Led By A Child

Bar bouncer Joe Blakewood wakes up one morning to the sound of Social Services knocking on his door and discovers that he is a father. This revelation comes as the result of a tragic accident that takes the life of a young mother named Karen Adams, who listed Joe as the father on her five-year-old son's birth certificate. Karen and Joe had a relationship after meeting in college. Though their relationship ended on friendly terms, Joe was unaware that Karen ever became pregnant. Having lost his own father at a young age, Joe develops an instant compassion for this small boy named Kevin. Once the initial shock subsides, Joe agrees to take custody of Kevin. Instantly, Joe is thrown into the world of parental responsibility, quite a contrast to the life he has led throughout his young adult years.

As the two of them become familiar with one another, Joe soon learns that Kevin has an unusual love and devotion for God, something that Joe has never experienced. Kevin's bold expression of faith and persuasive charm lead Joe to accompany his son to church. Though he has little interest in spiritual matters, Joe discovers something that motivates him to keep attending church. Her name is Sam. Sam's striking beauty and exceptional singing voice quickly infatuate Joe.

Through a series of events and Kevin's continuous references to Jesus, Joe finds himself enduring a spiritual struggle. The struggle intensifies when Joe suffers a stab wound while breaking up a bar fight and he is forced to face his mortality and thoughts of an afterlife. During this time, Joe realizes that he is burnt out with certain aspects of his life and longs to make changes in those areas, but prefers to do so without becoming involved in what he considers, "all that God stuff." The pressure continues to build through the conversion of Joe's younger sister, Casey, who graciously assists Joe with caring for Kevin. As Joe and his son grow closer to each other, Joe's resistance to God weakens. Seemingly, he is surrounded by people and events that keep him confronting the subject of his soul. What begins as a desire to have a relationship with his son, ultimately ends with the opportunity for Joe to have a relationship with his creator. Once he is able to get that part of his life in line, everything else will fall into place.