A New Start

Stevie was pleased that Shawna's and Collin's transition to North California was proceeding well. All three of them were teary that Saturday morning in late May as they loaded the Cherokee and said their farewells to friends, soccer teammates, and neighbors. Jon only made things worse when he broke down while hugging his children good-bye. But soon after Stevie pointed the car north on Interstate 5, leaving the Los Angeles basin behind, the kids were playing the license plate game and arguing about where they wanted to stop for lunch. Most of the conversation during the ten-hour trip to Redding, North California concerned not what they had left behind but what lay ahead.

During the first weeks in their new state, Stevie involved the kids in the major decisions. Stevie secretly wanted the apartment with a nice view of Mt. Shasta, but she yielded to the kids' choice: the unit nearer the swimming pool. They also voted on where to go to church. Surprisingly, Shawna and Collin opted for a small neighborhood church. Stevie was pleased that her concerted efforts to acclimate them to their new surroundings were paying off.

Thankfully, Shawna seemed to have left her problems behind in South California. Stevie had resisted the temptation to squeeze every possible moral lesson out of the incidents. But whenever camp, Rik's emails, or the biology exam incidents came up, Shawna was sober and contrite. It pleased Stevie that her daughter apparently did regard the move north as a new start in her life.

A New Start

Stevie had barely finished kitchen cleanup when Shawna called. She said, "Dad and I have been talking. It was a hard decision, but I've decided to go with you, if you still want me to." Stevie tried not to show the sudden surge of joy inside. "Yes, honey, I want very much to have you with us in Redding. But, as I said earlier, it's your decision. Is that what you really want?"

"I'm going to miss Dad a lot, and some of my friends. But like you said tonight, a new start in a new place might be a good thing. So I want to go. And would it be OK if I moved home until we leave? I can help you pack." "Of course you can come home, honey," Stevie said, barely holding herself together. "I'll come get you tomorrow morning if you like."

Shawna said little more before saying good-bye. Hanging up the phone, Stevie's eyes flooded with tears at the joyous news. I knew this was the right thing to do. Thank you, God, for directing me. We're a family again, and life is going to be wonderful for us in North California. Stevie brushed the tears from her cheek and set out for the garage to find a cardboard box. She was too excited to sleep. She had to pack at least one box tonight.

Reasons to Stay

Stevie still felt surprisingly good about moving to North California. Enough time had passed for her to realize what she was leaving behind: supportive friends and neighbors, a pastor who seemed to care about her, an excellent client base, the conveniences of a large city. And, of course, there was Jon. Legally, except for obtaining his permission to move their son out of state, she was no longer dependent on him. Emotionally, not all the lines had been severed. In ways she did not fully understand, it would also be difficult to leave Los Angeles without him.

But every loss was overshadowed by one all-consuming gain: Collin would be saved from the influences that had been so detrimental to Dougie and Shawna. Having made the momentous decision after only a few days of thought, Stevie was remarkably free of misgivings. She was almost as excited to leave as Collin was.

Conflicted

Stevie's next words changed everything. Still looking at Shawna, she said, "Honey, I'd like you to consider moving with us. I know we haven't hit it off too well lately. And I know you have your own problems to deal with. If you decide to stay with Dad, it's OK. But I think a move like this could give you a new start. It could give us a new start. I hope you'll think about it."

That was it—no tears, no begging, no threats, no promises. Just an invitation with monstrous implications: leave her friends, her familiar surroundings, her problems, and her dad to move to some town she had barely heard of and where she knew no one.

Having been invited to go along, Shawna did not know what to think. A part of her wanted to cry out immediately, "Please don't leave without me, Mom. I want to go with you." Another part of her resisted the thought of walking away from her friends, particularly the addictive acceptance and affection she had tasted being around people like Destiny and Rik. At this moment Shawna was not sure a new start with her mother could adequately fill her craving for excitement. She was glad she had a little time to think about it.

Mom Is Moving Away from Me

Shawna did not believe anyone at the table really wanted to be there. Sooner or later one of her parents was going to drop the bomb about the biology exam incident. She still felt foolish for getting involved in Destiny's plot.

Finally, her mother put down her fork and said, "Kids, just before dinner I told your father about an important decision I've made. Now I want to tell you about it." Collin quickly blurted out, "What kind of decision?" Shawna watched his eyes flit between his mother and father, unable to disguise his hope that the announcement might be about his parents getting back together.

Stevie delivered her news with as much enthusiasm as she could muster. "Collin, you and I are moving to Redding in the new state of North California." "What about you, Dad?" Collin said. "Are you moving to Redding too? You can be a counselor in one of their high schools." "No, I can't leave my job here, son," Jon said without emotion. "But I'll come up to see you as often as I can.”

Shawna felt her heart sinking. The announcement and the discussion clearly excluded her. She had been exploring ways to get closer to her mother again. Was this the punishment her parents had decided upon: her mother and brother leaving her behind and moving to another state? It had been her own doing, Shawna knew. She had stubbornly lashed out at her mother instead of owning up to her own bad choices. She had foolishly called the police and made an issue over the Child's Rights Act. She had pridefully refused to back down and avoid moving out of her own room. No wonder her mother was leaving the state without her. Shawna had conveyed in a number of ways that she did not want to be around her.

A Godly State

Stevie stiffened defensively. "Jon, I am not foolish enough to believe it's going to be a perfect world moving to North California. But I have been researching Senator Bellardi and the North California movement on the Internet this week. You know as well as I do that South California is falling apart at the seams morally, and I've had it. At least up north somebody is trying to do something about all this junk in our culture, and I want to be part of it.”

"Steve, you know how politicians make promises just to get-" "The man is running on a platform of moral standards, not campaign promises. Senator Bellardi believes in everything we believe in. He is a godly man who wants to establish a godly state. This is the answer to my prayers." "There's still going to be crime and conflict," Jon interjected. "I know that. But at least someone is doing something about it there."

"My mind is made up. I'm going whether you agree with me or not." Jon walked a few steps away, huffing. "You know I could contest this in court, Stevie.” "I know," she answered. "But I'm asking you not to do that. Can't you see? This is the answer. This is the way to isolate our kids from the culture. If there were any other way, don't you think God would have shown it to us by now?"

Time to Move

Stevie motioned Jon to follow her out to the sidewalk. Sufficiently away from the house, Stevie turned and faced her ex-husband to deliver the news. "Jon, I've decided to move to Redding." Jon's jaw slacked in surprise. "Move? To Redding?" He appeared equally dumbfounded at both concepts. "When? Why?"

"As soon as the semester ends, maybe sooner. Why? Because I'm sick to death of what L.A. has done to our kids—and to me. I know this is the right thing to do." Stevie continued building her case. "We lost Dougie here in the Valley. I don't want it to happen to Collin. I think he has a much better chance if we move to North California.

“Why so far away? Jon asked, stunned at the news. Redding is over five hundred miles away." Stevie slowly shook her head. "It has to be Redding. North California is going to be different. Bellardi is going to—"

"You really believe that stuff? You think that Daniel Bellardi— if he even wins the election—can make North California a moral Disney World: no drive-by shootings, no drugs, no abortions?"

A New Plan

Jon's phone call thirty minutes earlier had shifted Stevie's already active thoughts into high gear. An outrageous plan had been circulating in her brain over the last three days—and a good portion of three nights. It was a proactive plan to take control of her life and surroundings again, a way to protect Collin and hopefully Shawna from the encroaching, destructive world, a way to do something right for herself and her kids instead of always trying to ward off the wrong. All she needed was the impetus to make the difficult decision.

The latest incident with Shawna was like a sign, an answer to prayer. As soon as Jon told her the news, Stevie quietly and firmly made her decision. All that remained was to explain it to Jon and Shawna, and then weather the storm that was sure to follow.

We Need to Talk

The door at the end of the hall opened, and Shawna saw her father's athletic frame silhouetted against the late afternoon sunlight flooding the doorway. Another wave of remorse swept over her, but she determined not to cry again.

When her dad reached the chair where she was seated, he just looked at her. Shawna could not force herself to return the gaze. Then he touched her shoulder, not an angry touch, more of a friendly pat. "I just talked to your mother," he said. Surprisingly to Shawna, his tone was no more angry than his touch. "She wants to see us—both. She's fixing some dinner. Said she has something important to tell us." "Something important?" Shawna said. Jon shrugged. "She didn't say what it was."

Shawna and her father left the building in silence. Going to the house sounded much better to her than going back to Dad's apartment. But it still seemed strange that the four of them would be there for dinner. They had not eaten dinner together since the divorce.

Now They're Dumb Ideas

Shawna guessed her parents already considered her a borderline juvenile delinquent after sneaking out of camp and the vulgar emails to and from Rik. And her mother must despise her after she called the cops on her and moved out—another dumb idea inspired by Destiny. Now she had further embarrassed her parents, especially her dad. The news about Jon Van Horne's expelled daughter would surely heat up the gossip lines in the school. Her mom and dad were not perfect, Shawna knew. But she would agree with anyone who said they did not deserve the kind of stress their daughter had brought to them over the last two months.

Shawna pulled out a used Kleenex and took another swipe at her nose. So why had she done it? she pondered painfully. Why did she do stuff she really did not want to do, stuff she wished she had not done almost as soon as she did it? Why did she keep listening to Destiny when it always seemed to get her into trouble? Why had she encouraged Rik and kept the gross stuff he sent her? And why, after all she had done to hurt her mother, could she not admit her stupidity and ask to move back to her own room? Dad was kind and fun, but Shawna had missed Mom and Collin since the first night she so pridefully walked out.

Who is Jesus. . .Reallly?

Enjoyed it in spite of myself! Who is Jesus . . . Really?

First let me say as a non-Christian I was expecting something like Strobel's heavily biased The Case for Christ--but the engaging writing in this book pulled me in.

Who is Jesus. . .Really? reads like a novel centered on the conflict between faith and atheism through living characters with forcible personalities who meet and discuss what we can know about Jesus -- whether he was real, whether he was divine, etc. -- in coffee shops and other venues.

This is not a preachy, argumentative book. It's an enjoyable and very contemporary story that presents two sides of the debate over the historical Jesus and a glimpse into today's academic climate. Of course, the Christians have better arguments and are more knowledgeable in this book than the doubters and skeptics who are mostly just being outspoken and arbitrary, but I don't doubt the sincerity of the exchange.

If you aren't sure who Jesus was and would like to be convinced in your faith, Who is Jesus might get you there. No matter what you believe, this book's highly polished style, absorbing writing style and tangible characters are admirable. Derek Murphy

http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A2QZFUQ8ME1KYS/ref=cm_cr_pr_pdp

No More Belles

Mr. Nguyen walked away without a glance after delivering Shawna and the "evidence" of stealing the exam to the vice principal. Having been expelled for the semester, Shawna was not their responsibility anymore, and it showed.

Shawna's pockets were stuffed with used tissues, and her nose was still running. She felt awful. She had never been suspended from school before. Her friends would talk about her for days, she knew. "I can't believe Shawna would steal an exam; she goes to church and everything," they would say.

Destiny and Tara would have a good laugh over Shawna's ineptness—until tomorrow when Mr. Holgate called them out of class. Shawna felt badly about that too; she had not intended to nark on the Belles. But Mr. Nguyen had asked her point-blank, "Did you get this key from Tara Marshall?" Shawna fumbled her lie and finally nodded. She had the same experience when the vice principal asked her if Destiny was part of the scheme. Tara and Destiny would probably get suspended, and neither one of them would ever speak to her again. Shawna knew she could never be a Belle now. She wished she had never tried in the first place.

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This Wasn't the Plan

Jon considered the ramifications of his daughter's expulsion as he drove to school to pick her up. Maybe he could talk her into going back with her mother at least until summer. He released a disconsolate sigh. He felt miles away from the life he had planned for himself, for his children, for his family. He missed Dougie terribly. His older son would have been nineteen this summer, finishing his sophomore year at college. How did he slip away? Where did we lose our grip on him?

Divorce from Stevie had not been in Jon's plans. Love with Stevie was special—automatic, he had thought, not something he had to guard, nurture, and work at. Had they somehow found common ground when it came to parenting techniques, Jon and Stevie might have prevented or at least survived Dougie's drug overdose. But instead of melting them together, the tragedy and subsequent bitterness, suspicion, and blaming drove them to opposite poles. Months of solitude and reflection had caused him to wonder at times if he had been too hasty about allowing the marriage to dissolve.

Jon was not eager to break the bad news about Shawna being expelled, particularly since Stevie might implicate him as a cause. After all, this incident happened on his watch, not hers, and she had always accused him of running too loose a ship when it came to their kids. Still five minutes from the school, Jon picked up the cell phone and tapped in his ex-wife's number.