Free Beyond the Farthest Star by Bodie and Brock Thoene

her when …
    She shook the thought from her mind. But the message of hope and miracles Adam had prepared today for her to deliver to the women’s group was stillborn in her own heart.
    Maurene read Adam’s words without inflection. “And so, in conclusion, we see that Sarah laughed.”
    Trying to maintain emotional detachment from material that hit too close to home, she hoped her anger toward Adam was not evident in her voice. His selection of canned subject matter was both thoughtless and cruel.
    “Twice she laughed. Once at the promise. She was, after all, ninety years old and … barren …”
    Among the small crowd, Maurene’s gaze fell on the brimming eyes of Candy Cutter. The senator’s wife was childless, and clearly the speech touched her deeply.
    “And again the day she held Isaac, her newborn baby and God’s manifest promise in her arms …”
    Maurene could not bear to look into Candy’s brimming eyes. Adam’s newest convert had not lived the Christian life long enough to experience the reality of unanswered prayer or disappointment with God. Candy was too young in her faith to know it was better not to hope. So she hung on every word that came out of Maurene’s mouth as though it was … gospel.
    Maurene was Adam’s puppet, merely mouthing the words of the puppet master. And she hated every minute of it. “So if the miracle you’re wanting to give birth to seems like a joke, remember Sarah, whose descendants would eventually outnumber the stars in the firmament … and know there’s a miracle birth of a great nation in you.”
    “Right, Adam. A miracle for me? After what I have done? With the lie I’ve lived for seventeen years?”
    She smiled wearily as a smattering of applause wrapped up the luncheon. Only a few minutes more to endure, responding to polite greetings, before she could go home and be alone!
    Maurene no longer believed in miracles. She wondered if she ever had. Her marriage was a joke. Her life was a great acting job. Appearance was everything. Inside, she wasn’t laughing as she played the role of devoted-wife-of-a-preacher.
    Before they crucified Jesus, hadn’t Pilate asked, “What is truth?”
    If the truth had been known about the pastor’s wife, it would have choked the ladies at the women’s luncheon:
Maurene Wells. Hopeless. Faithless. Phony as a three-dollar bill.
    And yet Candy Cutter and a second, teary-eyed woman stood and continued enthusiastic applause. Evidently Adam’s words meant something to someone. Maybe that was enough to keep Maurene going—pretending to be alive, dragging herself out of bed every morning.
    Maurene thought bitterly,
Thank you, Adam. Great speech. If only they knew the truth.

    Principal Johnston disliked conflict. He hated disciplinary meetings. He despised contract talks. Every time he had to chastise a supplier about shoddy merchandise or short measure, he fell back on writing letters or e-mails in hope of avoiding personal confrontation.
    He thought of himself as a referee, not a combatant. He liked to work from consensus, not by laying down the law. He had achieved his position by being golfing buddies with the school board president and the mayor. Those connections insulated Johnston from most criticism.
    As long as things were running smoothly at Leonard High School, Principal Johnston was happy. When things did not go to suit him, it was always someone else’s fault, and the sooner they understood that fact, the better for all concerned.
    Johnston was in his office, planning a three-day golf outing for the holiday break. During the week between Christmas and New Year’s there were no games or plays or meetings requiring his presence. He and his foursome were going to give the courses in San Antonio some serious attention while their wives trolled the River Walk shops. Perfect, and not a conflict in sight.
    Mrs. Harper burst into Johnston’s office without knocking.
    For a moment the principal was confused. Had he missed a