1
The flood of information that came into Brian Murphy’s head during the TV filming episode was awesome. He understood that he had been reincarnated. He had vivid recollections of his previous life, and it was all so overwhelmingly difficult to deal with, that he needed time to sort things out.
He had to figure out exactly how to use this newly acquired knowledge, and he felt compelled to figure it out quickly. Intuitively he knew he must keep his true identity a secret. He had to stop thinking of himself as Ray Williams or there was danger that the name might slip out and possibly jeopardize the secret.
He was thankful that his mother had removed him from the gifted program at the university hospital. He needed more time alone to think things out. Also, he wanted to be as inconspicuous as any other normal child. Learning about himself became his primary concern.
His Mom-Mom and Gramps, Susan and George Kern, took care of him during the day. They catered to his every whim, and provided him with books and other things that he asked for. As he read more and more, he began to develop an insatiable desire to understand God and Heaven. When he requested a Bible from his grandmother, she seemed surprised, but produced one right away.
Brian concentrated on the Book of Genesis. He read it over and over again, and he constantly asked questions. When Susan realized she could no longer provide adequate answers to his questions, she decided to discuss the matter with Kate when she came to pick up the children that evening.
“He’s obsessed with God and the Bible,” Susan explained. “I can’t seem to provide him with good enough answers anymore.”
“Don’t you think this is pretty weird, Mom?” Kate asked. “It doesn’t seem normal for a child to develop this strong an interest in God all by himself.”
“He’s not a normal child, Dear,” Susan argued.
“I know that, Mom. But, even so, he certainly didn’t pick up this religious stuff from you and Dad or from Shawn and me.”
“Maybe we should try and forget about figuring out why he has the interest, and concentrate instead on helping him with it. I’d like to try and find him a Bible tutor or get him into a Bible study class if he’d like it. How does that sound to you?”
Kate was not prepared to drop her point so easily. “Mom, none of us attended church for years. We never talk about God or religion or Heaven or anything else like that. Then, all of a sudden, our two-year-old son becomes fixated on God and the Bible. I guess I just need to have some idea of why that is.”
“Have you asked Brian?” her mother inquired.
“Yes, Mom. When he first started asking questions at home, I asked him why he was so interested in God. He told me it’s just part of understanding about life. It gave me the chills.”
Susan commented, “You have to start thinking of Brian as if he were a child of six or seven. Maybe even that’s conservative. Maybe Brian is so far advanced for his age that questions about God and life are to be expected. I haven’t found any books that document children as remarkably gifted as Brian. Who are we to question him?”
“Maybe you’re right, Mom. He just amazes me more and more each day.”
“Then how do you feel about the Bible studies?”
“Well I can’t picture sending a two-year-old to a Bible studies class,” she told her mother. “Maybe a tutor would be better.”
“Then you give it your blessing?” Susan asked.
“How much do you think it will cost, Mom?”
“Never mind about that. I’ll cover the cost. It’s my pleasure, and I know you and Shawn really can’t afford it.”
“You’re a doll, Mom.”
“I’ll call around tomorrow and see if I can find somebody,” Susan promised. “I think I’ll check first with our old church. The Pastor will probably give me a piece of his mind first, but he should be able to help.”
“I appreciate it, Mom. You spoil Brian even worse than I do.”
“You know, it might not be a bad idea for all of us to get a little more religion in our lives. Brian would probably appreciate going to church on Sundays.”
“I’m not sure if Shawn would go along with it,” Kate confided. “You know, Mom, I’m thinking it might be a good idea to ask Brian about this tutoring thing before you pursue it. It’s easy to forget he’s capable of making these decisions by himself.”
“Good idea,” her mother agreed.
Kate called to Brian in the family room and asked him to come into the kitchen. He appeared a few seconds later.
“Are we leaving now?” he asked.
“In a few minutes, honey,” Kate replied. “Mom-Mom and I were just discussing the possibility of trying to locate a Bible study tutor for you. We see how interested you are in God and the Bible, and we wanted to help. It’s up to you.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Brian’s eyes lit up and he said, “That would be terrific!”
.....
Susan made a call the next morning and the church gave her the name of a Bible study group coordinator. He was an elderly, retired gentleman who was quite interested in picking up a few dollars on the side. They arranged for him to meet at Susan’s house early that afternoon.
“Elmer Flint at your service, Ma’am,” he greeted as she opened the front door.
“Please come in, Elmer,” she offered. “I’m Susan. Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise, I’m sure.”
She led him into the kitchen and he accepted a glass of iced tea while they spoke.
“My grandson is a genius, Elmer,” she began. “Not just a genius, but a two-year-old prodigy who acts and speaks like a child many times his age. He’s very interested in the Bible and asks me questions all the time that are far above me.” She paused to look for a reaction.
“Please go on,” Elmer urged.
She told him about Brian’s background and his unique gift. She warned him that it would feel quite unusual to deal with such a small child as precocious as Brian. When he expressed an interest in taking the assignment, Susan brought Brian in so the two could see if they liked one another.
“So I understand that you have a real interest in the Bible, Brian,” Elmer began. “Any special area?”
“Mostly Genesis,” Brian informed. “I really want to understand exactly what God did in the beginning.”
“You mean Adam and Eve?”
“Yes, but a lot more than that,” Brian explained. “I really want to know all about the things God told people and what God meant by it all.”
“Well, son, that’s a tall order. I’m not sure that anyone can say for certain what God meant by all His words and deeds.” Elmer expected a sign of disappointment from Brian, but it didn’t happen.
Brian smiled knowingly and replied, “That’s exactly why I need to talk about it with someone. I want to see if the Bible’s really accurate or not.”
To say that Elmer was surprised hardly described it. He was totally fascinated by Brian. “You sound like you want to talk about interpretation of the Bible.”
Brian nodded and added, “Interpretation as well as just understanding all the things that happened.”
“In Genesis?” asked Elmer.
“To start with. Maybe more later, but Genesis covers most of the things I want to know right now. Do you know that stuff real well?”
Now it was Elmer’s turn to smile knowingly. “I’ve debated the meaning of the Bible for over forty years, son. Do you want to try me out on something now?”
“No. I believe you. I’m not trying to test you or anything. I just want to understand better; that’s all.”
They talked for a few more minutes before Susan asked Brian to give them a few minutes alone.
“What do you think, Elmer?”
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” he confessed. “Brian is absolutely amazing. Do you think he may have the calling?”
“Are you serious?” she answered. “I hardly think that... that... Well, I never even thought about anything like.... like a calling.” She considered it for a moment and then added, “Do you want the job, Elmer?”
“I wouldn’t pass up this opportunity for the world,” he declared.
The two of them worked out the terms and shook hands on the deal. Elmer said good-bye to Brian on the way out. Just before Susan closed the door behind him, he turned back and commented, “I may be more excited about this than Brian is.”
.....
Brian’s Bible lessons were twice a week. Elmer was the perfect choice. Brian and he became very close. They debated point after point and soon even Susan began to take an interest and active part in the discussions.
Elmer became convinced that Brian had a calling to serve God. He didn’t say anything to Brian because it wasn’t his place to do so. But he spoke privately to Susan about it one afternoon.
“The child has wisdom well beyond his years, Susan. You can’t argue that, can you?”
“I agree, but that doesn’t mean God has chosen him for anything,” she insisted.
“I’ve argued the Bible with Bishops and theologians alike. I’ve never seen anyone as perceptive as this child. He even seems to understand the metaphors and paradoxes. This child could probably teach me a thing or two. That’s what I see as a true calling.”
“His name is Brian! I wish you wouldn’t call him ‘this child’, Elmer. It makes him seem mystical.”
“Indeed it does,” he agreed. “Mystical is an understatement.”
The discussion ended with Susan’s insistence that Elmer simply stick to the job at hand. She was very congenial but, nevertheless, forceful about it. Elmer didn’t bring it up again.
After about four months of lessons, Brian began to act strangely. He was quieter than normal and almost seemed depressed after each lesson. Susan approached him during one of these moods and asked about it.
“I don’t know exactly what it is,” Brian tried to explain. “I feel sad after the lessons.”
“Do you want to stop them?” Susan asked.
“No!” he exclaimed. “I love the lessons. They just make me feel a little guilty.”
“Guilty about what?”
“About knowing all the things that I know,” he answered.
.....
It was obvious to Brian that Mom-Mom didn’t understand the guilt that he was talking about, and that it would be impossible for him to explain without revealing his secret. He just dropped the subject and she didn’t pursue it any further.
Brian was beginning to face a crisis that most people never face before their adolescence. He had to decide what he wanted to do with his life. He was so enchanted by God’s wisdom. He knew that he must never reveal some of the details of his secret, but the message of eternal life seemed to be something that God would surely want mankind to know.
Brian had been thinking about the issue a lot lately. He rationalized that God couldn’t get the message through directly to mankind because of the conduits. There was just no way for God to communicate it directly to mankind any more. Only cleansed souls could pass through the conduit.
And that was the crux of his guilt, also. He thought that he probably shouldn’t have gone through the conduit without waiting to be cleansed. But he didn’t think of it as sinning or defying God. He had simply done what the others did.....
.....The others! He wondered where they were and what they were doing. Did they feel the same wonderful way he did about life and God?
Brian gave serious thought to the matter of teaching the people of the world the glorious truth about God. As he studied the Bible in greater depth, it became clearer to him. After all, it was really all in there, wasn’t it? He knew that somewhere along the line people had begun to misinterpret what God meant. He could see how easy a mistake that might be to make. The Bible was so full of riddles and mysteries and paradoxes. Having learned first-hand what the truth really was, it was easy for him to see how man had misinterpreted it all.
Someone had to bring God’s message to the people! Why not him?
2
At Brian’s insistence, Kate and Susan began taking Brian to church when he turned three. He had continued his Bible training with Elmer, and he had become quite the authority, at least compared to most of the other churchgoers. Neither Shawn nor Gramps wanted to go to church, but they didn’t object to their wives going. Brian’s sister Allison went the first time, but she declined after that and nobody forced her.
On his fourth or fifth visit to church, there was an occasion for Brian to talk to the Pastor outside following the service. Brian was quite pleased that the Pastor knew him.
“I hear from Elmer Flint that you’re quite the Bible student, young man.”
“Thank you, Pastor,” he replied politely.
“What interests you the most?” Pastor Merrick queried.
“The whole story of the serpent in the Garden of Eden,” he told him.
“Oh, do you understand how that relates to Original Sin?” the Pastor asked.
“Oh, that’s not the part I’m interested in, Pastor,” he explained. “I’m more interested in how God decided that man wasn’t ready to deal with the truth about souls.”
This piqued Pastor Merrick’s interest. “And what is the truth about souls?”
Brian proudly proclaimed, “Souls only get to celebrate the true glory of God for a brief instance before they return to the Kingdom.”
“I’m not really certain what you mean, young man. But it sounds like we should sit down and talk about it,” he suggested.
“When?” Brian anxiously asked.
“Oh, we’ll see. Perhaps when my schedule isn’t so full.”
Brian knew immediately that it was a hollow promise. But instead of resenting the way Pastor Merrick patronized him, Brian saw it as further evidence of the necessity to let the truth be known. He couldn’t really blame the Pastor. After all, he only knew things the way men before him had interpreted them. Brian would be able to set them all straight.
At the next Bible session, Elmer told Brian that the Pastor had questioned him that week about what kind of things Elmer was filling Brian’s head with.
“Brian, you must learn to understand the way in which some people resist change,” he warned. “Pastor Merrick is quite a good man, but he is set in his ways. The types of discussions that you and I routinely have would probably cause the man’s heart to stop.”
“Well, shouldn’t he know the truth?” Brian questioned.
“The truth is an elusive thing, especially when it involves the concept of faith,” he explained. “You see, in religion man must take other people’s word for things. When you tell someone that the truth is something different from what they believed all their lives, they aren’t very likely to just take your word for it.”
“But you said they took other people’s word for it,” Brian noted.
“Ah, yes! But if I told you right now that I could fly, wouldn’t you doubt me?”
“Sure,” Brian agreed. “I’d make you prove it.” Brian understood the point that Elmer was making. “Then how can I make people believe me?”
“Believe what, Brian?”
“That I know the truth,” he answered.
“Am I missing something, Brian?” Elmer questioned. “Our discussions and studies are all just debate and speculation. None of us can say for certain what the absolute truth is.”
“Elmer,” Brian pleaded, “I do know the truth!”
“What are you talking about, son?”
Brian knew he couldn’t give his secret away, but he just had to make Elmer believe him somehow. He decided to tell a little white lie.
“God spoke to me, Elmer.”
The expression on Elmer’s face changed instantly. “What do you mean, Brian?”
The lie grew a little as Brian explained, “God spoke to me in dreams when I was very little. He told me the truth and asked me to tell the world.”
Elmer’s face went ashen. He was speechless. Brian saw Elmer’s reaction and decided that now was not the appropriate time to debate the issue.
“Elmer,” Brian said. “I’m just testing you. We should talk about this some other time. Please don’t be afraid. Maybe I’m telling the truth and maybe I’m not. We can debate it another time and see who wins, okay?” He carefully threw in a slight laugh after the statement.
Elmer was relieved. He had thought for just a slight moment that Brian was serious.
Brian was relieved. He had planted the seed.
.....
It was clear to Brian that there was danger in proceeding along the lines he had started. The message he was compelled to deliver to mankind could wait a while. The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that a three-year-old would never be taken seriously. If he tried to convey the message too early in his life, he risked the chance that he might blow it and never again have the opportunity to be believed.
He knew he had to conjure up a story that would explain how he obtained his knowledge, yet he couldn’t reveal the true secret. Or could he? He thought about telling the truth, but that would certainly defy God’s will. He had already committed an atrocious act of defiance in going through the conduit uncleansed. He didn’t want to complicate matters.
He spent a lot of time trying to make sense of everything that he learned from Oren. In Brian’s mind, his Bible studies with Elmer all focused around comparing the Bible with Oren’s explanations of how things really were. The more he concentrated on Oren’s words, the more he began to understand.
He remembered Oren telling him that God knew goodness would only flourish if man believed that goodness was God’s way. And God knew that man had to believe that salvation came only to those who believed in God. That was a pretty profound thought to Brian. It was such a wonderfully simple plan. God’s wisdom was certainly astounding!
But there was more that Oren taught him. God didn’t want man to know that evil souls would also be cleansed and reborn. That knowledge was forbidden! Brian easily understood why God insisted that man be forbidden to know that fact. How else could evil be suppressed?
Then Brian thought about the paradox of eternal life, Heaven and the Kingdom of God. Brian felt so fortunate and blessed to be possibly the only soul in the world to know God’s secret. Then he corrected himself. There were six of them that knew. He remembered that all six of them had appeared in the giant round room. All six had the same knowledge as he did. He wondered how the other five felt. He thought about how wonderful it would be to have an opportunity for all of them to talk together.
A dreadful thought crossed Brian’s mind. It was so scary that he wanted to dismiss it immediately. But he couldn’t just dismiss it. He remembered how scared he was of the void in the center of the Processing chamber when he first saw it. And he remembered how his fear dissolved as Oren spoke of its wonderful purpose. Brian imagined what would happen if he were to die and his soul were to enter that chamber again. He was almost certain that nothing could stop him from lunging into the void if he wanted to, returning to earth uncleansed again. Uncleansed again! And maybe again and again and again.....
The thought was staggering to him. Would he even want to come back again uncleansed? What a temptation it would be. He pondered the whole concept and decided that he would probably not even want the burden of that knowledge in a future life. But he also wondered how astoundingly powerful a soul might become if it returned to earth lifetime after lifetime without ever being cleansed.
At once, the story of Eve and the serpent entered his mind; Genesis, Chapter three. Brian remembered Oren’s words about the fruit of the tree of life. It all became crystal clear that instant. A soul returning uncleansed time and again could indeed come to have immeasurable power. The power of God? Is that what God meant?
There were six of them that had the knowledge of how to defy God’s will. Brian couldn’t shake the thought from his mind. The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that none of them would want to perpetuate this tremendous burden upon themselves. And it was quite a burden indeed! Brian suddenly understood the enormous truth of the saying ‘ignorance is bliss’.
Brian thought it through very carefully and decided that it would be highly unlikely that any of the six would even consider violating the will of God again. Like himself, they would feel awesome guilt in this present life. But still, as unlikely as it might be, there was always that one-in-a-million possibility. He thought about it for quite a while, but ultimately dismissed the possibility as being just too absurd.
He reconsidered his own decision to spread the truth about eternal life. He carefully analyzed the effect of the knowledge he would be imparting to mankind. He had to be certain that it wouldn’t jeopardize God’s plan to assure that goodness would prevail against evil. He spent days thinking things through as carefully as he could. Finally, Brian decided he must spread the word, but he must never disclose the way in which the cleansing occurred nor the way the souls returned to earth. It all seemed so simple. He was certain in his mind that he was serving God.
3
Brian continued his Bible studies with Elmer, but never again professed to know the truth. He joined the church’s Sunday Bible classes when he was four, never letting on to the other children just how much more advanced he was than they. He pretended to learn about the Bible from that point forward. This made it much more believable that he was inspired to learn rather than being born with prior knowledge. He knew he had to be careful about protecting that secret.
His interest in religion and his keen mind for learning made him a favorite subject of Pastor Merrick’s sermons. When Brian turned five, the Pastor sometimes brought him up before the whole congregation to display his unusual knowledge and understanding of the Bible. Brian felt proud and exhilarated by these opportunities to speak to large groups of people about religion and God. Kate and Susan beamed every time Brian was chosen to come to the pulpit. Neither of them had ever seen anything like it before.
Brian’s development from age three onward had been only slightly above normal. He deliberately saw to it that he didn’t cause any undue suspicion by appearing to learn too much faster than his peers. The only areas where he allowed himself to openly shine were religion and Bible studies. That fit his ultimate plans perfectly.
.....
Elmer and Brian became best friends. Shortly after Brian turned four, Elmer refused to take money for the tutoring. Brian’s enthusiasm and brilliance served to rejuvenate him. Elmer was more convinced than ever that Brian had the calling, and more determined than ever to encourage Brian to choose that path. After a while, Elmer began to believe that he himself had been chosen by God to be Brian’s mentor. It gave him a sense of purpose and direction more glorious than anything he had ever experienced.
It was around the time of Brian’s sixth birthday that Elmer asked for permission to bring Brian to a weekend revival meeting scheduled in the area by TV evangelist Jimmy Bottoms. Elmer explained to Susan and Kate that he wanted to expose Brian to this type of thing as part of Brian’s continuing theology education. He assured them it wasn’t in any way an endorsement of Reverend Jimmy’s beliefs, but purely for academic purposes. Brian told them that he would enjoy the opportunity and shared Elmer’s academic view of the experience. Kate and Susan talked it over and gave Elmer permission to take Brian to a Saturday afternoon session. Elmer went out that same day and purchased the tickets with his own money, a substantial gift considering that tickets were $50.00 per person.
On the day of the revival meeting, Elmer picked Brian up around noon. The two of them drove out to a suburb where an enormous tent was pitched. It was almost the size of a circus tent, and Brian was amazed at the huge crowd that Reverend Jimmy Bottoms could attract. Brian had never heard of the Reverend, mainly because he hardly watched television at all. As they filed into the tent, Brian tried to count the number of seats. He lost count at something over six hundred. He saw that all the seats got filled, and people started standing up in the rear of the tent and in the aisles between the clusters of seats.
Directly in front of them was a huge six-foot high platform with a flight of stairs at each side and one directly in the center. There was a choir, an organist, and an enormous sculpture of Jesus on the cross. Bright spotlights flooded the entire stage area. As the meeting was about to start, the lights flickered on and off and everyone got quiet.
The organ music started, and then the choir began to sing a hymn. There was a thunderous roar of applause as Reverend Jimmy Bottoms appeared on stage singing and dancing to the music. He was wearing a stunning white suit as shiny as silk, and he carried a microphone in his right hand and a Bible in his left. He sang into the mike every now and then in accompaniment with the choir, and he coaxed the audience to join in. It was such a powerful entrance that Brian actually got goose bumps.
After the hymn, everything got quiet and the Reverend began the meeting. He spoke of the Glory of Jesus and the love that God had for mankind. He praised the Lord and repeatedly screamed ‘hallelujah’, each time echoed by a large contingency in the audience. When Reverend Jimmy began to preach his sermon, the audience became so quiet that Brian couldn’t even detect a distant cough or sneeze. He had never witnessed anything so spell-binding.
The entire meeting took two hours. Brian was fascinated by every aspect of it. He couldn’t believe the power that Reverend Jimmy commanded. People begged to come up on stage and be touched by the Reverend’s healing hands. Some threw down their crutches and some straightened their crooked bodies the moment after Jimmy touched them. Others rejoiced in their relief from the horrible hidden pain they professed to feel before he touched them.
At a point near the end, hoards of followers circulated among the audience and Brian watched in disbelief as thousands upon thousands of dollars were thrown into large golden collection plates. When it was over, Elmer and Brian stayed back while the tent emptied out.
“What did you think, Brian?” Elmer inquired.
“He’s a lot more exciting than Pastor Merrick,” Brian observed. “And I can’t believe how much the people loved him.”
Brian reflected on a far distant childhood memory of little Ray Williams and his parents in a tent much like this one. He remembered the sound of Gospel singers and hands clapping to lively songs he didn’t recognize. Brian had to tear himself from the memory before his eyes overflowed with tears of nostalgia.
Elmer’s voice helped distract him. “It’s what they call spellbinding,” Elmer explained. “It’s a rare gift that some people have.”
Brian asked, “How does he help all those people with just a touch of his hands?”
Elmer looked at Brian for a few seconds before speaking. “How do you think he did that?”
“I didn’t really believe it all,” Brian confessed. “Maybe some of the people wanted so hard to believe in him that they helped themselves.”
“Do you think he has the help of God?” asked Elmer.
“No way,” stated Brian with an uncanny certainty. “That wasn’t God healing those people.”
“How do you know?” Elmer inquired.
“I just do,” replied Brian, not wishing to divulge his secret knowledge that God doesn’t directly oversee things on earth.
“Would you like to meet the Reverend?” Elmer asked.
“Gosh, I don’t know. Do you think I could?”
“No harm in trying, is there?”
They walked around the stage to a small group of people talking to the Reverend. As they approached, the Reverend himself gestured for the others to be quiet and he asked, “Can I help you, my brothers?”
“I’m Elmer Flint and this is Brian Murphy, Reverend.”
They shook hands briskly and Brian said, “It was very nice to see you, sir. You know a lot about the Bible.”
“Son, the Good Book is the key to a healthy, happy and prosperous life. You’ve got to read it and live by it.”
Elmer injected, “Brian here is one of the best informed Bible scholars I’ve ever taught.” He hoped he could pique the Reverend’s interest, and he added, “He sure is an expert on the book of Genesis. I’ve never met anyone that has a better understanding of it.”
It worked!
“Is that so, young man?” Reverend Jimmy queried.
Brian lowered his head in a gesture of humility and answered, “I know a lot about it, but I believe people misunderstand most of it.”
“Is that what you learned from your teacher, here?” he asked gesturing toward Elmer.
Elmer just stood back, smiled, and let Brian do the rest.
“No, sir! Elmer believes like most people do, but I disagree. We discuss it all the time and Elmer helps me to understand all the metaphors.”
Reverend Jimmy raised his eyebrows. “So you think God’s story may have gotten a little distorted in the telling, Brian?”
“That’s a good way to put it, sir. But you probably don’t want to hear what I think. You’d probably just laugh at me,” Brian baited. “I’m just a child. What could I know about the enigmas and paradoxes and metaphors?”
Brian smiled inside. Reverend Jimmy was quite interested in hearing more of what Brian had to say. He looked from Brian to Elmer.
“You’re the boy’s Bible teacher, you say? Are you related to the boy?”
“No,” Elmer responded. “Just his friend.”
“Well, Elmer, maybe you and the boy could come over to my trailer and have a brief talk. Do you have a few minutes?”
Elmer looked down at Brian and caught his nod. “That sounds very nice, thank you,” agreed Elmer.
The three of them sat in the trailer and talked for over an hour. Reverend Jimmy quizzed Brian and listened to his interpretations. He challenged them point by point and listened to Brian’s rebuttals. Elmer just sat back watching and listening. He was quite pleased with the Reverend’s reactions to Brian’s arguments and hypotheses. When the Reverend was forced to end the meeting because of time constraints, he got Elmer’s and Brian’s names, addresses and phone numbers.
“I’ve got another meeting to do,” he explained. “It is my firm intention to get back with the two of you in the near future.”
.....
“What do you think about the Reverend?” Elmer asked on the ride home.
“He was very interesting,” Brian admitted. “Did you say that millions of people watch him on TV?”
“Yes I did.”
Brian asked, “Do you suppose he was really interested in my ideas, Elmer? Maybe he was just being courteous.”
“I think he liked having the debate with you, Brian,” Elmer speculated. “But I think he was also impressed with the fact that you know so much for such a young boy. The Reverend is what you might call a marketing man.”
“What are you saying, Elmer?”
“I think you know exactly what I’m saying, Brian. Reverend Jimmy Bottoms is a very high profile person. The TV and newspaper folks stick to him like white on rice. He’s got a following all over the country. Now doesn’t that interest you, Brian? The truth, please!”
Brian looked at Elmer suspiciously. “It interests me a little,” Brian confessed.
.....
That evening Brian went up to his room after dinner and thought about things. He wondered if he was ready to bring his message to the people. Reverend Bottoms really seemed interested in him. Brian was fairly confident that the Reverend would be in touch with him again. What should he do?
On the one hand, Brian knew the Reverend’s interest was only because of the mass appeal a little boy could bring to the show, and that Brian would probably be strongly censored. On the other hand, if Brian could gain some notoriety, it could get him the opportunity later to tell the real truth.
He wondered what his parents and grandparents would have to say about it. But then he realized he was jumping the gun. He had no reason to get his hopes up too high. Maybe Reverend Jimmy Bottoms would just tear up the sheet of paper with the names and numbers and forget all about them forever. Brian had to face facts. He was just starting Kindergarten and he had his whole life ahead of him to look forward to the opportunity to bring God’s truth to the people.
One thing that Brian learned that afternoon would stick with him for the rest of his life, though. A person can only get his message to the people if he commands media attention. From that afternoon forward, Brian Murphy would have to learn how to catch the public’s eye.
