Sitting at his computer on another late Friday night, Joshua Pate surfed the web, searching for

sermons and commentaries on the scripture for this week’s Sunday School lesson, Micah 6:8.
He preferred to get his lessons done earlier in the week, but this had been one of those weeks
where every case ran long and when family chores and obligations prevented him from having any
time for research and reflection until the week was through and all the rest of the family had gone
to bed.

“Seek justice, love mercy and walk humbly with your God.” What exactly was God trying to
communicate to Israel then and to him and the adult Sunday School class he would be teaching at
First Baptist Church on Sunday morning? Was God saying that we have an affirmative duty to
contest injustice? Did “loving mercy” mean appreciating the mercy God shows us or
demonstrating mercy to others, or perhaps both? One’s “walk” generally referred to one’s lifestyle
he recalled from a prior lesson, so walking humbly must mean to demonstrate humility in one’s
way of life. It would be another long night, but he would get the lesson together, he always did.
The Lord always seemed to give him time, even if it was between 10:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m.

Monday morning brought the usual flurry of calls, faxes and emails. Joshua had assumed life as an
in house counsel would be easier than private practice, but it wasn’t. He did get to spend more
time with his family, but the dilemmas of the day always kind of stayed with him, working
themselves out while he bathed the baby or drove his eldest to softball practice. The attorney
envied those people whose jobs involved dealing with one matter at a time, where the way was
clear and the end certain. No so his life. Multitasking, having to find new and creative solutions,
never knowing what crisis would rise up next.

Today was no different, in addition to the usual transactional and regulatory stuff, Joshua had the
unenviable task of presenting the company’s case to block unemployment benefits for a young
Hispanic employee that had recently been discharged for poor attendance. He knew this guy had
been a victim of circumstance, unable to get to work because the friend he paid to drive him to
work every morning suddenly developed car problems, but the law was the law, and his Employer
was not open to having the company’s insurance rate go up due to having to pay another claim.

To Joshua, the idea of helping to make a man and his family’s life worse was never pleasant, but
sometimes, that was his job. He had a duty to protect his Employer’s financial interests, and he
would do what his position obligated him to do. The law seemed so unfair to him at times. Why
did there usually have to be a winner and a loser, and why was the loser so often the one who
could least afford the loss.

Jorge Ocampo sat across the room looking like a deer caught in the headlights. His wife waiting
outside in the lobby along with their 3 kids. The hearing did not last long. A review of the
company policy, written proof of his acknowledgment of having received a copy of the policy,
attendance records, evidence of progressive discipline and a brief closing argument. The company
would win again, and no unemployment benefits would be heading to the Ocampo household.

Later that night Joshua was back at the church for a Church Council meeting. As Chairman of the
Evangelism committee he held a seat on the main policy-making body of the church. Tonight’s
agenda included a discussion of the upcoming Operation Inasmuch. That was the church’s 1 day,
community-wide missions event, an activity that gave the congregation an opportunity to witness
with their hands and backs, building wheelchair ramps, cleaning yards of elderly shut-ins, making
household repairs, etc.

Joshua had a special burden on his heart to help make this year’s event a witness to the whole
community, not just to the sections of town where congregation members felt most comfortable.
After all, this community was really 3 communities, White, Black and Hispanic, and arguably four,
with the sudden recent influx of Asians.

Joshua encouraged the council members to broaden their vision of Christian service this year, and
as always, he was suitably punished for showing initiative by being appointed to the special
committee assigned to manage the event. That made 6 committees he was now on, along with his
Sunday school teaching, his membership in 3 other community groups, his twice a week adjunct
teaching at the local college and his involvement in 2 upcoming political campaigns. The wife was
going to love this!

Arriving home at about 11:00 p.m., Joshua opened the front door and saw LeAnn sitting on the
couch watching another one of those British shows on the BBC channel as 3 year-old, Jessica
Grace lay beside her, fast asleep.

“Baby doing any better?” he asked, referring to 1 year-old Elizabeth who had been struggling with
another ear infection. “She seems fine. She took the last dose of the Amoxicillian before bedtime
tonight. By the way, Heather just called. She’s ready to be picked up from work.” “Great,”
responded Joshua, as he dropped off his notebooks and headed back out the door. As tired as he
was, Joshua still couldn’t help feeling a sense of joy and pride that his daughter’s first job was
working out so well. She seemed to be acting a lot more responsibly than he had when he was 16.

Later that night, Joshua apologetically broke the news of the additional committee assignment to
LeAnn who only smiled, rolled her eyes, and then gently kissed her weary husband goodnight.