The Making of a Preacher's Family - Prep

What Starts the Action?

The Ordinary World of ZoNed4:

The typical day for Pastor Matthew Marks starts at 5:00 AM with prayer and Bible study,
until 6:00 when he starts breakfast for the family.
Breakfast is sharply at 7:00 with a car ride to school at 7:30.
Back in his office at 8:00, Matt works on three sermons for the next week.
1st he works on the Sunday morning doctrinal sermon, which is heavy on the subject of Salvation.
2nd is the Sunday evening doctrinal sermon, which is heavy on discipleship.
3rd is the Wednesday evening doctrinal devotional, which centers around some aspect of prayer.
Lunch is precisely at noon.
Hospital visitation begins at 1:00 PM and lasts for approximately two hours
when he goes for a walk in the park to meditate on the word he learned in Bible Study the same morning.
At 5:00 PM Matt checks on visitors to the church service as well as new members, rounding out the house calls, he visits people, who don't claim to be saved, and he does his best to lead them to the Lord.
Around 7:00 PM he turns toward home, supper and time with the family before tucking the girls in bed at 8:30 PM, sharp.
At 9:00 Matt and Artista take time to talk, which for Artista usually lasts about 15-20 minutes, then it's off to bed for her, but he usually follows her shortly thereafter around 10:00 or 10:30 because tomorrow starts, again, at 5:00 AM

Here are a few of the unique places on ZoNed4, which Matt loves to visit as he has the time.

(Since the Marks were a pioneering family, they had the privilege of naming many of the settlements.)
----A. Breezy Glade is just like it sounds. It is a beautiful valley of grass, that is greener than any grass on Earth.
----B. Fort Childhood is a wonderful little community, whose oldest remaining structure is a childhood fort.
----C. Major Marks is known for the fifteen or so very deep cracks that run from the top to the bottom of Mount Blue Smoke. The fact that these fissures started on the mountain about the time that Matthew Marks arrived with his little family created an amazing amount of fodder for Mayor Diotrephes Broadway, who loved to quip, "Well, Preacher, you certain

ly left some Major Marks on this planet, didn't you?"
----D. Library End is, as the reader may have guessed, a town that is almost entirely dedicated to books and reading. It shouldn't surprise anyone that Town Hall is located at the corner of Book & Nook.
----E. Joe-N-Tea is the hometown of many folks, who are thoroughly devoted to their freshly-brewed drinks. Some like coffee. Some like tea. Yet, all of these dear folks like their cups of fluid comfort to be hot. None of them are bashful about asking the barrista, "Do you mind nuking this for a minute for me? If I've still got hairs on my tongue, then it's not hot enough. Oh, and bring me back a scone when you come, too, please."
----F. Primary Rocks is a curiosity. Artists flock to this town due to the configuration of boulders in all three of the primary colors. Others come bringing their preschoolers because they think the town's name refers to the best Kindergarten on the planet.
----G. Stable Home is a town populated by equestrians, who tend to have marriages that last 50 to 60 years or longer. Most of the residents are pretty proud of their town's motto, "Horsin' around makes you love longer."

The Impetus of the Call to Adventure:

Pansy and Aurora played in Breezy Glade one morning before two days after their tenth birthday. Pansy rushed through the backdoor of the pastorium after running the entire two miles from the Glade. It was 7:30 AM and time to get into the car for the trip to school, but Pansy blurted, "I couldn't stop her! She got into the boat on Blue Rapids! I told her she was too small, but she wouldn't listen! I couldn't catch her! The boat went too fast! I don't know what happened to her! Is she going to be okay?"

Matt stood in shock. Moments later he blurted out. "Artista call the school. Tell them about our emergency. Then, call Mack at the PD. Ask for help, then get to the Glade as fast as you can. Aurora may still be alive, and I've got to find her."

The rest of the tale discusses family, and the rapids of life. Finally, we reach the eddy of eternal life with Jesus, but not before the ride takes our breath away.