The Kingdom Land by Bart Tuma

them too long. It was time
for a change, more than just a night in a pickup or a talk in a
church. John said the simple task of the Christian was to love God
and his neighbor. It was time he made that a rule to the Coopers
and thanked them for their love.
    The rest of the trip home was short, with only the
sounds of meshing gears and roaring motor. Just the idea that Erik
thought of this trip as going “home” made him realize that he
really had changed. Now that his decision was made, the sooner it
was carried out the better. The pickup sped up even when the road
went from blacktop pavement to gravel, and as he turned into the
Cooper’s farm he was going so fast, the tools on the seat slammed
hard on the opposite door and Erik could feel his rear tires
sliding in a fishtail on the loose gravel.
    He drove to the main house rather than stopping by
the bunkhouse to clean himself of last night’s fight. As he walked
towards the house he pulled hard on his shirt in an attempt to
straighten any wrinkles.
    Both his aunt and uncle met him at the door. Their
concern was evident on their faces. “Erik, what are you doing? You
just about took off the front gate. Did you forget where you lived
or something? Slow down.” Henry spoke first.
    Mary spoke nearly simultaneously. “Erik, what’s going
on? We didn’t know what to think. We didn’t know if we should call
the police or just get mad at you. Why didn’t you call? And what’s
happened to you,” she continued without even a breath. “Your face
is all swollen and cut and bruised.”
    â€œ Fightin’, is my guess,” Uncle Henry
answered before Erik could begin.
    Erik stopped the volley of questions “Please, just
let me talk. It’s been a long night, but I want to explain.”
    They moved aside and followed him a little
bewilderedly into the kitchen.
    Erik sat at the table and stared at his hands gripped
together, and wondered how to put words to something so personal.
How could he explain what happened without them judging him, and
thinking this was just another one if his dreams? He still didn’t
know exactly what had happened, and he didn’t know if they would
understand or not. They were godly people, but did they know his
God or just a church?
    â€œ I know I look terrible, but don’t
look at me,” he began. “Last night, something happened. I talked to
God last night.”
    â€œ What did you talk about? Uncle
Henry asked.
    Erik looked back to his hands when he heard this
question. He suddenly felt uncertain.
    â€œ I told Him that I needed Him and
that I know I had turned my back on Him for too many years, but I
didn’t expect Him to care about me ‘cause I’d never cared about
Him.”
    â€œ And did God talk to you?” His uncle
asked.
    â€œ No, He didn’t, but, yes, He did. I
mean, I didn’t hear a booming voice or anything, but I could almost
feel Him hold me like to say its
okay.”
    Uncle Henry reached across the table and placed his
hand on Erik’s. The unforgiving farm work had twisted Henry’s
fingers, but Erik only felt its warmth. It reminded him of the
warmth of God’s touch last night. “Erik, thank you for telling us.
It’s good to hear,” Uncle Henry said.
    Â 
    Erik recounted the events of late Saturday night and
Sunday morning to his aunt and uncle. They had hoped for this day
ever since they had taken Erik into their home. Their goal for Erik
had always been for him to learn the reality of Christ’s love. They
had almost given up hope as Erik had gotten older and more hardened
in his isolation. They listened carefully as Erik erupted with an
outpouring of words for one of the first times they could
remember.
    Erik went through every event carefully, making sure
he didn’t miss a detail. He explained his conversation with John, a
man the Coopers were familiar with and trusted. Only when he came
to