Page 1 of My Vows Are Sealed

Prologue

Brendan

Like a Child

AUGUST 1995

“Does anyone have any prayer requests or praises this week?” Peter, our youth pastor, asked as our youth group service came to a close.

I took a deep breath and raised my hand.

“What’s on your mind, Brendan?” Peter asked.

“Um, you guys know my baby brother, Nate, was diagnosed with asthma a few months ago,” I started. “So my parents had to withdraw me from St. Bishop’s because they couldn’t afford the tuition anymore with his medication. I’m starting ninth grade at Charleston High tomorrow, and I’m kind of nervous about it.”

Was that lame? Yeah, probably. But going from a graduating class of twenty to a graduating class of almost four hundred was intimidating. And my parents had been drilling into my head about not caving to peer pressure and about all the evils of the world all summer long, so I had absolutelynoidea what I’d be walking into. I was pretty sure it wouldn’t be the cesspool of sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll that my parents were convinced it was going to be, but I had a feeling I’d be in for a little bit of a culture shock.

“Me too,” my friend Heather said. “Well, not switching from private school to public school, but I’m starting ninth grade tomorrow.”

“You’ll be fine, guys,” Alex, who was a year older than me, said. “Come find me if you need someone to show you around.”

“Or me,” Allie, who was going into her senior year, added. “I promise I won’t send you to the opposite end of campus like a couple of seniors did to me when I was a freshman.”

Everyone chuckled a little, including Peter. For a youth pastor, he was actually pretty cool. He didn’t let us call him Mr. Peter, Mr. Schultz, or even Pastor Peter. He insisted on us just calling him Peter. And his wife, Marie, insisted on being called by her first name too. They’d only been here for a few months, and they werewaycooler and more laid-back than our previous youth pastor and his wife.

“Anyone else?” Peter asked.

“My mom’s going in for her knee replacement this week,” Naomi, who was a couple of years younger than me, piped up.

“That’s right. Thank you for reminding me,” he said. “Darla, how’s your mom doing since her MS diagnosis?”

“Pretty good,” Darla mumbled, barely audible. “But you can pray for her too if you want.”

Taking a glance at the girl I’d known for most of my life, I could tell she was anything but comfortable with Peter bringing that up to the group like that.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure how Darla’s father, Pastor Abraham Jones, would feel about it either. He and his wife, Gloria, tried to keep to themselves as much as possible, and he kept Darla on a leash so tight that it almost suffocated her. I’d always thought it was weird for the head of our church to be so sensitive about his family’s private life, but apparently it was just me. Everyone else just seemed to accept it as normal and praised him and Miss Gloria for Darla’s meekness and obedience.

“Okay, if that’s it, let’s pray,” Peter said.

We all bowed our heads, and most of us closed our eyes.

Me? I stole another quick glance at the pastor’s daughter as she rested her elbows on her knees, clasping her hands and lowering her head to rest on them. Her shoulders sagged as if the weight of the world was on them, and I wished I knew what was bothering her so much. I could tell there was something she wasn’t saying, but I had no idea what it was.

I wished she’d tell me. I couldn’t stand seeing that light I’d always loved about her dimming a little bit more every time I saw her. I wanted more than anything to find a way to bring it out again, but I had no idea how.

I shook my head, then bowed it and closed my eyes to join the rest of the group in prayer. I had to be crazy, thinking about Darla Jones like that. I mean, she’d justturned twelve years old a couple of weeks ago. Yeah, I was fourteen, so it wasn’t that much of an age difference, but still. She was still in middle school, and I was about to start high school.

Please forgive me, Lord,I prayed silently.Forgive my wayward thoughts. Keep me on the path of righteousness.

“Lord, we thank You for this day and for this opportunity to gather in fellowship,” Peter started. “We thank You for the lessons we learned from Your Word today, and we ask that You help us apply them in our day-to-day lives. Lord, everyone in this room is about to start a new school year, some of them in a new school and an unfamiliar environment, and I just want to lift them all up to You. I ask that You give them peace and guidance as they start their studies, and I ask that You give them the strength and the courage to resist whatever temptations come their way.

“Lord, I lift up Mrs. Rhee to You as she goes in for her knee replacement surgery this week. Please give her Your peace, and please watch over the doctors and nurses who will be caring for her and guide the hands of the surgeons. I also ask that You continue to work in Mrs. Jones’s life. If it’s Your will, Lord, I ask that You show her doctors a miracle and remove this sickness from her body, and if not, I ask that You give her the strength, courage, and patience to withstand her treatments. I also ask that You ease her pain and bring her comfort in this difficult time. And for all of us, as we go into the world this week, I ask that You show us opportunities to do Your work. I ask all this in Jesus’ holy Name, amen.”

As I opened my eyes again, a glance at the clock in the room told me that it was still a little early. I headed over to the table with the food on it and grabbed another chocolate frosted donut with sprinkles out of the Krispy Kreme box.

“So, you’re not going to St. Bishop’s anymore?” I heard Darla mumble from beside me.

I smiled as I turned to look at her. A puff of powdered sugar exploded around her as she took a bite out of a powdered donut, and she turned bright red while she grabbed a napkin and tried futilely to clean it off her face.

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