John did take me out to dinner. We talked about a million things before we came back to the subject of Christianity. He asked me what I knew of the bible.

“I don’t know much. I know some stories, like Moses dividing the Red Sea. And I know the basics of the New Testament: that Jesus was crucified and buried but came to life again. Or at least, that Christians say He did.” The skeptic in me wasn’t quite ready to give up.

John smiled. “You know what? I brought a couple books with me, in the hope you’d want to know more about God.” He reached under the table and gave me three books. One was a regular bible, one was a children’s bible, and one was an introductory book on Christianity.

“When I first began reading the bible, I bogged down in the Old Testament. That’s why I included the children’s bible. It’s a good way to learn the stories and see what God does for His people. I gave you a regular bible because there are several texts I want to show you and there’s a lot you can understand in there. And the introductory book is to help you understand what Christianity is.”

I had opened the Bible, and inscribed on the first page were the words: “To Ally, to help you find God and discover your true worth.” I was touched. That he had gone to all this trouble for me! Tears came into my eyes, but I was able to blink them back.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

“You’re welcome,” John replied. “If you’re up to it, I’d like to take you to my church tomorrow.”

Wow. Going to church. I knew John wasn’t pressuring me, but I was daunted by the idea. I think John read that in my face, because he quickly said, “Or not. Want you want. I don’t want to overwhelm you.”

“It’s just that going to church is pretty scary. All the people there know God and I don’t. I don’t know when to sit, when to stand, what to sing and I probably won’t understand what the preacher’s saying.” I sounded pretty discouraged, even to my own ears.

“Tell you what,” John said, “We’ll put that off for a couple of weeks. If it’s okay with you, I’ll come by tomorrow and we’ll take a look at the Bible and any questions you might have.”

I was relieved. I didn’t mind sounding or looking like a fool to John, but I hate trying new things. Going to church certainly ranked in the top-ten of scary things, along with going to a party without knowing anybody or living in a foreign country without speaking the language. But I was okay with John. I could talk without getting all tongue-tied or feeling stupid. John just patiently waited until I had untangled my thoughts and could make clear what it was that I was thinking about.

“I could also go to your house,” I suggested.

John looked surprised. “Sure,” he said. “I’ll have to clean up before you come, though,” he said mischievously. “You’re not very neat, so having you help me probably won’t be a good idea!”

“John!” I started laughing. Saying I’m not very neat is an understatement. I just didn’t care. While I could see that my room was a mess, I’d pick up my clothes and think, Well, that’s enough for today. And whenever I did clean my room – and dust, and vacuum and everything, the whole nine yards- it was messy again before nightfall, so what was the point? My mom said I’d grow out of it and start to see the importance of being neat, but I wasn’t so sure. Besides, it’s only in the area of my room that I’m messy. I’m very careful with my school assignments and things like that – I only actually use my class notes if they’re written legibly and look pristine. I’m kind of weird that way.

John and I agreed to meet at his home the next evening. I was sure my mom would let me since she liked John as well and knew I needed to get out of the house every now and then. But I didn’t think I’d tell her about “Christianity 101” just yet.