In the center stood Heather, smiling and stunning in a yellow dress and heels.
Darren slipped off his dirty cap and began walking toward the steps that led up to this angel. As he stepped up he saw a small table set for two, covered with a white tablecloth. Metal lids covered the food. Votive candles flickered in the center.
“What is this?” he asked, his voice sounding weak, just like his heart.
She only smiled, like a girl surprising the guy she had a crush on. Darren set the flowers and his cap down on a table at the side, then he looked around at the flickering strings of lights and streams of tulle.
“You did all this?” he asked.
“I had a little help.” Heather looked up into his eyes. “You brought us the fort, so I thought I’d bring you the gazebo.”
He wanted to take her in his arms and spin her around. To embrace her and kiss her and beg her never to say goodbye to him again. Yet he stood a few feet away, hesitating like a high school kid at prom.
“Are the kids gonna pop up from anywhere?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I got a babysitter. Thought it might be a little quieter that way.”
“Heather, I know—”
“Hold that thought, babe,” she said as she walked over to the table. “Let’s eat before the food gets cold.”
She called me babe.
That was a good sign.
“I hope you didn’t go to the trouble of fixing anything—”
Heather pulled the metal lid off his plate, revealing several slices of pizza. “From Maciano’s,” she said.
“My favorite.”
3
Neither of them ate much. Food was the last thing on Heather’s mind, and she could tell Darren felt the same way. He was careful with his words, and patient with everything, from sitting down to praying to even knowing when to finish. She found it cute how boyish and insecure he acted, yet at the same time she saw the desire in his eyes.
It felt good to see that look, to feel wanted. But more than simple desire, Heather felt relieved to feel something else: normalcy. To feel a connection with Darren again, one that wasn’t forced or tinted with any edge. There was a charming sort of shyness between them, one that made sense for a couple separated for a while and starting over. But the bridge they had built in their marriage, the one that had been detonated by bombs brought home from Iraq, was rebuilt now.
It felt good walking over that bridge.
After talking about the kids and their jobs, they moved away from the table to sit on the nearby bench. As he studied her carefully, listening to every word she said, all Heather could feel was love and hope from this man next to her. It felt easy and natural to reach over and take his hand.
“You are so beautiful, do you know that? Heather, all of this . . . thank you.”
She nodded, clenching his hand in her own. “So—I enjoyed some ‘light reading and viewing materials’ the other night.”
He gave her a wary smile.
“Babe . . . I thought I knew, but I had no idea what you lived through. What you’re still carrying. I’m so sorry—”
For the first time that night, she became choked up, tears filling her eyes.
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” he said.
“I get it now. You did want to talk to me. Even felt as though you were, which means everything to me. Thank you.”
He smiled and she knew. He was Darren again. The man she loved and married and respected and wanted to honor.
“It was that moment before we got married, you know. You were standing in the rain as I changed your tire.”
She didn’t understand. “What about it?”
“One of my favorite memories.”
All she could do was laugh. “We’d just broken up! For the second time.”
“Yeah. But you called me to help. So I knew it wasn’t over.” A look of sadness filled his face.
“What?” she asked.
“When I came back home, I felt like I couldn’t help you anymore. And I learned that it’s a hard thing to ask for help. Especially if you’re the guy used to being asked.”
Holding back the tears, Heather wanted to tell him so much. About the things she was learning about herself and all the lessons God was teaching her. How she’d made a conscious decision to simply humble herself and ask God what He wanted. She knew God’s ways were higher than hers, and they would always be better.
God wanted her to fight and not give up. So that’s what she’d been doing.
I’m choosing to stay married.
She wanted to tell Darren this, and to apologize and ask for his forgiveness, and to embrace him and bring him back home. Yet she knew there would be time for all these things.
“I want to show you something,” she said, and stood up to get something.
On the other side of the gazebo stood an easel covered by a yellow sheet. Heather gave the sheet a gentle tug, revealing a poster decorated with a dozen photos. Darren walked for a closer look. Printed underneath the pictures were the words Daddy, Husband, Friend, Son, and Chaplain.
And in the middle of the poster, in big, bold capital letters: ONE FAMILY. UNDER GOD. INDIVISIBLE.
Darren didn’t hesitate. He moved toward Heather and embraced her, then gently kissed her. As she found herself in the strong arms of the man she loved, Heather realized both of them had been trying so hard to carry this impossible load. It was a load neither of them could endure.
They couldn’t right this ship on their own. God was going to finish the work He was doing in them.
ONE YEAR LATER
1
Darren heard the footsteps moving steadily over the gravel through the greenhouse. He looked up from the shrubs he was watering to see a familiar face.
“Military’s missing a real good man.”
“Chaplain Rodgers, sir,” Darren said as he shook his hand.
“Good to see you, Darren. I hear things have really turned around for you guys.”
Darren nodded as he continued watering. “And I plan to keep it that way. Home is the best place to be.”
The chaplain gave him a steady, secure look as always, his uniform pristine under the midday sun. “I got a call from a good friend at Fort Campbell. Their special forces team needs a chaplain.”
Darren shut off the hose and turned toward Rodgers.
“With special forces, deployments are limited and brief. You’d even get the promotion to captain that Jacobsen wanted for you.”
“I’m honored, sir,” Darren said. “But I’m sorry. You know my story. I just—I’m not ready.”
After all the time he had spent in counseling, Darren knew the older man was aware of all the “junk in his trunk.”
“Your story is exactly what those guys need to hear.”
“I just can’t, sir.”
Chaplain Rodgers gave him a stern nod.
“Like I said . . . Military’s missing a good man.”
2
The raucous activity in the minivan continued into the house when they arrived home from the grocery store. Shopping with three young children always took a toll on her sanity, so it was nice to see Darren’s truck in the driveway. He opened the door as the kids whizzed by, while Heather moved more slowly, arms full of groceries.
“Here, let me get those,” Darren said.
“How about you get the rest?” she said with a smile.
As the children screamed inside, he gave her a quick glance.
“They’re on a sugar high from slushies,” she said.
Darren stepped back into the house and called out, “I think I hear some action brewing in Fort Bumblefoot!”
Sam was already on his way. “Meet ya there in two point five seconds!”
Meribeth, now two and a half, tried to keep up with her brother. Elie, on the other hand, walked by and rolled her eyes.
“Nice try, Dad,” the ten-year-old said. “But I’m still too old.”
“You’re never to
o old to play in a fort,” he called as she walked to her room.
Darren finished unloading the minivan, then joined Heather by the kitchen window, watching the kids at the fort—Sam, Meribeth, and Elie. He was right; nobody was too old to play in a fort. Especially one as cool as this, if he did say so himself.
“Thanks for the help,” Heather said as she turned to him. “You know, I think we should take the fort with us when we move.”
He was about to open a box of cookies, but he stopped and looked at her. “Huh?”
“When you take the job,” she said.
He put the cookies on the counter and walked closer to her. “What are you talking about?”
“Heard it through the grapevine, so I called Chaplain Rodgers myself.”
“Who are you and what have you done with my wife?” he asked.
“I know, right?” She chuckled. “But we know what to expect now. How to prepare.”
She put her hands around his neck, a reflective look on her pretty face. Darren followed her example, slipping his hands around her hips.
“You know as well as I do. This is what we’re called to, Captain.” She grinned. “And Who we’re called to. Right?”
He didn’t speak, just gave her a knowing nod and held her in his arms as he looked out the window. Just beyond the kids and the fort, the sun winked at him through the back line of trees.
As long as these four were by his side, he could go anywhere.
3
Sitting in front of a beautiful vanity mirror she’d recently found at a thrift store and restored, Heather removes the last roller and starts to brush her hair. She sees Darren behind her walking into the room, and grins.
“You know how I love a man in uniform.”
His hands feel good against her shoulders. So does the affectionate gaze he gives her.
“I was just thinking about that day you spoke to Elie’s class about medals,” Heather says.
“I was thinking about medals too.” Darren removes a small gift box out of his pocket and places it on the vanity top in front of her. “This one is for you. Designed it special.”
She opens the box and sees a necklace inside. Holding it up, she studies the knight in shining armor on the medallion, then sees the inscription on the back.
Ephesians 6:10–18
Heather doesn’t need to look up these Bible verses.
Her hand squeezes his. “Thank you. I love it.”
She watches him lean over and kiss her on top of her head.
A couple hours later, she’s still watching Darren as he steps onto the stage next to the podium at the medal ceremony in the assembly hall at Fort Stewart.
Chaplain Rodgers saved Chaplain Turner for last. As he begins to read the medal citation, Heather rubs the necklace she’s wearing.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power,” reads the first verse of that passage of Scripture.
She knows they’re here today not because of what they’ve done to turn their marriage around. They are strong because God is making them strong.
She smiles with pride as Darren looks over at her and the kids sitting in the audience.
“Therefore, this is to certify that the president of the United States has awarded the Bronze Star medal to Captain Darren A. Turner.”
Darren salutes Chaplain Rodgers, then stands as a senior officer pins the medal on him. As the room erupts with applause and a standing ovation, Heather rises and looks down at the children to see their delighted pride. She wipes back tears, tears that mirror the joy inside of her.
As Darren walks over to the podium, he takes a moment to nod in appreciation of the crowd’s response before speaking into the microphone.
“Thank you so much. This is deeply humbling. It is with great honor that I have served my country. But I stand before you today because Jesus is my rock. And because I have a family who loves me and believes in me, and I feel the same way about them. Which is also why I can and will continue to serve as I’ve been asked, to the very best of my ability.”
He looks over at Heather and the kids, then to Michael, Tonya, and the twins next to her.
“My family and I—we’ve made a promise to each other to protect ourselves from anything that might try to divide us. We’ve learned the best way for us to do that is to put on the Armor of God and to seek to honor Him in all that we do. And we want to invite our brothers and sisters here and abroad to do the same.”
In her mind’s eye Heather sees Shonda, the sergeant Darren has told her so much about. She can see Shonda sitting with her mother in a church pew as they watch Colby sing with the kids’ choir.
“So today, I encourage you, to wear by faith, the Belt of God’s Truth . . .”
She remembers how she and Darren shared their testimony at a couples’ retreat a month ago.
“. . . the Breastplate of His Righteousness . . .”
She sees Michael in the hospital working with a physical therapist, pushing himself through pain to learn to walk again with a prosthetic, all the while being cheered on by Tonya, Mia, and Nia.
“. . . the Sandals of His Peace . . .”
She thinks of their family holding hands in the living room, praying together as a family.
“. . . the Shield of Faith in His power against all enemies . . .”
She knows how long the walkway is at Veterans National Cemetery for Amanda to traverse, Elijah strapped to her front, holding Alexis’s little hand until they stop at Lance’s engraved stone.
“. . . the Helmet of Salvation, found in Him . . .”
She hears Darren reading the Bible to the family around the dinner table.
“. . . and the Sword of His powerful and gracious Spirit . . .”
Once again, Heather touches her necklace. She’s reminded how Scripture is alive and how it never ceases to teach and reach her heart in indescribable ways.
“Before I left for Iraq, I thought I knew what it meant to put on that armor,” Darren says, looking over at them and smiling. “Here’s what I learned. None of us is promised tomorrow. So I’m choosing to place my faith and trust in the One who holds all of my tomorrows. For me, and my family, it’s the only way to live and the only way to die. Thank you all for listening.”
4
As family and friends line up to greet and congratulate Darren, he is most excited to see Shonda’s smile as she walks up holding her son’s hand. He gives her a giant hug and then looks down at the boy.
“Hey, buddy! You must be Colby.”
The five-year-old nods and smiles, leaning into his mother and clinging to her hand. Dressed in her camo garb, Shonda introduces herself to Heather.
“It’s so nice to finally meet you,” Heather says.
Just like old times, the sergeant looks at him like a knowing teacher regarding a mischievous student, then hands him the gift bag in her other hand.
“Uh-oh,” he says as he studies the bag.
Shonda brushes the shoulder marks on his uniform. “The bars look good on you.”
Darren nods. “Makes me look a little taller, huh?”
“Sure, just a little.”
As he reaches into the gift bag, Darren half expects to find beef jerky. Instead he pulls out a framed black-and-white photograph.
In the photo, he is kneeling before the cross outside his tent at FOB Falcon. Praying.
Perhaps Shonda knows who he was praying for.
He takes a moment to compose himself as he looks at the picture.
“I had my eye on you, Captain. Which is why I’m here.” She wags Colby’s arm. “Why we’re here.”
“Thank you” is all he can say.
Darren turns, looking at Michael surrounded by his three lovely ladies. Tonya and the twins look hesitant, but their dad just shakes his head and gives them a grin. He sees Darren looking at him, and begins to come toward him. Without a wheelchair and without a cane.
Major Michael Lewis takes steady, deliberate strides. He looks h
andsome in his decorated uniform. Darren watches and waits, wearing a proud smile.
As he embraces his brother-in-arms and in Christ, Darren knows: God’s not through with either of them. Not yet.
God has big plans for them.
FIVE YEARS LATER
May 17, 2014
Tomorrow I’ll be speaking at Regent University, sharing our testimony while talking about King David from 1 Chronicles 13–15. Talking about how all of us want to do things on our own, and how God wants OBEDIENCE.
King David—what a man after God’s heart. Yeah, he messed up big time, but he also loved the Lord. The passage in 1 Chronicles talks about how David wanted to bring the ark of the covenant back to the Israelites. Instead of doing it God’s way, he chose to do it his way. King David was sincere, but sincerely wrong.
This will be the way I open the door to discuss Heather and me. Our story.
Really, though . . . I’m just going to be sharing about God’s redemption. The crazy redemption of His people. The gospel is ridiculous, right? Grace is ridiculous. I see this every day in what God has done with Heather and me, with the ministry He’s given us.
God can take and will always continue to take messed-up people and bring them to a place where they will find hope. We see soldiers who already have one foot out the door of their marriage, and after we share our testimony, they’ll come up to us wanting to know more. We’ll always share with them that it’s not us.
It’s Jesus Christ.
And He’s called Heather and me to this. For how long, we don’t know. It might end tomorrow. But for now, we will continue to tell our story. It’s a story about hopes and dreams. Not the ones we carried for ourselves, but the hopes and dreams God has for us.
A PERSONAL MESSAGE FROM THE PRODUCERS
Prior to my (David) first film, I wrote and directed a passion play at Calvary Church in Memphis for fifteen years. It was very unique from the standpoint that I would write a new modern-day story every year and blend that story with the passion week of Jesus’ life. One Easter, I decided to write a story about a chaplain and his assistant, focusing on some family issues that both were facing during their deployment together. I love military stories, especially since I have a brother who recently retired from the Air Force after twenty-three years of service. (He’s actually the soldier who pins the Bronze Star on Darren during the final scene of the movie.)
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