His name is Bill. He has wild hair, wears a T-shirt with holes in it, jeans and no shoes. This has been literally his piano coversdrobe for his entire four years of college. He is brilliant. Kinda esoteric and very, very bright. He became a Christian while attending college. Across the street from the campus is a well-dressed, very conservative church. They want to develop a ministry to the students, but are not sure how to go about it.
One day Bill decides to go there. He walks in with no shoes, jeans, his T-shirt, and wild hair. The service has already started and so Bill starts down the aisle looking for a seat. The church is completely packed and he can't find a seat. By now people are looking a bit uncomfortable, but no one says anything. Bill gets closer and closer and closer to the pulpit and when he realizes there are no seats, he just squats down right on the carpet. (Although perfectly acceptable behaviour at a college fellowship, trust me, this had never happened in this church before!)
By now the people are really uptight, and the tension in the air is thick. About this time, the minister realizes that from way at the back of the church, a deacon is slowly making his way topiano coversd Bill. Now the deacon is in his eighties, has silver-grey hair, a three-piece suit, and a pocket watch. A godly man-very elegant, very dignified, very courtly. He walks with a cane and as he starts walking topiano coversd this boy, everyone is saying to themselves, "You can't blame him for what he's going to do. How can you expect a man of his age and of his background to understand some college kid on the floor?"
It takes a long time for the man to reach the boy. The church is utterly silent except for the clicking of the man's cane. All eyes are focused on him. You can't even hear anyone breathing. The people are thinking, The minister can't even preach the sermon until the deacon does what he has to do. And now they see this elderly man drop his cane on the floor. With great difficulty he lowers himself and sits down next to Bill and worships with him so he won't be alone. Everyone chokes up with emotion. When the minister gains control he says, "What I'm about to preach, you will never remember. What you have just seen, you will never forget." (The Gims Newsletter)
If the above story is too mushy for some of you Fundamentalists, then you are SICK. REPENT!! The narrow way was first travelled by a carpenter who hugged children and told stories like the one about the Good Samaritan. We tell the little children the precious stories of Jesus, and the children love Him for it.
Why is it that as we grow older we turn only to the tales of horror and
evil? Certainly, we need to be piano coversned, but why no Good News? Jesus'
Apostle told of the power in the church at Antioch, and the other Apostles
rejoiced and praised God. All through the Church Age, the really great
men of God were men who were full of stories of victory and Good News. Why
are we so short on Good Reports? I want to know.