The Virtual Pew Daily

Thursday, December 4, 2014

A Christmas Story, Chapter 8, Going To Church

The following is Chapter 8 of A Christmas Story by Mike Furches. You can see the preceding prologue and Chapters in the archives or links section of this page. This story is copyrighted by Mike Furches and intent to publish in book form in 2015. This is the variation prior to final edit prior to publication.

CHAPTER 8

GOING TO CHURCH?

by: Mike Furches

James knew there were adjustments he had to make, getting ready for church this Sunday morning was one of them but he didn't know if it would compare to the changes of the last week or not. He had enrolled at Owasso High School, one of the largest in the state of Oklahoma and adjusting to his new classes. Due to the aircraft industry in the area, predominantly American Airlines there was a new influx of Blacks into the Owasso community. There were few outside of some of his teachers that knew of James' situation. He was fitting in although Owasso High School was different than his previous school Booker T. Washington in North Tulsa.

James was sharing a room in the Hamm home with his new roommate, Sammy. While he hadn't been around a White kid as much as Sammy before, the two of them were getting along fine outside of the "faith stuff." Sammy focused what seemed to be a lot of attention on things like prayer, reading his bible and church activities. The two of them were able to find enough common ground to develop a friendship in a short period of time. Sammy was even looking at involving James in some of the Summer wrestling already going on. With his strength Sammy thought James would be a natural for Greco Roman wrestling.

James was getting used to having the other kids around, it reminded him of his younger siblings. It helped that the Hamm's showed James their interest in his brothers and sisters and they seemed like they really were looking forward to meeting them.

Church that morning was an all together different thing for James. It had been some time since going to church with his grandparents and he had had issues with the churches he had visited since then. James came to the conclusion that he didn't care for church but he also knew it was a part of his parole requirements and conditions of staying with the Hamm's. He also knew he had an obligation to the church he was going to and working for regarding his community service requirements. It was something he had to get used to, whether he liked it or not.

As the Hamm's approached German Corner just to the north of Owasso about halfway between Owasso and Collinsville there was Discovery Bible Fellowship. It was a church that seemed a far fetch from the types of churches James attended in the past. It was a large complex, complete with a full sized basketball gym, a large sanctuary and several hundred people from all walks of life in attendance, although most of them seemed to be well to do. They drove nice cars, mostly new, and even had a parking section for motorcycles. While not everyone dressed up in suits, ties, dresses and the like, there was a fair share of those people. Most were dressed in nice casual clothes with a few in blue jeans, t-shirts and the like. James was getting used to the Hamm's wanting everyone in the family to dress nicely, not with suits and ties but with the exception of a Sunday night or Wednesday evening when blue jeans, or even shorts were allowed, the family dressed in dress casual clothing for Sunday mornings.

The Hamm's arrived early so they would go to the Sunday School and youth activities during the 9:30 hour. They would then attend the later more contemporary worship teaching church service at 10:30. Brenda, Sammy and James all attended class together on the 2nd floor to the adjourning building to the gymnasium. James was shocked as he entered the upstairs Youth Room. While he had taken a tour of the church earlier in the week, this room had been locked and he hadn't seen it.

The first thing James noticed was two pool tables, several video games including not just some stand up arcade games but also several Play Station set ups along with a Wii system. There was also a staging area complete with a band setup. There were a lot of youth his age, having fun, talking and goofing off. He recognized a few from his classes at Owasso High School so it was going to be easier than he had initially thought regarding meeting new people at church. He also noticed a snack bar complete with all kinds of refreshments. James thought he could fit in until some of the interactions started taking place.

Vince was 16 years old and had never been around Blacks. He learned all he knew from conversations with others and what he had seen on television. Vince, trying to be nice, introduced himself. "Hey Brotha, my name is Vince. Welcome to The Hangout." Vince tried to do some modified type of handshake he had seen on television, wrapping thumbs, pounding fists and snapping his fingers. It was disturbingly bothersome for James, it had to be as uncomfortable and embarrassing as it all looked.

James had seen this type of thing before, he was put off by it, the Black community wasn't all about this Hip-Hop finger wrapping, street greeting, certainly not by someone trying to fit into a situation and life they knew little about. James being under the restrictions he was though, wanting to keep his family together tried to respond accordingly, with a smile, "Hey Vince, my name is James, most people just call me Briscoe, thanks and good to meet you."

"Yeah bro, good to meet you to." Vince responded in a way that was clearly not comfortable for him but while he was inwardly wanting James to feel comfortable, not knowing the things he thought he might know just made for a very awkward moment for James. It was clear to James in fact, that Vince didn't seem like much more than a Marshall Mathers wannabe.

Later that morning after church James had a responsibility to start cleaning the church which was a part of his probation requirements. He had to volunteer for so many community service hours at church. He was only scheduled for up to 4 hours on Sunday. He could do his other hours on other days through the week but tried to get those 4 hours in each Sunday afternoon. It was normally a weekend day he got to spend time with his brothers and sister who stayed at the home of Sergeant Jackson on weekends. On this particular Sunday he was given a walk through the church by Charlie and Sammy.

The walk through and instruction to the things around the church needing to be done and pointed out were things Charlie and Sammy didn't mind. It was a chance to spend 1 on 1 time with James and talk about various things. The Sunday afternoon walk through later turned to a time alone with James for either Charlie or Sammy, it also became a time where James asked questions and sought wisdom regarding spiritual things. Normally those conversations were centered around either the teachings during the youth times that morning or the sermon by Pastor Steve.

As Charlie, Sammy and James were doing the walk through at church Charlie could tell that James was reserved. He asked James, "So James what are your thoughts after your first church service here at Discovery?"

James didn't trust others at this point, it was doubtful if he would ever get to the point of trusting others so he responded in a cautionary way, "It was okay I guess, it was certainly different."

"How was it different?" Charlie asked, as Sammy was walking along with them but holding back from the conversation.

"I don't know, I guess that maybe out of all of the people here, I was one of only a few Blacks. It was also different than the others churches I have been to." James responded.

"Yeah I can understand that but we really are all the same, I mean God loves us the same despite the color of our skin and all, right?" Charlie asked.

James was kind of put off by the response, he thought to himself, 'Did he really just ignore what I said about being one of the only Blacks here? I mean seriously he doesn't even get a clue does he?' While James thought that, after a brief pause and remaining silent, he knew the importance of being careful in these situations. He had been hurt before by those who said their intentions were good, "Yeah I guess so," was all he said as he answered Charlie.

James had seen churches at work in the past. He knew of the hypocrisy of those in the churches he had been to or those who had tried to help who said they were Christians. James had no reason to think Discover Bible Fellowship would be any different, after all it was mostly all rich White people. He hadn't seen any efforts at this point from the people in the church other than the Hamm's and Detective Hay but he wasn't even sure as to their intentions. James was still cautious of opening up to them and they had helped him, he sure wasn't going to open up that much to people at a church he had just met and his opinions would be based off of his past experiences. James knew that at this point, one of the only ones he could relate to was Sergeant Jackson. He was a Black guy who understood most of the issues Black teens were going through, at least that was the assumption James made based on the single point that Sergeant Jackson was Black.

Sammy spoke up trying to ease James by changing the subject, "Hey this next week the youth group is going to go play laser tag. Do you want to go?"

"I doubt it, I don't have the money and it is the only time I have with my brothers and sisters. After working through the week to pay everything back and then doing my school work I just won't have that much time to do anything else." James responded while biting his lip and holding back his thoughts of, 'come on many don't you know it is the only time with my family, I don't have the time to do all of this play stuff.' He was shocked at Sammy's response.

"Hey I wasn't thinking of you not spending time with your brothers and sister. The laser tag place also has an arcade. I think your older brothers would for sure enjoy it and my mom and Brenda along with some of the other girls in the group could spend some time with your sister playing games and all if she didn't want to play laser tag. I also think Sergeant Jackson and his wife would love to come hang out, he is pretty good at laser tag." Sammy responded.

Before James could respond, Charlie jumped in, "Yeah, and as to the money, you are living with us through all of this, it is a part of our responsibility in caring for you and we would want you to also have some fun, so we will pay for it, any other cost will fall on Sergeant Jackson who would love to take out your brothers and sister. Let's do it, besides it will be easier to do this and take care of the cost, plus allow you to hang out with some of the youth group while at the same time, providing a fun opportunity for your brothers and sister. Plus, look at it this way, time on a church activity can count towards your community service obligations and requirements, can't find a much easier way to knock of a few hours from that if you ask me."

James had mixed feelings, while he wasn't excited about spending time around all of the White kids, doing White kid things, he also knew his brothers and sister would love the opportunity to go out and have some fun. He also knew Charlie was right, it would be a good way to knock off some of those community service hours. After a few seconds he responded, "Okay, let's do it, sounds like fun and if I can still work, knock off some of those community service hours plus get to spend time with my brothers and sister all at the same time, then I guess I can do it."

"Sounds great!" Sammy responded.

"Yeah, sounds like you and your brothers and sister will have a great time, it will also be a chance to see how good of a shot Sergeant Jackson is." Charlie responded.

"Come on dad, he'll take you out in a heartbeat, you have a hard enough time with me playing against you, there is no way a good Mennonite like you can outshoot a trained police officer." Sammy responded

Everyone laughed, including James. After completing the four hours cleaning up the church Detective Hay came to pick James up and take him to Sergeant Jackson's home to spend the rest of the evening with his brothers and sister. This became a regular routine; spend the weekends with Sergeant Jackson with Detective Hay picking him up for church on Sunday morning, taking him back to Sergeant Jackson's after the work shift to spend another 3 or 4 hours with his brothers and sister prior to them going back to their temporary foster homes. James could see people going out of their way to help him but that didn't make it comfortable for him. He was still a proud, young Black man as far as he was concerned. He had questions about some things he heard in church that morning, things better discussed with another Black man who understood the ways of the Black community better than the ways of rich White people.

*******

Sergeant Jackson took James brothers, Charlie and Buddy, along with his sister Barb to the foster homes they were staying at. He was now sitting on the couch watching television with James. "So tell me about today and church." Mike asked.

"I don't know." James responded, "I mean I wonder, is everyone doing all the things they are doing because it is a way for them to get saved or something? I mean seriously, do they get it? Do they even understand what poor people and people like us have to go through?"

"I'm not so sure I understand your question when you say people like us? I don't think I am poor or anything but are you talking about Blacks when you talk about 'people like us'" Sergeant Jackson asked.

"Yeah, I guess that is what I am talking about, I mean they have their White Jesus they worship, they talk about doing the things they do, at least it sure seemed like it this morning. Pastor Steve spoke about acts of service, helping the poor, things like that, it just makes me wonder if the way they think you get salvation is by doing good stuff or something." James responded with some reservation but opening up more than usual because he thought he could relate to Sergeant Jackson based solely on the color of his skin.

"I am sure it was a little uncomfortable in a church like that for you this morning, even after attending churches in the past with your grandparents, I would assume they were mainly Black churches, is that right?" Mike asked.

"Well you know what they say about assuming?" James joked, "But yeah you are right, what little I went to church they were always Black churches and they were a lot different than the one I went to this morning. I mean it seems like there was more good times in the Black churches and I liked the music a lot better, I love the mixture of Gospel and Blues. I know people talk a good game at church but do very little to practice their faith away from the church. I would assume, yeah I know what I said about that, but I would assume this church probably isn't any different in that regard from any other church I have gone to in the past." James said, now expressing more of his true feelings than he anticipated doing for himself.

"That's interesting," Mike said showing some interest, "I think the concept of focusing on salvation and respect from God coming from the doing and not understanding the importance of serving and loving is something most churches do. I agree with you on that point. I don't think that is what we should be looking at though and I think a good pastor will focus on something else entirely, it all depends I guess on how one presents it and what the focus is on by the person doing the talking and sharing."

James, interested in what Sergeant Jackson was saying asked, "What do you mean? What should the focus be on, the stuff people are doing or what? I mean if it is, it sure seems like a lot of folks are missing it."

Mike responded, "Yeah you got that part about a lot of people missing it right. They are! I think a lot of people focus just on what you are talking about, they think we can get salvation by the things we do and they put an emphasis on the things and not the person. Because of that, those around us see their screw ups and mistakes all of the time. You see salvation isn't about anything we do really because we as people are so imperfect and God knows that. It is really about accepting and understanding, looking at if you will, who Jesus was and what He did and then receiving Him into our lives where we can have a personal relationship with Him."

"You mean the White dude we see the pictures of hanging on the cross?" James asked with a touch of sarcasm.

"Now there you go making assumptions again!" Mike said while laughing, "But think about it, yeah a lot of people get it wrong, even Blacks, because of our pain from the past and our hatred of the many things that hurt us over the years we also assume that Jesus was that White dude in the pictures. The truth is, Jesus was more olive skinned, kind of a cross between White and Black if you will, but definitely not White or Black. The thing is we shouldn't let our own prejudices stop us from seeing who Jesus really was and loving Him. After all, He did all He did for everyone not just a few. He left Heaven to be born in a manger, it is what we celebrate at Christmas."

"Come on now Sergeant Jackson, we just had Easter, let's not jump to Christmas so quickly." James responded with a bit of attitude.

Mike was laughing, "Hey now while we are at home, you call me Mike. When I am at work then I am Sergeant Jackson, but get this, you can't have Easter without Christmas, and yes, we did just celebrate Easter which is about the resurrection of Jesus from the dead prior to going back to Heaven. That said, also understand, the story of Christmas may start with the manger, which is really a nice word for a feeding troth that is used on farms and so forth but Christmas really ends with the cross where Jesus showed us that He loved us so much that He was willing to die on the cross for us. I believe, Jesus is the Son of God and He loved us so much that it just like the Bible says, 'For God loved the world so much that He sent His one and only son to die for us, so that whoever, Red, Yellow, Black, White or any mixture between, believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. In other words, the salvation that has been provided for all of us comes from Jesus, not Christians or the church. It is why we have to be careful when judging Christianity based on what we see Christians and/or the church doing. It is certain that the church and Christians are going to fail, therefore, instead of looking at them, look to Jesus, no other, but Jesus. If making an evaluation on what is and isn't real when it comes to issues around faith and Christianity He is our example, far more so than people or institutions. Now there is obviously more to it than this, but I believe this is the jest of it."

"Sergeant Jackson, do you really believe all of that?" James asked.

Mike responded, "You bet I do, remember I grew up Black, living as hard a life as anyone in North Tulsa. I have never really tried to be anyone other than who I am. Heck James, I grew up not far from where you lived when you got into all of that trouble, I am a graduate of Booker T. Washington, played ball for them and love my alma mater. I know times are changing though for the Black community, while not nearly fast enough, they are still a changing and we can't forget about that progress. There are a lot of Whites and Blacks that are working together now but also remember it was a Reverend that helped facilitate this working together thing. You may have heard of him, his name was the Reverend Martin Luther King Junior. Let's not forget all kinds of people have been and are working together to overcome the injustices of the world. Let's also remember, it was a Pastor who helped get this started in recent history, before that, it was the Quakers and yes, even Mennonites like the church the Hamm's go to that worked to overcome racial prejudice, sexual inequality and even things like Slavery way back in the day. Almost all of those were White people, not all, but they certainly were critical in motivating the Blacks to stand up for themselves and many of them, just like back during the Civil Rights of teh 50's and 60's died for our cause. While there are still a lot of people who don't understand, there are more and more who do and they are trying to learn how to improve the conditions hurting the lives of many. While there may be a lot of things they don't know, have forgotten about or have forgotten, there is progress being made by many. Of course there are those that dangerously assume they do know when in reality they don't. It is one of the reasons it is so important that we all work together. We all need to be careful of the types of prejudice we may have or exhibit at times, and that includes Black people just as much as it does those White people. Does that all make sense?"

"I don't know," James responded, "I mean I agree with you and all but you are asking for a lot of stuff for me to grasp and take in all at once, I just don't know for sure right now."

"I am just asking you to think about it. I know it is a lot to take in but remember the example of Jesus in all of this. Of course you won't know the truth or reality if you only base your opinions on what you hear, at some point you need to read the Bible to understand and see, that yes in fact, Jesus really does love you. I pray you will discover and see the Bible as I have. I don't really see it as a book of rules, although many do, but I see it as The Ultimate Love Letter and Instruction Manuel on How To Live. When you look at the things Jesus did and the lives of those who dedicated their lives to following Him, I think you will understand, you have an option to where you can be one who will either build bridges of understanding between all people to make this world a better place, or, you will be one who continues to bring about division where things continue to get worse instead of better."

Mike, then jokingly said to James, "Oh yeah, once again, don't forget, when I am out of uniform, and here in the house, I am just Mike." Mike was wearing a large smile as he finished this serious point that showed compassion to James.

"I guess it is something I will have to think about but I don't have a Bible so it will be kind of hard to read it." James stated.

"Well tell you what, I'll pick one up after work for you tomorrow. I'll get one you can understand when you read it and bring it up to you at the Hamm's if that is okay." Mike responded, smiling even more at the willingness and expression of James to read the Bible.

"That would be great Mike." James said with a smile on his face realizing that he hadn't said Sergeant Jackson.

That next day, just as promised Sergeant Jackson delivered a Bible to James at the Hamm's house. James was pleased when he opened it up after being encouraged to do so to see if he could understand it. He was also encouraged to read the passage out loud when going to it by Sergeant Jackson. As James opened it, it fell open to the passage, Acts 4:12 which read, 'Only Jesus has the power to save! His name is the only one in all the world that can save anyone.'

While they didn't say anything, Sergeant Jackson and James was wondering, 'Did God just cause that passage to fall into place like that for a reason?' They didn't say anything out loud, but inwardly, they both thought, they very may well be seeing God working in a mysterious way.

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Tuesday, December 2, 2014

A Christmas Story, Chapter 7, My How The Times Are A Changing

The following is Chapter 7 of A Christmas Story by Mike Furches. You can see the preceding prologue and Chapters in the archives or links section of this page. This story is copyrighted by Mike Furches and intent to publish in book form in 2015. This is the variation prior to final edit prior to publication.

CHAPTER 7

My How The Times Are A Changing

by: Mike Furches

Judge Sweazy was known as a tough no nonsense judge. This strapping man had learned his tough attitude from the days he wrestled at The University of Centsral Oklahoma. He wasn't much more than a wrestling partner when he was there as he was at the same weight as a future Olympic medalist and MMA Champion. He was a heck of a partner though and a real student of the sport. He learned much of his toughness by being beaten to a pulp in the practice room by a future Olympian but he worked out hard during every practice and head to head drill, giving it all he had. Judge Sweazy had learned, wrestling was more than an individual sport, it was also a team sport and helping his partner get better helped the team get better, it was a way he could contribute and he worked hard to contribute and give all he could.

After wrestling in college Judge Sweazy went on to do some assistant coaching on a small college level where he was able to finish his degree prior to going to law school. The mental toughness and hard work habits assisted him in accomplishing his goals. He took what he had learned in the practice rooms to the court room, realizing that sometimes, tough situations required tough consequences and were needed to get people to ultimately work towards their goals and aspirations to become productive citizens in society. While Judge Sweazy was a no nonsense judge, he was also a fair judge that took into consideration the situations involved around the alleged crimes of the accused who came before him.

The courtroom only had some 10 or so people sitting in it. The court docket was posted in the hallway and many of those coming to observe the various trials would come at the designated or approximate times. James Briscoe was early on the docket due to the defendant trials being listed in alphabetical order. Among the 10 or so in the court room sat, Charlie and Tayra Hamm, Detective Hay and Sergeant Jackson. The four were all sitting with each other directly behind the defendant James Briscoe. The four of them had worked with James attorney, a young public defender who had agreed to work with the prosecutors office on a plea bargain where it would be agreed that James would spend a year on strict and supervised probation, repay in full the victims of his crimes, primarily the Hamm's and spend 9 months working 24 hours a week for 9 months to pay back the victims and another 250 hours of community service at Discovery Bible Fellowship, the Hamm's and Detective Hay's home church. It was easy to get the prosecuting attorney to agree due to the circumstances of the crime, the recommendations from Detective Hay and Sergeant Jackson didn't hurt.

"Will the defendant James Briscoe please stand!" Judge Sweazy stated while looking down at the papers before him. At that point, James and his attorney stood.

"It is my understanding Mr. Briscoe that you and the prosecutors office have come to a plea agreement, is that correct?" Judge Sweazy asked.

James looked at his attorney who nodded at him, thankfully this part had been rehearsed and James knew what to expect, "Yes sir that is correct."

"Is this something that both attorney's agree to?" The judge asked.

Both the prosecuting and public defender responded with a firm, "Yes sir that is correct."

Judge Sweazy then turned his attention towards James, "Young man you find yourself in a unique situation, a situation I am not so sure will provide you the help you need. It is however the only remedy I can see at this time that may in fact help you. You can rest assured, the fact that people have worked to help you including the public defender, the family you victimized, The Hamm's, the cities prosecuting attorney and the two police officers, Detective Hay and Sergeant Jackson should not be taken lightly because it is a certainty that without this help and support you would have done a year in a juvenile detention facility. Do you understand that son?"

"Yes sir," James responded in an embarrassed tone.

"It is also my understanding that you have two brothers and a sister but your mother's whereabouts is unknown, is this correct?" The Judge asked.

Again James responded, "Yes sir."

"Are there any plans with the Family and Children's Services department to try and keep this family together in any way?" Judge Sweazy asked.

James attorney responded, "Your honor we have a letter of support that will allow James to visit his siblings on a regular basis while they are in foster care. While the children are in 2 different homes, the Hamm's and Sergeant Jackson have agreed to work together to allow weekend visits at his place of residence where he has graciously volunteered to keep the children over the weekends plus see to it that young Mr. Briscoe does the mandated community service and work he is obligated to. In this Detective Hay will also assist in the supervision at work and maintain regular check ups on young Mr. Briscoe away from his volunteer and work commitments."

"I understand Sergeant Jackson, Detective Hay and Mr. Hamm are in the court room today, please stand." Judge Sweazy stated. All three stood. "Gentlemen do you understand that once these conditions are agreed to that you are obligated by law to follow out these charges, both in the agreement with Family and Children Services and the court of Tulsa County?" Judge Sweazy asked.

Charlie, Detective Hay and Sergeant Jackson stated, "Yes sir we agree and understand."

Judge Sweazy spoke emphatically and with a point on fact attitude, "Everyone please be seated with the exception of the defendant James Briscoe." As soon as everyone was seated Judge Sweazy looked directly into the eyes of James from behind the bench, "Young man, as stated earlier you have a unique and valuable opportunity being provided you. It is one that as a judge I am glad to see people working together to help a young man who has been dealt a tough hand. Being dealt a tough hand though does not exonerate you from the crimes you have committed. You should understand the severity of violating any of the terms of conditions which have been shared with you and you have signed off on prior to this hearing. Failure to comply in any way will result in you being reprimanded over to the Tulsa County Jail immediately upon the violation of the signed agreement. At the point of violation, you will be incarcerated and sentenced immediately to a state juvenile correctional facility for a period of 1 year without parole possibilities. Do you understand all of this Mr. Briscoe?"

"Yes sir I understand." James responded.

Judge Swayze then leaned towards James from behind the bench, "Then young man, I am going to agree with and sign this agreement between the prosecutors office and your attorney. The conditions of release will also be signed in the outside corridor with the prosecutor, public defender, Mr. and Mrs. Hamm, Sergeant Jackson and Detective Hay who will also be a part of the supervision team. At that point in time it is my understanding that you are going to be living with The Hamm's as a part of the victim restitution you have offered and agreed to since you don't have any parental guardians, is that correct?"

James responded, "Yes sir that is my understanding."

"Mr. and Mrs. Hamm?" The judge asked.

As the Hamm's stood up they responded, "Yes sir that is correct."

"And the both of you have discussed this with your family and they are in agreement?" Judge Sweazy asked.

"Yes sir we have discussed everything with them and made plans accordingly and we are all in agreement." The Hamm's responded.

"Good," Judge Sweazy responded. "Son I wish you and all involved the best. You have a unique opportunity and I hope and pray it works out for you. I commend the families and officers involved for their willingness to go a step above and beyond to help this young man out. Mr. Briscoe, I don't want to see you in my court again unless on good terms. I tend to be hard at times but I also try to be fair. This is the fairest option I see for you with all that you have gone through. Without the assistance from all of these fine people involved this opportunity would have never happened and my hands would have been tied to place you in a correctional facility. May God bless you and be with you in this venture."

"Thank you sir." James responded, "I promise to do my best."

"Good," Judge Swayze responded, "I wish you the best and if there is anything I and/or this court can do to assist please contact us prior to problems arising, not after, now again young man, God bless and be with you."

"Yes Sir and again, thank you." James responded

Another hour later, after the paperwork was done, pleasantries exchanged between the prosecuting attorney, the public defender, Hamm's, Detective Hay, Sergeant Jackson and young James Briscoe. James was in the car with Charlie and Tayra heading for the Hamm's home in Owasso. He was in for a new and unexpected journey in his life, here he was, moving from North Tulsa and Turley to the Owasso suburbs. Riding along with a White married couple, listening to of all things, Garth Brooks singing I've Got Friends in Low Places. James knew there were things he was going to have to get used to, but from Usher to Garth Brooks was something he wasn't expecting to go through quite so quickly.

Thursday, November 20, 2014

A Christmas Story, Chapter 6, What Would Jesus Do?

The following is Chapter 6 of A Christmas Story by Mike Furches. You can see the preceding prologue and Chapters in the archives or links section of this page. This story is copyrighted by Mike Furches and intent to publish in book form in 2015. This is the variation prior to final edit prior to publication.

CHAPTER 6

WHAT WOULD JESUS DO

By Mike Furches

The noise around the Tulsa police station was distracting. Thankfully it wasn't the days of typewriters or it would have been worse. The keys were getting pounded by people obviously not trained in keyboarding on the computer was bad enough but the conversations taking place on the phones, the various ring tones of the cell phones, interviews and conversations. It couldn't have been any noisier at the center of Times Square in New York City on a Friday night. It was almost impossible for Charlie and Tayra to focus during the conversations with Sergeant Jackson and Detective Hay. They were meeting at this branch of the police department in Tulsa because it is where the suspect James Briscoe was being held. While the crime took place in Owasso, it was still Tulsa County and the amount taken in the theft had taken the crime from a simple breaking and entering and petty theft to a grand larceny with extenuating circumstances.

This situation the Hamm's was facing due their circumstances was different than anything they could imagine. Detective Hay and Sergeant Jackson were after all Christians. It wasn't that Christian police officers were any more dedicated to their jobs than non Christians but with Charlie and Tayra being Christians and their faith so important to them, for them, it was nice to know and convenient to speak to someone who understood their commitment due to their own commitment in a situation like they were in. Yes the family had been robbed but they took their faith seriously and knew their obligation to their faith and fellow human being went beyond what most would expect. They had seen and heard so many times from places like Facebook of others who professed faith in Christ and make comments but never took into consideration the souls of others they knew that didn't have a relationship or faith in Christ. Jesus loved those who were not his followers just as much as those who had rejected Him. Charlie, in particular, was always mystified at how one could profess Jesus, yet, display a heart that seldom forgave or loved others who were going through their own issues. It was understandable that the state and federal government had responsibilities to execute justice and to dish out punishment but everyone at the table where the Hamm's was sitting knew God had expectations for those who said they followed Jesus.

Sergeant Jackson and Detective Hay were pleased; they realized they were dealing with a case that due to the victims being Christians they could discuss their own faith openly in looking at the options regarding the consequences of the crime. Sergeant Jackson and Detective Hay were professional in their job performance but a part of their job performance was the obligation to assist the victims and see the enforcement of the law and to also see to the best interest of the victims, in this case, their friends, the Hamm's.

It seemed as if the background noise in the room got louder and louder. If it wasn't a woman crying at another detectives desk it was a man getting angry when he heard news he didn't want to hear, raising his voice and yelling about how the system didn't care about the innocent. Even though the female police officer had a gun on her hip during the questioning with the man getting more and more angry it was easy to see how uncomfortable she was with the man. You could even see her itching to unlatch the lock on the guns holster as the man was now turning red from his anger. She maintained her calm though but this, the ringtones, conversations, pounding on the computers, copy machine and ruffling of papers being wadded up and thrown into the trash, it all added up and distracted Charlie.

Finally Charlie couldn't take it anymore, " Hey, hey, hey" He said as he raised his hand with his head bowed down in frustration. "Is there any way we can go some place else to talk, this is driving me crazy and I can't think at all?"

Detective Hay and Sergeant Jackson looked at each other, smiled with Sergeant Jackson responding, "Absolutely, we are kind of used to it but if the person we are questioning asks, we are given levity to go someplace else for the questioning. Personally I love it when we get out of here. Any suggestions?"

Charlie asked, "Is there any place we shouldn't go or do we have to meet here or what?"

Sergeant Jackson was still smiling, "No we can go to just about any place you like, any thoughts or favorites?"

Charlie looking relieved said, "I'm getting kind of hungry and seems like I can always talk over a diner table, is the Corner Cafe down on Peoria and Route 66 ok?"

"Well it is a time of day we can go down and go into the back room which is usually pretty empty and talk. If it was at lunch I would say it is too busy there for confidential conversations but for now I think it would be okay. What about you Bob, what do you think?"

Detective Hay smiled, "Heck I think it would be fine, besides a good cup of coffee and one of those giant cinnamon rolls would be great. Let's go for it. If we get there and it is too busy to talk then we can find some place else." Detective Hay's smile got bigger as he followed up, "Of course if that is the case, I can get me one of those cinnamon rolls to go."
They all laughed a little as they made plans to meet at one of Tulsa's cafe landmarks on Route 66.

*******

Sergeant Jackson and Detective Hay along with the Hamm's sat at the big round corner booth near the corner of Peoria and Route 66. Detective Hay made the request of the wait staff that if possible to sit customers at least 1 booth away when coming in that he would appreciate it and leave a special tip. Of course that meant money not one of those spiritual tracts that the wait staff were often stuck with. The wait staff were understanding and since it was so slow during this time of day there was no problem. There was the occasional clanking of spoons, forks and plates as the bus boy and wait staff cleaned tables but it was much quieter here than at the station. The coffee and food made it more bearable and relaxing as well.

"So what are you guys thinking?" Detective Hay said as he wiped off a bit of icing from the corner of his mouth.

Charlie and Tayra were holding hands, not so much as an act of love but because they drew comfort from each other. They had spoken with each other and their children and knew their situation was about more than being robbed, some of the stuff was recovered but mostly gone and the person who stole from them was a minor, about the same age as their son Sammy. They also knew they had an obligation to display their faith and offer forgiveness, while at the same time understanding their obligation to see to it that justice occurred plus doing what they could to insure this type of thing didn't happen to someone else from the same person.

Charlie was hesitant to ask the question but he asked anyway, he knew he would never know if he didn't ask, "Can you tell us anything about the kid?"

"Yes please," Tayra responded, "we aren't the only ones involved in this whole thing. From what we understand the young man has had a tough life, had 2 brothers and a sister who are all now in protective care. I mean, where is the mother, what is going on?"

Sergeant Jackson responded. "While we have to be careful about what we share there is a lot more than you likely realize that we can share. The young man and his family are from Turley and the mother hasn't been seen in some time. She has a criminal history and has not been involved in her own children's lives much. She gives them her vision card or food stamps but the boy, James Briscoe, has more or less been taking care of the younger children. It appears as if he has had a few minor complaints against him but all for little things and usually in regards to some of the friends he used to hang out with. He has pretty much been on his own for the last year except for his brothers and sister. He does have a history of petty theft but no charges. It looks like this theft and some of others all happened around the holiday season. He has been pretty cooperative in giving information and the bottom line is he stole to provide for his brothers and sister, but that is still a crime."

"What type of a kid is he" Charlie asked

Sergeant Jackson responded, "I'm not sure I understand your question, do you mean what race is he, is he mean, polite, overweight? I'm not sure of what details you are asking."

"No we have seen photos and all and know his approximate age and that he is black but have you seen him to know about his mannerisms, things like that?" Charlie asked.

"Oh okay, I can respond to that." Detective Hay said. "I interviewed him a couple of times since I was the primary detective on the case. To be honest I was kind of surprised at the kid. Please now, don't take what I am going to say now wrong but I am telling you based on what I felt my spirit saying, or possibly it was God's Spirit speaking to me at the time but I felt kind of sorry for the kid, especially the 2nd time I spoke to him. He told me a bunch of things in the first interview that I am always hesitant about but this kid opened up and to be honest I have seen so many sap stories that I didn't know what to believe. After our meeting I decided to do some checking. He told me that he only took things to get the money to buy gifts for his brothers and sister. I didn't know if I should believe it but the story checked out. All of the sells to the pawn shops that we discovered checked out to be around one of the kids birthdays or a holiday, especially Christmas. The more I checked, I saw his mother had a history of drugs and prostitution and there really was no one in the kids life to care for him. His grandparents were the primary care providers until their death, just as he told me. His mother clearly has her own issues and like I said, we haven't found her, who knows if she is even still around, alive or dead."

Detective Hay was now even more serious, clearly showing there was something different about this crime. "James Briscoe is a kid who has had a tough life, yet in his own way done the best he could to keep what family he had together. I don't know if Mike or Sergeant Jackson knows if this is typical for the kids in this community or not."

Sergeant Jackson responded, "I wish it was more routine and true than not. Unfortunately this kid on the surface, despite the robbery looks like a good kid who for some reason saw value in keeping his family together the best he could."

Charlie and Tayra was listening intently, Charlie spoke up, "This just complicates things, I don't want to ruin the kid, see him pay for the rest of his life for what he was doing. Heck, it is one of those situations that if I had known about I would have tried to get our church to do something to help the family out. I really feel kind of sorry for the boy."

Sergeant Jackson jumped in, "I don't know what good it would have done, it seems as if a lot of what he did he did because he was afraid his family would be broken up. I would have tried to get our church to help in the same way but the reality is, that with 4 kids, it is highly unlikely that anyone would have taken them into foster care as a family. Despite trying to help, more people would have found out about the situation with the brothers and sisters and the family would have still been broken up and adopted out. Even right now as much as it pains me to say it, the two brothers are in one home and the sister is in another. It isn't like Family Services and SRS has the best track record in placement of children either. It isn't that they don't care but with their limited resources and not enough qualified families to place a family like this, it is just tough. Heck I have wondered when looking at this case, would I have done things any differently than him? Yeah, I don't mind telling you guys, from the time I have spent with James, investigating this case for prosecution, the kid was dealt a bad hand in life. I feel for the boy but truth is, it is rare you find a good kid in the situation he is in. Unfortunately, it may be one of those very rare cases where the situation he was in drove him to do the best he could and the system and that situation didn't help things at all for him."

"I don't have any idea what we can do" Tayra responded with her head bowed looking at the cup of coffee in front of her. "Is there anything we can do to satisfy those impacted by his other crimes which he will be charged for, plus see to it that the powers that be are satisfied. I mean is there anyway we can help the kid while at the same time holding true to our faith to love all people and to serve those in need. I can't help but think of Matthew 25, the part about visiting those in jail. Is it possible that sometimes doing what we can to prevent people from going to jail could be a part of the solution and call that God expects from us."

Tayra was tearing up, "Come on now guys, I am asking you not just as police officers. I am asking you as brothers in Christ who happen to have some knowledge of the system as police officers who have dealt with the criminal justice system in the past, is there anything we can do? I am at a loss here, I am asking for accountability and I am trying to implement the concept spoken about in Charles M. Sheldon's book In His Steps to more than just a catch phrase, I really want to know in this situation, what would Jesus do?"

Sergeant Jackson and Detective Hay looked at each other, Sergeant Jackson spoke up, "Bob you want to go with it or do you want me to?"

Detective Hay spoke up, "Let me share what we spoke about as an option Mike."

Detective Hay turned to Charlie and Tayra with a concerning look, "You both know that we can't officially tell you what to do don't you?"

"Of course I know you can't tell us what to do from a legal perspective as a police officer, but I am asking you as Brothers in Christ, do you have any suggestions or ideas, are there options?" Tayra asked, "Charlie and I have also spoken about this, we want to follow our faith and do what we believe Jesus would have us do."

"Thanks for asking and clarifying things in that way." Detective Hay said as he turned to Sergeant Jackson, "By the way Mike, I am now officially on break."
Sergeant Jackson smiled, "Yeah, I think I am going to go on break as well."

Tayra and Charlie were a little confused until Detective Hay turned towards them to clarify. "Now that I am on break I can officially speak as just a citizen, a friend and more importantly a Christian brother. Mike and I have done some research and weren't going to say anything to you but after checking into this kids background, we were praying that something like this would come up as we thought it may with your faith being so real and all."

"Are you guys familiar with the concept of victim restitution?" Detective Hay asked the Hamm's.

"I think a little." Charlie said, "Isn't that where the criminal or person doing a crime has to pay back for the things they destroyed or stole or something like that?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah, that is basically it but sometimes it can be a little more complicated." Sergeant Jackson responded.

"What do you mean by being a little more complicated?" Tayra asked with a sense of curiosity as to where the conversation was going.

"Give me some time to explain if you will," Detective Hay responded.

"Sure Bob, please do help us understand." Charlie stated.

Detective Hay looked at them, took a deep breath and started to explain, "There are some situations where the amount stolen is small, say a shoplifting charge or something like that, even a drive off from a gas station where someone gets gas, then drives off without paying for it. In some of those situations because the jails are so full the judge will have the perp pay for the court costs plus pay the victim of the crimes back their full due. Often in these situations there are small fines to pay plus a probation or something of the sort. Your guys case is somewhat different though. While James Briscoe was in a bad situation, I would go so far as to say a very difficult and unfair situation, he is still responsible for his crimes. There are several charges of petty theft that may or may not come up due to his past actions, the theft involving you guys, the fleeing and alluding from running in an attempt to capture from the police add up. It is likely in his case there could be serious and severe fines, in your case, the amount was substantially above the theft category and the crime becomes Grand Larceny, those could have easily turned into felony crimes which would have made this worse, it is now possibly a felony case. Bottom line, the Briscoe kid is looking at severe pay back restitution and fines, plus a better than 90 percent chance of doing upwards to a year in jail. His options are very limited."

Tayra hearing this jumped in with a voice of concern: "What about his brothers and sister, what will happen?"

Detective Hay responded with a reassuring smile. "Remember now to hold on, let me finish."

"Okay" Tayra responded, "Forgive me, continue on."

Detective Hay continued as Sergeant Jackson looked and listened on. "Regarding the family, I don't know what we can do for sure, that is a Family and Protective Services issue, I can say there are some things we may be able to do to at least maintain contact, and God willing, a miracle to see the family ultimately adopted out as a whole into another family. I will assure you though, it is highly unlikely that the family will see much of each other over the course of the next year without the proposal I am going to present to you going through. Are you ready to listen with open ears to our thoughts as Mike and I have already spoken about this as a possibility?"

Charlie and Tayra looked at each other, their hand grip getting tighter now, "Yes please but can we pray first?"

"Sure." Detective Hay responded.

Charlie led them in a simple but heartfelt prayer, "Father give us ears to hear what you have to say to us. Let us be the children you want us to be, help us to do what Jesus would do. In Jesus name we pray, amen. Okay talk to us," Charlie said as he grasped Tayras hands even harder, now with their fingers interlocking.

Detective Hay started to explain, "In some rare cases with victim restitution, when done at the request of the victim, the judge will allow the perp or convicted be allowed to work for the victim, sometimes, even for a duration of time, while supervised, as opposed to spending time in jail. If requested and approved, it would be possible to have him pay you back for the items he stole, thus holding him accountable, plus at the same time, you spending time with him for a duration of time that could be considered time served. In other words, he would be under your supervision with oversight by the police department. There would have to be times to check in, or in some situations the officers overseeing the situation could come by do check ups, do meetings in your home that type of thing, likely along with Family Services checking in on him. Now don't take it wrong, but if he failed to show up, failed to follow through, it is possible that he could go to jail immediately and the original time that could have been given could be given on top of everything else that he had already paid back and served. Any questions up to this point?" Detective Hay asked.

"What about the other places that he stole from, what would happen with them and their case against him if you would please?" Charlie asked.

Due to the nature of those crimes, on their own, he would likely only face a fine and restitution along with some probation. It all kind of depends on the judge though due to there being somewhat of a history here, despite the circumstances. Remember the judge is an executioner of justice and is to see to it that justice is handed out blindly. A good judge will take these things into consideration and if the right proposal is made then he will likely consider that. The last thing most judges want to do is put people in prison if they don't have to, especially people like James Briscoe, most of them still have a heart and his situation, again, with the right proposal it could impact and influence the judges decision, I suspect it would in most cases."

"So there is a chance that depending on what we do or recommend those things could be looked at in a minimal way or with less severe consequences for James?" Tayra asked

"Well sort of," Detective Hay responded, "He is still going to have to pay restitution and be held accountable for those things. If we can somehow see to it that the restitution to all parties can come about in some way, even if a restitution concept that has your family primarily involved it is likely the other victims from previous crimes won't make a fuss. Of course what you need to understand, is that in some ways, because of the crimes, your family is the one that right now, in a lot of ways holds the cards. If you want victim restitution, it is possible you can get it. Unfortunately, if that is the route you take, it is something you have to pray further about because it will take time, time you are invested in this young mans life. I will say though, it really does seem like the only way he will have any hope of maintaining any contact with his brothers and sister with possible visitation and times set up, with supervision but that is better than being at Juvie and never seeing them. God knows, sometimes those places do more harm than good and I would hate to think of what type of person he would become after coming out of a year in that place. I also believe though, that with the testimony of Mike and I that we could even see the police charges greatly reduced and talk to our supervisors about not pushing some of the things or having them pled down. Believe me, as policemen, we want to see people succeed as well, James Briscoe is one of those kids we could have a chance with."

"Couldn't he visit his siblings while in juvenile detention?" Tayra asked.

"It is doubtful because they would likely be in different foster homes and there is no guarantee that James would be held here in Tulsa, he could very well end up in the Oklahoma City facility. Unfortunately as well, as a sibling, he has a lot less rights than his parents, even with his mother doing what she does and her absence, she in some ways has rights to visitation more than he does, so truth is, no, no guarantees at all if he goes to juvie. What are your thoughts?" Detective Hay asked?

"Is there some way we could meet with him prior to making this kind of a decision?" Charlie asked.

"That really all depends on the system." Sergeant Jackson answered, "Best thing you could do is to contact the courts, request to speak to his attorney or representative, let them know you are thinking about this. I imagine they would jump at the opportunity to set this up as it presents itself as more of a win than a loss for the system and they also know the likelihood of this kid having little chance when he gets out of juvie. I really do think they want to help as well, most aren't so callused that they desire to throw the good kids to the wolves. Contact them if interested, meet with them make the proposal and go from there. It's worth a shot and a good one at that."

"This opens up all kinds of doors. While is sounds positive it is something we have to talk about as a family because it looks like it will impact our family." Charlie said.

"I would certainly recommend it, and I know I would be available to come and answer any questions your kids may have if it is something you want to consider." Detective Hay said.

"Yeah I'd be glad to come and assist as well if you want." Sergeant Jackson stated.

"Well let us talk about it tonight if that's okay. When do we have to let you know something." Charlie asked.

"I think as soon as possible." Detective Hay said, "This thing could be in the court within the next couple of weeks and you want to have all of your ducks in a row including meeting with him and his representatives. The greater the chance the details are worked out and presented to the judge at the time of the hearing, then the chances will be better of the judge accepting the proposal."

"Let us pray about it through the day, talk with the family and I promise we can have our answer within the next 2 days." Charlie replied, asking "Will you guys be able to come over to talk if we need you within that time frame?"

"That's fine, just remember, at this point in time, time is not your friend." Detective Hay responded. "As to coming to help we will be there in a heart beat assuming we aren't on a case." Sergeant Jackson just shook his head in agreement.

"I understand." Charlie said. "We'll make it a priority as soon as we get home."

"That sounds great and let's keep praying about this whole thing, especially James Briscoe but also his brothers and sisters, they really are the innocent ones here and there is a ton of other issues around the whole thing, from the mother, to the home, and from the family being together and wondering at the same time, where was the church in their communities in being there for people in need." Sergeant Jackson said.

"Man isn't that all the truth." Detective Hay said while reaching down for another bite of his cinnamon roll. After looking at his watch, he looked up and said, "Alright now Mike, looks like break is over."

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Thursday, November 6, 2014

A Christmas Story, Chapter 5, James Briscoe

The following is Chapter 5 of A Christmas Story by Mike Furches. You can see the preceding prologue and Chapters in the archives or links section of this page. This story is copyrighted by Mike Furches and intent to publish in book form in 2015. This is the variation prior to final edit prior to publication.

CHAPTER 5

JAMES BRISCOE

By Mike Furches

2 Years Earlier

James loved fried chicken, while KFC was his favorite it was rare that he got to eat it because of its cost. When the family wanted chicken or he had enough money to buy something for his brothers and sister, it was usually Church's Chicken. It was pretty good and a lot cheaper than KFC. Despite the rarity of eating KFC, here he was, standing in line on a Wednesday night to order 4 KFC Chicken Fried Steak specials and to get an 8 piece bucket. With the coupon he had he could get everything for less than a $20 bill.

This was a typical night, his mother Jeanette had not been home for a week. She had issues with drugs, crack and meth especially and for all practical purposes, she was seldom at home and when she was at home there were more problems than not. James knew he was responsible for raising his brothers and sister. He never knew who his father was and it was likely that each of his siblings had a different father. His mother Jeanette at one time had been a very attractive woman. She was tall with milk chocolate colored skin. She was in good shape, not from exercise unless you counted walking the streets exercise but it was from her natural genetics. That made it easier for her to turn tricks as a prostitute so she could buy her drugs. Since James had turned 12, (he was 14 now) her appearance had gone down hill. Her hair was thinning and her teeth had deteriorated. As a result, she didn't smile as much and her income from prostitution had gone down drastically which meant she had to do even more dehumanizing things.

James had two younger brothers, Charlie, was 10 and of average build for his age. Buddy had just turned 9 and was a little heavy for his age, he wasn't fat per say, but he clearly wasn't an athlete by definition or appearance. While the other boys took joy in playing outside, Buddy was content to play video games. Then there was James sister Barb, an unexpected come along who had recently turned 5. James was pretty certain that Barb's birth father was a white man because of the her abnormally light skin. She looked more like a Mexican or Italian than she did black and outside of the summer months, she looked more Caucasian. This didn't matter to the boys, despite some of the strange looks they got at times. James had been questioned as to why the boys were hanging around this white girl when going to a restaurant or play ground with his siblings. His friends in Turley and his distant family later realized and understood that despite the actions of his mother, James had done a good job with his brothers and sister.

There were times in the past when his grandparents were there to help raise the children. They died in a car accident shortly after Barb was born but they had already instilled the values on the importance of family to James.

James' grandparents took James and the other children to church when they were younger and prior to their death. It was clear to James that church was important to his grandparents but he had experienced and felt a sense of hypocrisy regarding the church after the were killed on their way back from visiting family in Dallas. James couldn't forget the looks and stares of the church members when they brought food and so called well wishes to the house after the funeral. They would stare at his mother, knowing what she did and James still recalled the whispers. He had heard of how the church was to love, he even saw that example in his grandparents but it didn't take long before he realized after his grandparents death, that the church and the people in the it would conveniently disappear from the life of the Briscoe's when they needed them the most. It was when James needed the help from the church the most that he was judged by many of those in the church or, as he later said, he was judged for the actions of his mother. It was so easy to look down on someone while at the same time ignoring the needs of the innocents, especially, the children.

Many of those around James thought his mother was taking care of the children but shortly after the death of his grandparent his mother became more absent from the home, leaving James at a very young age to care for his siblings. James had tried to make friends in the community with those who were decent kids, staying out of trouble but most of them due to the needs of he and his brothers and sister stayed away. It was the friends who were used to taking advantage of others due to their own needs that James started hanging around. They would come to the house which was small and dingy to camp out and escape their own home situations. At least James had access to his moms food stamps and kept food in the house. The family also had state assistance due to the 4 children all of which were minors. James had learned to balance what they had, making sure that not only would there be a couch for his friends to sleep on, there would be something in the fridge to eat. In all of this though, James still took the time to look after his brothers and sister.

It was almost a year later when James started to be influenced to some extent by his friends. He had resorted to shoplifting a few times to make up for things the family needed. As his friends spent more time at his house, eating the food, drinking the milk, using the laundry services, and so forth, there was less for his brothers and sister. James supplemented the needs of his family and his friends had shown him how easy that was to do. After awhile, James confidence grew to the point that he had moved from shoplifting to doing simple breaking and entering robberies to get items that he could sell at local pawn shops or on craigslist to get extra money. He took on this aspect of theft especially during birthdays and Christmas. He seldom used the money from selling the items for anything he wanted outside of an occasional CD but he didn't want Charlie, Buddy or Barb to go without due to the actions of their mother. The church and family that were so quick to judge had ways they could help, if nothing else by putting them in touch with the local Salvation Army and other groups, but James was convinced that those individuals and church had better things to do for them. He would think they didn't have time for families like his.

James had been recruited by some of the gangs in the area but he was smart enough to stay away from them. He had good friends who were a part of the gangs but as much as they offered a since of family to him, he knew he had flesh and blood family to care for, even if they were his half brothers and sister. While James saw a since of family among his friends in the gangs, he also saw an opportunity for prison and in some cases, death.

James had an issue with drugs, he had seen first hand what they had done to his mother Jeanette. He had tried to smoke but didn't like it and never got into drinking alcohol. He stayed as far away from those aspects of life as he could. He didn't want to sell drugs and he certainly didn't want to use them. For all practical purposes, James was a good kid in a bad environment. He was doing the best he could considering the circumstances he lived in. Of course he also knew those looking in made lots of assumptions, assumptions largely not true based not just on his condition, but his race.

James had seen racism all around him. There were churches that were primarily black or primarily white. North of the Greenwood District in Tulsa was still segregated. Most of the blacks lived up through Greenwood and Turley and most of the whites to the South, into Broken Arrow. There were small communities that were predominantly Caucasian that had been established around the ranching cowboy days in the area, communities like Owasso and Collinsville but as close as they were in proximity, they were a world apart in an understanding of each others culture.

James had seen the church culture around Northeast Oklahoma and Tulsa in particular. Tulsa was after all known as the "Charismania Capital of the World" with Oral Roberts University, Rhema Bible Institute and the teachings of churches like Higher Dimensions and The Christian Victory Center. These churches seemed to be integrated but were filled with people believing in the concepts of being healthy and wealthy. James knew some folks who went to these churches and while they had great programs, they were always soliciting money and seldom if ever actually doing ministry in the areas they reached out to, especially the areas predominantly black. It was convenient and easy to send busses to pick people up but they had never taken the time to get to know the needs of the communities. They didn't know or understand why people became upset when their streets always seemed to be the last to be fixed or when there was a snow or ice storm, why, once again, their community was the last to be served.

There were some predominantly black churches that had done some good things to help their communities, they were rare and James had never been invited to them or knew anyone at those churches, he was too busy caring for his brothers and sister and trying to make it on his own. As a result of his extra curricular activities in life, James was able to go to school at Booker T. Washington but he wasn't doing well as he could have. He didn't time to go to the study groups and other activities at school which would have helped him. While there was help available to meet his needs, he was justifiably afraid. He knew that if he and his family were found out then Family Services would break up the family and they would be separated. James figured it was best to just endure and get by. While he had the potential to do better than just get by, he had little knowledge and no one to help him get to that place or to keep his family together if he did get the help.

As life for James moved on he became more callused at the situations surrounding his on life. The only thing he was sold out to was his brothers and sister. He would do all he could to provide for them and give them as good a life as humanly possible. For others around him whether it be various adult influences that included family, the church and later on, his friends whom he had seen take advantage of him, James became more callused and was going through life giving the appearance to most, that he just didn't care, of course, that was during the public times when others saw him, privately, it was clear, James cared for his family and wanted more for them. He was like many others in his community though, a child raising children. There was a time when parents took care of their children, that moved to a time when grandparents would take care of them. The time was coming, and for many, already here when children were the ones caring for other children, unfortunately for many, losing the opportunity to experience childhood for themselves. James fit into the later category.

This was all two years earlier, while missing out on much of his childhood, he had done the best he could at being a provider, mother, and father for his brothers and sister. On this day, James lay on his cot at the Juvenile Detention Center thinking about Charlie, Buddy and Barb. He wondered, what would happen as he awaited the trial for the crimes he had just been arrested for.

Just For You

You are important and I want you to know that you can feel free to contact me at any time. I always try to respond to comments posted here, when appropriate, and have learned from my work as a counselor and pastor that people need to know that they are important. My contact information is available and I encourage you to contact me when need be. The fact that you are a real person is not lost on me. While you are at it, if needing a place to plug in, you can also join and become a part of The Virtual Pew. Message boards and interaction are available there as well. Thanks for visiting and know that God loves you and so do I.