feel his soul resting in the presence of Christ's words, in the shadow of His image. Not thatthe statue itself held any power, it simply directed one to con-sider the greatness of God, the peace one might experience if only he took Jesus up on His offer.
Certainly in light of the political climate and in light of the persecution promised in Scripture, it was understandable that some might find the statue offensive. But remove it from the park? Joshua thought about other public places he'd visited, parks with statues of famous generals, influential Native American leaders, or great men and women in the Civil Rights movement. If those statues were allowed, what right did HOUR have to remove one that depicted Jesus Christ?
Regardless of whether people took Him at His word, Christ was real. He lived and died and made a tremendous impact on people, both in His day and in the present. That alone should be justification for keeping the statue up. Christ was an historical figure.
But Jesus was so much more than that. And Joshua was willing to bet the people at HOUR knew this. Certainly they were aware that no other man in history had affected mankind as much as Christ. No other had demonstrated the power to instill such deep emotions and widely varying reactions from people. His presence was life-changing for some while it filled others with violent hate. There was no one else who evoked such a dra-matic response from all who came to know of Him.
But then no other man was the Son of God.
Joshua sighed, studying the statue's eyes. They seemed so life-like. So full of love, of compassion.
Joshua closed his eyes.
Don't let them file suit against us, God. What if we lose? What of the cost to the people of Bethany if the statue is forced to go?
Joshua blinked and turned his back to the statue. Gazing into the blue sky over Bethany he begged God again to keep HOUR from filing, painfully aware that the law was on their side, not his.
Be strong and courageous, Joshua. I will go before you.
The holy whispers resonated in Joshua's soul, bringing a sense of peace he hadn't felt since Bob died. Somehow he knew that whatever might happen Monday, God would see him through. He rested in that thought for a moment.
Okay, Lord…I'll trust You.
After all, what choice did he have? Outside of God's intervention, if HOUR filed suit against Bethany on Monday the situation would be hopeless.
Whether Joshua was strong and courageous or not.
Five
J ordan drove to Bethany Sunday afternoon and by ten o'clock that night had checked into a local motel. Normally seven hours in the car would give him time to review his caseload, strategize about upcoming lawsuits, and work on closing argu-ments for those in progress. This time, though, he'd been plagued by unwanted images, memories that had propelled him into an exhausting inner battle. Every few moments he was drawn to remember the past, to walk through it and touch it and savor life the way it had been. But just as quickly would come his determination to keep such thoughts at bay. He was a survivor, not a sentimentalist. He refused to live in yesterday's time zone.
If that wasn't enough, he was burdened by the uncomfortable feeling that his life's work was somehow flawed. His opponents were defenseless types, such as the New York schoolteacher or pastors or youth group leaders. Was there really victory in win-ning cases against such people? People who certainly had never intended to cause harm? Shouldn't he have been using his legal talent to rid the streets of real criminals?
Of course, anyone who encouraged public expression of reli-gion was a criminal in Jordan's mind. But still the feeling remained.
In the end he blamed his confusing thoughts on overwork and a lack of sleep. When he reached the hotel, he put away his things, brushed his teeth, and dropped into bed, where he immediately fell asleep.
When he awoke Monday he fairly sprang out of bed, show-ered, shaved, and had a cup of coffee
Certainly in light of the political climate and in light of the persecution promised in Scripture, it was understandable that some might find the statue offensive. But remove it from the park? Joshua thought about other public places he'd visited, parks with statues of famous generals, influential Native American leaders, or great men and women in the Civil Rights movement. If those statues were allowed, what right did HOUR have to remove one that depicted Jesus Christ?
Regardless of whether people took Him at His word, Christ was real. He lived and died and made a tremendous impact on people, both in His day and in the present. That alone should be justification for keeping the statue up. Christ was an historical figure.
But Jesus was so much more than that. And Joshua was willing to bet the people at HOUR knew this. Certainly they were aware that no other man in history had affected mankind as much as Christ. No other had demonstrated the power to instill such deep emotions and widely varying reactions from people. His presence was life-changing for some while it filled others with violent hate. There was no one else who evoked such a dra-matic response from all who came to know of Him.
But then no other man was the Son of God.
Joshua sighed, studying the statue's eyes. They seemed so life-like. So full of love, of compassion.
Joshua closed his eyes.
Don't let them file suit against us, God. What if we lose? What of the cost to the people of Bethany if the statue is forced to go?
Joshua blinked and turned his back to the statue. Gazing into the blue sky over Bethany he begged God again to keep HOUR from filing, painfully aware that the law was on their side, not his.
Be strong and courageous, Joshua. I will go before you.
The holy whispers resonated in Joshua's soul, bringing a sense of peace he hadn't felt since Bob died. Somehow he knew that whatever might happen Monday, God would see him through. He rested in that thought for a moment.
Okay, Lord…I'll trust You.
After all, what choice did he have? Outside of God's intervention, if HOUR filed suit against Bethany on Monday the situation would be hopeless.
Whether Joshua was strong and courageous or not.
Five
J ordan drove to Bethany Sunday afternoon and by ten o'clock that night had checked into a local motel. Normally seven hours in the car would give him time to review his caseload, strategize about upcoming lawsuits, and work on closing argu-ments for those in progress. This time, though, he'd been plagued by unwanted images, memories that had propelled him into an exhausting inner battle. Every few moments he was drawn to remember the past, to walk through it and touch it and savor life the way it had been. But just as quickly would come his determination to keep such thoughts at bay. He was a survivor, not a sentimentalist. He refused to live in yesterday's time zone.
If that wasn't enough, he was burdened by the uncomfortable feeling that his life's work was somehow flawed. His opponents were defenseless types, such as the New York schoolteacher or pastors or youth group leaders. Was there really victory in win-ning cases against such people? People who certainly had never intended to cause harm? Shouldn't he have been using his legal talent to rid the streets of real criminals?
Of course, anyone who encouraged public expression of reli-gion was a criminal in Jordan's mind. But still the feeling remained.
In the end he blamed his confusing thoughts on overwork and a lack of sleep. When he reached the hotel, he put away his things, brushed his teeth, and dropped into bed, where he immediately fell asleep.
When he awoke Monday he fairly sprang out of bed, show-ered, shaved, and had a cup of coffee
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