Chapter 10

The Evans charter boat business and the Grandview B&B were officially absorbed into The Clan Wells Point on Monday. Robert, Kevin, Jane, Kurt, Amanda, Gilligan and Mary Ann went to the local Bank of America office to pay off the mortgage on the B&B and the loan on the boat. Ownership was then transferred to the Clan to create two new divisions of the Clan Wells Point businesses, the CWP Grandview B&B with Kurt and Amanda as the operators and the CWP Charter Boat with Gilligan and Mary Ann as the operators.

*****

Halfway across the world Kylie was doing quite well although a little stir crazy. During their three-week stay she and her mother had seen all the nearby sites. One of the first purchases Evelyn had made after arriving in Thailand was a waterproof camera. She and Kylie had used the camera to record nearly everything they’d seen so they could share it when they returned home.

At the Suporn Clinic’s staff suggestion, a four day five night trip to Thailand’s famed tropical island vacation spot was set up. Evelyn and Kylie enjoyed the short flight to the southern Thailand island of Phuket. Since this was supposed to be a relaxing break they didn't want the noise, hustle & bustle of a trendy hotel. The Kata Beach Resort and Spa stood on the golden sands of one of the world's most picturesque beaches. The hotel was located on Phuket's west coast near the island’s southern tip between mountains covered with lush jungle and the warm water and cool breezes of the Andaman sea. The views of Kata Bay and uninhabited Crab Island were beautiful. An environment that is green year round adds enchantment to this comfortable resort. Palm trees, tropical gardens, two beach side pools and a tranquil elephant fountain in the lobby add to a sense of relaxation and timelessness. The lush tropical gardens and grounds of the resort which is immediately adjacent to the beach created a peaceful and exotic atmosphere for total relaxation.

Many of the staff have been with Kata Beach Resort and Spa for several years and were conversive in English. Their room had a fantastic seaview room and was quite nice and very roomy. The resort really was beachfront, Kylie could have throw a stone from the balcony onto the sand. The golden sand beach was dotted with sun lounges with umbrellas that were available for a small fee. The mother and daughter spent hours relaxing in the sun. Kylie thrilled and finally having the ability to sunbath in a bikini without any concerns. If they wanted a cold drink or food there was a hut right on the beach that served the sunbathers and swimmers. Since they were near the equator, the lands of endless summer, the daily temperatures reached the high nineties.

While the costs of the room was reasonable the restaurants and stores in the spa were quite pricey, the women took the advice they had gotten the staff from the Suporn Clinic. They visited the local 7/11 just across the road and bought their own drinks and nibbles. Fresh fruit was readily available everywhere so eating was cheap!

*****

Tuesday was a very special day. Cynthia and Stephan led their family into the courthouse to the courtroom of Judge Katherine Watkins. Heather, Jasmine, Holly, Ivy, Gretchen, and Benny Junior were there to have their say. Frank and Sarah Spade were there to support their adopted family. Of course Kevin was also there to represent the family. Needless to say when Benny Reese entered the courtroom in cuffs his already low spirits dropped even further.

Once the sentencing hearing was called to order, the bailiff read the charges. Four misdemeanor counts of abuse and other offensive conduct: child neglect; four misdemeanor counts of abuse and other offensive conduct: contributing to a child in need of assistance; four misdemeanor counts of abuse and other offensive conduct: non-support minor child; one misdemeanor count of crimes against marriage: bigamy; and finally one felony count of manslaughter and related crimes: manslaughter involuntary. No one said a word but everyone looked at Benny. Benny sat impassively showing no reaction to the charges.

The DA stood and simply asked that in light of the crimes and the fact that the defendant fled the country, that the maximum sentences be given on all counts. The court appointed defense attorney slowly rose and addressed the court asking that Benny receive probation so that he might work to pay child support for his children.

At that point, Kevin stood and asked that a representative of the family be allowed to address the defendant and the court. The defense attorney knew that any objections he might lodge would be useless so allowed the testimony to be given. Judge Watkins approved the request. The defense attorney and Benny were quite surprised when Jasmine stood and walked to the witness stand.

“Your honor, I want to thank you for this opportunity,” Jaz began before she turned her head to stare at her erstwhile father to speak with a venomous voice. “Daddy, for an educated man you’re stupid. You are so self-centered that the feelings and lives of your family mean nothing to you. Even when you were with us you weren’t much of a father. You seldom interacted with us and let mom deal with raising Holly, Ivy and myself. You were content to stay wrapped up in your own world. We discovered after you abandoned us that you had never even told anyone at the college that you even had a family. Believe me, DADDY, that made us all feel really great. We had to abandon the apartment we lived in and had to leave our school. We were forced to move into a cheap dingy apartment. Since mom had never worked because she become pregnant with me right out of high school and my sisters followed thereafter, she had no job skills. But you didn’t care. You left us high and dry. The only job mom could find was as an exotic dancer. Since that job required mom to work nights, I, a fourth grader, was left to watch Holly and Ivy. We barely had enough money to keep the apartment and eat. Clothes were scrounged as best we could. The school we’d moved to discovered we were left alone in the evenings and reported mom and us to children’s services. They came and took us, splitting Holly, Ivy and I into separate foster homes. Then my foster father raped me. Tell me DADDY... and I use that term very loosely, how does it feel to know that your nine-year-old daughter was raped because you abandoned us? You can’t even answer that can you? You are simply pitiful. I wound up in a coma for years. Because I couldn’t testify the courts let my rapist go free. Mom tried to be the best parent she could and in her outrage killed the man that raped me. She was sentenced to jail. I wound up barely alive in a corrupt nursing home, mom wound up in jail, and Holly and Ivy never saw each other. We’d still be in that situation if it hadn’t been for the best friend any of us have ever had, a girl who didn’t even know us, but heard about our situation and felt compelled to help. She set the ball in motion to reunite us and was instrumental in bringing me out of the coma. We now have a loving family and are part of a caring Clan.”

Other than Jazmine’s firm unwavering voice, the courtroom was silent. Benny hung his head in shame as his eldest child so justly laid into him.

“Once we settled into our new lives we began thinking about you, DADDY,” Jaz continued. “We started checking you out to see where you were. That’s when we discovered you were in Canada married again without divorcing mom with another child and one on the way. Let me tell you how wonderful that made us feel. But then again you simply didn’t give a damn, did you? You can rest assured we certainly did! So now, DADDY DEAREST, here you sit. Gretchen and Benny Junior were left penniless when you were arrested and her family abandoned her since they believe she betrayed them for you. Fortunately, your parents rescued them and brought them to us. They’ve all joined our Clan. Your entire FAMILY, the people you should have loved but obviously did not, are all here to see that you get what you deserve.”

The courtroom remained silent. Benny knew he was going to be shown no mercy. Then again, he realized he deserved none.

“But then you have never taken responsibility for anything, have you DADDY?” Jaz hotly asked. “You refuse to face up to your shortcomings and responsibilities. That’s why you plead guilty to all the charges! That way you wouldn’t have to sit through a trial. All you thought about was getting it over with and moving on. I’m guessing that you’ve never even thought about what you can be facing in this sentencing hearing. Let me tell you something DADDY, if Judge Watkins grants the DA’s request for maximum sentence on all charges, you’re facing 59 years in jail.”

Benny’s head lifted as he stared open mouthed at Jaz, then to his lawyer who merely nodded his head agreeing with Jazmine. Benny felt sick... fifty nine years in jail... he’d never survive. Fear filled his face.

“I see you’re shocked by that... SURPRISE, SURPRISE, SURPRISE,” Jaz callously laughed. “It’s what you deserve for what you’ve done to your soon to be five children and two wives as well as your parents. So how does it feel DADDY, to know that you’ll be 90 when you’re finally released from jail?”

Ashen faced, Benny slumped in his seat. Clearly he had not considered the consequences of his actions. The courtroom was silent as everybody glared at him, including his defense attorney.

“While a part of those you’ve betrayed would really love to see you rot in jail for the rest of your life,” Jaz spit before she continued in a more conciliatory manner. “The family you abandoned is now a welcome part of the Clan Wells Point. The Clan does it’s best to help other people just as they helped the family you abandoned. The Clan would like to give you a chance to redeem yourself.”

Benny looked up clearly confused by the sudden change in Jaz’s tone and words.

“Your Honor, we the family of Benjamin Reese with the cooperation of the Clan Wells Point, would like to see Benjamin Reese become a productive member of society,” Jazmine spoke as she turned to the judge. “We understand that Benny Reese cannot be trusted. What we’d like you to do is to sentence him to the maximum penalty. If Benjamin Reese is agreeable to our terms, we would like to see you commute the sentence to a unique work-release program administered by the Clan Wells Point. One of the terms is that he have a transponder implanted into his buttocks. The transponder will reveal his location anytime and anywhere since it will be linked to communication satellites. The transponder should last for a minimum of five years. At the end of that time the Clan Wells Point will review Benjamin Reese’s growth as a functional human being. If we feel he has not lived up to our expectations, we will implant a new transponder. We will review his status every five years. If and when we feel he has matured and learned to be caring, compassionate and responsible we will come to the court to see about having his sentence commuted. He will have free will access within the Clan Wells Point boundaries. He will be given jobs to perform, some of which will be menial labor, especially at first, but as he grows the work he performs will be more in line with his interests and abilities. He will have to earn the trust of the entire Clan. He will especially have to earn the trust of his family. We ask that you give him this chance at redemption if he is agreeable to it and the court approves. Thank you Your Honor.”

With that Jasmine stood and left the witness stand as her family smiled and applauded. Benny sat there and watched her return to the family he had abandoned, shocked by the compassion they had all shown him. He had never experienced any one going out of their way for him and really did not know how to react. But deep inside Benny felt the niggling growth of remorse for his past actions and selfishness.

“Jasmine, I must confess I am impressed by your words,” Judge Watkins smiled. “Knowing you and the Clan Wells Point, I am not really surprised by your request for leniency. Benjamin Reese, please rise. Mr. Reese, I find your behavior reprehensible. What you have done to your family is unforgivable. I agree with the DA, what you have done warrants the maximum sentences. A misdemeanor count of abuse and other offensive conduct for child neglect carries a maximum sentence of five years and a fine of $5000 per count; a misdemeanor count of abuse and other offensive conduct for contributing to a child in need of assistance carries a maximum sentence of three years and a fine of $2500 per count; a misdemeanor count of abuse and other offensive conduct for non-support of a minor child carries a maximum sentence of three years and a fine of $100 per count; a misdemeanor count of crimes against marriage for bigamy carries a maximum sentence of nine years; and a felony count of manslaughter and related crimes for involuntary manslaughter carries a maximum sentence of ten years and a fine of $500. The sentences are to be carried out consecutively. That totals fifty nine years and $30,900 in fines.”

Benny was visibly quaking as he faced the glaring judge.

“I’m also inclined to listen to the appeal your daughter has so graciously made on the behalf of her family,” Judge Watkins added. “Do you understand the conditions she has outlined?”

Benny nodded numbly.

“Sir, I need a verbal reply,” Judge Watkins scolded.

“Yes your honor I do,” Benny replied in a quavering voice.

“You understand the transponder implant and the five-year renewal?”

“Yes your honor”

“You understand you will be doing any work you’re told to do?”

“Yes your honor.”

“Are you willing to accept the authority of the Clan Wells Point in administering your work-release”

“Yes your honor.”

“Now most importantly, Sir, are you willing to accept all their conditions?”

Benny swallowed nervously glanced at his family. They were all watching him, but most importantly to him he realized they were not gloating over his situation. Not wanting to spend the next fifty nine years in jail, he swallowed nervously and spoke. “Yes your honor, I accept all their conditions and thank them for their generous offer. I will do my best to become a person worthy of their trust.”

“Very well sir,” Judge Watkins nodded. “I hereby suspend your sentence and will release you into the custody of the Clan Wells Point as soon as arrangements are made for the implantation of the transponder. If you try to flee or otherwise do not live up to your responsibilities in this agreement the court will have no option but to revoke the suspension of your sentence and to require you to begin serving the full term of the sentence. Do you understand Sir?”

“Yes your honor I do,” Benny nodded. “I think you for your kindness.”

“Bailiffs, please return Mr. Reese to the prison until such time as arrangements can be made for the implantation of the transponder,” Judge Watkins ordered before dismissing the court.

Dr. Olsen had already made inquiries about the transponder and had tentatively made arrangements for the surgery to be done in two days. Kevin Stewart passed that information on to Judge Watkins.

The family members present decided to go to a nice restaurant for a quiet dinner. Everyone had reservations about what they were doing but they all had hope for the best.

While Benny waited in jail, he did a lot of thinking. As a child he led a life free from want. When his upper middle class parents divorced he was six. During the fallout, he was able to finagle just about anything he wanted by playing one against the other, at least until his father disappeared who knows where. At that point the eight year old played up his unfortunate situation to his advantage. Cynthia had made enough connections in her climb through society she was able to meet an up and coming financial genius. When his mother married Stephen the ten year old used that to get even more. His mother and step father quickly moved up the social ladder joining the country club set. Once in the privileged class they considered themselves well above the crassness of the common man. Benny easily developed the same looked down the nose attitude. It was only when he reached high school that he ran into situations he was unable to worm his way out of and jocks who were not impressed by his family’s social status.

Benny was intelligent easily maintaining an ‘A’ average without effort. Truth be told there was little Benny did that required effort which ruled out sports. Benny was a skinny geek who did his best to cruise through life. The high school jocks were brought under control when Benny organized the socially inept geeks to tutor or even do assignments for the jocks. Of course, Benny did nothing but coordinate the effort. It was in this privileged capacity that he’d met Heather and had used her just as he used his fellow geeks to smooth his way through high school. In fact, the most difficult things he ever did was to figure out some way to use others to get what he wanted. When someone he was using no longer met his needs, he simply abandoned them. Not once had he ever had to face the consequences of his self-serving ways. That was until now. All the shit he’d created hit the fan at once and he was neck deep in the smelly manure with no way out but to submit himself to those he’d used and abused. The insensitive man finally began to develop a conscious.

*****

In Thailand late Wednesday afternoon, Kylie and Evelyn met a Scandinavian family with three perky preteen daughters. When the parents said they wanted to take the girls over to the nearby Phi Phi Islands for a few hours of snorkeling amongst the fish and coral reefs, Evelyn looked at Kylie. Kylie nodded. Since the family had already chartered a speedboat, they were more than willing to allow the two Americans to accompany them, especially when Evelyn offered to pay half the charter cost.

So on the third morning of their stay, Thursday, they boarded the chartered speed boat. The captain was a gregarious German expatriate. The trip on the triple motor ten meter long boat took an exciting two hours to cover the forty two miles as it effortlessly skimmed across the waves of the Malacca Strait. Once on Phi Phi, they transferred to a smaller local boat to head out to a small protected shallow area where they slipped into the water. They snorkled for almost two hours around the coral teeming with colorful fish. Evelyn made sure to record as much as she could to share with the rest of the Clan. They were all tired during the return trip but couldn’t stop talking about their adventure. The seven people dined together that night and enjoyed recounting the adventure. The children were so excited they could not help bouncing in their seats. ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=iafvld... )

*****

The tentative plans that had been made to deal with Benny were put into motion. Thursday morning the transponder was implanted into Benny’s buttocks. When the anesthesia wore off Benny fully understood that his punishment was going to be a really pain in the butt. Cynthia and Stephen, Benny’s parents, along with his wives, Heather and Gretchen, were on hand to accept him into the custody of the Clan Wells Point. In his uniform, Leroy led the handcuffed Benny from the jail infirmary and sat beside Benny in the rear seat of the Navigator. Benny was surprised the deputy was riding with them. It was only once they were underway he learned Leroy was a member of the Clan Wells Point. Benny was quiet during the ride from the County prison in Easton to the Clan Wells Point enclave. Jane along with Ed and Lisa Nelson were waiting in Kevin’s office for the family to arrive. Once the introductions were made they set about detailing what would be expected of Benny,

Benny was to stay with the Nelsons in their home near the tip of Wells Point. Ed would be the main person dealing with Benny’s supervision.

“Well Benny, I’ll say right from the start that the life you’ve lived up till today has been sleazy,” Ed said. “From now on you will be expected to live the life of a caring person. If you show us that you’re trying to change your life will be fairly easy. If however you just try to fool us I can guarantee you will not be happy with what happens. I’m a retired police detective, so I know the ins and outs of the legal system. I know what we can and can’t do when it comes to dealing with you. You’ll be living with Lisa and I in our home. As long as your cooperative will try to keep treat you as a member of the family. As a family member you will have chores around the house. Your initial work will be with me at CWP Engine & Mechanical Repair. Things have been piling up since Kylie’s been gone and she’ll be limited in how she can pitch in once she returns. You’ll be the go-for person. You’ll get dirty and grimy but you’ll be well fed and cared for. As other tasks open up you could and will be moved to them. I’d venture to say that for the next few months most of what you do will be manual labor. This will toughen you up and help you to learn respect for people who work with their hands. Respect is the main thing you need to learn. Do you have any questions?”

“I’ll do my best,” Benny said. “But I’ve never really done any manual labor. I’m willing to give it a try but I ask that allowances be made for my inexperience and my lack of physical ability.”

“Allowances will be made,” Ed assured him. “But being willing to give it a try isn’t enough. You will learn to do manual labor or you’ll be back in jail for the rest of your life. You will make that choice.”

Benny nodded his head as he swallowed anxiously.

Jane had prepared lunch for everyone. After they’d eaten, they traveled down to Ed and Lisa’s house and showed Benny his room and the layout of the house. He had few belongings so unpacking only took a few moments. After that, Ed and Stephen took Benny on a tour of the Clan Wells Point holdings. Their last stop was at CWP Landing. Frank joined him there and together they set out in a 15 foot motorboat for a tour of the shores coves and inlets about the Clan Wells Point.

All in all, Benny was impressed by the beauty of the landscape and the apparent diversity of the people who made up the Clan Wells Point. He vowed to himself that he would make a go of this new chance at life. He understood that what he had done to his wives and children have been the result of his immaturity and selfishness. The time he had spent the County jail had for the first time since high school exposed him to the rougher elements of humanity. His entire life had been one of privileged in ease, always manipulating others to get what he wanted. At first he had been upset to be locked up with criminals, but since his sentencing he’d come to realize that in his own way he was a criminal too. The fact that Jasmine, his oldest daughter and the one who had suffered the most because of his abandonment, was the one who pled for mercy for him, struck into his immature heart. He was grateful for the chance they were giving him and had a hard time understanding why someone he had so obviously hurt was so willing to help him. But today as he had been shown around the Clan Wells Point he began to understand that this group of people truly cared for others and that included him. They were giving him a chance to take responsibility not only for his life but for the lives of those his actions effected.

*****

Kylie and Evelyn spent Friday, their last full day in Phuket, relaxing on the beach and tanning.

*****

Friday morning Benny accompanied Ed to the barn. While he had virtually no experience in automotive repair, he quickly learned that the CWP Engine and Mechanical Repair was a well equipped business. That it was run by a nineteen year old transsexual who was recovering from her SRS surgery simply was beyond his experience. It wasn’t that he had issues with transsexuals, being a college professor had exposed him to that, it was that he simply had a difficult time believing someone so young could be so self-motivated to set up and operate a business while dealing with the issues of transsexualism.

Inside a tubing framework covered with plastic sat the DUKW. The nearly rebuilt monster impressed Benny with it’s size and complexity, especially after he discovered his first task was to don a respirator, hearing protector muffs and safety goggles to use an air angle grinder with a four and a half inch abrasive pad to remove the old paint and primer. The pad was designed to strip the surface covering without damaging the metal underneath. The fine dust created had to be cleaned up with a shop vac. By lunchtime, Benny looked like a racoon. His arms ached from struggling to control the swirling tool to totally remove the paint.

*****

Saturday morning Kylie and Evelyn spent the morning on the beach. After a light lunch, they packed their bags and flew back to ChonBuri. It was nearly dark when they checked into the hotel they’d previously stayed in near the clinic.

*****

Benny spent Saturday working on the DUKW. The paint removal was going much easier now that he’d mastered the technique. Being able to strip sizeable areas began to make him feel like he was accomplishing something. The ache from the previous day was now just a nagging discomfort. Manual labor was tough but at the same time strangely empowering.

That evening he joined the entire Clan in their evening meal and discussion. One of the first things he did was seek out his family to humbly apologize for his past behavior and to thank them for giving him a chance to earn redemption.

Benny was totally blown away when Heather and Gretchen led him from the main farmhouse to the music studio where the Clan teens were playing. That these people so obviously cared for one another was beyond anything he’d ever experienced. For the first time in his life he felt there might be a chance for him to make a difference in the world instead of simply selfishly going along for the ride.

*****

After a leisurely breakfast, Evelyn accompanied Kylie to the Suporn Clinic for her final exam. Although understandably anxious, Kylie was confident she’d be given a clean bill of health. After a quite thorough examination by Dr. Suporn, she was bubbling with excitement to be discharged. She tearfully thanked the skilled surgeon and his staff for all they had done for her. It was late afternoon when they returned to the hotel.

*****

Sunday morning Benny joined the Clan caravan to church. It had been years since he’d set foot inside a house of worship. Even the few times he had, it’d always been a chore. His intellect was such that he could not rationalize believing in what he felt was a fictional God. The world was simply too cruel to be ruled by a so-called benevolent deity. To his thinking, those that did believe were delusional fools or hypocrites.

Yet this day he saw the members of the Clan Wells Point genuinely worshiping God. These people whom he’d come to know in his brief time with them were intelligent and rational in their business dealings yet so open and caring in their personal lives. They were not delusional nor were they hypocrites. They had gone out of their way to bring him to justice then turned around and offered him a chance at redemption. The dichotomy was beyond his comprehension. No rational person would do something so stupid. Their actions in today’s world seemed utterly foolish. Then Benny’s entire view of the world was overturned as Rev. Giles began his sermon reading from 1 Corinthians 3.

“To the Church and Its Leaders, Brothers and Sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly, mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings? What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe, as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building. By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved, even though only as one escaping through the flames. Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple. Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become “fools” so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness” and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.” So then, no more boasting about human leaders! All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future, all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.”

“As I look out upon the people in this congregation I know you will find confusion everywhere, even among college graduates. Nowhere is it more apparent than in measuring wisdom by the world's standards. If this confusion of values seems remote, listen again to the words of Paul: ‘Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.’ The apostle is not depreciating the pursuit of knowledge. In this admonition, the best educated Christian of the day, the most gifted theologian the Church has ever known simply makes the point that what God esteems wisdom stands in contradiction to the learning of this present age. Thus true disciples of Christ invariably became fools in the eyes of the world. As Paul explains his position in the early chapters of the Corinthian letter, several aspects of this difference of perspective are emphasized.”

“For one thing, the redeeming Gospel of Grace appears utterly foolish to the world. There is simply no way the scandal of Christ crucified can be made compatible with the humanistic presupposition of this secular age. Of course, if somehow the blood could be taken out, then the Gospel would not be so offensive to our sensibilities. It's the horrible spectacle of Calvary, that awful sight of the Son of God nailed to the tree, His tortured body writhing in pain, red blood streaming from His wounds running red down the wooden beam, that is the scene from which the proud of this world shirk in horror. It is alright to talk about Jesus' great ethical teachings, even to exalt His exemplary life of compassion, but insistence upon the necessity of His vicarious death for our salvation is more than the egocentric mind of this world can stand. It jerks off the mask of our self-righteousness, and shows just how far short we have sunk in degradation and shame. Yet God, in His infinite love, is seen willing to bear the wrath of His own invariable law by taking upon Himself the justice due us all. This revelation comes as a jolt to those who seek to earn God's favor through human virtues. No wonder the moralistic Jews rejected it. The cross, Paul observed, was a "stumbling block" to their religion of good works. And to the philosophic Greeks who worshiped the noble aspirations of mankind, it was held in no less contempt. In their lofty idealism, they could not conceive of God becoming involved in the dirty affairs of His creation, and if He did, it would not be in humiliation and shame.”

Benny sat in stunned awe. The very issues he raised were answered! His thoughts that faith in God is impossible using conventional human wisdom and knowledge was right! But God’s wisdom is NOT humanity’s wisdom. To the cynical world, belief in God IS foolish. Yet to God, it is the cynical, hopeless world that is truly foolish! The Clan Wells Point understood foolishness. They lived in the foolish world yet were not truly a part of it. In their tiny enclave they were true followers of God! They were giving him the opportunity to see that his entire life had been one of extreme foolishness! Benny slipped off the pew and clasped his hands crying as for the first time in his life, he truly heard God. He accepted Jesus’ sacrifice and God’s grace. His evil selfish past was instantly washed away.

*****