The God Box Read Online Free PDF

me, "Answer it, mijo"When I opened the door, Angie gave me a hard look and introduced her evangelical minister, Pastor Jose. From his tan, jowly face gleamed a confident smile. As he shook my hand, his eyes roved around the living room, completing their arc on my pa and the beer bottles beside him.Pa had never been a big fan of religion. Ma had had to practically drag him to church. And when she died, he stopped going altogether, instead muttering under his breath at God. But tonight Pa listened respectfully to Angie's minister and left his beer aside."I understand the hurt you feel," Pastor told Pa. "You must've loved your wife very much, but drinking isn't going to bring her back. You know that. You need to think about your son. That's what your wife would've wanted, isn't it?"31My pa gazed toward the floor, his face red from the alcohol-- and shame.After talking a while, Pastor Jose asked Pa if he could pray with him, and Pa nodded. Angie took my hand while I looked on, and the minister prayed:"Lord and Father, source of all our strength, we ask you to fill this man with your courage and help him to overcome the pain in his heart..."While Pastor Jose spoke, his voice genuine and heartfelt, I prayed too, hoping with all my heart that God would answer."We ask you this in Jesus' name," the pastor concluded. "Amen."And although it was barely a whisper, my pa responded, "Amen."The following Sunday morning, Angie and her mom came to fix Pa and me scrambled eggs and pancakes. For the first time since Ma's funeral, Pa put on a tie. And after breakfast we all headed to Pastor Jose's church.Through the I Am The Way Church, Pa began to attend Alcoholics Anonymous. With the help of AA he stopped drinking and got back to normal. Actually, better than normal: He started to help me with homework, attended parent-teacher conferences, and read the Bible almost daily. The church gave him a new lease on life, and one Sunday he stuck a bumper sticker on his truck that read: The Bible says it. I believe it. That settles it!Five years had passed since then, and each year we spoke less and less about my ma. I never mentioned how painfully I missed her, not wanting to risk making him drink again. Instead, our conversations stuck to safe subjects: my school, choir practice, sports, his work, when Abuelita (his ma, my grandma) would come visit us again from Mexico ...Tonight during dinner we talked about college. Although Pa had slowly built his gardening business to include a plant32nursery, five staff, and three trucks, he had never gone to college. He'd always made it clear he expected me to go. I'd be the first in my family.I worried how Pa would get along without me. He and I had become pretty emotionally dependent on each other. Maybe I also worried a little bit how I would get along without him.He must have sensed my nervousness, because between pizza bites he told me, "I'm proud of you, mijo. You'll do fine."After dinner he dropped me off at home and went to one of his regular AA meetings. As I was stepping up our front walkway, my cell phone rang with a number I didn't recognize."Hey, it's Manuel. How'd your Bible study go this afternoon?"I had managed to put our heated Bible discussion out of my mind during dinner. Now the memory flooded back. Did I really want to go into it with Manuel?"Um, it went okay.""Yeah? What passage did you read?""John Four." I turned the key to the front door. "The woman at the well.""Oh, yeah," Manuel said. "I love that: Jesus, the living water."It surprised me that he knew the passage. I still didn't get how he could accept being gay and consider himself a Christian. Did he pray? Did he really know Jesus?"Let me know when you guys meet again," Manuel continued, "so I can go.""Uh-huh," I mumbled, while thinking, No way.He chatted a few more minutes about school and stuff, as if he were my buddy. I didn't want to be his buddy. I wanted him to go away and leave me alone. After saying good-bye I chucked my phone