The Scarlet Plan

by Rick W. Warren

  “You’re a coward, Aaron!” Clayton yelled. “You’ll get yours!”

  Aaron made no response and let the doors close behind him.

  Clayton stood there clenching his fists. His buddies stood there silent. They didn’t know what to do and they didn’t want to provoke Clayton either. “Let’s go,” he said. “I’ll deal with him later.”

  From inside the building, Aaron looked through a window and watched as they got back into their vehicle. It genuinely hurt Aaron to turn them away. It went against everything in him. He wanted everyone to be here and hear about Jesus. At the same time, however, he also had to protect those who were here. Their safety mattered too and he wouldn’t apologize for it. He also knew there would be future conflict from it, but he remembered something that Jack used to tell him: “Sometimes the right thing to do is the hardest thing to do, but it’s still the right thing.”

  Aaron choked up a bit as he thought of Jack. He missed him a lot and in situations like tonight he could have gone over to the McKenzie’s house afterwards and talked all about it with Jack. That wouldn’t happen ever again and it gave Aaron a strange sense of loneliness.

  You’re never alone.

  Go serve.

  Aaron stepped away from the window. He had a group of students to minister to tonight and that’s exactly what he was going to do.

  9

  At 8:00, Convert pulled into the parking lot of Faith Community. He was really looking forward to talking to the guys about what had happened at the barn. The man they encountered was a genuine lead in finding out who killed Jack and he wanted to find him as soon as possible. He was still a little rattled by what happened this morning too. The reality of a bombing in Galesburg shook him and, even though he didn’t know for sure, he felt like there was a connection with this and what happened to Jack.

  Emma had written a great article on what had happened. Even though it wouldn’t be in print until tomorrow morning, the paper released it early on their website. In the article, Emma had mentioned that the suspect was a suspicious teenager dressed in black and if anyone had any information to let the authorities know. On Facebook many people responded to the article and talked about seeing different kids at the high school dressed like that. Convert hoped that they would soon find the kid who did this and stop him before he hurt anyone else.

  Convert turned off his truck and made his way into the church. There was activity everywhere since all the night’s programs were now finished. Kids ran everywhere as parents arrived to pick them up. People were smiling and engaged in conversation. Convert enjoyed the feeling of being here amongst the activity. It was good to know that there were families who cared about raising their kids to know Jesus. It was the exact opposite of Convert’s upbringing.

  He made his way to the youth room in anticipation of seeing the guys there. He was sure he would probably see them doing something wacky as he walked in, but was surprised to see a much more subdued environment. Normally, you would see about sixty to eighty high school kids on a Wednesday night, but this time there were only about thirty. Not only that, but the four guys he came to talk to weren’t there either. Convert looked across the room to see Aaron talking to a couple of the leaders while some of the students left were playing video games.

  As soon as Aaron looked up, Convert could tell that something was off. Aaron was normally always happy and energetic, but this time he looked more subdued and even a little bit hurt. Aaron quickly said bye to his leaders and made his way to Convert.

  “Hey Aaron,” Convert said. “How are things going? Is everything ok?”

  Aaron gave Convert a faint smile. “I’m not sure. It seems to be one thing after the other.”

  “What happened? Did the guys leave already?”

  “No. They didn’t come to youth group tonight. I’m really sorry I forgot to tell you. My mind was somewhere else.”

  “Do you know why they weren’t here?”

  “They got beat up by Clayton Stoneking.”

  “The football star? Why?”

  “Long story short, Clayton is a bully and they were his victims.”

  “Are they alright?”

  “Yeah, but they are afraid of him. They came early to let me know and then they went home. I really feel terrible about the whole thing.”

  “So did you do anything?”

  “Yeah. I confronted Clayton in the parking lot and said that he cannot be here until I speak with his parents and work this out.”

  “How did he react?”

  “In anger. He genuinely believes he is above the law in how he acts. Everyone in this town worships him and it has gotten to his head. He told me I would get mine.”

  “Really? Who does he think he is?”

  “He thinks he’s a god, but instead he’s a monster. After he left, he sent out a mass text to a lot of the kids here and many of them chose to leave in solidarity with Clayton. That’s why we have about half of the number we usually have tonight.”

  “I can’t believe it.”

  “I know, but its true. I need to talk to his parents, but my energy is gone. This past week has been one thing after the other and I don’t think it will get better soon.”

  Convert put his arm around Aaron’s shoulder. “When you’re done here, come on over to Marie’s. We’ll have something to eat. There is still a ton of extra food there.”

  Aaron at first didn’t want to seem like he was imposing, but this was what he needed. He also knew he was always welcome there. “Ok. Sounds good. I’ll swing by when I’m done here.”

  10

  At 8:30, Aaron pulled up to the McKenzie’s house. The lights inside gave out a warm glow as he got out of his vehicle. The house always looked inviting just like the McKenzie’s were. He went up to the front porch and knocked on the door. Almost immediately Marie opened it. “You don’t need to knock to come in, Aaron,” she said with a sweet smile as she gave him a hug. “You’re always welcome here.”

  “Thanks, Marie,” Aaron replied. “This has always been like a second home to me.”

  They walked through the living room into the dining room that was connected to it. The fireplace had a fire burning. Jack and Marie always loved the having a fire when it got cold. It made the house seem even more inviting.

  Convert was already sitting at the table dipping some cornbread into a bowl of chili. It all smelled great to Aaron and it was a good way to end a stressful day. “I see you couldn’t wait up for me,” Aaron said to Convert smiling as he took a seat.

  “No way,” Convert said as he took another bite. “It smelled too good and I was starving. It’s a good thing you got here before I ate it all.”

  “I’ll say you’re starving! You sound as if the Tasmanian devil were eating!”

  Marie laughed at their banter and it was good to see her smile. The McKenzie house was a place of peace and love and it was great to see it continue that way. Aaron took a bowl of chili and put some oyster crackers is it while Convert already began on a second bowl. Marie sat with them even though she had already eaten earlier. As the night progressed Aaron talked with her about everything that had happened at youth group. She sat silently as she listened. Aaron could see the concern in her eyes for the boys who got beat up and he could tell that she was very disturbed by the actions of Clayton. He shared his concern about the backlash that might come from this, but he was determined to do what was right no matter what.

  “Jack would be very proud of you, Aaron,” Marie said. “You stood up for those who couldn’t defend themselves. Jesus did many things that offended others as well. They were offended not because He was wrong, but because they were.”

  “Thanks, Marie,” Aaron replied. “I’m far from being Jesus, but I try every day.”

  “That’s all were supposed to do. We still have our failures, but Jesus never fails us.”

  A
aron looked at her and was amazed by her strength and her faith. He didn’t want to change the subject but he felt compelled to ask her something important. “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Sure. Anything.”

  “How do you stay so strong knowing that Jack was murdered? How does the sadness and injustice of it all not eat you up? The fact that it happened just gnaws at me everyday and I don’t know how you cope with it so well.”

  Convert put his spoon down and stared at Marie. He had been wanting to ask her the same question, but plain and simply wasn’t brave enough to ask it.

  Marie didn’t even flinch. She simply looked at both of them and smiled. “Honestly, it does hurt everyday, but not necessarily for the reasons that it may bother both of you. I dearly miss my husband and I wish nothing more than to have him here with us, but I understand something else too.”

  “What’s that?” Convert said without realizing he spoke.

  “God is in control and Jack’s life was always in His hands. None of this was a surprise to God and nothing happened outside of what He allowed.”

  “I do understand that, but the way he died really bothers me,” Aaron said.

  “I don’t like it either, but who are we to tell God how things should be done,” Marie said. “There was a purpose behind it even if we don’t yet know the full picture. What we do know is that certain events happened at the moment of his death.”

  “Like the special gifts we received?”

  “Yes. Convert’s strength, Your and Emma’s new insight, and the boys shared a dream. I don’t think you realize, however, that another thing also happened.”

  Convert looked at her with surprise. “Did you get a special gift too?”

  Marie laughed. “Nope, nothing new here.”

  “Then what else happened?” Aaron asked.

  “It rained,” Marie replied. “Although I was in bed, I briefly had woke up for an unknown reason and I specifically remember looking at the digital clock in our room and seeing it turn from 11:37 to 11:38. Almost immediately after it changed it started raining. I fell asleep almost instantly, but I remember the time distinctly.”

  “That’s exactly when it all started for both Emma and me,” Aaron said.

  “Exactly. It started raining the moment Jack died.”

  “What does that mean?” Convert said.

  “Well, many times in the Bible, blessing is associated with rain. I believe the rain was a sign to us that in the middle of tragedy God’s blessing was there. So to answer your first question, Aaron, I’m able to deal with everything because I know God is in charge and he is going to use both of you to help stop what’s coming.”

  Aaron and Convert looked at each other in silence.

  “I have a question for you now, Aaron,” Marie said with a grin forming on her face.

  “Sure,” Aaron said.

  “So when are you going to finally take Emma out on a date?”

  Caught of guard, Aaron instantly blushed and started stammering.

  Convert about choked on his cornbread laughing.

  11

  Emma sat on her couch using her laptop computer while watching television. Her cat Bosco was balled up lying at the other end. Her article was getting a lot of feedback and she was very pleased with it. Her boss was pleased with it as well and that was always good. It was 9:30 so the news wouldn’t be on for another half hour, but she fully expected the lead story to be about the bomb in Galesburg.

  She kept scanning the comments on Facebook to see if there were any more leads on the suspect. So far there were only continued descriptions of school kids dressed in black, but so far no name or even pictures. She could only hope as the news got out that eventually there would be someone the Hamill’s could identify.

  Emma got up to head to the kitchen to get some water when her cellphone began to ring. As she picked it up from the coffee table, she saw on the caller ID that it was Aaron calling. Her heart leapt a little as it always did when he called, but she found it a little odd that he would be calling this late. She had no problem with it, of course, but it still made her wonder if something had happened.

  “Hello?” She said as she held the phone up to her ear.

  “Hi Emma. It’s Aaron. I’m sorry I called this late. Are you able to talk?”

  “Sure,” Emma replied. “What’s going on?”

  “More connections.”

  “Really?” She said as she grabbed her notepad and pen. “Like what?”

  “Clayton Stoneking.”

  “Is he ok? Did something happen to him?”

  “Nothing happened to him, but I had an altercation with him over the fact that he beat up some of the other kids from my church on the way home from school today.”

  “That’s terrible. Were they badly hurt?”

  “They’ll be ok, but they did get roughed up. They showed up early to tell me about it, but they didn’t come to youth group tonight because they were afraid of him. I confronted Clayton in the parking lot and told him he couldn’t be here until I talked to his parents and he blew his lid.”

  “Did he actually leave?”

  “Yes, but not until I knew to walk away.”

  “You knew?”

  “Yes, and that is the reason why I feel there is a connection. I believe I knew what to do because there is a bigger connection here. I think these thoughts only get involved when things are bigger than it looks like.”

  “Like with the car wreck? You think there is something bigger there?”

  “Maybe. I’m not sure, but we’ve been talking about something big happening here and I think there are more tendrils to this beast than we thought.”

  “Did you talk to Convert?”

  “Yeah, he showed up tonight to talk to the guys, but they weren’t there. I actually just left their house. I had a good talk with him and Marie about ministry troubles. Jack had his own fair share and Marie was right there with him.”

  “Are you dealing with trouble?”

  “I don’t know how this Clayton thing will turn out. I didn’t see it at first, but a lot of people are enamored by him and I think they will fly to his defense.”

  “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  Aaron paused for a second. “Actually, there is.”

  “What can I do?”

  Aaron quickly paused again as if he was nervous to say something. “Well, I was wondering if I could take you to dinner Friday night?”

  This time Emma paused as her heart began to race. She had been waiting for these words for a long time. She had to make sure, however, that it was what she hoped it was. “Are you asking me out on a date?” She said unashamedly smiling.

  Aaron smiled as he could hear the excitement in her voice. It was a good signal to him. “Yes. I would like to take you on a date. Would you like to go out with me Friday?”

  “I would love to,” she said. She didn’t want to sound too eager, but in the end she didn’t care. With Aaron, she wanted him to know exactly how she felt and right now she felt on top of the world.

  “Awesome. I’ve wanted to ask you since we met up again at the football game and everything going on has kept me from it. I’m really looking forward to it.”

  “So am I. I’ve been hoping you would ask me for a while as well. Is this a dress up occasion?”

  “Absolutely! Can I pick you up at 6:00 then on Friday night?”

  “That sounds great.”

  “Wonderful! Well, goodnight then. Let me know if you find anything else out and I’ll do the same.”

  “I will. Goodnight, Aaron.”

  “Goodnight.”

  Emma hit the end button on her phone and proceeded to dance for joy in her living room. Bosco looked at her wide-eyed as she spun around like a ballerina. “I’m finally going on a date with Aaron Clark!” Sh
e said to her cat that decided to jump off of the couch and run away.

  Emma took her phone and quickly dialed her friend Lisa. She had to tell someone the good news.

  12

  On Thursday morning the parents of Jordan, Josh, Mark, and Trent had all decided together that their boys would stay home from school. Jordan’s father, Franklin, was going to make it a point to go in and visit with the principal about everything that happened. He was fully aware of the possibility that nothing might come from it, but that wasn’t going to stop him. As for church, the guys told them what Pastor Aaron was going to do and they were willing to let him take care of it for now.

  It was especially chilly this morning as the wind began blowing. Leaves flew everywhere piling up against tree trunks and skittering across roads. Emma had a little extra spring in her step in anticipation of tomorrow’s date. She did, however, want to go over to the public safety building and give the police the information she was receiving on the suspected bomber. In her conversations with them, they were convinced that they should further check out the kids who were continually dressing in black. They planned to go by the school during the lunch hour to do some questioning.

  Aaron arrived at his church at 9:00 to get started on his preparations for Sunday. He walked into the office area where two secretaries were working. He greeted them as usual, but he could tell that something was bothering them. “Hello,” Aaron said, “What’s going on today?”

  One of the secretaries named Martha said, “Pastor Charles would like to see you in his office.”

  Aaron could tell by her tone and demeanor exactly what this was going to be about. He could also see that Martha seemed worried about him. “Thank you,” Aaron said. “I’ll go right over to see him.”

  Aaron felt a mixture of anxiety and anger as he walked down the hallway. He knew in his mind that he literally did nothing wrong and yet he could already tell that he was going to be the bad guy. He had the ability to sense situations all his life.

  He came up to Charles Stratton’s office and saw the door was closed. Inside he heard voices talking. It wasn’t Charles on the phone. Someone else was in the office and it sounded just like Clayton’s dad. Aaron said a quick prayer as he knocked on the door. Immediately the talking ceased and Pastor Charles opened up the door. Aaron looked in and saw who he suspected. There was Charles, of course, who was a tall and intimidating man. He had a deep preachers voice and when you shook his hand it felt like a vice grip. Sitting near him in a chair he saw Clayton’s dad, Carl Stoneking. He was not happy and he had no problem showing it.