Early on he was diagnosed with spinal meningitis, and then autism. They had to face the fact that Jeremy would never get better. They were exhausted - emotionally, physically, spiritually. They had followed every medical lead. They had done all they knew. Finally they decided to give God the opportunity to heal Jeremy and glorify himself if he chose to. Their pastor led a healing service for Jeremy. But their troubles were only to worsen. Jeremy's legs were severely burned when his pants caught fire from the burner on their electric stove. In the ambulance on the way to the hospital, Penny, torn by Jeremy's anguished cries, was inconsolable:

"I could not be comforted. 'We're good parents, God! Things like this don't happen to parents who watch their children! We prayed even today you'd protect Jeremy! Jeremy can't talk! Isn't that enough, God?' The last shred of my childhood belief that God would protect me and mine if we truly trusted in him fragmented before my eyes. Aloneness and despair filled me up. I did not feel God's presence yet I continued to call on his name. 'God! Jesus! Help our baby!' I searched for a way to escape the reality at my knees. My mother's heart cried, 'Let me die! Let me and Jeremy die in this ambulance! Let us out! Jeremy has beautiful legs! we haven't had our lunch yet! Let us go back and do it over again. We'll eat lunch and think about it calmly. Dear God! Give us another chance! We won't let it happen if we can just go back and do it over again!"

The rest of the book relates their extraordinary struggle to save Jeremy with the help of the St. Paul Ramsey Medical Center and the staff of its burn center. Jeremy endured over a year of failed skin grafts and infections. During this time they learned how deep the compassion of their community was, receiving not only monetary aid, but also constant personal support.

Because of their exemplary care of Jeremy, Tim and Penny were asked to return to their Christian college to lead a seminar entitled "When A Child Suffers." They had worked through many false reasons others had offered to explain why Jeremy was suffering - so that they could grow spiritually, so that God could be glorified; so that their values would be made more Christ-like; so that love and community would be fostered among believers; so that they would know how to help others who suffer - all of which make God the ultimate sadist. Now they had some other ideas to offer, as Penny explained at the seminar:

"When Tim and I realized that God wasn't pulling strings to allow suffering in the life of Jeremy, specifically, we were freed to really love God. Suffering is a result of the world we live in. God isn't doing it. We know that many of you today are hurting. For others of you, life is going along right according to schedule. You may think, 'This isn't relevant for me.' To you, I offer a challenge: suffering is part of earth-side living. The sufferers are not specially chosen out by God to suffer for a specific reason, any more than you are especially blessed or privileged by him.

"Three questions I'd like to leave you with: First, is it possible the belief 'that our trust in God will guarantee us health and prosperity' comes only because we are a comfortable, wealthy nation, with access to money and medicine which most of the rest of the world does not have?

Second, are we American Christians more deserving of a comfortable life than our Third World brothers and sisters?

Third, do we want a guarantee of personal protection, good health, and prosperity so badly that we would dare bend our theology to include promises God has never given us?"

In a study of children dying from leukemia E.B. White's book, Charlotte's Web is found to be popular among the patients. It is a story of friendship and loyalty between Charlotte the spider and Wilbur the pig. The terminally ill children liked to read the last chapter which contained a frank and realistic conversation about the death of Charlotte. When Wilbur realizes that Charlotte is going to die, he decides that he can at least save her egg sac filled with little spiders. "But," writes Hauerwas, "a child's death should not imitate a spider's. It may be that spiders are meant to live a little while and die, but we who are created for friendship with one another and with God cannot believe that this is all there is. We believe that we share a common story which makes it possible for us to be with one another especially as we die. Children need to see witnessed in the lives of those who care for them a confidence rooted in friendship with God and with one another." (Hauerwas, p.148)

When Jairus and Jesus are told that his daughter is dead, and that he should not bother the teacher any more, Jesus responds by reassuring the distraught father: "Don't be afraid; just believe." How does just believing, counter fear? What are we supposed to believe when a child is dying? What is Jesus asking us to do? If you have ever lost a child, how did you feel, and what belief helped you to get through it? At the moment of death it is hard to believe that there is more to life. Death seems so final. Yet, Jesus is standing there, counseling us not to be afraid, "Just believe!" Does his presence, the knowledge that he is with us at the time of trial make a difference? If you knew he was there with you through this crisis would it help? It takes confidence rooted in friendship with God and one another to get us through death. If we don't have that confidence now, and know that it is eternal, we won't have it at the death bed.

The people at Jairus's house didn't have it. They were crying and wailing loudly. Jesus rebukes them for their hopelessness. "Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep." But they laughed at him. He ordered them out of the house.

Jesus took the child's mother and father, and Peter, James and John, and went into the room where the child was, and raised her up. She stood up and walked around. She was twelve years old. This is a resurrection miracle. It reveals Jesus as the Resurrection and the Life. By raising Jairus's daughter he is anticipating his own resurrection and the general resurrection at the end of time when "in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed." (1 Corinthians 15:52) He is giving evidence to foster belief and confidence rooted in friendship with God and his promises that are true.

Jesus tells us not to be afraid of death, but just to believe that, with him, there is something beyond. Our child, if dead, like us, will be raised up. We will be caught up together with them to meet the Lord. "And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words." (1 Thessalonians 4:17,18)

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