"Leo, are you hurt? Answer me please!! Please!!"
"Oww, my head. I'm all good, Zeke."
"I'm sorry. This is all my fault. I'm sorry for the way I've been acting and I'm sorry for blowing up all over a few silly pieces of furniture. They weren't even expensive like I said they were. I found them next to a dump site and they were too good to pass up so I took them."
"Tisk!! Tisk!! This is why children don't run our churches because those reserved top spots are for 'experienced elders' only. We don't take in just any random know it all, stuffed up kid off the street. We're a holy nation and should be treated as such."
"Zeke, I can see the steam coming out of your nose and the red from your eyes. Think before you speak."
"I'VE HAD IT!!!"
"I'VE HAD IT WITH ALL YOUR STUPID COMMANDS AND YOUR STUPID RULES AND THE STUPID WAY YOUR LAZY PEOPLE LIVE."
"Zeke, what are you doing? Don't call Christianity stupid and above all don't start shoving Shadow around. I've seen his taste for blood and the more you poke....the faster he'll blow up."
"huuuuu…...hm…...hm…..IDIOTS!!!"
"What, did you say?"
"Your elders are so willing to gladly lift a finger to punish one of us 'young kids' everytime we mess up but once it comes to actually doing your duties in and as a church then you won't even lift a finger. The reason why kids are taking over the world and everybody's churches is because the stupid elders sit in the far back on the lazy butts and just watch. Then they criticize us everytime we mess up. It's like fine...if you think you are so much better than us then why are you sitting in the back doing nothing? You start laying in excuse after excuse and saying that ohh I have a family to take care.....I have a job that demands my utmost attention...I live too far away....I don't know how to do this…..I couldn't possibly help out. Look at my physical appearance. I'm old and frail. Do you know what it's like waking up early in the morning every single day day in and day out? It gets pretty exhausting after a while. Hmmm...you guys look at us as if kids have all the free time in the world and that since we have all the tech and the all the Bible right at our fingertips then that means we should know exactly how to live for God. Well let me tell you something, Shadow. We don't have it figured out. Besides having more facts at our disposal, we don't know crap. Does it not say that the church should be your number one? God is first, His Family is second, your personal family is third and then everything else is last. You all put that in reverse and make your duties to the church as the last of the last while us kids are trying our hardest to clean up your mess and put the Church first like it rightfully should. Yes, we'll stumble and fall and many will lose their way, but that's where you 'elders' come in. Instead of laughing at us and saying they'll never make it to Heaven if they continue on the road there on, why not do what God tells each and every Christian to do? Instead of just praying for somebody and then walking away, why not walk up right beside that person; meet them where they are at; and then help them re-align their walk with God. Right now it's all of you making excuses even though you tell us not to and then us having to realign your guy's walk with the Lord….except.....you're not even walking!!!!! You're just sitting still because the Lord says to wait and have patience. Let my promises come to you. Hwackkkk ptooo!! That's what I think of you."
"You just spit on me. Hopper, hand me a towel so that I may wash this filthy spit off of my face. Maurice, Hopper, wait. This boy has a lot to say and needs to get his anger out. The Bible says be angry and do not sin so that is what he is doing. We cannot condemn him for it but instead congratulate his efforts of standing out. Zeke, my boy. It's not that we are just handing you the reins and then watching to see how you do. Think of it more as a driver's training test. We helped you drive when you were little so that you could one day get your license. Now that you got your license then that means you can make it on your own."
"So you're saying that all an 'elders' job is to train the next generation of Christian leaders so that they may be academically and spiritually set but once they get baptized and receive their Bible...then what? Then it's time to sit back and watch them grow because we have done everything God told us to do. Now it's time for Him to keep working on us because we no longer have free time in our schedule to work with you. You think God has free time in His schedule? Is that your only excuse? Since kids have all the free time in the world then that means they can work in the Church and so can God because He also has all the free time in the world. It's like God is the busiest person in the world even more busy than Santa except He still takes time out of his very busy day to spend one to two hours alone with you so that He can listen to your heart. If the Israelites of the Bible were still alive today then I think they would say, "your generation has gone soft. I thought that since Jesus died for you then you all would be leaping for joy and praising Him because you no longer have to offer sacrifices to cleanse your sins, but no. Now that you know Jesus will forgive you whatever you do then that gives you the right to be lazier than ever because God says He will love you no matter what so oh well. I say this in a joking manner but maybe we need to go back to the sacrifices in order so that we may draw closer to the real God and our families will be tighter because of it."
"You know not what you speak, boy. Do you not realize all the sacrifices my generation had to endure and recover from in order for your generation to be free? The same blood that we shed on the pavement is now the same pavement you party on. We did not give our lives just so that people like you could question everything that we did. It's not that we don't want to help, it's just that you never let us in. Colossians 1:19, 'For this reason, since the day we have heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives.'"
"Bravo, Bravo!! You know your Bible verses, but as I said prayer is not just a mental process. It's mental and physical. Nevertheless, let me exalt you on a job well done. Leo, go inside what is left of my house; fill a bottle with water, and bring it to me."
"Don't move!! Leo, Have I not told you that Zeke no longer controls you? Why are you letting him boss you around like this?"
"Leo, please!"
"Yes, brother!"
"As for you, Shadow. I'm not done with you yet. Let me take you to Job 32.
'So these three men stopped answering Job because he was righteous in his own eyes. But Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, became very angry with Job for justifying himself rather than God. He was also angry with the three friends because they had found no way to refute Job; and yet they had condemned him. Now Elihu had waited before speaking to Job because they were older than he. But when he saw that the three men had nothing more to say, his anger was aroused. So Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite said: 'I am young in years and you are old so that is why I was fearful, not daring to tell you what I know. I thought 'Age should speak; and advanced years should teach wisdom. But it is the spirit in a person; the breath of the Almighty, that gives them understanding. It is not only the old who are wise and not only the aged who understand what is right. 'Therefore, I say: Listen to me. I too will tell you what I know. I waited while you spoke. I listened to your reasoning while you were searching for words. I I gave you my full attention but not one of you has proved Job wrong. None of you has answered his arguments. Do not say, 'we have found wisdom. Let God, not a man, refute him. But Job has not marshaled his words against me and I will not answer him with your arguments. They are dismayed and have no more to say. Words have failed them. Must I wait, now that they are silent? Must I wait, now that they stand there with no reply? I too will have my say. I too will tell you what I know for I am full of words and the spirit within me compels me. Inside I am like bottled-up wine; like new wineskins ready to burst. I must speak and find relief. I must open my lips and reply. I will show no partiality; nor will I flatter anyone. If I were skilled in flattery then my Maker would soon take me away."
"Here is your bottle you requested of me, sir."
"Thank you. Now, let us exalt Shadow for all that he has done for us and is continuing to do for us. The Bible says, 'You anoint my head with oil….my cup overflowith."
"No!! Noo!! Noooo!"
"Whack!!!"
"You little piece of a sheep. I'll skin you dry you hear me."
"Bring it on, butterfingers."
"ENOUGH!!!"
"The way you two are fighting is making our story look like the enemy is within whereas in reality the enemy is out there. She grows stronger each and every minute and thanks to you, Zeke, she now has a reason to get mad at us now."
"Maurice, old man. Addy may be our physical threat, but you are stone cold hearted just like everybody else. The enemy is not out there floating in the wind someplace. The enemy is already here among us…...and I'm staring right at him!!"
"Grrrr!!"
"You can grr your teeth all you want, Shadow, but that no longer scares me."
"Zeke, look; there is a bottle coming down towards us. Catch it!!"
"Thank you. Shadow, I'll take all the other articles that go in here, back, if you don't mind."
"Okay fine. Stop staring at me like that. You look at me as if I dropped them and didn't know where they were. I have them right here. You've earned them. When I first lay eyes on you; I thought oh no.. This is another little sheep that knows nothing. I was not wrong and time and time again I would've killed you myself and when Adalyn prevented us from doing so I was like so what. She told me not to hurt you while I was in Dragon form, but she didn't tell me, Shadow, not to hurt you. So badly had I wanted to come out just then and tear you apart, but I refrained and am glad I did. Slowly but surely you have transformed from not knowing anything, caring only for yourself, and being plain…. stupid to now backing up and saying that I can't do this on my own. It took a little punishment and the loving hand of your sister to remind you but you came around in the end. Everyone does."
"Ohh, Shadow, don't get too soft on me now. We're only halfway through this journey and the next part is where it will really get interesting. Hold onto your pants everyone because things are about to get heated!!!
(Was thinking of making another chapter before I cap this off; but I think Zeke got the message. He was prideful, he fell, he admitted he was wrong; and then he went to seek help. Now he is on the road to change so I don't think I need more chapters so let's cap it off now. Hope you liked this section and are ready for more sections to come :)