Friday, September 21, 2012

A Christian college story

His name was Bill, a college-student with wild hair who wore a T-shirt with holes in it, jeans, and no shoes for his entire four years of college. Bill was brilliant and what some might describe as quirky. While attending college, Bill became a Christian and began looking for a church to attend.
Across the street from the campus was a very conservative church that wanted to reach the college students but was not sure how to go about it. 

One Sunday, Bill decided to visit the church and walked in, dressed in his usual college attire. Since the service had already started, Bill walked down the center aisle, looking for a seat. The church was packed and he couldn’t find an empty spot. By now, the well-dressed people are staring uncomfortably at the barefoot young man in his tattered T-shirt and jeans, but no one said a word. As Bill got closer to the pulpit, he realized that there were simply no seats, so he just squatted down on the carpet – a practice perfectly acceptable at college Bible studies but one that had probably never happened at this particular church. 

The people began to whisper and the air was thick with tension. As the pastor wondered what to do, he noticed a deacon slowly making his way from the back of the church toward Bill. The deacon was in his eighties, had beautifully combed silver-gray hair and was wearing a three-piece suit. He was a godly man, very elegant, and very dignified.

He walked with a cane and, as he started walking toward the boy, everyone was thinking that no one could blame him for what he was about to do. After all, how could anyone expect a man of his age and background to understand the college kid now sitting on the floor?

It took a long time for the man to reach the boy but the only sound that could be heard was the clicking of the man’s cane. Every eye was focused on him and it seemed like everyone was holding their breath. The minister felt like there was no point in even trying to begin his sermon until the deacon completed his mission. Everyone simply waited.

When the elderly man reached the young college student, he dropped his cane on the floor and with great difficulty, lowered himself until he was sitting down next to Bill. The two men smiled at each other and then looked at the minister, ready to hear from God. When the pastor gained control of his emotions, he simply said, “What I’m about to preach, you will never remember. What you have just seen, you will never forget.”
We need to be careful how we live. We may be the only Bible some people ever read.

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