Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: FAITH (strong, confident belief in God) (02/26/15)
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TITLE: Test of Faith | Previous Challenge Entry
By Gary Ritter
02/28/15 -
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The deal was this. A major television network needed new reality programming. Since many of us in the prison were Christians, they had a terrific idea. Why not recreate the ancient Roman games? The masses would love it and the network would inject massive amounts of money into the prison system. The idea was to test our faith. If there was a God, there’d be a winner, and that individual would be set free. If there was no victor, c’est la vie.
Upon acknowledging that I’d given up all my rights I surveyed my fellow prisoners, especially those brothers in Christ. Some were strong and healthy, others physically weak. I knew that was no indication of our faith. Glancing at the nonbelievers among us I reflected that few had scruples, were hateful and avenging. I wondered how well I would stand against any of them.
The attitude of the nation had changed from one that revered its Christian founding to hating all things having to do with Christ. We went underground as persecution increased, but government agents tracked us down. No longer citizens, we were the illegals. We joined murderers, arsonists, rapists, and the like, the worst of our society, as humankind looked to recreate itself as a loving utopia.
Within three months all arrangements had been made. Our prison was the first, the season premier. Our event took place in a re-envisioned Rose Bowl. After all, it was sitting empty, as were all football stations since the sport had been outlawed as too violent. I wondered if anyone appreciated the irony.
I was the tenth combatant, given a knife and a heavy chain. My opponent had felled every other man he’d faced. The rules were that the one who emerged from each group of ten was freed.
With 100,000 spectators present and a live TV audience numbering millions, they’d gotten their money’s worth so far. Dead bodies lay haphazardly around the field. Pools of blood shimmered in the sun. I knew this man: Jackson, a ruthless killer. He gripped a double-edged sword and a shield. I bowed my head in prayer. “Lord Jesus, you have brought me this far. I surrender all to you.”
Jackson approached me with a knowing smile on his face. “Christian! Your faith didn’t help the others.”
I threw down my weapons and looked to the heavens. “You have been faithful, O God. Thy will be done.” My hands were bare. I was defenseless.
Jackson stopped and turned in a circle shouting at the stands. The television cameras zoomed in. “This man is a coward! He is nothing to me. He feigns belief in God and won’t fight for Him. I’ll prove there is no God!”
Brilliant sunlight flashed on his blade as he lifted it overhead to strike. Somehow I kept my eyes on him, not looking away.
At that moment, as Jackson took his final step toward me with the blade descending, a red object struck him in the face. He faltered and the sword whizzed down missing my arm. The tomato dripped down his cheek. A young boy’s voice cried out, “Not fair!”
Echoes rang around the stadium. A hundred stones showered him from the stands and Jackson ran to dodge them. More stones came from another area. He turned and raced back toward me but slipped in a patch of blood by one of his conquests. Jackson’s face came down on the spikes of the dead man’s maced club that was lying in the dust. His body twitched twice and lay still.
I walked over to him and felt for a pulse. Nothing. I asked God for forgiveness and stood. The stadium erupted in cheers. I was the victor.
For some reason God had seen fit to preserve me this day. I vowed to do the work of the Kingdom as long as He allowed me. Tomorrow might be a different story, but for today, I was free.
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God bless~
The only time I stuttered at all was wondering why the boy yelled no fair. I think the word count my have limited that somewhat, but it only made me pause for a second and I could see it working out, but it felt a bit random to me. It could just be me though.
While the general idea has been done a lot, I think you did a fantastic job of making it fresh and stand out. I think it was a great take on a modern-day David and Goliath. I enjoyed it from beginning to end. This is definitely in the top of my favorites this week. Great job.
God bless~