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Overview
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781643521558 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Barbour Publishing, Incorporated |
| Publication date: | 10/01/2019 |
| Series: | Imagine...Series |
| Pages: | 112 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.00(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.32(d) |
| Age Range: | 8 - 10 Years |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
PRESENT DAY
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
Sketching the lotus brought him peace.
Creating the delicate petals of the exotic flower calmed his heart.
He thought of the backpack by his feet loaded with the entire Narnia series, just waiting to be read. His sister, Marie, gifted them to him as an early birthday present. Twelve-year-old John Le loved to read.
But he was overwhelmed with the desire to make this drawing for his mom instead.
Besides, his plane was about to land, and then it would be back to reality. Back to his father and all the stress that came with being the only child in the Le home.
John was thankful that his grandmother had taught him how to draw. She told him a long time ago that making pictures with a pencil gave life to what imagination created. He missed her infectious smile every time she looked at his sketches. No matter how good or bad they were, Hoa always smiled and told him his art was wonderful.
"Cool flower."
John looked up from his art and saw a kind-looking flight attendant staring down at him. "Thanks."
"Lotus?"
John nodded. He didn't want to talk. He really wanted to finish this picture before they landed.
"Well, I think you are very talented, young man."
The plane rattled, and the attendant grabbed on to the empty seat next to John.
"The pilot says we're going through some pretty bad storms."
Tell me about it. "Do you trust the pilot in this weather?"
The attendant smiled. "Very unique question. But yes, I trust him. He's been doing this a long time."
The lady didn't leave. She just stood there and held on to the seat. John tried to ignore her as he navigated the pencil back and forth over the paper where a new lotus petal came to life.
"Did someone teach you how to draw that?"
"My grandma Hoa. She loved comparing the lotus to Jesus."
"Cool. What did she say?"
The plane shook like some giant hand had grabbed it and rocked it back and forth.
Even the plane knows what I'm heading back to. Stress. Stress. And more stress.
"Grandma always said that just like Jesus leaving His glorious throne to be born in a cold manger, the beautiful lotus starts off in the muck and darkness of a pond bottom."
"Oh, that's awesome. I like your grandma. May I sit beside you for a minute?"
Even though John wanted to finish his drawing, he didn't want the lady to fall over in the aisle.
"Okay."
"Thank you. I'm Margaret."
"I'm John."
"Hi, John. It's really nice to meet you."
Another jolt of turbulence shook the plane. A shout came from somewhere behind them; then the speaker above John's head crackled.
"This is Captain Stewart. We're in the middle of a pretty big storm cell. Please remain seated with your seat belts fastened. We should be touching down at McCarran in about twenty minutes. Thank you."
"Wow, this one's pretty bad. At least it'll be over soon." Margaret kept her eyes on John's drawing.
Despite the storm, John kept his pencil moving. He needed to finish the lotus so he could surprise his mother. She really needed something to put a smile on her face. Anytime things got bad at home, John would sketch a lotus and give it to his mother. It was their secret code to remember Jesus.
"I think your mom is really going to like that."
I hope.
The plane rattled again, but John kept the pencil on the petal he was shading.
"John, you mentioned Jesus earlier. I want you to know He understands exactly what you're going through."
John stopped drawing and looked at the flight attendant.
"I believe in Him, but I don't think He knows what I'm going through." John looked back at the lotus flower. "If He did, why would He let bad things happen?"
Margaret turned in her seat to look John in the eyes. She put a comforting hand on his left arm.
"Look at me, John."
Eventually, John looked back up at her.
"Jesus knows your mom is devastated because she trusted your dad. Jesus also knows your dad is a mess because he trusted the casinos to answer his prayers instead of God. Jesus knows that your dad is taking his problems out on you."
How did this stranger know these things?
"Who are you? How do you know all those things about me?" The plane rattled again.
It dropped and shot John's stomach into a spin.
No more.
God, why have You left me like this?
Why can't You protect me from all the bad things happening?
Why can't You make all this stop?
It was all too much.
John dropped the pencil on the seat-back tray.
The plane dropped again. He heard another voice from somewhere in the back yelling about the turbulence.
John couldn't breathe. His fingers began to tingle. He shut his eyes and put his hands over his face.
"John," Margaret said. "Let me help you."
"Leave me alone!" John unbuckled his seat belt and pushed his way past the flight attendant.
The plane buckled beneath his feet and caused him to stumble in the aisle. He had to make it to the bathroom. It was the only space on the entire plane where he could lock the door and be by himself ... and his thoughts.
God, what's happening?
This is freaking me out!
Another wave of panic washed over John. The passengers stared at him with faces that reminded him of the emoticon characters in the movie Inside Out.
The people who wore glasses became Sadness. John saw their eyes wide open and their hands clasped together. They seemed to sing the same silent chorus. Help us!
The sharp-dressed ones were Fear. They all appeared to have maroon bow ties, and their faces morphed into purple blobs with big eyes.
John caught himself on an armrest as the plane dipped and rose under his feet. Flashes of lightning lit up the tiny windows while the rain continued to pour.
More loud voices.
A man with red hair yelled at John to sit down. His open mouth and red face made him Anger.
A lady wearing a green shirt and a lavender scarf looked at John like he was an alien. Disgust.
Joy was nowhere to be found.
John pushed his way down the aisle and made it to the restroom. The plane felt like it was spinning in circles.
He opened the narrow door and stepped into the tiny room. It was hard to concentrate. Where was the door lock?
John turned and found the silver knob. He slid it to the right and switched the VACANT sign to OCCUPIED.
His head hurt.
The plane spun.
John sat down on the toilet.
He noticed a piece of lined notebook paper resting on the tiny sink.
John snatched it up and read the blue, handwritten ink:
3L3CTUS John Le
What was 3-L-3-C-T-U-S?
And who knew his name?
The plane dropped.
John let go of the paper and covered his face with his hands.
He shut his eyes, hoping it would all go away.
Sweat gathered on his skin.
Lord, I'm losing my mind!
"Open his eyes."
It sounded just like Margaret's voice. It was clear, like she was in the lavatory with him, even though she wasn't.
Please make this stop!
John let go of his sweaty face.
He opened his eyes.
CHAPTER 2SEA OF GALILEE
A.D. 33
What in the world was happening?
The airplane had disappeared.
John was sitting, not on an airplane toilet seat, but on a wide wooden bench.
Not thousands of feet in the air, but in the middle of a group of scraggly looking men.
On a boat.
On the water.
"Friends, haven't you any fish?"
The question was not asked by any of the men on the boat. The voice came over the breeze, from somewhere in the distance.
From the low position of the sun, John guessed it was either very early morning or almost night.
"Look!" One of the bearded men stood up and pointed at something in the distance.
John looked in the direction the man was pointing and saw the shape of a person.
Another man on the boat spoke up. "Who is this who asks about our catch?"
"I don't know. But I can't believe it. All night on the sea and not a single fish."
The man standing said, "Nathanael, please believe that we will catch fish tomorrow. You've been carrying a lot of things in your heart. I know that God will not forget us."
"You're right, Didymus. I'm sorry. That was just so much work for nothing," Nathanael replied.
John rubbed his face. How on earth did he get on a primitive fishing boat with a bunch of dirty fishermen? Where did the airplane go? Where was Margaret?
Then, in unison, the fishermen answered the person who asked about catching fish. "NO!"
John was confused.
The shape in the distance became a man standing on the shore where the water lapped up over the land.
"Throw your net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some."
John watched the men who surrounded him reach down and grab a heavy fishing net. Together, they obeyed the command and tossed it over the right side. John watched it sink below the surface.
After a few minutes of silence, the men tried hauling the net in but couldn't.
"It's filled with fish!"
"Impossible!"
At that moment, a connection was made. John remembered what all this was. The Bible story where Jesus returned from the grave and appeared to His friends by the Sea of Galilee! How on earth was he able to be in the middle of this miracle?
"It is the Lord!"
One of the fishermen, who stood in front of John, wrapped his outer garment around him. The man smiled and jumped over the side of the boat into the water.
"Simon Peter!" another man yelled after the one who jumped in.
John watched Simon Peter swim toward the shore.
"Let's go. We are about a hundred yards away. Since the net is too heavy, we can pull it in to shore."
The fishermen lowered two big wooden oars into the water and started rowing.
When they reached the shore, John hopped out of the boat and landed on the sand. He wiped his hands off on his jeans and looked over at the man who had asked if the men had caught any fish.
John knew the story. That meant the robed man with long hair and an epic beard standing in front of him was ... Jesus!
No. Way.
Simon Peter crawled out of the water and ran to Jesus and gave him a huge bear hug.
Behind Jesus, John noticed a fire made from burning coals. On it, fish were cooking.
After hugging Peter, Jesus said, "Bring some of the fish you have just caught."
John watched Peter climb back into the boat and grab the net. The disciple climbed back into the shallow water and dragged the net ashore.
The other disciples scurried around the open net and began counting the large fish that were in it.
John kept staring at Jesus.
Am I dead?
"No, you're not dead!" Jesus turned and looked directly at John.
John was so excited and freaked out at the same time, he couldn't talk. He was standing in front of Jesus!
His body felt electric, like the time his grandparents took him on the X-Scream ride 866 feet above Vegas on top of the Stratosphere tower. The buzz of excitement came on the elevator ride up, as John thought about the thrill of being strapped in a tiny car and being dangled out over the edge.
John's life up to this point had been the elevator ride up the tower. He thought it would be cool to see Jesus and could only wonder what that would actually be like. And there were plenty of days when he wished he could just give Jesus a hug and feel all of life's stress simply wash away.
But then came the freaked-out part. Belted in the roller coaster and being tilted back and forth so far up in the sky. John's body revolted and wanted out, but that couldn't happen until the ride ended.
Standing on the shore of the actual Sea of Galilee, in front of Jesus ...
John was certifiably freaked out!
"I love you so much, John. Don't be afraid."
"Jesus?"
"Yes, precious child." Jesus spread His arms open.
John stepped closer and opened his arms too.
He closed his eyes and got the hug of a hundred million lifetimes!
Safe.
Warm.
Eternal.
"I am so glad you're here, John Le. You make Me happy."
"How is this happening?"
Jesus hugged John a second time.
Safer.
Warmer.
Eternal.
"I love you, John Le. I want you to see and feel just how special I made you."
One of the disciples shouted, "We've counted a hundred and fifty-three fish. And, we've checked the net and it is not torn!" Jesus smiled again at John.
"Come, friends, and have breakfast with Me."
John stood with his mouth open, not able to believe that he was standing next to Jesus! He watched Him take the bread and rip chunks off for each of His friends. Then He did the same thing with the fish.
I'm laughing, John. You think you're somebody important now that you're with Jesus?
It was his dad's voice. Crystal clear. Just as real as him standing on the beach having breakfast with Jesus!
John, you are not important.
Why was this beautiful moment getting wrecked by the sound of his father's voice?
"John, what's wrong, My child?"
It was Jesus.
"It's my dad's voice. I don't know why, but it's like he's right here with us."
"Dear child, your father can't hurt you here."
Of course I can. You still won't matter when you get back to reality.
"He's still talking to me." John blinked his eyes a few times.
Jesus offered him His outstretched hand. "Come, John. You've had a long day. Get some rest, and then you and I will talk about more than just your earthly father."
John couldn't concentrate. The ugly voice in his head distracted him from the beautiful moment of sharing a meal with Jesus and His friends.
"SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE."
The hideous sounds came from the sky above them. It sounded like a billion ear-piercing school fire alarms going off at the same time.
John looked up and screamed.
CHAPTER 3Far up in the sky, where beautiful white clouds floated across a sea of endless blue, it wailed again.
An enormous red dragon that looked like a war machine used its monstrous spiked tail to sweep stars out of the heavens. They shot to the earth and landed on scorched ground. Each star transformed into a human shape.
The dragon landed in the middle of the sea, pushing a massive circle of water up like a bomb had gone off underground. All around the lake, black streaks zoomed down from the sky and collided with the earth.
John couldn't believe what his eyes were seeing.
The hideous red beast emerged from the sea and flung its horn-covered head around, looking for something.
John, it's me. You don't really matter.
It was his dad's voice again.
The dragon's head stopped moving. It stared right at John!
Out of the corner of his eye, John noticed that the ribbons of black that had crashed to the earth were now rising all around the shore. They looked like soldiers.
John, things are not going to change. You've never been important and you never will be.
John turned to run, but not before he saw the dragon breathe an explosion of fire, the flames reaching out to John across the surface of the sea. A wave of burning air washed over him.
In unison, the black-clad military men started running toward John.
He looked around for Jesus and the fishermen but couldn't see them.
They were just there eating breakfast, and now they were gone.
I told you, John, it's me. Go ahead and run, but I will teach you a lesson.
The dragon talked to John in his father's voice.
You don't matter, John.
The creature rose up out of the water and flapped its massive wings.
In fact, your faith is so weak, you really are a disappointment to God.
Another strong pump of its wings, and the dragon shot back up into the sky.
The soldiers were much closer now.
It looked like they were all carrying heavy chains.
John saw a cave at the top of a nearby hill. That was his only chance at survival.
He broke into a sprint.
The dragon switched directions and began gliding back down ... ... toward the cave!
The soldiers were swinging the chains over their heads like rodeo cowboys preparing to lasso a calf.
John stopped.
The dragon landed on the side of the hill, right in front of the cave entrance.
John, there's nowhere to hide.
The soldiers closed in from the sea. Their uniforms were more like black jeans and black hoodies.
The dragon was right. There was nowhere to hide.
Up to the dragon or down to the soldiers.
John decided that he would not just stand there and let these crazy things get him.
No, he was going to try and put his faith to the test.
"Jesus, please help me!"
John felt his fear of what his eyes saw wane long enough for him to realize there was nothing to either his right or left except empty hillside.
He took off running to his left.
The soldiers changed direction and followed him.
"Jesus!" John yelled out as he ran. "You just gave Your friends all that fish. Please, I need a miracle to get away from these things!"
The dragon wailed and spit more fire into the sky in angry protest.
JOHN! THIS IS FOOLISH! YOU ARE JUST A BOY! YOU DON'T MATTER!
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Imagine"
by .
Copyright © 2019 Matt Koceich.
Excerpted by permission of Barbour Publishing, Inc..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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