THE CLERK WHO ROARED
Stories
THE FALL OF A SPARROW
AND OTHER EXTENDED ILLUSTRATIONS FOR PROCLAIMERS OF THE WORD
I WAS STANDING in a department store checkout line recently where I witnessed an amazing transformation. An elderly lady was slowly fumbling for change in an over-sized, over-filled purse as the cashier and customers waited. The woman apologized for the delay and the cashier, with a warm smile assured her not to worry about it. And then came the beginning of the transformation. The elderly lady went out, and a younger woman, standing in front of me, threw her purchases on the counter and made a disparaging remark about "incompetent cashiers" and "old people who should be in rest homes."
The face of the cashier turned a bright red, and I thought for a moment I'd better get ready to duck, but the cashier, perhaps recalling that worthless adage about customers always being right, merely held her tongue and hurriedly completed the transaction.
It was a little harder for me to control my anger, however, and I made the comment, "I certainly hope you remember that remark when you are old and sitting alone in your rest-home rocking chair."
The woman simply glared at me, grabbed her purchases and left, but she had left her rudeness behind - with the cashier. No longer was there a smile on her face; instead her lips were drawn, her eyes fired with anger, and her face was now white with rage. She hit each cash register key with her fist instead of her finger, and she glowered at me and the others behind me, as if daring us to utter a single word. A raging lioness now stood before me, ready to roar at the least provocation.
The above incident, though true, is only an illustration proving that too often one's attitude toward another can have lasting repercussions. Few of us have the ability to "roll with the punches" as we should, or to "return good for evil." Recognizing this weakness in ourselves, however, should make us more compassionate toward others. It is a terrible disappointment when we are treated badly, and the embarrassment and pain linger for a long time.
We should remember the humiliations we have suffered in the past whenever we are tempted to ridicule another. "Do unto others what you would have them do unto you" may be old-fashioned, but it is still one of the best rules of living.
I have no need of any creeds,
They but confuse the mind.
For all the creed this old world needs,
Is that of being kind.
(Author unknown)
For Discussion
1. HAVE YOU HAD A RECENT EXPERIENCE SIMILAR TO THAT OF THE AUTHOR?
2. IS RUDENESS CONTAGIOUS? ARE YOU OFTEN RUDE TO OTHERS?
3. IS IT POSSIBLE FOR A CHRISTIAN TO CONTINUALLY BE KIND TO OTHERS? DOES A CHRISTIAN HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO ty TO ALWAYS BE KIND?
4. IS YOUR CHURCH CONGREGATION CONSIDERED A FRIENDLY ONE? DO YOU PERSONALLY GO OUT OF YOUR WAY TO GREET STRANGERS?
SCRIPTURES FOR CONSIDERATION AND DISCUSSION:
MATTHEW 7:12
SUDDENLY IT'S SPRING
THIS IS A DAY of melancholy. The season, and not events, however, is responsible. The day is overcast, with colorless clouds marching silently through the skies leaving a cold, wet mist with their passing.
The melancholy is enhanced by the disrobing of the trees; shedding their colorful costumes to boldly display naked limbs which writhe painfully with each slap of the frigid wind.
The brutality of the wind and the pressure of the rain fills the air with spinning, brown leaves - and I am not sure whether the melancholy comes because of winter's forceful approach, or because the leaves seem to fall too rapidly for the sweeping movements of the long-handled rake.
This day of seasonal dolor will pass however, as all days do. The barren trees will shiver under icy burdens during the next few months, but they will not die, and eventually will once more don their clothes of vibrant green. The parade of clouds will continue, but their ranks will occasionally be broken by the warm rays of an energetic sun and the gentle caress of a summer breeze.
And, it is hoped, the long-handled rake will soon begin to prevail over the fallen leaves, because the energies of life - like the seasons - go on and on. The darkness of night - as the snows of winter - gives way to the warm, bright colors of a new day, and thoughts of the coming tomorrow cause me to take a new, searching look at the present day.
And suddenly - miraculously - it is the first day of Spring.
For Discussion
1. USING ANOTHER ANALOGY, ASSUME THAT SPRING REPRESENTS BIRTH; SUMMER, YOUTH; FALL, AGING MATURITY; AND WINTER THE NEARNESS OF DEATH. IN WHAT SEASON WOULD YOU PLACE YOUR CHURCH (NOT IN TERMS OF ITS AGE, BUT IN TERMS OF ITS ACTIVITIES, MINISTRY, GROWTH, ACCOMPLISHMENTS, OUTREACH, ETC)? DISCUSS.
2. USING THE SAME ANALOGY, IN TERMS OF YOUR CHRISTIAN ACTIVITY, IN WHICH SEASON WOULD YOU PLACE YOURSELF?
SCRIPTURES FOR CONSIDERATION AND DISCUSSION:
MATTHEW, CHAPTERS 12 & 13
FROG IN A RUT
A FROG ONCE HOPPED into a deep rut on a country road, and though his friends tried desperately to help him out, they were unsuccessful and finally left him in deep despair.
The next day one of these friends was hopping along when he met the frog who, the day before, had been hopelessly stuck in the rut of the road.
"I'm surprised to see you," said the friendly frog, "I thought you were unable to get out of that rut."
"I couldn't get out," said the other frog, "but a truck came along and I had to!"
The above fable is illustrative of the fact that necessity often overcomes the impossible. All of us fall into ruts of adversity, and we sometimes become prisoners of those ruts because we do not have the determination and faith to jump out, yet when we have a compelling reason to do so, we usually are able to move quite well.
In Cuba some years ago, I met a young man twenty years of age who had only the equivalent of a fifth-grade education, yet he could speak both Spanish and English fluently. The most remarkable thing about this situation, however, was that the boy's family was extremely poor and the boy's library consisted only of an old English-Spanish dictionary, a tattered mail-order catalog, and two New Testaments in the English and Spanish languages.
But with these few instruments and a positive faith, that young man had made his jump toward a more positive future.
A few years ago, a man of middle-age came to me and poured out his tragic story of immorality, divorce, and alcoholism. When he had finished I could think of few words to encourage him, so I simply asked, "Well, where do you want to go from here?"
He sat silently for a moment, tears in his eyes, and then looked at me with a grim determination. "I have fallen so low I suppose there is only one place for me to go - up!"
A few months later that man had regained his rightful place with his profession, his family, and with God.
Determination, with faith, can overcome all obstacles and change the ruts of life's highway into stepping stones that can lead us to the ultimate achievement.
The message of the Cross is not just that the impossibilities of death's darkness have been overcome, but rather that the promises of life have been made available to all. As the disciples of long ago, we each stand at the foot of the Cross, looking up. And now Christ asks each of us the question:
"Where do you go from here?"
For Discussion
1. DO YOU BELIEVE THAT DETERMINATION, WITH FAITH, CAN OVERCOME ALL OBSTACLES?
2. CAN YOU RELATE AN ILLUSTRATIVE INCIDENT OF THE ABOVE?
3. IS IT POSSIBLE THAT YOUR CHURCH, LIKE THE FROG, IS IN A RUT? IN WHAT MANNER?
4. WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR CHURCH "GO" IN ITS CHRISTIAN GROWTH? WHAT NEW PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IT UNDERTAKE?
5. WHAT WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO DO, ON A PERSONAL LEVEL, TO HELP ACCOMPLISH THE ABOVE?
6. IS IT POSSIBLE THAT YOUR PERSONAL CHRISTIAN LIFE IS IN A RUT? IF SO, WhAT WILL YOU DO TO GET OUT OF THAT RUT?
SCRIPTURES FOR CONSIDERATION AND DISCUSSION:
REVELATION 3
LIFE'S LITTLE INDIGNITIES
THERE ARE TIMES in everyone's life when the "little indignities" threaten to get the best of us. Frustrations, embarrassments, and disappointments can often make life pretty miserable.
I don't remember when I first became aware of the fact that life's events are not always pleasant, but I remember well one occasion when I was a participant in a school play at the impressionable age of eight. I was supposed to sing a song of love to another third grader, a beautiful blonde - or was she a brunette? - while strumming the strings of a banjo.
Things were going along reasonably well until the strings of the banjo began popping, one at a time, with each twang provoking a giggle from my Juliet. By the time the last string broke, I had forgotten the words of the song and the audience had become a monstrous lion which now threatened me with roar after roar of laughter. I ran off the stage vowing never to utter another word or touch another musical instrument. I was not foolish enough, however, to vow never to romance a beautiful blonde - or brunette - again.
Another of my childhood indignities concerned the knickers I had to wear. Mine always seemed to be of the corduroy variety, and every time I would take a step, the fabric of the bloused knees would rub together and make a singing sound, somewhat like that of my vocal cords the time the banjo strings started breaking. The noise of the corduroy always made me feel extremely conspicuous, and it soon became rather a chore to try and walk like a bowlegged cowboy. Soon, however, I convinced my mother that I would be a much better-dressed boy in long pants - as well as a much quieter one - and the crisis passed.
As much as we would like to avoid it, life's little indignities do continue into adulthood, and I will not soon forget the time when, as a police officer, I was driving with other police officers toward a house nestled between two small mountains where we had learned a prison escapee was hiding. Near the house, I reached with my foot to dim the lights with a floor switch, but my foot slipped and I hit, instead, the siren button. Needless to say, when we arrived at the cabin we found that the fugitive had made a fast, recent exit. At that moment I would gladly have become a fugitive myself - from the police force or even from the world. It was certainly not one of my finest moments.
Far too often, life's little indignities are not so harmless or humorous, and they can sometimes warp our attitudes and ideals, resulting in tensions, trials, and even tragedies. But if we will endure the little indignities with a smile - knowing they must soon pass - the more difficult indignities of life will also be easier to face - and to overcome.
For Discussion
1. CAN YOU RELATE ONE OR TWO "LITTLE INDIGNITIES" YOU HAVE SUFFERED IN YOUR LIFETIME?
2. HAVE THESE INDIGNITIES AFFECTED YOU IN A POSITIVE, OR NEGATIVE MANNER?
3. ARE "LITTLE INDIGNITIES" NECESSARY TO ENABLE US TO GROW AS CHRISTIANS? DISCUSS.
4. A VERY RICH AND IMPORTANT MAN, CAUGHT CLIMBING A TREE TO WATCH A "CELEBRITY" PASS BY, MIGHT FEEL THAT HIS DIGNITY HAD BEEN SHATTERED. READ THE SCRIPTURES GIVEN BELOW AND SEE HOW ZACCHEAUS AND JESUS HANDLED SUCH A SITUATION. DISCUSS.
SCRIPTURES FOR CONSIDERATION AND DISCUSSION:
LUKE 19:1-10
The face of the cashier turned a bright red, and I thought for a moment I'd better get ready to duck, but the cashier, perhaps recalling that worthless adage about customers always being right, merely held her tongue and hurriedly completed the transaction.
It was a little harder for me to control my anger, however, and I made the comment, "I certainly hope you remember that remark when you are old and sitting alone in your rest-home rocking chair."
The woman simply glared at me, grabbed her purchases and left, but she had left her rudeness behind - with the cashier. No longer was there a smile on her face; instead her lips were drawn, her eyes fired with anger, and her face was now white with rage. She hit each cash register key with her fist instead of her finger, and she glowered at me and the others behind me, as if daring us to utter a single word. A raging lioness now stood before me, ready to roar at the least provocation.
The above incident, though true, is only an illustration proving that too often one's attitude toward another can have lasting repercussions. Few of us have the ability to "roll with the punches" as we should, or to "return good for evil." Recognizing this weakness in ourselves, however, should make us more compassionate toward others. It is a terrible disappointment when we are treated badly, and the embarrassment and pain linger for a long time.
We should remember the humiliations we have suffered in the past whenever we are tempted to ridicule another. "Do unto others what you would have them do unto you" may be old-fashioned, but it is still one of the best rules of living.
I have no need of any creeds,
They but confuse the mind.
For all the creed this old world needs,
Is that of being kind.
(Author unknown)
For Discussion
1. HAVE YOU HAD A RECENT EXPERIENCE SIMILAR TO THAT OF THE AUTHOR?
2. IS RUDENESS CONTAGIOUS? ARE YOU OFTEN RUDE TO OTHERS?
3. IS IT POSSIBLE FOR A CHRISTIAN TO CONTINUALLY BE KIND TO OTHERS? DOES A CHRISTIAN HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO ty TO ALWAYS BE KIND?
4. IS YOUR CHURCH CONGREGATION CONSIDERED A FRIENDLY ONE? DO YOU PERSONALLY GO OUT OF YOUR WAY TO GREET STRANGERS?
SCRIPTURES FOR CONSIDERATION AND DISCUSSION:
MATTHEW 7:12
SUDDENLY IT'S SPRING
THIS IS A DAY of melancholy. The season, and not events, however, is responsible. The day is overcast, with colorless clouds marching silently through the skies leaving a cold, wet mist with their passing.
The melancholy is enhanced by the disrobing of the trees; shedding their colorful costumes to boldly display naked limbs which writhe painfully with each slap of the frigid wind.
The brutality of the wind and the pressure of the rain fills the air with spinning, brown leaves - and I am not sure whether the melancholy comes because of winter's forceful approach, or because the leaves seem to fall too rapidly for the sweeping movements of the long-handled rake.
This day of seasonal dolor will pass however, as all days do. The barren trees will shiver under icy burdens during the next few months, but they will not die, and eventually will once more don their clothes of vibrant green. The parade of clouds will continue, but their ranks will occasionally be broken by the warm rays of an energetic sun and the gentle caress of a summer breeze.
And, it is hoped, the long-handled rake will soon begin to prevail over the fallen leaves, because the energies of life - like the seasons - go on and on. The darkness of night - as the snows of winter - gives way to the warm, bright colors of a new day, and thoughts of the coming tomorrow cause me to take a new, searching look at the present day.
And suddenly - miraculously - it is the first day of Spring.
For Discussion
1. USING ANOTHER ANALOGY, ASSUME THAT SPRING REPRESENTS BIRTH; SUMMER, YOUTH; FALL, AGING MATURITY; AND WINTER THE NEARNESS OF DEATH. IN WHAT SEASON WOULD YOU PLACE YOUR CHURCH (NOT IN TERMS OF ITS AGE, BUT IN TERMS OF ITS ACTIVITIES, MINISTRY, GROWTH, ACCOMPLISHMENTS, OUTREACH, ETC)? DISCUSS.
2. USING THE SAME ANALOGY, IN TERMS OF YOUR CHRISTIAN ACTIVITY, IN WHICH SEASON WOULD YOU PLACE YOURSELF?
SCRIPTURES FOR CONSIDERATION AND DISCUSSION:
MATTHEW, CHAPTERS 12 & 13
FROG IN A RUT
A FROG ONCE HOPPED into a deep rut on a country road, and though his friends tried desperately to help him out, they were unsuccessful and finally left him in deep despair.
The next day one of these friends was hopping along when he met the frog who, the day before, had been hopelessly stuck in the rut of the road.
"I'm surprised to see you," said the friendly frog, "I thought you were unable to get out of that rut."
"I couldn't get out," said the other frog, "but a truck came along and I had to!"
The above fable is illustrative of the fact that necessity often overcomes the impossible. All of us fall into ruts of adversity, and we sometimes become prisoners of those ruts because we do not have the determination and faith to jump out, yet when we have a compelling reason to do so, we usually are able to move quite well.
In Cuba some years ago, I met a young man twenty years of age who had only the equivalent of a fifth-grade education, yet he could speak both Spanish and English fluently. The most remarkable thing about this situation, however, was that the boy's family was extremely poor and the boy's library consisted only of an old English-Spanish dictionary, a tattered mail-order catalog, and two New Testaments in the English and Spanish languages.
But with these few instruments and a positive faith, that young man had made his jump toward a more positive future.
A few years ago, a man of middle-age came to me and poured out his tragic story of immorality, divorce, and alcoholism. When he had finished I could think of few words to encourage him, so I simply asked, "Well, where do you want to go from here?"
He sat silently for a moment, tears in his eyes, and then looked at me with a grim determination. "I have fallen so low I suppose there is only one place for me to go - up!"
A few months later that man had regained his rightful place with his profession, his family, and with God.
Determination, with faith, can overcome all obstacles and change the ruts of life's highway into stepping stones that can lead us to the ultimate achievement.
The message of the Cross is not just that the impossibilities of death's darkness have been overcome, but rather that the promises of life have been made available to all. As the disciples of long ago, we each stand at the foot of the Cross, looking up. And now Christ asks each of us the question:
"Where do you go from here?"
For Discussion
1. DO YOU BELIEVE THAT DETERMINATION, WITH FAITH, CAN OVERCOME ALL OBSTACLES?
2. CAN YOU RELATE AN ILLUSTRATIVE INCIDENT OF THE ABOVE?
3. IS IT POSSIBLE THAT YOUR CHURCH, LIKE THE FROG, IS IN A RUT? IN WHAT MANNER?
4. WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR CHURCH "GO" IN ITS CHRISTIAN GROWTH? WHAT NEW PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IT UNDERTAKE?
5. WHAT WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO DO, ON A PERSONAL LEVEL, TO HELP ACCOMPLISH THE ABOVE?
6. IS IT POSSIBLE THAT YOUR PERSONAL CHRISTIAN LIFE IS IN A RUT? IF SO, WhAT WILL YOU DO TO GET OUT OF THAT RUT?
SCRIPTURES FOR CONSIDERATION AND DISCUSSION:
REVELATION 3
LIFE'S LITTLE INDIGNITIES
THERE ARE TIMES in everyone's life when the "little indignities" threaten to get the best of us. Frustrations, embarrassments, and disappointments can often make life pretty miserable.
I don't remember when I first became aware of the fact that life's events are not always pleasant, but I remember well one occasion when I was a participant in a school play at the impressionable age of eight. I was supposed to sing a song of love to another third grader, a beautiful blonde - or was she a brunette? - while strumming the strings of a banjo.
Things were going along reasonably well until the strings of the banjo began popping, one at a time, with each twang provoking a giggle from my Juliet. By the time the last string broke, I had forgotten the words of the song and the audience had become a monstrous lion which now threatened me with roar after roar of laughter. I ran off the stage vowing never to utter another word or touch another musical instrument. I was not foolish enough, however, to vow never to romance a beautiful blonde - or brunette - again.
Another of my childhood indignities concerned the knickers I had to wear. Mine always seemed to be of the corduroy variety, and every time I would take a step, the fabric of the bloused knees would rub together and make a singing sound, somewhat like that of my vocal cords the time the banjo strings started breaking. The noise of the corduroy always made me feel extremely conspicuous, and it soon became rather a chore to try and walk like a bowlegged cowboy. Soon, however, I convinced my mother that I would be a much better-dressed boy in long pants - as well as a much quieter one - and the crisis passed.
As much as we would like to avoid it, life's little indignities do continue into adulthood, and I will not soon forget the time when, as a police officer, I was driving with other police officers toward a house nestled between two small mountains where we had learned a prison escapee was hiding. Near the house, I reached with my foot to dim the lights with a floor switch, but my foot slipped and I hit, instead, the siren button. Needless to say, when we arrived at the cabin we found that the fugitive had made a fast, recent exit. At that moment I would gladly have become a fugitive myself - from the police force or even from the world. It was certainly not one of my finest moments.
Far too often, life's little indignities are not so harmless or humorous, and they can sometimes warp our attitudes and ideals, resulting in tensions, trials, and even tragedies. But if we will endure the little indignities with a smile - knowing they must soon pass - the more difficult indignities of life will also be easier to face - and to overcome.
For Discussion
1. CAN YOU RELATE ONE OR TWO "LITTLE INDIGNITIES" YOU HAVE SUFFERED IN YOUR LIFETIME?
2. HAVE THESE INDIGNITIES AFFECTED YOU IN A POSITIVE, OR NEGATIVE MANNER?
3. ARE "LITTLE INDIGNITIES" NECESSARY TO ENABLE US TO GROW AS CHRISTIANS? DISCUSS.
4. A VERY RICH AND IMPORTANT MAN, CAUGHT CLIMBING A TREE TO WATCH A "CELEBRITY" PASS BY, MIGHT FEEL THAT HIS DIGNITY HAD BEEN SHATTERED. READ THE SCRIPTURES GIVEN BELOW AND SEE HOW ZACCHEAUS AND JESUS HANDLED SUCH A SITUATION. DISCUSS.
SCRIPTURES FOR CONSIDERATION AND DISCUSSION:
LUKE 19:1-10
