Returning
home from work one evening, Dave Sheridan had no idea that his life was
about to be changed forever. His wife, Barbara, greeted him as usual with
a smile and a kiss. Then came the first hint that something was up.
"Dave," Barbara began, "Kathleen wants to
talk with you—alone."
Dave detected a nervous strain in Barbara’s voice.
Such a formal request from nine year old Kathleen, oldest of their three
children, was also unusual. Realizing that the matter must be important,
Dave asked Kathleen to join him in his den, offering her a seat in front
of his desk.
"What do you want to talk about, Kathleen?"
Dave asked.
"Daddy," she began, "I’m going to
heaven."
Kathleen made the announcement so abruptly and with such
confidence that Dave could only chuckle in amusement. He had never heard
anyone claim such a thing. At the time he was the vice-chairman of the
parish council, head of a Catholic study group, and a trainer, who
prepared laity to serve as Eucharistic ministers and lectors. Dave also
had helped formulate the baptism and First Communion preparation programs
for the parish. Still not feeling like he was doing enough, he began
attending daily Mass. Yet despite all his learning, service, and
participation in the sacraments, Dave didn’t know if he was going to
heaven.
She’s just a kid, Dave
thought to himself. What does she know? I’ll
get to the bottom of this.
"How do you know you’re going to heaven,
Kathleen?"
"Today I asked Jesus Christ to save me,"
Kathleen answered without hesitation.
"That’s wonderful, dear," Dave replied, not
really knowing what she was talking about. I bet this is something they
told her at that club the kids are attending, he concluded.
It was the end of summer and Barbara had run out of
things for Kathleen and their other two small children to do. Finding an
advertisement for a children’s vacation Bible club, she had asked Dave
if the kids could go. He hesitated when he learned that a Baptist church
was sponsoring it. But figuring that no harm could be done and that it
would be a way to keep the kids busy, he consented. Now two weeks later,
he was wondering if he had made a mistake. Ah, she’s just a child,
he told himself.
A few days later, Barbara and the children attended the
closing ceremony for the Vacation Bible School. There she met Bill Maupin,
pastor of the sponsoring church. Bill asked Barbara if Kathleen had told
her about her decision to trust Christ. When Barbara said that she had,
Bill asked if he could visit her and her husband sometime to discuss
Kathleen’s decision. Barbara agreed and they set up an appointment.
Dave was furious when he learned about the planned
visit. "Absolutely not!" he told Barbara. Curious about what the
pastor wanted to tell them, however, she kept putting off canceling the
visit, hoping Dave would change his mind.
As the day of the visit approached, Dave found himself
reconsidering. What am I afraid of? I’m
a well-educated Catholic and certainly know more about religion than any
Baptist pastor.
"Tell Bill to come on over," Dave finally told
Barbara. "I’ll be happy to talk to him."
When Bill arrived, Dave and Barbara welcomed him warmly,
and the Sheridans prepared for what they thought would be a rousing
discussion about religion. But Bill spoke only about the Lord and what He
meant to him. The Sheridans had been around religious people all their
lives. They had never, however, heard anyone talk about Jesus as Bill did.
After he had left, Dave commented to Barbara, "He talks as he if
knows Jesus. He talks as if Jesus is still alive." Dave’s image of
Jesus was that of a dead man draped across the arms of Mary, as in
Michelangelo’s Pieta.
Bill began visiting the Sheridan home weekly to help
Kathleen complete a workbook titled What Jesus Wants You To Do.
Through those visits, a friendship developed between Bill and the Sheridan
family, and after a time he invited Dave and Barbara to visit the church
he pastored, Brecksville Chapel. Dave, however, turned him down. He
wasn’t interested, and besides, it was football season. Since Dave and
his family were going to Saturday evening Mass to keep Sundays free for
football, however, Dave told Barbara that if she and the kids wanted to
visit Bill’s church, it was fine with him.
The next Sunday Barbara and her children visited
Brecksville Chapel. They returned home excited about what they had found.
The worship was simple and sincere; the Bible teaching understandable and
practical. Barbara and the kids attended each of the next four weeks, each
time returning home more enthusiastic than the time before.
When Dave finally decided that it was time to see for
himself what was so special about this new church, his initial reaction
was shock. Brecksville Chapel wasn’t a church at all. It was nothing
more than a room at the back of the Clippity Clop Saddle Shop on Route 82!
Dave was accustomed to stained glass sanctuaries and Gothic cathedrals. He
couldn’t imagine anyone worshiping in a saddle shop!
Regardless, even Dave could see that there was something
special about the people there. The men especially impressed him. They
prayed aloud in their own words and seemed to know the Bible almost as
well as Bill. Dave also found the service interesting and informative.
Even though Dave liked Brecksville Chapel, as the weeks
went by he felt increasingly uncomfortable with the direction that his
family was heading. His fears were confirmed during one of Bill’s visits
to the Sheridan home a short time later. Colleen, the Sheridan’s middle
child, announced, "Daddy, I’d like to receive Jesus Christ as my
personal Savior!"
Colleen was preparing to receive her First Holy
Communion. Dave knew, however, that Colleen wasn’t referring to
receiving Christ at Mass. She was talking like a Baptist!
"She’s only seven years old," Dave
apologized to Bill. "I don’t think she knows what she’s
asking."
Bill, however, took Colleen’s request seriously. He
asked her several questions and then carefully reviewed with Colleen the
way of salvation. Though her parents couldn’t completely follow Bill’s
explanation themselves, it was clear to them from Colleen’s answers that
she knew exactly what Bill was talking about. Finally, Bill asked Dave and
Barbara if they had any objections to Colleen praying to receive Jesus
Christ as her personal Savior. How could they say no?
Colleen and Bill got down on their knees, Dave and
Barbara following them. Then Colleen told God that she was a sinner and
wanted Jesus to save her.
What’s happening? Dave
thought to himself as his daughter prayed. I’ve
raised these children to be good Catholics. Now they’re all defecting!
What should have been a reason for rejoicing, could only
see as a cause of concern for Dave Sheridan. As long as his wife and
children continued to go to Mass with him on Saturdays, it was
fine—though maybe a bit worrisome—for his family on Sundays to visit
the Baptist church, to pray with Bill and his congregation, and even to
learn from him about the Bible. Since the Second Vatican Council, the
Roman Catholic Church has taught that all Christians are part of the
family of God. Theology aside, however, for Dave there were only two kinds
of Christians: Catholics and non-Catholics. And now with two of his
children talking about God and salvation more like Baptists than
Catholics, Dave felt that the Sheridan family had edged dangerously close
to the line that divides.
As soon as little Colleen had finished asking Christ to
save her, Bill Maupin, the Baptist pastor, turned to Dave and Barbara and
asked, "How about Mom and Dad?"
"We need time to think," Dave told Bill.
"All this is pretty new to us. We need time and more information—a
lot more information."
Bill suggested that they start reading the Bible.
"What I say about salvation doesn’t really matter," he
explained. "What does the Bible say? That’s the important
question."
The next day Barbara purchased Bibles for Dave and
herself. That evening, when Dave came home from work, he took one of the
Bibles into his den and started looking for the Gospel of John, the place
where Bill had told them to start. Barbara took her Bible upstairs to the
master bedroom, and also began reading John.
When Dave finally found John’s Gospel, his eyes fell
on a promise of the Lord Jesus.
