His dad nodded slowly. “You just don’t see winning this one. That’s what you said.”
“Right.” Luke didn’t want to get too detailed, but since his dad had asked, he would do his best to explain the problem. “There was a case back in 1971 that created a sort of test, a way for the courts to determine if a situation of prayer or Bible study was legal in any given situation.”
John Baxter was a very intelligent man. That much was evident as he narrowed his eyes, following everything Luke was saying. “Okay. What’s the test?”
Luke explained that it was three parts. First, the religious activity must have a secular purpose. Second, it must neither advance nor inhibit religion, and third, it must not result in excessive entanglement between government and religion. Luke leaned on his knees, his eyes locked on his father’s. “From what I see, Principal Quinn’s case violates all three of those.”
His father nodded, disappointed. “I understand. I just . . . I can’t get the case out of my mind. I really believe you could help him, Luke.”
Reagan came and sat down, and now Luke’s dad talked to both of them. As he did he tried one more time. “Do you know what happened to Madalyn Murray O’Hair’s son William? The one whose class read the Bible together?”
Reagan thought for a few seconds. “Well, he’s the child Madalyn sued about. So her son wouldn’t have to read the Bible at school.”
“Yes.” John looked at them, taking his time. “But do you know what happened to William in his later years?”
Luke knew the answer. “William became a Christian.”
“Much to his mother’s fury.” Luke’s father let that sit for a moment. “But if there’s one thing that story proves, it’s this: The Word of God does not return empty.”
“Yes.” Reagan looked at Luke, her eyes soft. “And the fact that nothing is impossible with God.”
As the night continued, the idea of Madalyn Murray O’Hair’s son becoming a Christian stayed with him. He hadn’t thought about William Murray’s story in a very long time. His father was right. Reagan, too.
God’s Word was indeed powerful—beyond explanation. And with God all things truly were possible. Luke wrestled with the reality the rest of the night. It wasn’t until an hour later, that he knew there was one case he had to take. One thing he absolutely must do. Whether it made sense or not.
He needed to call Wendell Quinn.
• • •
BEFORE EVERYONE LEFT Landon and Ashley’s house that evening, Reagan made her way to the kitchen. Luke and the other men and most of the kids were playing some last-minute Frisbee out front, so Reagan went to the kitchen and found the others.
“Hey, I want to tell you about my plan.” She kept her voice low.
Elaine, Katy, Brooke, Kari and Ashley all stopped what they were doing and circled around.
Ashley dried her hands and set the towel down. “It sounds important.”
“It is.” Reagan’s heart had felt heavy since her husband took the business call in the middle of dinner. “Luke’s doing it again. Giving all his time to the office.”
More than anyone else, Ashley understood the situation. “I can feel it. He’s distracted.”
“Exactly.” Reagan looked over her shoulder. She needed to get to the point before Luke came back in looking for her. “I know God’s over this. He’s speaking to Luke, otherwise we wouldn’t be here today.”
Elaine put her hand on Reagan’s shoulder. “I was going to say . . . that’s a positive sign. That he made time for this.”
“It is. But still.” Reagan tried to condense the story. “I was praying about it the other night and God gave me an idea. Rather than feel bad and complain about what’s happening, I could find a way to show Luke how much I love him.”
Kari smiled. “I like that.”
The others agreed.
“So.” Reagan dropped her voice to a whisper. “I need your help in throwing a surprise party for Luke’s birthday. The Sunday after Thanksgiving.” She looked at Ashley. “I’d love to have it here.”
“Absolutely.” Ashley didn’t hesitate. “I’ll talk to Landon, but I’m sure it’s okay.” She stifled a laugh. “I love it! Surprise parties are the best.”
“I’ll help with the cooking.” Elaine’s eyes lit up. “And whatever else you want.”
Brooke and Ashley said the same thing, and like that Reagan had a plan. She felt a thrill run through her. “Tell the guys later, but not the kids. Not yet.”
“Reagan?” It was Luke. He had leaned into the house, breathless from his time outside. “Are we leaving?”
“Coming!” Reagan said it loud enough for him to hear. “Just helping with the dishes.” Reagan covered her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. “One minute. Really.”
The others laughed, too, but they were careful to keep quiet.
Reagan felt the thrill again. “This will be the best party ever.” She was whispering again. “Love you all! Thank you!”
She turned and hurried out of the kitchen. Luke was back outside, and as she left the house he took her hand. The kids were already buckled in as Luke and Reagan walked across the grass. He leaned his face close to hers as they approached the car. “I have the nicest wife in the world.”
Her heart skipped a beat, and she felt a rush of panic. “Me?”
“Yes.” He kissed her forehead. “You helped with the dishes. I love that about you.”
Luke opened Reagan’s car door and then walked around to the driver’s side. Reagan sank into her seat, relieved. She thought for sure he knew about the party. But he’d only been talking about the dishes. A smile started at the center of her heart and worked its way to her cheeks. The weeks to come would be full of planning. Which was a good thing. Not only so Luke would know he was loved.
But so Reagan wouldn’t miss him so much when he was gone.
12
By Tuesday, everyone at school knew two things: First, Principal Quinn was being sued, and second, the lawsuit was being brought by Cami’s dad—Andy Nelson. Ever since the news broke, Cami had wanted to stay home, but her dad wouldn’t hear of it. She should be proud to take part in liberating the school from religious oppression.
That was literally what he had told her. More than once.
Cami waited outside the school until a few minutes before the first bell. That way she wouldn’t have to linger in the hallways, where people would see her and start talking. Since Monday it seemed that’s all everyone did.
As soon as they saw her coming, they would form little groups and whisper. Cami heard it all. The quiet snickers and rude words. All aimed straight at her. From students angry with her, confused by her father’s actions, and wondering if somehow she was behind them.
Those weren’t the only comments she’d gotten. Several kids had approached her with compliments. “Way to go, Cami! You finally saw the light.” Or “We knew you wouldn’t stick with that Jesus stuff forever.”
A few times, Cami had tried to explain that she wasn’t behind the actions of her father. She still supported the club. She was happy to support it. But her peers didn’t want a conversation.
They wanted the chance at a jab.
Before she left school yesterday, she’d wanted to stand on the tallest building with a megaphone and tell everyone in earshot to back off. This wasn’t her fault. Kids wanted either to applaud her or silence her. They all had something to say. But she had only one thing she wanted them to know: She loved the Bible study club. Being part of the group had changed her life in every possible way.
But there was no megaphone and no tall building. So Cami simply went home, avoided her father—who had been drinking more than usual—and climbed into bed early. At least she could talk to God and ask Him how this had all happened.
And why it was happening to her.
Cami was still outside. She kept her head down, hiding behind a wall, waiting for the moment when she could hurry through the doors. She had one goal today.
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Avoid as many students as possible. Especially Jordy.
But even as the thought filled her mind, she spotted Jordy walking with two of the football players. That was another thing. He hadn’t returned her texts or looked for her after school the way he usually did. Yesterday he wasn’t in the only class they shared.
So was he avoiding her now? Did he and Principal Quinn really think she could’ve had something to do with all this?
The possibility made Cami sick to her stomach. Help me, God . . . help me get the word out. This isn’t my fault. Please, help me, God. She leaned against the building and took a few quick breaths.
My peace I leave you, My daughter . . . My peace I give to you. Do not be discouraged and do not be afraid.
The Scripture verse settled in around the scared edges of her soul and whispered truth. Truth Cami desperately needed. She could walk in the peace of God, even if everything around her was falling apart. And she did not need to be discouraged or afraid. God was with her.
Literally with her. Right here at Hamilton High.
Cami took a slower breath this time. The thing was, she didn’t believe her dad on this whole thing. He was angry at Cami’s mother, yes. He thought any Christian man who would have an affair with a married woman must be a hypocrite and a fraud. Okay, Cami could see that.
Cami figured this was the only thing her dad could think to do about it, and now the whole matter had spiraled out of control. So crazy out of control that it didn’t seem like there was any way to undo it.
Because there was no way her dad could’ve really wanted national attention on this thing. People around the country were calling him an atheist and an antireligious zealot. Some supported him, of course. They publicly applauded his efforts. But lots of people were angry, wondering how Andy Nelson could stop such a good thing at a messed-up school like Hamilton.
Whatever was going to happen now, it was too late to stop it.
Except for explaining how she didn’t have a part in it all. She could do something about that, she could speak her mind and tell the kids at Hamilton how this wasn’t her doing. Today at the Raise the Bar meeting, Cami intended to do just that. God would be with her, she knew that for sure. Because she had already asked Him.
The club still met in the school auditorium. Principal Quinn would give a message from the Bible and talk about it. Then the students would break into smaller groups and share what the message meant to them.
Then they’d pray.
Cami guessed that none of the club expected she’d be there today. They probably figured she’d be sitting with her dad in some lawyer’s office dreaming up a way to destroy Hamilton High. As if she’d been a fraud the entire time.
The bell rang. Cami had no choice but to make her move.
She raised her chin and clutched her backpack a little tighter. God, be with me. Please. I can’t do this alone. Give me the chance to make things right. She pushed on the double doors and walked through the school entrance. Most kids were in class by now, but even then she caught a couple of them staring at her. Two boys pointed in her direction as she hurried to her English class.
One hour blended into the next, and Cami struggled to focus on her schoolwork. One thing kept filling her mind when she was supposed to be listening to a lecture in chemistry or geometry. All this time she had taken the school’s Bible study group for granted. As if this were the sort of thing that happened at most schools.
After all, so much good had come from it.
Students reading Scripture, talking about God, praying for themselves and their school . . . all of it had made a difference.
But since the story broke about her dad suing Principal Quinn, Cami had realized something. Most people really were against God. Or at least the loudest people were. They were all over Twitter and Facebook. Even Instagram. They made memes mocking Principal Quinn and Hamilton High and they were angry with the teachers for not blowing the whistle sooner.
Like they really didn’t care about all the good that had happened.
When school was over, Cami took her time getting to the club. She wanted to slip in once everyone else was seated, take a spot in the back row, where it was dark. So no one could see her or shoot angry looks in her direction.
Principal Quinn was already up front as Cami sat down.
“Today we are talking about forgiveness and grace.” He pulled his Bible from the podium and sat on a stool. “How many of you have your Bibles today?”
Half the kids raised their phones in the air. The other half held up an actual Bible. Cami raised her eyebrows in the dark of her seat. A year ago she would’ve been surprised if a single Hamilton student had a Bible.
Principal Quinn asked them to find Matthew 18. “This is a story about forgiveness. About how many times God asks us to forgive the people who hurt us.”
The way my dad has hurt me, Cami thought. She pulled her Bible from her backpack and opened to Matthew. Principal Quinn went on to talk about the conversation the disciples had with Jesus. “ ‘How many times should I forgive? Seven?’ ”
Seemed like a big number to Cami. If her dad mocked her and yelled at her and made her the pariah of her school, forgiving him seven times would be a lot. But that wasn’t where the story ended. Principal Quinn kept reading. “ ‘Jesus tells the man not seven times. But seventy times seven times.’ ” He looked around the room.
Cami felt like Principal Quinn was looking straight at her.
“Jesus wants us to have a heart of forgiveness all the time. No matter how often someone hurts us or offends us.” He paused. “Some of you have been seriously hurt in the past. You’ve been the victim of a crime or someone you love has been killed or hurt. You’ve had parents who have mistreated you or neglected you. Maybe they’re angry at you, and you can’t understand why. Don’t know what you ever did to deserve the way you’re being treated.”
Cami might as well have been the only one in the room. She felt herself begin to shiver.
“God does not say you have to like the people who do you harm. But He does say to forgive.” Principal Quinn held up his Bible again. “Now turn to James 2:13. The last part of the verse.” He waited while the kids did as he asked. “Let’s read it together.”
Together they read the words of the verse out loud. “Mercy triumphs over judgment.” Next they looked up another Bible verse. One that talked about grace. “The message is clear. Grace is always better.”
Principal Quinn went on to explain that grace was a replacement for punishment and revenge. “Grace means you are willing to give people another chance. The way God is giving you another chance. The way He always will.” Again he looked around the room. “I want you to think about the ways you’ve been hurt, and how you can forgive those people.”
He talked of Matthew West’s song, the one about forgiving people. “A line in the song sums it up.” He hesitated. “The prisoner that it really frees is you.”
It was true. Being angry at someone—even her dad—was a prison. It was all Cami had been thinking about. She could tell Principal Quinn was about to turn on the lights and ask the students to get in small groups. She needed to make her move—now or never.
As if she were being driven by a force not her own, Cami suddenly stood. “Principal Quinn. May I say something? Please?” She walked slowly up the center aisle until she was sure he could see her. “I need to talk to you and the group. If that’s okay.”
Principal Quinn smiled at her, and in that single moment Cami knew she was going to be okay. Because the way he looked at her should’ve been with anger or frustration. Sadness, at least. Instead he looked at her the way she imagined God might look at her. With fondness and joy.
“Come on up here, Cami.” He held out one arm, welcoming her.
She climbed the six stairs to the stage and took the spot beside Principal Quinn. He put his arm around her shoulders, the way a dad might do. Her heart felt warm and safe. “Thank you,” she whispered to him
. Hope filled her soul. Principal Quinn would never know what this meant to her. This public show of the very forgiveness and grace he’d been talking about for thirty minutes.
Cami drew a deep breath. “In the last few days, most of you have been wondering about me. By now you know about the lawsuit.” She looked down at her feet. How could her dad do this to her?
“It’s okay.” Principal Quinn spoke quietly, just for her. “They’re listening.”
They were. He was right. She nodded and lifted her eyes to her peers once more. “Some of you might think this is my fault. Like I went home and told my dad about the club so the whole thing would fall apart.”
One of the students had turned on the audience lights, and Cami could see the looks on their faces now. They were hurt, angry. Clearly. She glanced down again, just for a moment. Don’t be mad at them. Forgive the way you want to be forgiven. Cami exhaled, releasing every angry feeling. “I want to tell you this is not my doing. My dad came to the parent meeting. He heard about our Bible study club there, and he blew up. At Principal Quinn, and all of you. But mostly he blew up at me.”
She looked at Principal Quinn beside her. “I don’t know what’s going to happen, and I’m so sorry my dad is doing all this.” She turned to her classmates again. “But I’m with all of you. I love this club.” Her voice began to shake, and tears blurred her eyes. “Ever since we’ve been meeting and reading the Bible. Ever since we’ve been praying, I feel different. I am different.” She caught the first few tears with her knuckle. “I never even wanted to come here. I hated my family and I hated my life. I had no dreams. I didn’t care about school or my family or anyone but myself.”
The reality of Cami’s changes rocked her to the core. “I’m a different person now. I believe Jeremiah 29:11 that God has good plans for me. I talk to Him all the time, and I have hope. Real hope.” She looked around the room. “I’m one of you. And on behalf of my dad, I ask your forgiveness.”