Bill Myers - Eli

Eli-updated4ebooks 6/13/01 11:10 AM Page 2

Books by Bill Myers

Fire of Heaven

Threshold

Eli

Blood Hounds Inc. (children's mystery series) Faith Encounter (teen devotional) The Dark Side of the SupernaturalNovellas

Then Comes Marriage (with Angela Hunt) When the Last Leaf Falls

Click on the title below to read an excerptfrom another book by Bill Myers.

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A

N O V E L

BILL MYERS

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Eli

Adobe Glassbook Format

Copyright 2000 by Bill Myers

Requests for information should be addressed to: Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available for the print edition of this title.

ISBN 0-310-24414-5

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible: NewInternational Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Published in association with the literary agency of Alive Communications, Inc., 7680

Goddard Street, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80920.

Interior design by Melissa Elenbaas hththt 5/14/01 11:34 AM Page 5

For Eve Roberts,

who helped me understand the power of drama Eli-ebookcontent 5/24/01 11:10 AM Page 6

C o n t e n t s

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P r e f a c e

THIS IS FICTION, NOTHING MORE. ITS MERELY AN ATTEMPT TO EXAMine some issues and to get us thinking about others. It is certainly no substitute for the real thing. Those familiar with my fiction know that I believe storytellings greatest strength lies in its ability to stir up our thoughts. By putting the gospel in a contemporary setting, Ive moved Christ out of my comfort zone and put him back in my face where he can test me, challenge me, and encourage me. By stripping away the historical and cultural trappings that I hide behind to insulate myself from his truths, I allow him to become more of the radical life-changer he was the first time I encountered him.

Unfortunately, the attempt also brings with it some failures. First, by removing the rich Jewish heritage of the gospel, Ive deprived the story of much of its depth. There were times, for instance, when I wanted to elaborate on the hundreds of Old Testament prophecies and symbolism that speak of Christ, but this novel was not the forum for that.

Still, that failure and others only underline the fact that this is merely an appetizer. For those who havent yet enjoyed the feast, dont waste time herego to the real banquet. Read the book that most of antiquity and todays scholars still insist is the greatest piece of writing in human history. If its been a while since you cracked open a Bible, or if youve never really explored it, start off with the gospel of John. In one sense, its the easiest, in another, the most profound.

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And since Im in a confessional mood, theres another shortcoming you need to be aware of as you read this novel.

To accurately portray a world in which Christ has not yet come would be to create a society so dark and ugly that its doubtful any of us would recognize it, let alone relate to it.

To do so would have again defeated my purposes. So, I didnt.

If youre interested in the impact Jesus Christ has had upon our society, Kennedy and Newcombes book, What If JesusHad Never Been Born, gives interesting insights on how different our society would be today if Jesus had not come.

A final note. Scripture makes it clear that the Christ would come as a man born of woman only once. It states that his second coming will not be like his first. The first was the meek servant who washed our feet and died for our failures.

According to Scripture, the second time he comes it will be as a conquering King. In fact, Jesus himself warned that if someone born into our world today claimed to be the Christ (even with accompanying miracles) he would be a counterfeit, the antichrist prophesied long ago. According to Jesus Christ, when he appears the next time it will be from the heavens, accompanied by the glory of God.

Now, to the thanks. Grateful appreciation goes to Debbie Setters, my research assistant Doug McIntosh, my agent Greg Johnson, Dave Lambert, Lori VandenBosch, Joel Carlson, Tony Myles, Tina Schuman, Sue Brower, Sherry Guzy, Nancy Rue, Lissa Halls Johnson, Nancy Hargiss-Tatlock, Lynn Marzulli, Vincent Crunk, Craig and Sue Cameron, Dr. Di, and Janey DeMeo. A special thanks also to my children Nicole and Mackenzie who would indulge me in playing the What If Jesus Were Here Today game (a sneaky way for their dad to get ideas). And finally and always to my friend and partner in life, Brenda.

Bill Myers

www.billmyers.com

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The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that you might have life, and have it to the full.

Jesus Christ

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P A R T O N E

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C H A P T E R

O N E

MONDAY WAS AN INCONVENIENT TIME TO DIE. COME TO THINK OF IT, Tuesday through Sunday werent all that agreeable either.

Conrad Davis had too many important things to do. Too many fires to put out. Too many producers to plead with, cajole, and, if necessary, circumvent.

Not interesting? Too cerebral? What were they talking about? Did they honestly think TV audiences were that stupid?

Give us another multibirth story, theyd said. Those McCaughey septuplets, dont they have a birthday coming up? Or how about another psychic piecesome mother visited by her dead daughter; those always work.

Guys... Conrad glanced around the table in the smoke-filled war room. He could already feel the back of his neck beginning to tighten. Were talking about a major scientific breakthrough here.

But the other producers of the prime time news magazine, Up Front, continued without hearing. Or how bout another cripple story, suggested Peggy Martin, one of the few females on staff. Some guy in a wheelchair climbing Mount Everest or something.

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Guys...

We did that last November.

Guys!

Listen, Connie. It was Phil Harrison, the shows exec.

He took a drag off his cigarette and motioned to the monitor where theyd just viewed a rough cut of Conrads segment.

All were saying is that this piece is too cerebral. I mean,

Parallel Universes? Come on, who cares?

Leo Singer, a rival producer, snickered. Next time hell be doing a piece on quantum physics.

The rest of the room chuckled. It was supposed to be good-natured, but Conrad knew that nothing in this dog-eat-dog world of TV journalism was good-natured. One or two missteps, like producing a worthless segment that no one cared about, could spell disasterespecially with five thousand kids half his age waiting in the wings for his job.

Is that what you would have said about the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk? Conrad argued. Or the moon landing, or the invention of the light bulbthat its too cerebral? What were talking about is the existence of other realities right here beside our own, worlds identical to ours but with minor, or sometimes major, differences.