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Episode 12
Sonny Naz was a scrawny kid, reserved, quiet, keenly observant.
He was a model student, excelling in all subjects. He was especially fluent in language studies, taking to languages like a duck to water.
Sonny was captain of his debate team, with no peer in his region.
However, Sonny’s favorite subject was wood shop. His affinity for woodcrafting was unparalleled.
Sonny’s natural love for woodwork came as no surprise to his family.
His dad, Joe Naz, was a well-respected carpenter. Joe was in high demand throughout their community and surrounding towns.
The wealthy, in particular, clamored for Joe’s services, willing to pay top dollar for his exquisite handiwork.
As long as he could remember, Sonny was constantly at Joe’s side, learning the trade’s nuances in his cramped, but adequate workshop.
Joe’s expanding business allowed him to provide for his growing family. None of his other children showed interest in his craft, at least not to the extent that Sonny did.
Sonny, encouraged annually to run for student council, by teachers and classmates alike, always declined, preferring not to be in the limelight.
Athletics were appealing, but Sonny never pursued them, opting for long trail runs in the nearby foothills or distance swimming in the ocean on family excursions to the beach.
It was apparent to all, Sonny Naz had an adventurous spirit. He was fearful of nothing or no one, be it a swelling wave or a brazen bully.
Every other spare moment he had, Sonny spent with Joe, in the shop.
Nothing pleased Sonny more than being side by side with his father, standing in wood shavings, working on their next project.
Joe’s latest rendering, a conference table for the governor’s office, was acclaimed far and wide, receiving accolades from everyone who had the privilege to see it.
The round, cypress wood table, designed to seat the governor’s cabinet, was magnificent in scope and creativity. Each ornate carving was precise, distinct, perfectly aligned, pleasing to the eye.
To the adoring public, it was simply referred to as, The Table.
Sonny marveled at his father’s attention to detail, his innate ability to produce form and value from a singular block of wood.
Wanting to emulate his father’s work, Sonny hoped that he too, one day, would be able to create his own masterpiece from a block of wood.
Popular, despite his homely looks and understated demeanor, Sonny was often spotted hanging out with those students overlooked or purposely ignored by the in-crowd.
Sonny was a natural encourager, a good listener, willing, always, to help anyone. He developed a reputation for being the kind of person who would “give you the shirt off his back.”
Voted “Most Likely To Succeed”, Sonny was, surprising to none, valedictorian of his class.
Prior to his graduation, Joe gave Sonny three options - Join the military , pursue higher education, or apprentice for him, with intent of becoming a full-time carpenter.
There was no hesitation. Sonny agreed to begin his apprenticeship with one stipulation.
To celebrate, Sonny asked his father to join him for a week-long hiking trip across his favorite mountain range, Lion’s Head. So named, because its jutting profile, framed by the sky, resembled a lion’s head.
Joe and Sonny embraced the grueling challenge of traversing the formidable Lion’s Head.
Beneath the stars, each night, father and son, recounted the day’s hike, dreamed about the future, laughed aloud as they ate, heartily, over an open fire.
As the years passed, Sonny exceeded Joe in mastery of his craft but he had yet to produce a masterpiece like the governor’s conference table.
In time, Joe, in failing health, died unexpectedly. Sonny, distraught, sold the business and moved away.
Sensing a new calling, Sonny created Big Think, Inc., investing himself in the fishing industry, building a vast network of distribution centers.
The public’s response to Sonny’s product line was staggering.
His name was on everyone’s lips. People engulfed him, wherever he went. His competitors looked in disgust as Think Big, Inc. grabbed large chunks of their long-held market segments.
Think Big, Inc., heavily reinvested its earnings back into the communities it served, an unprecedented move that left competing firms puzzled.
Sonny’s competitors, losing market share daily, made plans to counter Sonny’s momentum.
Ultimately, none of their tactics could hold back Sonny’s escalating enterprise. Enraged, they took matters into their own hands.
Using their seedy influence, Sonny’s rivals, colluded, arranging to wipe the Think Big, Inc. brand off the face of the earth.
Their plan worked to perfection.
Sonny, meeting with friends, was
ambushed, rushed to judgment in a kangaroo court, then, shockingly executed in public, to unequivocally
prove who was king of the hill.
Sonny Naz, more widely known as Jesus, son of Joseph of Nazareth,
The Lion of Judah, Son of God, Son of Man, ultimately prevailed, leaving the world his own masterpiece, simply referred to as - The Cross.