CXXI

LET YOUR HEART CHEER YOU IN THE DAYS OF YOUR YOUTH

ECCLESIASTES 11:9

TRICKY TRIANGLE

CHAPTER 1

In the beginning there were four, two pairs of best friends, all four born in 1946, senior members of the post war baby boom. They had all known each other ever since they could remember. Unfortunately, premature death would eventually remove one of them from their small fellowship.

Petite, feisty brunette Dawn Bird, just over five feet tall, and leggy, redhaired Wendy Lancing, five foot eleven when she stopped inching upward, had become and stayed best friends ever since they were just toddlers, growing up next door to each other.

Hal Storm, dark haired, six foot one, lean and muscular, along with blond haired Ed Parker, one inch under six feet, broad shouldered with a narrow waist above powerful legs, had been best buddies ever since kindergarten.

The two sets friends loved each other like brothers and sisters. But if ever there was a case of opposite attracts, it was the two pairs of pals. Dawn was a diligent, straitlaced girl who got straight A’s. Wendy was a dreamer who hated school and tended to procrastinate. Dawn loved the Beatles, while Wendy preferred the Rolling Stones. Wendy was always bored at church and counted the minutes until it was over. Dawn felt a sense of peace in the sanctuary and felt a little pang of disappointment when the congregation was excused, filing to the exits.

Hal preferred Fords, while Ed chose Chevys. Ed was serious, studious, and orderly, while Hal was laid back, carefree, and mischievous. Ed worked out hard to excel at sports, while Hal’s natural athletic ability led him to start in football, basketball, and baseball with minimal effort. Ed was a Christian apologist, Hal was an agnostic. However, time and life events would flip flop their opposing world views.

Although the foursome all went to school together in a quaint little town called Mayfield, about thirty miles outside of the Twin Cities, the two sets of friends never paid much attention to each other. That is until they reached a certain age, that mysterious time when the opposite sex transforms into something very appealing, rather than simply annoying.

“Guess who’s my lab partner in biology?” Hal asked Ed as they both lit cigarettes while walking to Ed’s 55 Chevy. It was the end of the first day of their senior year in high school. Although it was sunny with a high of seventy five, there was a feeling of autumn in the dry air.

“Jane Mansfield,” Ed replied coolly.

“Even better,” Hal grinned. “Wendy Lancing.”

Ed stopped walking and aimed a sarcastic grin at his friend. “Okay, I give up, what’s the joke?”

“No joke,” Hal said, and then he drew deeply on his Winston, a dreamy look in eyes. “Man, did she ever fill out over the summer. Her shadow’s in the class too.”

“Dawn Bird?”

“That’s the word.”

“So how did you end up at a table with Wendy if Dawn’s in the class?”

“None of us had a choice,” Hal shrugged. “Mr. Jackson assigned the seats. By the way, Dawn’s not too shabby herself.”

“Is that right?” Ed drawled skeptically.

Hal lifted a chin to their right. “See for yourself.”

Ed’s mouth dropped open. “Wow, you weren’t kidding. What happened over the summer?”

“Dawn finally let her hair grow, and Wendy added some nice curves to her willowy frame,” Hal declared.

“Boy, I’ll say,” Ed said as he stared.

“Believe you me, I studied her pretty good during the whole class period,” Hal chuckled.

Ed felt a pang of jealousy over Hal being paired with Wendy. He had always felt drawn to her free spirited personality and pretty face. Now that she had, well, physically matured, he found her irresistible. It seemed his best friend did too.

“If I end up asking Wendy out, will you go out with Dawn?” Hal asked his buddy. “Those two are thick as thieves, so she’s more likely to go out with me if you go out with Dawn.”

Now the pang turned into a piercing jealousy, but Ed snorted coolly. “Shouldn’t it be the other way around?”

“What’d ya mean?” Hal frowned.

“I thought you preferred Mary Ann.”

“Mary Ann who?” Hal frowned deeper.

“From ‘Gilligan’s Island’,” Ed explained. “You’ve told me before that you preferred Mary Ann over Ginger. I, on the other hand, prefer Ginger over Mary Ann. Therefore, you should go out with Dawn, and me with Wendy.”

“That’s silly,” Hal laughed. But then he looked at the two young women and became still. “They are a bit similar to Ginger and Mary Ann, aren’t they?”

“Yeah, they are,” Ed tried. “Dawn’s always been a cutey, but that longer hair only enhances it. Look how nice and tan her legs are too.”

“Yeah, Dawn’s not bad, but there’s a big problem with the ‘Gilligan’s Island’ comparison,” Hal suggested.

“What’s that?”

“Part of Mary Ann’s appeal is her cheery personality. Dawn on the other hand is a prudish crank. You remember the time she narked us off for playing in the gym during recess?”

“Come on, man,” Ed protested. “We were in the fifth grade.”

“Yeah, well, you just had to write fifty sentences about not playing in the gym during recess. For me it was a third strike and I had to write about two hundred sentences in the principles office for an entire week during recesses.”

Ed felt a sense of defeat. But then inspiration struck. Without saying a word to Hal, Ed began a brisk walk to the two girls. Hal had always been the more bold and adventurous of the two buddies, but Ed was taking a page from Hal’s playbook. With a charming smile and a slight bow, he said, “Hello ladies, lovely day, isn’t it?”

“Quite,” Wendy giggled. Dawn just stared at him wordless and expressionless.

“How are you two ladies getting home from this fine educational establishment?” Ed asked, his eyes never leaving Wendy’s. Hal stepped up next to his friend, dumbfounded with his mouth agape.

“The bus,” Wendy replied with a shrug. “Neither of us has a car.”

“Would you care to join Hal and me?” Ed asked. “There is plenty of room for the four of us in my car.”

“That’d be great!” Wendy enthused. “How about it, Dawn?”

Dawn tried a smile, but it was weak. She lifted a shoulder with a slight shrug. “Sure.”

When the foursome approached Ed’s car, he quickly ushered Dawn into the back seat. She felt tense and uneasy as Hal settled next to her. She had had a crush on Hal for years, yet she overcompensated her secret by not only being aloof towards him, but downright cold. She also felt hurt that both boys seemed unable to take their eyes off Wendy.

Yes, her friend was gorgeous, but Dawn wasn’t bad herself. Especially since she had shed her tomboy image over the summer. Her big brown almond shaped eyes and small nose made her cute, but Wendy’s arctic blue eyes, high cheek bones, and long legs made her elegant. Her own legs, although not long, were very nice and very tan. Her skin was silky and feminine. She hiked her skirt above her knee and crossed her right leg over her left. Her black and white saddle shoe pointed toward Hal’s legs. She noticed his eyes lingering on her leg and felt momentarily pleased.

“My name is Hal Storm,” he said with a grin and offered of his hand.

“I know who you are,” she replied sharply and instantly regretted how snotty she sounded. He obviously was clowning around. They’d known each other since kindergarten. But this was the first time he had spoken to her since she had told on him and Ed for playing in the gym during recess more than half a decade ago.

Why did she do that anyway? Why did she always have to be such a brat? Some sense of power? Some feeling of being right? No wonder she was always so lonely. Except for Wendy. But now that Wendy had blossomed from a gangly nerd into a beautiful young woman, she feared their lifelong friendship would slip away. Most likely to a boy.

Hal withdrew his hand and folded his arms. He stared straight ahead, longing to punch his former best friend in the nose. It was a long ten minute ride as Hal and Dawn rode in silence, listening to Wendy and Ed chat merrily.

When they arrived at Dawn’s house, she anxiously waited for Wendy to move her seat forward so she could scrabble quickly out of Ed’s Chevy two door. But Wendy didn’t move under Ed’s command to “Wait a minute.”

Ed looked at Hal, who shook his head no. Then Ed turned his gaze to Wendy. He did his best imitation of Hal’s laid back grin and asked. “Would you fine ladies like to go on a double date with Hal and me this Saturday evening? There’s a band playing at Green Square Park.”

“Sure!” Wendy blurted. “That would be fun! How about it, Dawn?”

A surge of terror ripped through Dawn. Her heart started racing, and she glance at Hal. He was staring at Ed with a stunned expression. Dawn’s fright turned to an overwhelming sadness. She felt like she would never fit in, no matter how she tried to transform herself. Her lip began to tremble, and she fought against tears, especially when Hal turned his gaze upon her. “Oh, I…Um. I don’t think so,” she stammered

“Why?” Wendy asked with a frown.

She felt a tear pop out of her eye and she wiped angrily at it. She then tried to cover herself. “My allergies are bad, especially at night.”

“What allergies?” Wendy whined. “I’ve never known you to have bad allergies.”

Dawn felt betrayed. She needed to get out of this car before she actually started balling. She was about to bark a demand at her former best friend, but Hal spoke up.

“Why don’t we just go together, Dawn?” he said.

Dawn stared at Hal wide eyed. She couldn’t get herself to speak. Did one of the cutest boys in class, if not the cutest, just say he actually wanted to go out with her? Was this going to be a sympathy date? She didn’t care. She didn’t want to be home all alone, while Wendy and Ed went out on a date. Probably with Hal and a cheerleader.

“Really?” Dawn asked meekly.

“Yes, really,” Hal smiled.

“But you don’t even like me,” Dawn blurted, and then cringed. Why couldn’t she control her tongue? James 3:8 was absolutely right that a tongue is an unruly evil. Whether she was telling on someone or telling them off, her mouth had never done her any favors.

“Who says I don’t like you?” Hal chuckled.

“You haven’t spoken to me ever since the, um, the gym incident.”

“We were kids,” Hal shrugged. “Besides, I don’t remember us having many conversations before that anyway.”

Dawn folded her arms, but tried to gaze at him with wide, innocent eyes. “Are you going out with me just because Ed wants you to?”

“No, I heard you were easy.” Hal joked before he could stop himself.

Ed felt his toes curl, and Wendy’s mouth gaped open. Dawn’s feisty demeanor returned, and she barked. “I don’t think so! I’ll have you know, I’m saving myself for marriage.”

Hal laughed. Now Wendy’s toes curled, and Ed’s jaw dropped open. Dawn wanted to slap herself. Why could she not ever keep her mouth shut when she was angry or scared?

“Fair enough, let’s see if you’re worth waiting for then. Saturday will be a start.”

Dawn opened her mouth to tell Hal to take a flying leap. But then she closed it, intrigued. Was he serious? Could he actually be a gentleman who might want to court her properly?

“You never answered me,” Dawn asked mildly. “Are you going out with me because Ed wants you to?”

“No, I’m not,” Hal said and then he gave her a playful smile. “I want to see if the angry tomboy is becoming a sweet young lady.”

Emotions swirled in Dawn’s heart and mind. She didn’t know if she was being toyed with, or if Hal truly did like her. Her old protective nature tried to give him a hard stare. But he was so cute and fun she fought against a smile.

“Now what’s that playing at your lips,” Hal provoked, touching a corner of her mouth so lightly that it tickled. Dawn gave in and laughed, and Hal joined her. Ed and Wendy sighed inwardly with relief, grinning at each other.

Hal glared at Ed as they drove away from Wendy’s house. “Talk about a double cross!”

Ed looked at Hal, surprised. “You seemed to get along with Dawn just fine. At the end anyway.”

“Yeah, thanks a lot.”

“You would have done the same thing if you thought of it first,” Ed defended.

“That’s beside the point,” Hal said as he casually lit a cigarette.

“Are you really mad?”

“Naw, I meant what I said to Dawn,” Hal replied. “I will be mad if Wendy’s not saving herself for marriage too, though.”

“I just won’t tell you then,” Ed said with a coy smile.

“You won’t be able to help yourself.”

Both boys laughed. Then Hal frowned in thought. What if Dawn was still that angry tomboy inside, hiding behind that lovely, vulnerable, female façade? Oh well, it was worth finding out.

(DESTINY’S BIBLE STUDY NOTES AND QUOTES)

(The LIFE and MINISTRY of JESUS Part 14)

Bethesda and the Sanhedrin.

Jesus was again at Jerusalem. At the pool of healing, Jesus saw one case of supreme wretchedness. It was that of a man severely handicapped for thirty-eight years. Alone and friendless, feeling that he was shut out from God’s mercy, the sufferer had passed long years of misery.

“Will you be made whole?” Jesus asked him.

“Sir, I have no man when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool. But while I am coming, another steps down before me.”

Jesus does not ask the suffer to exercise faith in Him. He simply says, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” But the man’s faith takes hold upon those words. Every nerve and muscle thrills with new life. Without question he sets his will to obey the command of Christ. Springing to his feet, he finds himself an active man.

Through the same faith we may receive spiritual healing. By sin we have been severed from the life of God. Our souls are palsied. Of ourselves we are no more capable of living a holy life than was the impotent man capable of walking. Let these desponding, struggling ones look up. The Savior is bending over the purchase of His blood, and saying with inexpressible tenderness and pity. “Will you be made whole?”

Do not wait to feel that you are made whole. Believe His word and it will be fulfilled. Put your will on the side of Christ. Will to serve Him, and in acting upon His word you will receive strength.

So utterly was Christ emptied of self that He made no plans for Himself. He accepted God’s plans for Him, and day by day the Father unfolded His plans. So should we depend upon God, that our lives may be the simple outworking of His will.

The spirit of life in Christ Jesus, “the power of His resurrection,” sets humanity “free from the law of sin and death.” Phil. 3:10, Rom 8:2. The dominion of evil is broken and through faith the soul is kept from sin. He who opens the heart to the Spirit of Christ becomes a partaker of that mighty power which shall bring forth his body from the grave.

The highest religious authorities of the nation were seeking the life of Him who declared Himself the restorer of Israel. The Lord of the Sabbath was arraigned before an earthly tribunal to answer the charge of breaking the Sabbath law.

The rulers themselves had felt deep condemnation as He had pressed their guilt home upon their consciences; yet this only made them the more bitter against Him. They were determined to take His life. They sent messengers all over the country to warn the people against Jesus as an imposter. Spies were sent to watch Him, and report what He said and did.

The precious Savior was now most surely standing under the shadow of the cross.