| JUST CHECKING IN | |||||||||||||||||
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A minister passing through his church in the middle of the day, decided to
pause by the altar to see who had come to pray. Just then the back door
opened and a man came down the aisle. The minister frowned as he saw
the man hadn't shaved in days, his shirt was kinda' shabby, and his coat was
worn and frayed. The man knelt and bowed his head, then he rose and walked away.
In the following days, the minister returned at noon to find this chap stopping for a moment, lunch pail in his lap, and then rise and walk away. As the minister's suspicions grew, with burglary a main fear, he stopped the man and ask him, "Watcha doin' here?" The old man worked down the road. His lunch was only a half hour. Lunch was his prayer time, for finding strength and power. "I stay only moments, see, "cause the factory is so far away. As I kneel here before the Lord, this is kinda' what I say, I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU LORD HOW HAPPY I'VE BEEN, SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHER'S FRIENDSHIP AND YOU TOOK WAY MY SIN. I DON'T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY, BUT I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERY DAY. SO JESUS, THIS IS JIM CHECKIN' IN." The minister felt foolish, told Jim that was fine, and told him he was welcome to come and pray any time. "Time to go." Jim smiled, said, "Thanks" and hurried to the door. The minister knelt at the altar, something he'd never done before. His cold heart melted, warmed with love, and met with Jesus there. As the tears flowed, in his heart he repeated old Jim's prayer. "I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU LORD HOW HAPPY I'VE BEEN, SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHER'S FRIENDSHIP AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN. I DON'T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY, BUT I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERY DAY. SO JESUS, THIS IS ME CHECKIN' IN." Past noon one day, the minister noticed old Jim had not come in. He began to worry, as more days passed without Jim. At the factory, he asked about Jim, learning he was in the hospital. At the hospital, he found the staff worried, but Jim had given them a thrill. The week that Jim was with them, brought changes in the ward. Jim's smiles, a joy contagious, changed people, his reward. The head nurse couldn't understand why Jim was always glad. No visitors, flowers, calls, or cards, but Jim was never sad. The minister stayed by Jim's bed, he voiced the nurse's concern. No friends came to show they cared. He'd had no where to turn. Looking surprised, Jim spoke up with a winsome smile, "The nurse is wrong, she couldn't know, that all the while, every day at noon He's here, a dear friend of mine. He sits right down, takes my hand, leans over and says to me, 'I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU JIM HOW HAPPY I'VE BEEN, SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHER'S FRIENDSHIP AND I TOOK AWAY YOUR SIN. I ALWAYS LOVE TO HEAR YOU PRAY, I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERY DAY. SO JIM, THIS IS JESUS CHECKIN' IN." For with God, nothing shall be impossible - Luke 1:37 | |||||||||||||||||
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