Marta woke up after a restless night of sleep. Two nights in a row. She couldn’t understand what the problem was. She hadn’t had any bad dreams … that she could remember.

Wiping sleep from her eyes, she walked blearily into the kitchen for her first cup of coffee. As she stepped toward the counter, she slipped on a notebook that lay inconspicuously on the floor. She caught herself from falling with a quick grab at the counter. Her heart raced and her face flushed with anger.

She bent down, picked up the spiral-bound book with the name Catlynn Jacobson on it. “Cat!” she called out. “You nearly killed me!”

Catlynn came around the corner into the kitchen with a puzzled look on her face. “Huh?”

“Your notebook was lying in the middle of the kitchen floor. I slipped on it.”

“Marta, I’m sorry.” She thought for a moment and said, “Lisa must have knocked it off the counter this morning.”

“Lisa’s still in bed. Friday—no early classes.”

“Then, I’m stumped. I know I stacked it with my other books right there.” She pointed to the neatly arranged pile on the counter next to the refrigerator.

“It’s no big deal, Catlynn. I’m okay. Forget it.”

Catlynn went back to getting ready while Marta reached up to get a coffee cup out of the cabinet. Maybe I shouldn’t have any coffee. I’m already feeling a bit jittery. She reconsidered. Jittery though she may be, the last thing she wanted to do was add a lack-of-caffeine headache into the mix.

“Lord,” she whispered, “please, help me get through this day.”

12:13 P.M.

MARTA WALKED INTO her U.S. Constitution class and found an empty seat. Brent wasn’t there yet. She sighed. If he was late again, she’d have to wait until after class to express her emotions about the awful day she was having. The day was dragging, and it was all she could do to stay awake. Her second cup of coffee from Mocha Manz didn’t seem to be helping.

She yawned.

Professor Bauer walked in, took off his rain coat, and hung it up on a hook behind the door. He sat down behind his desk and opened his old brown leather briefcase. Taking out some papers, he set them on the desk beside him, closed the briefcase, and set it on the floor.

“Good afternoon, Professor Bauer.”

Marta turned her eyes to the door. Brent was all smiles as he walked in.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Lawton.” The professor made an exaggerated effort to look at his watch. “It’s only 12:15. Starting a new lease on life?”

Brent grinned. Finding Marta, he started down the row leading to the seat next to hers. “Hey, you,” he said. “How’re you doing?”

Marta began to say her typical “I’m good,” but opted for a touch of honesty instead. “I’m having a bad hair day.”

Brent smiled. “Doesn’t look like it.”

“It’s my light way of saying it’s been a bad day.” She conceded a little bit of a smile. Just being able to say it allowed a slight bit of relief.

“Sorry to hear that. Anything in particular going on?”

“No,” she said. “Just a bunch of little things. It’s just my day for the universe to turn its attention toward me. Can’t wait for the day to end, though.”

She turned her attention to Brent. “You seem to be in a good mood.”

“Well, actually, I am. I woke up this morning and just felt like everything was…” He thoughtfully chose his next word. “… honky-dory.”

Marta laughed in spite of herself. “Nice description, Grandpa.”

“So, you’re not exactly feeling the same, huh?” asked Brent.

“Oh, I’ll be all right. Just glad you’re here to complain to.”

Brent grinned and looked at his watch. “Umm, I think I’ve got to be someplace.” Marta hit him in the arm.

Professor Bauer stood up and said, “Well, looks like everyone’s here a couple minutes early today, so why don’t we get started?”

Brent turned his focus to the front of the class.

Marta nervously began biting her fingernails. Again.

6:15 P.M.

BRENT FINISHED HIS meal. His parents were nearly finished with theirs as well. He got up from the table in the family room and, picking up his plate and glass, walked into the kitchen. The plate was nearly in the sink when his father called in. “Rinse it, and put it in the dishwasher, Brent. Don’t leave it for your mom to do.”

“Okay,” he mumbled under his breath, lifting the plate back up. He turned on the water, rinsed the remaining mashed potatoes into the garbage disposal, and put it into the dishwasher. He walked out of the kitchen not at all liking how he felt. A funny thing, conviction. It was certainly designed to keep people from making mistakes, but so often Brent found that it was loudest only after he’d been caught trying to get away with something.

To have moved from open rebellion against what his parents had required of him six years ago to where he actually felt conviction about such small things as a dirty plate was amazing, albeit perturbing at times.

Still, Brent was growing. And in the midst of it, he had found that the more he was willing to give in to the Holy Spirit’s leading—his conviction—the more often the Spirit could be heard. Brent was amazed that the third person of the Trinity was not just willing to make himself known, he actually wanted to converse! Sometimes it was almost too much to fathom.

He walked back into the family room and picked up his Bible from the coffee table. Tonight was Freedom Rings night, and he was looking forward to meeting up with George Chamberlin.

As he turned around to head back through the house and out to his car, his mom called, “We received another letter from Lydia today.”

“That’s great! Where is it?” Brent asked.

“It’s on the dining room table,” his dad replied. “Part of the letter was written to you.”

“Cool.”

He stepped into the dining room and found the envelope that was addressed to The Lawton Family from AB Lydia Lawton at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. He smiled. He still couldn’t get out of his head that his little sister had joined the military. The military!

A year out of high school, Lydia couldn’t decide where she wanted to go with her education. A friend of hers had said that she was going into the military to help pay for college. As for Lydia, she knew she didn’t need help, because their mom and dad had already set aside money for her education. But she was directionless and didn’t want to go to college just to flounder. Her friend, Jessica, had asked her to go to the local recruiting station to provide a little moral support. The next thing they knew, they’d both committed their lives to four full years of active duty service in the United States Air Force.

That did not go down well with their mom and dad. Brent had seen that first hand.

Lydia had walked confidently into the house and called out, “Mom! Dad! Can you come into the living room?” When they both walked in, she announced, “I know what I’m going to do with the next four years of my life.”

Keith Lawton crossed his arms and displayed a mirthful smile. “Oh really, now. And what would that be?”

Brent remembered that his mom’s face showed no discernible emotion; not until she’d heard Lydia’s next words: “The military.”

“The what?” Sharon Lawton croaked out. “Ho oohh no you’re not.” Her look became stern.

“The military?” asked his dad with a raised brow.

“Yep.”

Brent stood there wondering if this was another of Lydia’s little pranks. Sometimes she’d tease Dad just to get a reaction.

“You can’t,” his mom had continued.

“Well … I…” began Lydia.

Narrowing his eyes slightly, their dad asked, “What did you do, Little Girl?” The mirthful look was gone, though he hadn’t registered anything beyond a focused curiosity.

Lydia took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. Then she came right out with it. “I already signed up.”

“Nooo!” their mom cried, immediately devastated.

It appeared that Dad took the announcement in stride. “Okay. Well, that’s done. No going back now.”

“What do you mean, ‘No going back’?” his mom responded with a look of desperation.

“Well, if she’s signed up, she’s signed up. Neither you nor I can go and erase that signature. She belongs to the government now.”

In that moment, Mom began to cry. “What’s the phone number? I’m calling them right now. Lydia, give me the phone number.”

Lydia obviously hadn’t expected this sort of reaction. But, then, no one could have expected this sort of action from Lydia. She stood there, unable to respond.

“Sharon,” Keith said, turning to face his wife. “if she signed, she’s obligated.”

It was then that Brent and Lydia watched something take place that they hadn’t seen in years. Their mom walked into their dad’s arms. There she tried to take solace in the crook of his neck.

Brent and Lydia looked at each other wide-eyed. Brent walked over to her and said, “Didn’t see that coming.”

“Didn’t see what? What I said or what they’re doing?”

“Both.”

After a moment, their dad looked over to Lydia and asked, “So, did you follow in your old man’s footsteps?”

Lydia smirked and gave a little shake of her head. “Air Force.”

“Cool,” said Brent. “Are they going to let you fly?”

“Air Force? Trying to break my heart now?”

Both brother and sister turned to see the tease in their father’s eyes.

Sharon Lawton released her grip on her husband and pulled back, eyes wet, just listening.

“Yes, the Air Force,” Lydia said, a smile breaking across her face. Then, turning to Brent, she said, “And no, they won’t let me fly. Have to have a four-year degree to do that.”

“Yes! College!” blurted out his mom. “Go to college first!”

“Mom…”

“Sharon…”

The woman held up her hands. “Sorry! I know. I know. She’s not mine anymore.” She appeared on the verge of tears again, but fought them back. Then she put her hands on her hips and, after a deep sigh, asked, “Okay, Lydia Anne, when is all of this going to happen?”

“In seven weeks. Jessica and I…”

“Jessica?”

“Oh, yeah … Jessica and I signed up at the same time. We’ll go through basic training together and even go through avionics school together. We’re going to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas for six weeks first. Then we’ll be going to some other base afterward for a few months of technical school. Then we’ll go somewhere else for … well … I don’t know how long…”

Brent smiled at the memory. You really threw us for a loop that day, Sis.

He pulled the letter out of the envelope, walked over to the light switch, and turned on the dining room chandelier. Unfolding the letter, he read that she was doing well, that she was finally no longer scared of her T.I.—training instructor—and that she was finally getting the feeling she was actually going to graduate. Brent smiled. Atta girl, he thought. Then he reached the part his dad had indicated:

Brent, you should have joined with me. You should see all the single gals here! Brent rolled his eyes with a grin. Just kidding. I just wanted to tell you that if I didn’t have my faith in the Lord, I might not have gotten through the first half of basic training. In fact, you being a good example must have rubbed off on me. Two days ago Jessica asked me to talk with her about my faith. Maybe because I keep bringing it up, or maybe she’s seeing something in me that’s working, I’m not sure. Anyway, we talked for a while, then I asked if she wanted to accept Jesus. She said yes! Now Jessica isn’t just my best friend … she’s my sister! Thought you would like to know. Love ya!

“Wow!” Brent whispered to himself. “Praise God!” He read through the letter a second time, folded it, and returned it to the envelope. Setting it on the table, he called out to the family room, “Sounds like things are going well for her.”

His father called back, “When are you joining up?”

Brent grinned, “Signed up yesterday!”

His mom all but screamed. “What!?”

“I’m kidding! Relax.”

He and his dad laughed out loud.

“Very funny,” his mom retorted. “Just you wait.”

8:45 P.M.

BRENT SAT IN the pew with rapt attention as Bob Naze preached. The topic had him scribbling notes furiously. The subject was “Infiltration of the Enemy.” He still periodically attended Freedom Rings when his schedule allowed, even though he was now firmly ensconced in a church that he loved in Millsville.

Bob was drawing from all over the New Testament as he relayed the End-Times state of the world. He said that Jesus warned in Matthew 7:15 that we are to “Watch out for false prophets and teachers who dress up like sheep, but are really wolves in disguise.” He went on to quote Paul, who warned that the “very elect could be deceived” by those with agendas that contradict the teachings of Christ. Jesus said that on the day of final judgment, there will be those who cry out after their sentencing, “Lord, Lord! Listen to us. You’re wrong. We did preach and teach in your name.” But Jesus will say in response, “Depart from me, you workers of sin, I never knew you!”

Brent’s mind stretched to think of times when he may have been a bit naïve at the sincerity of some people who claimed to be Christians. How many times have I been duped by people who masqueraded as a friend, but really meant to do me harm?

Bob wrapped up the evening with the altar call. As usual, there were several who responded and came forward for salvation. Brent loved this part of the service most. Over the past several years, his self-education in concepts called spiritual warfare taught him to fight in prayer for the lost when Bob was giving the invitation to accept Christ.

Bob had said that the Enemy may have been specifically assigned to an individual to make sure that he or she didn’t accept the Lord. These demonic spirits would endure the tortures of praise and worship just to keep the altar call from being effective in these individuals’ lives. Well, Brent was going to make sure that the Enemy had as little influence over a person’s decision for Jesus as possible.

On his way home he thought about Bob Naze’s message. He prayed, “Lord, show me. Keep me sensitive to your Spirit. I want to know when truth is represented and when deception is at work.”