. Do some welding. Keep the garden. I’ve got three guest cabins. Every weekend at least one is occupied. You and Lauren will take care of them. Cleaning. Laundry. Maintenance.”

Mr. Johnson paused. “Overwhelmed?” “Yes, sir, just a little.” Mr. Johnson spoke reassuringly, “Justin will help. There’s a couple other boys that help out. I’m 75 years old but I’d like to be around for a while longer. I’ll teach you how to do it all.”

Lauren left TJC that afternoon and drove out to the ranch. Mr. Johnson met her at the office just off from his house. He greeted her courteously and held the door as she walked inside. A lady behind a big desk stood and walked up to them. Mr. Johnson said, “This is Lisa. She’s the dragon lady.” Lisa rolled her eyes. “If I get out of line she brings me back in. She’s been running the office for 25 years and she’s moving on. Everybody’s leaving me. She’ll show you everything. I gave Marcus a chainsaw. He’s out cutting up some trees. I’ll meet both of y’all back at your house at 6:00.”

Lauren was surprised at Lisa’s warmth and friendliness. She took Lauren’s hands in hers and asked about the baby and said she had heard so many good things about Lauren and she was so happy to meet her. Lisa got Lauren a chair and pulled it up behind the desk, “The office is the hub of the ranch. The three key words are: friendly, efficient, and clean. I’ll show you how to process receivables and payables, make changes and updates in the reservations, organize the office, order supplies, keep Mr. Johnson’s schedule, answer the phone, keep up the website, answer email.” They spent a couple hours talking about family and talking about work. Everything sounded good. Lauren was hopeful.

At 6:00 Mr. Johnson met them at their house. They walked inside and sat at the kitchen table. Mr. Johnson set his hat down and ran his fingers through his silver, wavy hair. “Do you know the story of Mephibosheth?” Marcus kind of remembered. Lauren knew it well, “He was Jonathan’s son. Lame in both feet. David wanted to show kindness to him to honor Jonathan’s memory so he gave him his share of Saul’s land and made sure he was always taken care of.”

Mr. Johnson didn’t say anything. He just looked at Marcus and Lauren and smiled. They looked back at him for a while. Then they looked at each other. They got it.

More about Marcus Redding’s journey of faith next week.

Marcus Redding Drives a U-Haul

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation.”

Marcus stepped onto the back of the truck. He looked up and grabbed the loop handle. He took one more look at their stuff—it only filled half the truck—and took a deep breath. He jumped off and pulled down the door. It shut with a clang and he pulled over the heavy metal latch. He wiped his hands on his jeans and turned around. A little line of cars waited in the parking lot of their apartment complex: Lauren’s brother Eddie in his pickup, Marcus’s dad in his pickup, and a few others who came out to help them move. Marcus gave them the thumbs-up. He walked around to the front of the truck and jumped in. Just him. Lauren was riding with Eddie. The U-Haul would be a rough ride for her.

So Marcus had time to think as he led the caravan from the middle of Tyler to the ranch in Henderson County. They decided to go for it. Actually Marcus had decided. There was a point last week where Lauren sat down on the couch, propped up her swollen feet, and declared, “I’m at 33 weeks, hormonal, emotional, and tired. This is up to you, Marcus. Either way I’m with you.” He trusted her for clear-minded, common-sense advice. She was just wise and forward thinking. But now it was up to him. The biggest decision he’d made in the few years they’d been married.

So he prayed: “God, which way should we go? Should I take this job and move out to the ranch? Should I wait for something more certain? How do I know what is best for my family?” His prayers were more questions than anything. But they always ended with, “Your will be done.” And it wasn’t just a punctuation mark, he really meant it.

He went around seeking counsel. His dad said, “There are no guarantees here buddy. Mr. Johnson has a good reputation. But there are no guarantees. Faith in God is the only guarantee.” He asked their preacher who said, “Think of God’s will as a pipe, there are a number of things that can flow your way that fit in that pipe, and all of them may be within his will.” He asked Lauren’s mom, the genetic source of Lauren’s wisdom. She took Marcus’s hands in hers and said, “In my life and in the lives of the Christians I know, I’ve learned this: sometimes God shows you three or four doors and lets you choose. Pray and decide. God will take care of you!”

Last Thursday, Lauren came home from work and he said, “Let’s go.” And she said, “Where?” And he said, “Let’s take the job.” And she didn’t hesitate, “All right, let’s go.”

He thought about these things as he turned west off the Loop onto 31. These thoughts fed a feeling he had never felt before. A mixture of excitement and uncertainty. Adventure. “Look at it as an adventure with God.” That’s what Eddie said. “You do something new, God provides the divine care, you respond with faith.”

Marcus was cursed (or blessed?) with a melancholy personality. He was introverted. He thought. He reflected. So as he rolled down 31 past the old Goodyear plant he remembered: fishing with Grandpa Sam, playing Little League, the squeal of tires, Bruce’s mom’s white handkerchief, the dark years, seeing Lauren in the computer lab, their wedding, their apartment, how he lost his job and found out Lauren was pregnant on the same day.

An adventure with God.

Time for the next chapter.

More about Marcus Redding’s journey of faith next week.

Marcus Redding Makes a List

“Where would we live?” That was Lauren’s question. She was almost eight months pregnant and thinking “home.” Marcus had no questions. He was eight months unemployed and thinking “job.” Before, Marcus was hesitant and Lauren was excited. Now they had reversed roles.

Mr. Johnson wanted Marcus to be his right hand man. He would show Marcus how to run his ranch. Lauren, sharp as a tack when it came to numbers, would have part-time work keeping his books. They could live in the 1500 square-foot ranch house on his property out in Henderson County close to Larue. Steady work for Marcus, Lauren could stay at home, they’d have a nice place to live in the country. It sounded like a Joseph-Potiphar situation, minus the slavery and Potiphar’s wife. Mr. Johnson never married.

But Lauren had questions. “We’re putting all our eggs in Mr. Johnson’s basket. How do we know his business will keep going strong? What do we know about his character? Larue is way out there. I’ll have the baby in a month or so. The timing is inconvenient.”

She wasn’t protesting as much as thinking out loud. Marcus knew in the back of his mind he should be cautious but he was ready to get to work. He countered her concern, “Or is the timing perfect? We could get all moved in in just a couple weeks and be all ready for the baby.”

Marcus saw a green light, but Lauren saw yellow. “There’s the sentimentality factor here. Mr. Johnson’s connection with your grandfather. I wonder if that will keep us from making a clear decision.” Now Marcus was getting frustrated. He stopped and looked at Lauren. She raised her eyebrows and looked right back at him as if to say, “I have a point, don’t I?” Marcus took a deep breath. He went over to the printer and got out a clean sheet of paper. He got a pen out of the drawer in the kitchen and sat down at the table. He drew a line down the middle of the paper.

On one side he wrote “pros” and they made a list: start making money now, get settled before the baby is born, house instead of apartment, long term place to live, Lauren can stay at home, Lauren has part time work, we can work together (Lauren said, “Is that a pro or a con?”)

On the other side he wrote “cons”: isolated, farther from family and stores, etc., is there a good church out there?, long-term stability of job, Marcus has to learn something new, don’t really know Mr. Johnson, snakes (Lauren hated snakes.)

It turned out to be a symmetrical list: seven items on each side. They looked at the paper for a while hoping it would make the decision for them.

Marcus broke the silence. “What scripture can help us here?” Lauren thought for a second. Then she said, “James 1.” She looked it up and read it out loud, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.”

Marcus said, “Well that’s me. I lack wisdom.” He took another deep breath and said, with some resolve, “Let’s pray about it for one week. In the meantime we’ll get advice from people we trust: your mom, my dad, people at church. One week from today we’ll meet right back here and make a decision.”

Lauren was proud of Marcus. She said, “Okay, let’s pray now.” And they did.

More about Marcus Redding’s journey of faith next week.

Marcus Redding Makes A Man Cry On His Pancakes

“My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death

and will cover a multitude of sins.”

James 5:19-20

“That’s all he would tell me. ‘Meet me there tomorrow morning at 8:00.’” Marcus was recounting the surprising turn of events at the barber shop yesterday morning. Lauren was shaking her head in wonder. “This may be the answer to our prayers Marcus.” She took his hand and put it on her now-obviously pregnant belly. “Just what the three of us need.” Marcus was both doubtful and hopeful. But he didn’t express either one to Lauren. He didn’t want to get her hopes up and he didn’t want to let her know how uncertain he was about the whole thing. So he just said, “I’ll talk to him.”

Marcus stepped inside The Shed at 7:55. It smelled of sausage and coffee and cigarette smoke. It was the middle of the breakfast rush. He didn’t know what Mr. Johnson looked like so he just stood by the door for a minute until a girl walked up, wiping her hands on a white apron. “Are you Marcus Redding?” “Yeah.” “Mr. Johnson’s here. Follow me.” She took him into the non-smoking section and they had to twist their way through a mass of diners until they got to a table for two right in the middle of the room.

There was seated a man in his late seventies or early eighties, lean and tall, with a weather-worn face and calloused hands. He didn’t stand out from anyone else except for his full head of unusually wavy sliver hair. Marcus reached out to shake his hand and Mr. Johnson stood up. Courteously and quietly, he said he was glad to meet Marcus and invited him to sit down. But Mr. Johnson kept looking at Marcus as if he was expecting a reaction. Marcus noticed on the table in front of him was a plate of pancakes covered with pecans. A little dish of strawberry jelly sat nearby. Marcus was so surprised that he kept his eyes on the food while he said, “This is what my grandpa used to make for me every Saturday morning. Pecan pancakes. With strawberry jelly.”

When he looked up, he could see Mr. Johnson had tears in his eyes. He blinked and a tear rolled down his cheek. He sniffed and got out a handkerchief and blew his nose. Then he chuckled. “Well, let’s give thanks.” Mr. Johnson led a short prayer for the food. “Eat up, Marcus. Enjoy.” He had a surprisingly quiet voice, Marcus had to strain to hear him among the clatter of plates and silverware. “Thank you…sir” Marcus stammered, still not sure about the whole situation, “But…” Mr. Johnson interrupted him, “How did I know that your grandfather made you pecan pancakes with strawberry jelly? Can I tell you a story?” Marcus nodded. “Okay, you eat and I’ll talk.”

Mr. Johnson told Marcus how he grew up between Moore Station and Fincastle out in Henderson County. How he was the oldest child in a family of five. How his father was an alcoholic and his sweet mother held the family together, taking them to worship services every Sunday and Wednesday. How he liked going to church and reading the Bible and he was baptized during his first year in high school. But then his father was killed in a farm accident and he took it hard. He started to drink and dropped out of school and went to work at the canning plant. And that’s where he met Sam Redding who took a liking to him and helped him clean up his life. Sam got him a better job at a filling station in Athens and they went to worship services together every Wednesday and Sunday. Eventually Sam moved on and Mr. Johnson started the Johnson-Child convenience stores. But he always stayed in touch with Sam through the years. And Sam always told him about his grandkids. And that’s how he knew about the pecan pancakes. “So when I heard your name was Redding, I thought of your grandfather and how he helped me. I suppose its time to return the favor.”

They talked for the next hour about returning the favor. Marcus couldn’t wait to tell Lauren.

More about Marcus Redding’s journey of faith next week.

Marcus Redding Has a Lead

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,

for those who are called according to his purpose.”

Romans 8:28

She was in the middle of a haircut when he walked in. Three other men read magazines as they waited their turn. There were no empty chairs but he was too anxious to sit anyway. He stood by the door and Stephanie the barber talked to him while she worked.

“Hi Marcus. My friend Nancy came in the other day. She works at the Johnson-Child gas station in Chandler.” Marcus remembered Nancy. He delivered to that store every Wednesday for the last couple years. Stephanie went on, “We went to high school together. So whenever she comes in we talk about old friends. She told me that Mr. Johnson, the owner of the store, came in the other day and said that Carl Burns had to move to North Carolina to help his wife look after her mom. Carl was Mr. Johnson’s right hand man, worked for him since he graduated high school, ran his ranch for him and kept his books and helped him build up the business. Do you know how many stores Mr. Johnson has?” Marcus recognized the Johnson-Child name, “Yeah, they have, what, 20 or 30 stores in East Texas right?” Stephanie kept talking as she switched on the hair clippers, “So Mr. Johnson was telling Nancy how he needed someone to take Carl’s place. He wanted someone young and reliable that he could train.” She paused and looked up at Marcus, who was now feeling a little uncomfortable as the other four men in the barber shop were looking at him.

Marcus was quick with an answer, “That’s not the job for me.” Stephanie switched off the clippers and picked up her scissors and kept working as she talked, “So when Nancy was telling me this story I remembered you were looking for a job and I told her about you. I said, ‘there’s this kid that comes in, tattoos up and down his arms, but super-nice kid, he’s looking for a job.’ And Nancy’s eyes light up and she says, ‘Are you talking about Marcus Redding? He used to work for Colby’s Wholesale. I haven’t seen him for months. Used to come in every Wednesday. He was such a nice kid that I even called his boss one time and complimented him.’ So that’s a coincidence, don’t you think?”

This was a little overwhelming. Marcus just repeated, “That’s not the job for me.” Stephanie kept right on snipping, “Why don’t you talk to Nancy and get Mr. Johnson’s number? Can’t hurt to try.”

“I don’t think so. Thanks for thinking of me, though. I appreciate it.” Marcus had already dismissed the whole idea and he was halfway out the door when one of the old men waiting for a haircut said, “Wait a minute, son. Just wait a minute there.” And he got out his iPhone. As he was looking down and running his finger over the screen he said, “I go to church with Mr. Johnson. I’ve got his number right here.” He tapped the screen and held the phone to his ear and winked at Stephanie. He looked at Marcus, “Just stay right there.” He paused a few seconds, “Hey, Arnie. It’s Jim. Say, I heard Carl Burns was leaving you…” There was a pause during which he gestured to Marcus as if to say, “Stay right there.” “Look, I’m at the barber shop here and there’s a kid here you ought to talk to. He’s got a good reputation. His name is…what’s your last name son?” Marcus told him. The man repeated it into the phone, “Redding.”

And the old man held the phone out for Marcus, who looked around and laughed and said, “This is crazy.” The old man just sat there with the phone held out. Marcus took a deep breath and took the phone. He said, “This is Marcus Redding.” Mr. Johnson didn’t say anything for a while. Marcus wondered if he was still there. “Hello?” Marcus asked. Finally Mr. Johnson spoke, very slowly, as if he was surprised by something, “Are you kin to Sam Redding?” “Yes, sir. Sam was my grandfather.” A long pause.

“You know where The Shed is, in Edom?” “Yes, sir.”

“Meet me there tomorrow morning at 8:00.”

More about Marcus Redding’s journey of faith next week.

Marcus Redding Has A Long Day

Lauren got home about 5:30 and there was no sign of Marcus. His truck wasn’t in the parking lot. He hadn’t called her or left a text message all day. He didn’t leave a note on the kitchen table. She knew this was the day he was taking Evelyn to the doctor. But that was six hours ago.

Marcus heard his cell phone ring but he couldn’t get it. He was under a sink in a tiny bathroom just off the guest room in Evelyn’s house. He was wet from his collar to his belt. His hands were dirty and so was the ivory-colored tile on the bathroom floor, tools scattered on the floor. Marcus knew it was Lauren calling. He regretted not calling her sooner. Maybe she could have helped him out of this mess! At least distracted Evelyn who kept hovering over him and asking if he had everything fixed yet. “Almost got it!” Marcus said. “Just clean up after yourself,” she grumbled and plodded back into the living room clutching her walker.

Finally he did finish. He cleaned up the best he could and slipped into the living room. He wanted to say a quick goodbye but Evelyn asked if Marcus could take her back to the doctor next week for a blood test. “I’ll give you a call,” he said as he backed out the door. While walking out to his truck he checked his cell phone and noticed he had missed two calls. One was from Lauren. He called her. She answered with, “How was your day?” Marcus had to laugh, “I’ll tell you about it when I get home.”

An hour later Marcus was sitting on the couch in their apartment eating Lauren’s spicy rigatoni and between bites telling her the epic saga of his day. They had arrived over an hour early at the doctor’s office and Marcus, at Evelyn’s request, spent most of the time scouring the waiting room for the February issue of “Better Homes and Gardens.” Then a nurse called him to the window and asked if he was her grandson. He said he was just a friend from church. The nurse explained Evelyn often came in for “unexplained back pain” and would he come back to see the doctor along with Evelyn. It would sure help Dr. Lemos if he could speak to someone “clear-minded” on Evelyn’s behalf.

At this point in the story Lauren interjected a scripture, “help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.” Marcus was quick to reply, “I had plenty of practice today.”

Marcus continued his tale. After a bizarre conversation with Evelyn and the doctor in which Marcus served as both translator and referee, he had to stop by the pharmacy to pick up her prescription. But the computer had her date of birth wrong. The technician asked for her accurate date of birth. Evelyn didn’t want to tell anyone what year she was born. The technician said, “Ma’am we can’t give you your prescription without that information.” Finally Marcus persuaded Evelyn just to write down her date of birth on a slip of paper and pass it to the girl, but then she couldn’t find her glasses and when she finally did she couldn’t find a pen.

Lauren chimed in again, “help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil...” Marcus took a deep breath and went on.

Finally they got home and he got Evelyn to her chair. But her back hurt and she needed to take her pills. However, the sticker on the bottle clearly said, “TAKE WITH FOOD.” So Marcus went to the kitchen to get something but Evelyn said there was nothing there she wanted to eat. She sent him to Whataburger to get a vanilla shake. A large vanilla shake. With those big red straws, not those puny little clear straws. Lauren was laughing now. Marcus couldn’t go on. “Then the sink was another two hour episode I’d rather not relive.”

One last time Lauren quoted 1 Thessalonians 5:14,“help the weak, be patient with them all...”

Marcus had finished his dinner and was idly playing with his phone when he remembered he had missed another call. He opened his cell phone and checked the list. He didn’t recognize the number. He called. A lady answered.

Marcus said, “Hi, this is Marcus Redding, I missed a call from this number.” The lady said, “Hi Marcus. It’s Stephanie. Your barber. I’ve got a job lead for you.”

More about Marcus Redding’s journey of faith next week.

Marcus Redding Passes Notes in Church

Everyone filed back into the auditorium after Wednesday evening classes were over. The services always finished with one of the deacons reading a list of announcements before they had one last song and prayer. Marcus was half paying attention through most of it: a workday on Saturday at the church building to do some spring cleaning, one lady’s cousin was going in for a biopsy on a tumor, one of the teenagers was looking for some help with an Eagle Scout project, a truck from the children’s home would be stopping by this week to pick up winter clothes.

Marcus let his mind drift to the Winter Olympics until he felt Lauren squeeze his hand. He looked over at her. She pointed with her eyes to the front of the auditorium as if to say, “Pay attention.” The deacon was explaining that Evelyn Smith needed a ride to and from a doctor’s appointment on Friday. Marcus looked back at Lauren with a puzzled expression as if to say, “What about it?” Lauren leaned over and whispered, “What are you doing on Friday?” Marcus leaned over and whispered back, “I can’t. I’m looking for a job.”

Lauren grabbed a little pencil from in front of her and rifled through her Bible to find a stray sheet of paper. She scribbled something and passed it to Marcus. It was a scripture reference. One that he knew without looking it up: James 1:27.

The announcements continued. Marcus picked up his own little pencil and wrote his own scripture reference right under Lauren’s: 2 Thessalonians 3:10. She knew that one. So she smiled and wrote a few words under Marcus’s scripture reference, “but you are willing to work.” She underlined the word “you” one time and the word “willing” three times. Marcus sighed. He couldn’t argue with that.

After the last prayer Marcus spoke to the deacon who gave announcements and said he would give Evelyn a ride on Friday. He tried to appear happy, but it was hard.

Marcus went into the church office to get a directory to look up Evelyn’s number. He stepped outside to call her on his cell phone. When Evelyn answered she was coughing and Marcus had to speak loudly and repeat himself three times until she understood who he was and why he was calling. After a few minutes he figured out her appointment was at 11:30 a.m. at the Olympic Plaza. She didn’t know when she’d be done. Marcus was thinking, “Great, right in the middle of the day. This day is lost.”

Marcus got directions to her house. “Don’t be late,” she told him, “I’m never late.” Marcus just said, “Yes, ma’am.” Evelyn went on, “And do you do plumbing? I’ve got a leaky faucet and I don’t want to pay a guy to come out. The last time I called the plumber he was here for 15 minutes and he charged $700. Can you imagine that? Seven…hundred…dollars! I told him what I thought about that. I told him he could…”

Marcus interrupted, “Yes ma’am, I can fix your faucet. I’ll look at it after we get back from your appointment.”

Evelyn wasn’t done, “Now remember, be there at 10:00 so we can get there early. And make sure your car is clean.” She had more to say. All Marcus could say was, “Yes, ma’am. Yes, ma’am.” By the end of their conversation Evelyn didn’t sound any happier than at the beginning. And Marcus wasn’t either.

When he finally got off the phone and stepped back inside, Marcus’s dad and Lauren a few others thanked him for volunteering. Lauren squeezed his hand and said, “I’m proud of you.”

Marcus knew he was doing the right thing, but he wondered what he was getting himself into.

More about Marcus Redding’s journey of faith next week.

Marcus Redding Waits

“So are my prayers doing any good? I mean, it’s been four months now. The baby is due in June. Here it’s March already.” Marcus heard tires squeal outside and his eyes darted to the window. He sat for a minute looking at the traffic going by on the Loop. Finally he took a deep breath, “It’s not supposed to be this way. Lauren is a rock star at her job and I had a job in a warehouse. I lost that job, now I can’t find anything at all.”

Last Sunday evening Marcus had approached their preacher, John Humble, and said he wanted to sit down and talk with him. So here they were on Tuesday morning. Marcus sat on the couch, work boots laced up, hair cut short, hands in his jacket. John sat across from Marcus in a comfy chair. His Bible was perched on a corner of his desk, a yellow legal pad stuffed in the middle.

“So what do you pray for?” John got to the heart of the matter.

Marcus was terse, almost angry, “I’m praying that God will let me find work so that Lauren can stay home.”

John leaned forward, “That’s a good prayer. It’s in line with God’s will. We know that God will answer prayers according to his will.”

Marcus had heard that before, “Yeah, I know but…”

John interrupted, “Marcus. Listen. ‘this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.’ That’s 1 John 5:14. Do you believe that?” John looked intently at Marcus.

Marcus looked back at him, his eyes betraying his thoughts, “I do believe it…most of the time.” Marcus gave a half smile and said, “I believe, help my unbelief. That’s Mark 9:24. Do you believe that?”

John laughed, “You can quote scripture too!” The humor reduced the tension. John went on, “God will answer your prayer. But here’s the thing: it says “he hears us.” It doesn’t say when he will answer, it doesn’t say how he will answer. But he will. The main thing is what you do in the meantime.”

Marcus asked the obvious question, “What do I do in the meantime?”

John reached for his Bible and took out the legal pad. He tore out a page and handed it to Marcus. It was a list of seven scriptures. “I looked these up for you today. Read one each day this week. Then we’ll talk about them next week. Okay?”

Marcus nodded, “Okay.”

John went on, “Let’s read #6 right now. Here you go.” John handed Marcus his Bible, open to Lamentations 3:24-33. Marcus read it out loud. “What jumps out at you?” John asked.

Marcus knew the scripture. “It says it is good to wait and good to go through hard times.”

John sympathized, “Not what we usually think, huh? And look at verse 25, ‘the LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.’ Every time you pray you are seeking him. It’s what we do while we wait. These scriptures are not about getting answers. There is no formula for getting what we want, but there are principles that show us how to become what God wants us to be.”

Marcus sat back and looked out the window, “And what does God want me to be?”

John settled back in his chair and looked out the same window. He smiled and quietly said, “A waiter.”

More about Marcus Redding’s journey of faith next week.

Marcus Redding's Snow Day

There was a knock at the door. A single knock. Lauren stirred from her sleep. Another single knock. She fumbled for her cell phone so she could see what time it was. Another knock. Squinting at the cell phone she saw it was 7:42 a.m. Another single knock. “Who in the world would be knocking on their apartment door this early on Saturday morning?” Another knock, but it wasn’t coming from the door. It was the window. But it was a second story window with nothing underneath it. What’s going on? She stumbled in her pajamas to the window in the living room and peeked out of the blinds. The windows were all fogged over. Another knock. Something hit the window! Someone was throwing things at their window!

“Marcus! Come here, I’m scared!” she half-yelled, half-whispered. Where was he? Something else hit the window. She pulled open the blinds and used her pajama sleeves to make a little clear circle. Thwap! Something else hit the window. It was white. It was a snowball.

Snow! Look at the snow! It lined every tree branch! It covered the ground! Must have been six or seven inches deep! Beautiful!

But who was that lunatic down there throwing snowballs at their window? Someone had built two snow people and made two snow angels. Above the two angels, written in the snow was “Marcus and Lauren.” Marcus was the lunatic who woke her up by throwing snowballs at their window. He was motioning for her to come down. She put on some shoes and went out on the porch and told Marcus it was beautiful and thanks for the snow angels but she didn’t want to get cold and wet. He yelled back up at her…yelled, at quarter to eight in the morning, in the middle of a big apartment complex…“Lauren, come on, this hardly ever happens! Come on!” And he just stood and looked at her like, “How can you not come out and play in the snow?”

The sight of him standing there with a crust of snow on his clothes, a ridiculous stocking cap too small for his head, and a big grin on his face was too much for her. She went back in and threw on three layers of clothes, gloves, and a hat. She took the lid off a big plastic storage bin so they could use it as a sled and she went back out on the porch. Marcus had his back turned, making alterations to his snowman, so she scooped up some snow from the edge of the porch and made a snowball. She threw it and it hit the target, right between his shoulder blades. He turned around and looked up. “All right! Come on!”

And they spent the next three hours making more snowmen and more snow angels and sledding down the slope next to their apartment building and then they got into a snowball fight with the neighborhood kids and Marcus chased Lauren and tackled her in the snow (very gently though, she was pregnant you know) and gave her a facewash and they laughed until their ribs hurt and she vowed revenge and then somebody found a sled and they tied it to the back of Marcus’s pickup and he had the kids take turns as he pulled them around the empty church parking lot next door and then the kids moved on to build a snow fort and Marcus and Lauren went for a walk and talked and held gloved hands as they looked at the snow.

They got back to their apartment and stomped the snow off their boots and went inside and peeled off the extra layers of sweaters and jackets. Lauren made hot cocoa. Marcus opened to Ecclesiastes and read a passage out loud…

“Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 9:9).

He walked over to her in the kitchen and hugged her from behind. “It’s not so vain when I’m with you.”

More about Marcus Redding’s journey of faith next week.

Marcus Redding Uses a Concordance

Marcus was animated. “That’s what God intended men to do. God put Adam to work in the garden. It’s frustrating. I want to work. I’m a good worker. And I want for you to stay home with the kids. That’s the ideal. That’s God’s will. And God says if we ask according to his will then he will answer our prayer, eventually.”

Lauren was realistic. “I can do things from home you know. That Proverbs 31 woman was working all the time. It’s just that all her work revolved around her husband and children. It says, ‘She looks well to the ways of her household.’”

They had this conversation a lot, especially when driving home after services like they were this Sunday evening. “Okay, do me a favor,” Marcus said. “Go to biblegateway.com on your iPhone and do a keyword search for ‘work’ but limit it to Proverbs. Let’s see what it says.”

In about thirty seconds Lauren was tapping through a list of scriptures. She read the relevant results out loud as Marcus was driving…

“Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense.”

(Marcus: “Now I just need some land to work.”)

“From the fruit of his mouth a man is satisfied with good, and the work of a man’s hand comes back to him.”

(Lauren: “I bet someone you know will come through for you.”)

“Whoever is slack in his work is a brother to him who destroys.”

(Marcus: “I’m a good worker. I guess I’m a brother to him who builds.”)

“Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.”

(Marcus: “See! That’s you! The president of TJC came to your office to thank you for your good work!”)

“Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house.”

(Lauren…hand on her abdomen…“the house is already being built.”)

She was quiet as they pulled into the parking lot of their apartment complex. He parked and took the keys out of the ignition. Still quiet. He turned and looked at her and she was looking out the window. It was raining. The drops of rain made that sound as they spattered on the window. He looked back outside. They sat this way for a good five minutes. It started to get cold. Finally he turned back to her and held her left hand. He could feel the diamond on her wedding ring poking his fingers. “Lauren, we are seeking God’s kingdom and his righteousness and praying about this. He’ll add everything else.”

Lauren squeezed his hand but she kept looking out the window. “You’re wrong Marcus. He’s not going to add, he’s going to multiply.”

More about Marcus Redding’s journey of faith next week.