Chapter Two ---- part one

      I hope you enjoyed chapter one. I have broken each chapter up and if you want to follow the story it will run for a  couple of months. Chapter two will run ten days. If you are interested in reading at a faster rate then let me know in the comments. Feel free to make comments good or bad, I am doing this to find out what people think of the book. Some people have said I am too detailed, but it is hard to tell a story about people if you don't tell enough to make the people real.

                    Chapter Two

              Announcements

    Andy walked out of the office and across the parking lot to the street in front of the church.  He sat down on the curb and let out a long sigh. He hadn't expected to get an answer to his question. He had just been hoping for a little advice and maybe some encouragement. Laughing, he rested his forehead in his hands with his elbows on his knees. Wow, that had been anything but what he had hoped for and yet it was far more than he could ever have dreamed of getting. He had poured his heart out in front of Pastor David. He hadn't hidden anything from him. Oh there were other things he could have said, but nothing that really mattered. Then Pastor David had pretty much done what he had expected him to do. He had asked questions and tried to steer Andy towards finding his own answers without pushing him in any one direction. Andy had talked to him about other things before and had known about what to expect from the man.

    He hadn't expected the rest though. When Pastor David asked him to pray, everything had changed. Andy had felt the need to get on his knees and bow down humbly before the Lord as fast as he possibly could. It was like the Lord was standing right there, right in front of them. He had never felt anything exactly like that before. Not even when he had accepted Christ in front of the church. That had been a big thing for him, but nothing like this. This had felt like he was in the very presence of the Lord. There were still goose bumps all over his body. What had just happened in there? Had God been there or was Andy just letting this get to him? He rejected that idea as soon as he had it. God had been there. Right there with them, in that room. Andy knew it. Andy had felt it and he had heard the Lord too.

    No, it hadn't been a real voice, not the way people would think of it. But it had been the Lord's voice just the same. Andy knew in his heart that he had heard His voice. He had heard that voice say just one word. One word was all he needed to hear though. "Go." That was all he had heard, but the doubt and the fear were gone. They had been replaced by shame for having hesitated, for having doubts. He was still deeply concerned, but not about his decision. Now he was just worried about those it would affect. Andy had prayed from his heart before, but that prayer... the one he had prayed today had been from his very soul. He knew God had heard that pray and would answer it. That didn't do anything to take away all of the butterflies though. Andy had thought being uncertain had been hard. Now he knew he had to go and if anything had changed, things had just gotten harder in many ways. Now he had to tell everybody about his decision... and then he still had to go!

    He didn't have time to think any further about it though. The sound of a car pulling up brought his head up as well. His ride had arrived. Andy couldn't believe he had spent almost an hour talking with Pastor David; but he must have, because his ride was here. Andy stood up and climbed into the car. He said a silent prayer that Mrs. Baker wouldn't start asking questions as he did. She smiled and gave him her normal greeting, but didn't say much more, at least not until they were almost out of town. Then she surprised him with what she did say. "Andy, I hope you know that no matter what you decide your family will support you, and love you no matter what." She glanced at him with a slight smile on her face and then sat there silent the rest of the way home.

    As Andy started to get out he turned around and leaned into the car. He smiled at Mrs. Baker and then spoke to her. "Thanks for the ride and what you said too. I do know that Mrs. Baker. That doesn't make things any easier though, but you know that already." He started to close the door, but she spoke first. "Andy, I do know how hard these decisions can be. I also know that you will be fine and so will everyone else. I knew that when you asked me to pick you up at the church. I wish I had been wise enough to seek the Lord when I was your age, but I thought I could handle it alone." She smiled at him again. "You aren't alone, Andy. Even if you hadn't gone to Him, the Lord would have been with you. I know you will be blessed now, because you did go to Him. Always go with God Andy and you will never go wrong." He just smiled and nodded as he closed the door. He watched her drive on down the road thinking about what she had just said. It was about a half mile to the house from the main road. He turned and started to jog down the road. He pushed all of the stuff in his head aside. He just jogged along in silence trying not to think about anything for just a little while.