Blind Spot by Chris Fabry Read Free Book Online

at verse 30. Jesus says, ‘The Father and I are one.’ Those people knew that Jesus was sayinghe was equal with God. Now, who are the sheep he’s talking about?”
    Cassie Strower held up a hand. “Well, Jesus is known as the Good Shepherd, so I think that anybody who follows him is one of the sheep of his flock.”
    “Excellent,” Pastor Gordon said.
    “Good one, little miss sheepherder,” Vanessa mumbled.
    “The question is, how do you hear the Shepherd’s voice over all the noise out there in the world?”
    “You have to listen?” someone said.
    “Spend time with the Shepherd so you really know his voice,” another said.
    “We had a dog once who went deaf,” Trace said. “No, it’s true. And the only way you could get him back to the house was to bang a bunch of trash cans on the back deck. He only responded to the vibrations.”
    “They should change the verse,” Vanessa said. “‘My dog hears me bang the trash cans.’”
    When the laughter subsided, Pastor Gordon spoke again. “Those are all good answers . . . well, mostly . . . but the truth is, you have to be connected to the Shepherd to really hear his voice.”
    “What do you mean?” Gary said. “I don’t get it.”
    “Jamie, come back up here.”
    Jamie stood and put on the blindfold again. Pastor Gordon turned her around a few times and let her gether balance. She took a spoon and an egg and steadied it.
    “In a minute, I want you all to yell at the top of your lungs. Give Jamie bad advice; tell her to go left or right or stop. It doesn’t matter.”
    “That’s not fair,” Trace said.
    Pastor Gordon put something over Jamie’s head. Enclosed headphones. “Can you hear me?” he said through a microphone as the kids began yelling.
    Jamie nodded.
    “All right, I want you to turn to your left. . . . Good. . . . Now walk straight ahead about five steps. . . . Good. A little to your right. That’s it. You’re about a foot away from the pot, so take a half step forward and lean over. Excellent. Put your spoon out just a little. There. Now tip it over. . . .”
    Applause and hoots broke out in the room as the egg plopped into the water. Jamie took off her blindfold. Vanessa sat with her arms folded.
    Jamie sat with Cassie Strower. They were both pepperoni people—opposed to the sausage crowd on the other side. Jamie had told her all about the race in Alabama, especially what happened at the end.
    “Your dad pretty busy?” Jamie said. Cassie’s father was an engineer with Upshaw, one of the best teams in town and known for building fast cars.
    “They caught a design problem with the new engine right before Christmas, and they’ve been scrambling ever since. Don’t tell anybody I said that.”
    “Your secret’s safe. Anyway, knowing your dad, the flaw will probably just make it faster in the end.”
    Cassie nodded. “That’s what usually happens. Something bad leads to something good . . . if you let it.”
    Jamie gave her the look. “You trying to tell me something?”
    “Not really.”
    “You’re thinking about the race with Chad.”
    “You’re the one who brought it up.”
    “I swear, Cassie, it’s tough being around you sometimes. It’s like you’ve got some kinda halo around your head.”
    “Are you sure it’s not my winsome personality?”
    “Yeah. I’m sure.”
    Cassie took a huge bite of pizza and stared at Jamie.
    “This is what I’m talking about!” Jamie said.
    “I’m just eating,” Cassie mumbled, smiling and laughing until a piece of pepperoni nearly came out her nose.
    When they’d both settled down, Jamie said, “Honestly, what should I do about Chad? And don’t ask me what Jesus would do.”
    “What do you want to do about him? I mean, you’ve raced him at every level. You two mix it up at the summer shoot-out. It’s not like you can avoid him if you want to win.”
    “No, avoiding is not an option.”
    “Ever tried to talk to him?”
    “Ever tried brushing an