Chapters 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 Summary and Analysis

Chapter 14 - The author begins this chapter by describing his decision to resume face-to-face encounters with troubled teenagers (see "Quotes", p. 128), and the development of his new dream, the Teen Challenge Center (see "Objects/Places"). He describes how Gwen inspires him to find the place first and let the money follow, how he and his colleagues on the board of Teen Age Evangelism find a cheap place in which to house the center, and how they find their way to a decrepit mansion (see "Objects/Places - 416 Clinton Avenue"). He describes how he and the board purchase the mansion through a combination of hard-nosed business sense and, according to the author, prayer-inspired financing. Finally, he describes how the time for them to pay the second mortgage came "with devastating swiftness."

Chapter 15 - In this chapter, the author chronicles the...