The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Real (47 page)

As Pastor Clark released her, Stu and I enveloped Becky Wallace—thief, felon, ex-con, housemate, sister—in a big, wet hug. With our arms tangled around each other, I had a sudden vision of a
new
meaning for Becky's name, which meant “bound” or “tied.” Laughing, I said in her ear, “Becky, you are now
all tied up
in the love of God!” I wanted to say more, but I heard splashing and squeals behind us. Turning my head, I saw half the Yada Yadas wading into the water to hug Becky, grimacing at the cold water.

Chanda was the first to get there. She gave Becky a hug—then to my shock, she dunked herself and her bright yellow Easter suit completely under the water and came up holding her head. “Gonna wash that mon right out o' my hair!” she belted out, as if auditioning for the Broadway musical itself. “Oh Lord, dat mon is
gone
an' this sista is
glad.
I'm free! I'm free!” And she began to jump up and down, splashing the rest of us.

We all started to laugh. The next thing I knew, Stu went down under the water and came up, long hair streaming down her back. She gave me a wet hug. “Oh God, Jodi,” she whispered in my ear. “I'm free too!—from living a lie, from lying to myself. I'm so glad . . . so glad.”

I saw Hoshi in the water, hugging Becky Wallace. My heart twisted. I could hardly bear it. Hoshi—who had been rejected by her own family because she chose to fol-low Jesus—was hugging her new sister in God's family, the same woman who had sent Hoshi's mother back to Japan with a hand full of stitches and a heart full of anger.

Could I forgive like that?
Oh God! Your redemption is
so great!

Back onshore I heard a squeal and saw Peter Douglass sweep Avis into his arms and start wading into the water. “You would't!” she screeched, clinging to his neck, yet he just kept coming, a silly grin on his normally sober features. And then he dumped her in the water.

She came up spluttering—but in half a second, she was splashing him, laughing, and splashing harder. And that's when it happened. The rest of the Yada Yadas, Amanda and José, Yo-Yo's brothers, the Jesus People teenagers in their tattoos and nose rings, Florida's squeal-ing kids, Nony in her African-print tunic and head wrap, and an assortment of other Uptown folks and teenagers—all in the water, churning up a huge hallelujah water fight! Even Pastor Clark got a good soaking—and managed to give it back to a few of the teenagers himself.

Sopping wet, hardly aware of the frigid water, I stepped back as if watching the scene in the water from a faraway place.What had just happened here? Two young women had just been baptized. Redeemed from their own efforts. Set free to be new women. And the rest of us . . . we were being redeemed too. Florida—turning a new page in the life of her family. Chanda—seeing “Dia's daddy” for the faithless moneygrubber he really was.Nony—carrying her vision for a redeemed South Africa in her heart. Avis—redeemed from the ache of loneliness she'd lived with since her beloved Conrad had died.

And me. Jodi Marie Baxter. Redeemed to be . . . me! Not the good girl I thought I was for so many years. Not the hopeless sinner I discovered myself to be. But the woman God created me to be—helped along by sisters so different from myself, who weren't afraid to knock off the rough edges of my pettiness and self-righteousness and judgmental spirit. Yet who accepted me just for myself.

Already wet, I raised my arms toward the sky, yelled, “Thank You, Jesus!” and fell backward into Lake Michigan. The cold water closed over my head. But before I could get my feet under me, I felt a strong hand pull me up out of the water. I blinked my eyes open.

Denny.

“Lightning,” he said. “Storm's coming this way. We need to get out of the water.” He grabbed my hand and headed for shore.

I looked back. The sky had darkened. Jagged bolts of lightning skipped across the horizon. Yes, a storm was coming. So?

The Yada Yada Prayer Group—and the Baxter family—had weathered storms before. And we would again.

Reading Group Guide

1. A lot of readers say, “I am
so
Jodi!” Do you identify with Jodi? In what way? Why do you think so many readers identify with her?

2. In chapter 3, Jodi yells at God, “What part of dull and boring don't You understand?” What pressure points do you have in
your
life right now? Have you considered whether God might have a redemptive purpose to “keeping the pressure on”?

3. Do you have a “Stu” in your life—someone who seems to have it all together and makes your best efforts look like a crumb in comparison? How do your feelings affect your relationship? Do you really know this person in her hidden places? What do you think would help you get “unstuck” in this relationship?

4. In what ways do you see Jodi growing and changing since Book One? What do
you
see as the difference in the “Old Jodi” and the “New Jodi” way of responding to situations.

5. The Yada Yada sisters are challenged not just to “believe
in
God,” but to “
believe
God.” What is the difference? What does that mean to you?

6. In what ways do the various members of Yada Yada “get real” in this book (or not)? What does “getting real” mean to you? What are the benefits of being more open and honest in your relationships? What might be the downside of doing so?

7. Jodi still carries scars from the car accident—a reminder of her anger and her failure—until she begins to see these scars as a reminder of God's grace and a reminder to pray for Hakim and his mom. What scars (physical or emotional) do you carry? In what way could these scars serve a redemptive purpose or encourage you to pray?

8. What prompted Jodi's confession to the mother of Hakim and Jamal at the final parent-teacher conference? How was it different from her first “I'm sorry” at the end of Book One? In what way was the confession healing for Jodi? For Geraldine? In what ways can confession be an agent of redemption?

9. Reflect on the trauma Becky Wallace inflicted on the Yada Yada Prayer Group—and yet something in their response to Becky drew her into the water of baptism. Has God dropped someone into your life—unasked, unannounced, and even unwelcome? What feelings do you have about this person? Are you willing to consider whether God has a redemptive purpose in mind?

10. How has Christ's forgiveness changed
your
life? (Remember, it cost Him.) How might your forgiveness set another person free? What would it cost you?
How far does that forgiveness go?