The service soon came to an end. The doors opened to the chapel and people started coming out. I soon realized no one could see or hear me or Brown. I followed myself to the boy's dormitory with Brown following. It was so strange to see yourself outside of your own eyes.

No one went to bed right away. In fact we all kind of wandered around and talked about what had happened that night. I remember I had become close frieds with a red-haired stocky kid named Mark and a chubby guy with dark nerdy glasses named Brad. We were sitting on the bunks talking.
"AC, You were up at the altar for a long time. What happened?"
"I don't really know. It was so strange. I have been going to church as long as I can remember, but there was never a time when God was so real to me."
Mark spoke up.
"You've really got to be careful when you get back home. I've been to camp three times, and its so hard to stay close to God when you get back home. None of your friends understand, your parents think you are being weird if you spend a lot of time praying. People in church say they want us to be good Christians, but they don't want us to be on fire for God, it makes them look bad. They just want us to be religious."
"AC, What's this rumour about you and Tina behind the pool building. Someone said you guys were making out back there."
"It's no rumor Mark. It happened. I've repented of it, I know it wasn't right, and we haven't met since then."
"That's good AC. You've really got to give it all you've got if you want to keep your relationship with God intact. You've got to give your life to him whole-heartedly. "
"I will, Mark, I promise. I will..."

Mr. Brown turned to me.
"What happened to your promise?"
"I was young. I was still figuring things out. I got kind of busy when I got home. Then I met Amy, and things changed..."
"You know, you can be such a putz sometimes. This is not some optional, best case scenario. Your faith is not something that you work on when its convenient. It is your life. Being a Christian is not like a being a liberal republican or conservative democrat, its all or nothing. You knew that back then. But you have forgotten it. You want to know why you have forgotten it? Because you have forgotten that you are serving Christ, not out of fear, but out of love. That lesson is next. Come on, time to go."

A door appeared in the darkness with late afternoon sunshine streaming through...

Part VIII

Thanks for reading,

AC