As the days fly past, the boys continue to work at Pop’s Pool Hall. But today the focus shifts. The four of them meet as always, but the mood in the booth is different. John notices it first. He pushes his pile of parchment away from him, leans back, and
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John spend the evening in their booth, swapping notes and arguing about what should or shouldn’t be in their books. A bit later, Mary stops by to say hello and check on their progress. During a pause in the conversation, Luke asks a question. “So, Matt,
Pops has just told Mark about how he started following Jesus. The bar still isn’t too busy yet, so Pops says to Mark, “Now it’s your turn to tell a story. How are things going with Peter?” “Well,” Mark half moans, “Peter’s a tornado. The stories just pour out of
It’s early in the evening, and Mark is the first one to arrive at Pop’s. Matthew and John spent the day meeting together and outlining. Luke was called into the ER after a multi-camel crash on the road to Jericho, but he also made a comprehensive mental list of everyone
Pops has just convinced the boys that it’s okay to start their stories in different places. Now the budding book writers have spread scraps of parchment on the table and are talking excitedly about what they should include. “Common stories, so like … John the Baptist?” asks Mark hopefully. “I
As Pops walks off to help other customers, Matthew asks Mary, “Are you crazy?” “I wouldn’t put it quite like that,” John adds more tactfully, “but four books by four different people about the same thing … is that really a great idea like you and Pops seem to think?”
After introducing Luke to the group, Mary looks around the booth from face to face. Matthew and John are the most comfortable. It’s not the first or even the fiftieth time they’ve hung out at Pop’s Pool Hall. Plus, they’re insiders. As disciples, they’ve got street cred. Mark is taking
“Look, John, don’t be a jerk about this,” Pops says. “The Roman authorities are threatening to pull my liquor license, so just show me your damn ID. You don’t even look like you’re shaving yet!” John doesn’t want Pops to get in trouble, so he pulls out his Galilean identification.