by Todd Hafer
Cody sat down at the kitchen table and stared dumbfounded at the empty plate in front of him. “I don’t get it. Why?”
“I’ll tell you why. Because your youth pastor told me a lot of things during the game—between plays, during time-outs and whatnot. Things I didn’t know about my own son. Things that made me proud. Things that I know make your mom proud. And he told me about this, uh, incompleteness that’s troubling you. Maybe I can help you with that. Because I feel it too.”
Cody plucked a piece of bacon for himself. “So, you mean you’re going to start going to church again. Maybe stop working all of the time?”
Cody wasn’t sure how to read the sigh that followed.
“I don’t know, Code. I have been confused by God, even mad at God these last couple of months. So I don’t want to make any promises I can’t keep. All I can say is that I’m going to try. Starting today.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“You’re welcome. Now get to eating. We have a busy morning in front of us. Hymns to sing. Maybe they’ll do ‘Amazing Grace.’ A sermon to hear. And a game to watch. I hope the Broncos cream those Miami—uh, um—”
“Dolphins, Dad. Miami Dolphins.”
The congregation did sing “Amazing Grace” as part of early-service worship. Cody’s dad bowed his head and closed his eyes, rocking slowly back and forth in rhythm with the melody that brought his wife comfort, even as cancer invaded her body.
Pastor Taylor spoke about the journey of life and how so many people “are obsessed with where they are going, how soon they are going to get there, and how many riches they can accumulate along the way.”
“I feel sorry for those people,” the pastor said. “They are missing something so very key. You see, my friends, life isn’t merely about where you are going and all of that. It’s more about who you have beside you—and who you have living in your heart—on the way.”
Cody’s dad put his arm around him and drew him close when he heard those words. Then they stood together for prayer. As soon as Pastor Taylor said, “Amen,” Cody dashed to the foyer. There he selected the largest of the premium early-service donuts—a jelly-filled monstrosity smothered with thick chocolate icing and crowned with red, white, and blue sprinkles.
“Man,” he whispered as he carefully placed the pastry on a napkin and headed for the exit, “this baby’s almost as big as a football. Chop’s gonna love it!”
Other books in the Spirit of the Game series
Full-Court Press (Book 2)
Second Wind (Book 3)
Stealing Home (Book 4)
Three-Point Play (Book 5)
Cody’s Varsity Rush (Book 6)
Copyright
ZONDERKIDZ
Goal Line Stand
Copyright © 2004 by Todd Hafer
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Zondervan.
ePub Edition June 2010 ISBN: 978-0-310-87247-4
Requests for information should be addressed to:
Zonderkidz, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hafer, Todd.
Goal line stand / by Todd Hafer.
p. cm.–(The spirit of the game, sports fiction series)
Summary: After his mother dies, thirteen-year-old Cody has trouble concentrating on football and faces some challenges in his relationships with teammates.
ISBN-13: 978-0-310-70669-4 (softcove)r)
[1. Christian life—Fiction. 2. Football—Fiction. 3. Friendship—Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.H11975Go 2004
[Fic]—dc22
2004012893
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All Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible: New International Version®. (NIV®). Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Zonderkidz is a trademark of Zondervan.
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