Read Online Shaken by Jerry B. Jenkins - Free Book Online Page B

this chance. I can tell God is working on you. Let him do it.”
    â€œOkay,” Melinda said. She rolled up her sleeves and put her hands on her knees.
    â€œDo you believe Jesus died for you?”
    â€œYeah, I think he did.”
    â€œHe’s offering you a gift right now. Do you want to accept it?”
    Melinda paused, then looked up. “I’d like that a lot.”
    â€œThen pray with me.”
    As Vicki prayed, Melinda repeated the words. “God in heaven, I’m sorry for the bad things I’ve done. I believe you died in my place to pay for my sin. Right now I want to receive the gift of eternal life that you offer. Make me a new person. Be my Lord and my Savior from this moment on. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
    Melinda looked at Vicki and gasped. “When did you get that thing on your forehead?”

8
    JUDD kept to himself and tried to deal with Nada’s death alone. He awoke in the middle of the night, sweating. The whole experience felt like a bad dream. Surely Nada would walk through the door any minute, and everything would be all right. But what had happened wasn’t a dream. Each time he awoke and realized she was gone, he felt a stab in the heart.
    Mr. Stein asked to speak with Judd. “When my wife died, it was very difficult. Since my daughter had left my faith and had become a believer in Christ, I felt alone. I responded to my wife’s death by withdrawing. That wasn’t all bad, but there came a point when I had to talk with someone.”
    Judd nodded. “I guess Sam is going through the same thing.”
    â€œYes. He came to me yesterday, and we had a long talk. It is difficult for him since his father never responded to the message of Christ.”
    â€œThat’s a tough one. I know it’ll be good to talk with someone, but I just don’t feel …” Judd’s voice trailed off.
    â€œI am available when you’re ready.”
    Lionel came in the room. “Did you hear what happened to Mac McCullum?”
    â€œMac who?” Mr. Stein said.
    â€œThe pilot who flew us to New Babylon,” Judd said.
    â€œWhat’s up?”
    â€œA few days ago Mac’s plane was attacked,” Lionel said.
    Judd raced to the computer and looked at the information Lionel had downloaded. The first reports were sketchy. Officials feared that the supreme commander, Leon Fortunato, and the others on the Condor 216 had all been killed by the mysterious smoke and fire. Later reports told a different story. The plane had landed in Johannesburg, South Africa, for a planned meeting with one of Nicolae Carpathia’s regional potentates. It was ambushed by gunmen who believed Carpathia was on the plane. Mac McCullum was hailed a hero by Leon Fortunato.
    Judd pulled up a video clip from a news conference Fortunato had held not long after the incident. “I was prepared for a meeting with Regional Potentate Rehoboth, but what I received was nothing short of an assassination attempt. Though there was a hail of bullets, I was able to escape. If it had not been for the quick thinking of myself and the flight crew, we would all be dead right now.”
    Fortunato praised Mac McCullum for “putting his body between the would-be assassins and myself.” Fortunato promised a ceremony honoring the pilots as heroes as soon as they had recuperated from their wounds.
    â€œWhy would Mac save Fortunato’s life?” Lionel said.
    â€œI can’t wait to talk to him and get the inside scoop,” Judd said.

    Vicki slept until late the next afternoon. She wanted to tell the others about Melinda. She went to the kitchen to get something to eat but found no one. The front room was empty as well. Finally, Vicki discovered a group of kids in the computer room. Mark was leading them in a review of all of Tsion Ben-Judah’s Internet messages. Melinda was in the middle of the group, listening intently.
    Mark welcomed Vicki, and