Kris needed to calm down. No matter how hard he tried to stay away from his brother’s attempts to convince him that Jesus was alive and well, it always ended up in a heated argument.

Kris still heard and felt the anger rising and growled to himself, “Why does Kurt trigger me like that? I’ve kept up with all the scientific data that show Christianity is a mass delusion. But Kurt never loses his temper. He keeps that grin on his face. I hate that he never yells back at me!”

Every time Kris would lose his temper trying to convince Kurt that there was absolutely no evidence that Jesus ever existed, he would rattle off all that mumbo-jumbo about how the world was evidence enough that God was real.

“The world sucks right now.” Kris’s rant kept going, saying, “No way was the world evidence of anything other than man screwing up the environment. If Kris weren’t my brother, I would wipe that crazy grin off his face!”

Kris kept walking down his favorite bike path, taking deep breaths and stretching every so often.

Eventually, Kris came to his secret cooling-off spot, an old and worn redwood bench half hidden by branches and decorative shrubs, and off the trail. Kris pushed the largest branch of the pine tree out of the way and immediately stopped. Someone was already sitting on the bench.

“Hello!” Kris said, “I didn’t think anyone else knew about this old bench.”

The man sitting on the bench stood up and said, “Hello back, Kris. I am glad you are as predictable as you are. I wasn’t waiting too long for you to show up.” He said with a grin on his face.

Kris stepped into the small clearing and, realizing the man knew who he was, asked, “How do you know my name? And why are you here? I thought this was a spot not many people knew about.”

“Well, I actually know a lot about you. Your brother spends quite a bit of time praying for you. So, I suppose I have an advantage that you don’t. But don’t freak out. I’m just here to help you gain a bit of peace, and perhaps some control over that temper of yours.”

Kris froze and asked, “Who are you? Are you a friend of Kurt’s? Am I being pranked?”

The man stepped aside to let Kris sit down on the bench and answered, “Nope, you are not being pranked, just a run-of-the-mill divine-type appointment. I guess you could say I am a friend of Kurt’s. But just not in the conventional meaning. My name is Gabe, and I am here to answer your questions and Kurt’s prayers. I think you should know that Kurt has had quite a list of people praying for you, and those prayers have built up to the point they demanded some action.”

“Wow! None of that made any sense at all. Like I have told Kurt, I don’t believe in any of that stuff. So, Gabe, why are you really here?”

Gabe sat down on the other side of the bench and said, “I am here to show you why the Creation is enough for men to believe in the Creator of all things, including you. Are you ready to understand?”

Kurt’s mouth dropped open, and he asked, “Understand? What’s that mean?”

Before I could say a word, He smiled, and I heard, “Trust me.”

In an instant, Kris found himself viewing Earth from space. He could feel the bench seat, but it felt like one of those virtual reality goggles, because it felt like he was floating in space.

“Kristofer, I want you to understand how this all works, to give you God’s perspective on this. He created this world and everything as far as the most powerful telescopes can see with such minute detail and perfection. Like you, Kris. The Creation and the human body are miracles of design. And, only God is capable of creating all of this. So, yes, God’s Creation is indeed enough proof of His Presence.”

Gabe extended His arms to the Earth floating below. “But, I think you probably need more than my Word for this, even if floating in space is not proof enough. I want you to listen carefully.”

Kris turned to where Gabe was pointing and saw a red mist rising off the Earth, and as it grew closer, a sound began to vibrate like the deepest bass speaker in the world. The sound was so loud that Kris’s body was vibrating in tune with the sound. It was overwhelming.

Kris realized that there was a sound inside the bass volume. There was moaning and crying as if someone was in pain. It clawed at Kris’s heart and stole his breath. He could barely stand the sound of the groaning.

Gabe waved his arms, and the sound stopped, and the mist disappeared, and he said, “That sound you just experienced is what God hears all day, every day. That is the sound of the Creation itself crying out for the day of redemption.

“For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.” (Romans 8:19, NIV)”

Gabe turned to Kris, reached out, and touched his shoulder. They were back on the bench when he said, “Kris, I am the angel Gabriel. God’s destiny for you is waiting. You are greatly loved. Both by Jesus and your brother and the rest of your family. They are all waiting for you to believe.”

Gabe disappeared from the bench.

Kris was an emotional mess, caught between denying what had just happened and a rising tide of peace; the anger disappeared, and tears began to drop onto the bench. Minutes went by, but eventually Kris looked up in the sky and said, “Okay, you win, God. I need you more than I ever thought. I am going to need your help figuring all of this out. But now I believe, and I know I can’t go back to who I was after all of this. However, you can help me; I surrender. Make me like my brother Kurt. And help me understand your Word.”

The peace that overwhelmed Kris tempted him to stay there on the bench, but the excitement to share what had happened with Kurt won out. He wiped his nose on his sleeve and stepped out onto the bike path and found himself face-to-face with Kurt and a number of his friends. They were all smiling.

“How long have you guys been standing there?” Kris asked.

Kurt stepped forward to hug his brother and said, “Long enough to hear what just happened.”

The hug lasted longer than ever before.