A woman found an old...
Illustration
A woman found an old secretary desk stored in the barn of her grandparents' farm. Her grandparents were dead and the farm was being sold. She took the piece of furniture as a keepsake. It was in terrible condition. But she thought it might be restorable. She took it to a shop which specialized in restoring furniture. A few weeks later, when she returned to pick up the furniture, she was amazed at the transformation. The worthless piece of worn-out furniture had become a thing of great beauty, a centerpiece around which a whole room could be built. She expressed her amazement over and over again to the shop clerk as he made out the ticket and loaded the secretary in her vehicle. She said, "I can't believe you were able to transform that old thing into this." And he said, gently but firmly, "Well, ma'am, that is what we do here." When someone's life is transformed by the power of the gospel of Christ, such as Paul's was, people are shocked and surprised. But we who are the church can say, "Well, friends, that is what we do here." -- Welborn
