Who Are We Talking About?

Two fellows went to the circus and saw the cage containing a tiger pacing back and forth, growling, and baring his teeth.  At that moment, a beautiful lady entered the cage.  The two men held their breath as the tiger prepared to pounce.  Suddenly, the lady pointed  and said, "Sit!" and the tiger sat.  She said, "Crawl!" and the tiger crawled.

The two men continued to watch, amazed at what they were seeing.  The young lady extended her hand toward the tiger and he licked her hand like a kitten.  She leaned over and the tiger gently licked her face.

One man turned to the other and said, "Man, I wouldn't do that for anything in the world!"  

"I would." said the other.

"Are you crazy?  You wouldn't dare do that!"

Then the second man turned to his friend and said, "You bet I will.  Just do something with that tiger for me."

- Steve May, The Story File (Hendrickson Publishers, 2000)

First Words He Heard Was Of Love

For fifty-seven years, Steve Henning of Huntley, Illinois, could not hear music, laughter, or human speech. Even though he lived a full life, he still longed to hear the voices of those he loved.

In the winter of 2001, he learned of a surgical procedure that would allow sound waves to bypass the nonfunctioning part of his ear and travel directly to the auditory nerve. On January 30, he was operated on. Because the implanted device could not be activated until the swelling in the ear decreased, doctors and Steve didn’t know for six weeks if the operation was successful.

Finally, the six weeks was up. As Steve waited nervously, the audiologist programmed the cochlear implant. Then he invited Steve’s wife to say something. Pat Henning leaned toward her husband and gently said, “I love you.” Able to hear for the first time in six decades, Steve’s face broke into a smile. The first words he heard were of love.

 — Greg Asimakoupoulos, “Hearing God’s Word of Love,” PreachingToday.com

The Right Attitude In Playing

Witts Springs, Arkansas, population one hundred, has a hard time producing athletes from a student body of forty-one in grades seven to twelve. But its athletes take team play to a new level.

In a basketball game with Leslie School, Witts Springs trailed by more than thirty points with just two minutes to go. The fans began to chant, “Put in Scotty.” “Scot-TEE! Scot-TEE!” Coach Nash waved Scotty Harmon in.

Harmon, who has cerebral palsy, took a pass on the perimeter and flung the ball toward the hoop. He missed. His teammates scrambled for the rebound and gave Scotty a second chance. He missed again, which started another fight for the ball.

“The kids know when Scotty’s in there, their game is over,” Coach Nash said. “They’re doing it for him. The atmosphere changes. If they’re worn out, they’ll break their necks to get that rebound. Our kids will go above everybody to get the ball to Scotty.”

On his fourth try, Harmon sunk a three-pointer. Fans on both sides of the gym cheered wildly. The scoreboard showed Leslie, 89; Witts Springs, 58, but everybody left a winner.

 — Larry Pillow, Arkansas Democrat Gazette (February 7, 1999)

A Taste Of His Own Medicine

A cigar smoker bought several hundred expensive cigars and had them insured against fire.  After he'd smoked them all, he filed a claim, pointing out that the cigars had, in fact, been destroyed by fire.

The insurance company refused to pay, and then the man sued.  The judge ruled that because the insurance company had agreed to insure the cigars against fire, it was legally responsible.

The company had no choice but to pay the claim.  Then, when the man accepted the money, the company had him arrested for arson.

- submitted by Don Maddox to Parables, Etc. (October 1996)

Kindness Reciprocated Unexpectedly

Many years ago two young men were working their way through Stanford University.  At one point their money was almost gone, so they decided to engage the great pianist Paderewski for a concert and use the profits for board and tuition.  Paderewski's manager asked for a guarantee of two thousand dollars.

The students worked hard to promote the concert, but they came up four hundred dollars short.  After the performance, they went to the musician, gave him all the money they had raised, and promised to pay the four hundered dollars as soon as they could.  It appeared that their college days were over.  "No, boys, that won't do," said the pianist.  "Take out of this sixteen hundred dollars all your expenses, and keep for each of you 10 percent of all the balance for your work.  Let me have the rest."

Years passed.  Paderewski became premier of Poland following World War I.  Thousand of his countrymen were starving.  Only one man could help--the head of the U.S. Food and Relief Bureau.  Paderewski's appeal to him brought thousands of tons of food.  Later he met the American statesman to thank him.  "That's all right," replied Herbert Hoover.  "Besides, you don't remember, but you helped me once when I was a student in college."

- Roy B. Zuck, The Speaker's Quote Book (Christian Literature Crusade, 1997)

Love That Will Not Let Me Go

At a young age, George Matheson was told he was losing what little poor eyesight he had.  He was only fifteen then.  But despite his situation, Matheson continued straightaway with his plans to enroll in the University of Glasgow.  He later graduated at the age of nineteen.  He then pursued graduate studies in theology for Christian ministry.  But it was during this time that he did become blind.  His loving sisters supported him and joined ranks beside him as he continued with his graduate studies.  They even learned Greek and Hebrew to assist him in his theological education.  He faithfully pressed on.

But he was devestated when his fiancée broke off their engagement and returned his ring because she refused to be married to a blind man.  Somehow, Matheson still carried the pain of rejection.  He never married.  

Years passed and he became a well-loved pastor in Scotland.  When his sister came to him one day and announced her engagement, he rejoiced with her, but his mind went back to his own heartache.  He comforted himself by thinking of God and His love.  He contemplated once again that God's love is never limited, never conditional, never withdrawn, and never uncertain.  Out of this experience he wrote the hymn, O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go.

O love that wilt not let me go,

I rest my weary soul in thee;

I give thee back the life I owe,

That in thine ocean depths it flow

May richer, fuller be.

Assumptions Can Be Dangerous

The photographer for a national magazine was assigned to get photos of a great forest fire.  Smoke at the scene hampered him, and he asked his home office to hire a plane.  Arrangements were made, and he was told to go at once to a neary airport, where the plane would be waiting.

When he arrived at the airport, a plane was warming up near the runway.  He jumped in with his equipment and yelled, "Let's go!  Let's go!"  The pilot swung the plane into the wind, and they soon were in the air.

"Fly over the north side of the fire," yelled the photographer, "and make three or four low level passes."

"Why?" asked the pilot.

"Because I'm going to take pictures," cried the photographer.  "I'm a photographer and photographers take pictures!"

After a pause the pilot said, "You mean you're not the flight instructor?"

- Bits & Pieces (The Economics Press, Inc., 1996)

Do the Right Thing

In September 2006, Matt Atkinson’s three friends told him they were plotting a Columbine-style attack on their school. They would ignite bombs near bathrooms, set fire to exits, then shoot any of the fifteen hundred students and staff they didn’t like.

Atkinson was torn. Though his friends’ threats sounded serious, he wasn’t certain they were genuine. Could he risk getting his friends into major trouble over what might turn out to be a joke? That night he talked to his mother.

The following morning — one day before his friends had scheduled their attack — Atkinson followed his mother’s advice and talked to the school’s assistant principal. Law enforcement officials immediately intervened. After taking the three would-be attackers into custody, police searched their homes. They found shocking confirmation of the intended assault: suicide notes, a large cache of weapons, ammunition, camouflage clothing, helmets, and gas masks.

When news of the foiled attack became public, Atkinson was lauded as a hero. “Do the right thing,” he said, downplaying the incident. “That’s all I can say: do the right thing. There’s no harm in telling somebody about it. I didn’t do it for fame. I had fear for the life of my fellow students and staff at East High School.”

Atkinson did the right thing because he had a proper view of the consequences of his inaction — not just for his fellow students, but also for the attackers and himself. “If it wasn’t true,” he said, “at least they’d get the help they needed. If I didn’t go, and they were serious, I couldn’t live with that on my conscience.”

 — Hugh Poland, “Courageous Student Prevents School Shooting,” PreachingToday.com; source: “Student Talks of Breaking Up Bomb Plot,” MSNBC.com (September 21, 2006)

Caring Is Best Explained When Demonstrated

Years ago I flew to Minneapolis to speak at a conference at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Near downtown Minneapolis my taxi stopped at a red light four cars back from the crosswalk. I noticed a homeless man lurching between the cars in the middle of the street. When he got to the front of my taxi, he fell and landed on his chin. His chin split open, and there was blood all over the place.

As I looked at this man six feet away, these thoughts went through my head:
1. I have a brand-new suit on that Gail just bought me. I can’t afford to get messed up.
2. I have to get to the convention center to speak in fifteen minutes.
3. I’m in a strange city, and I don’t know what to do.
4. I don’t have any medical training. I wouldn’t know how to help this guy.

I wonder if underneath there wasn’t a fifth thought: If you’re dumb enough to get that drunk, why should someone stop and help you?

For a few seconds those thoughts militated against any movement on my part. Before I could come to better senses, other people came rushing to this man’s help, and I was able to get back into my taxi and go on to the convention center to speak about sensitivity and caring for the needs of other human beings. Isn’t that stupid?

 — Gordon MacDonald, from the sermon “Pointing to Jesus: Generosity,” 
Grace Chapel, Lexington, Massachusetts 
(February 22, 1998)

A Mother's Selfless Rescue

Police don't know where Deborah Kemp found the strength.  But Kemp knows.  Six-year-old daughter Ashleye was in the backseat, and Kemp wasn't going to let the man steal her car after she pumped gas.  The thirty-four-year-old mother was dragged on her knees for several blocks as she clung to the door and steering wheel of the moving car.

"I wasn't trying to be a hero," she said.  "I was concerned about my baby... there was part of me in that car."  Kemp eventually pulled the suspect from the car and beat him with an anti theft club device while he apologized and begged her to stop.

The driverless car went out of control and smashed into a restaurant, breaking a gas line.  That's when the child woke up.  Kemp suffered only ripped pants and bloody knees.  The child was not injured.  The suspect can't walk: One leg is broken, the other fractured.  He also suffered head injuries.

- from an Atlanta newspaper, December 1994, submitted by Rose Hodgin to Parables, Etc. (July 1995)

Perfectly Unforgettable

One pouring night a man ducked into a taxi that happened to come along just as he walked out of his office.

"Perfect timing," said the cabbie.  "You're like Harold."

"Who?" the man asked.

"Harold Curry," the driver said.  "A most memorable character.  He did everything right.  Like this cab coming along when you needed it.  That's exactly what would have happened to Harold.  He was always right."

The man responded, "Nobody's that perfect."

The cab driver went on, "He was a great athlete. He played tennis and golf like a pro and was a superb dancer.  Harold never forgot birthdays and anniversaries.  He knew which fork to use and how to taste wine.  He was also a great handyman.  He could fix anything.  Me?  I'm all thumbs."

Soon they reached the man's destination.  "That Harold was quite a guy," he said, stepping out of the cab.  "No wonder he's your most unforgettable character."

As the driver made change for the man he said, "He'd be yours too, if you married his widow."

- Steve May, The Story File (Hendrickson Publishers, 2000)

The Needed Help Came From The Unwanted Hero

Dobie Gadient, a schoolteacher for thirteen years, decided to travel across America and see the sights she had taught about.  Traveling alone in a truck with camper in tow, she launched out.  One afternoon, while she was rounding a curve on I-5 near Sacramento in rush-hour traffic, a water pump blew on her truck.  She was tired, exasperated, scared, and alone.  In spite of the traffic jam she caused, no one seemed interested in helping.

Leaning up against the trailer, she prayed, "Please, God, send me an angel, preferably one with mechanical experience."  Within four minutes, a huge Harley drove up, ridden by an enormous man sporting long, black hair, a beard, and tattooed arms.  With an incredible air of confidence, he jumped off and went to work on the truck, without even glancing at Dobie.  Within another few minutes, he flagged down a larger truck, attached a tow chain to the frame of the disabled Chevy, and whisked the whole 56-foot rig off the freeway onto a side street, where he calmly continued to work on the water pump.

The intimidated schoolteacher was too dumbfounded to talk, especially when she read the paralyzing words on the back of his leather jacket: "Hell's Angels -- California."  As he finished his task, she finally got up enough courage to say, "thanks so much," and carry on a brief conversation.  Noting her surprise at the whole ordeal, he looked her straight in the eye and advised, "Don't judge a book by its cover.  You may not know who you're talking to."  With that, he smiled, closed the hood of the truck, and straddled his Harley.  With a wave, he was gone as fast as he had appeared.

- Larry D. Wright, "To Illustrate," Leadership Journal (Spring 1988).  Attributed to a newsletter, Our America.

Looking Past The Negatives

He was always in trouble, so when the parents of the junior high boy received another call to meet with his teacher and the principal, they knew what was coming.

The teacher said, “Thanks for coming. I wanted you to hear what I have to say.”

The father waited, thinking about what defense he could use this time. The teacher proceeded to go down a list of ten positive affirmations, or potential benefits, of the junior high “troublemaker.” When she finished, the father said, “And what else? Let’s hear the bad things.”

“That’s all I wanted to say,” she said.

That night when the father got home, he repeated the conversation to his son. Almost overnight, the troublemaker’s behavior changed. All because a teacher looked past the negatives to see the potential in a young man.

 — Peter Lord, former pastor, Park Avenue Baptist Church, Titusville, Florida

He Shall Live Because Of Your Sacrifice

During the seventeenth century, Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of England, sentenced a soldier to be shot for his crimes.  The execution was to take place at the ringing of the evening curfew bell.  However, the bell did not sound.  The soldier's fiancée had climbed into the belfry and clung to the great clapper of the bell to prevent it from striking.  

When she was summoned by Cromwell to account for her actions, she wept as she showed him her bruised and bleeding hands.  Cromwell's heart was touched and he said, "Your lover shall live because of your sacrifice.  Curfew shall not ring tonight!"

- Our Daily Bread, quoted in The Speaker's Quote Book (Christian Literature Crusade, 1997)

A Simple Yet Genuine Act Brings Much Comfort

Mr. Sam Rayburn was Speaker of the United States House of Representatives longer than any other man in our history.  There is a story about him that reveals the kind of man he really was.

The teenage daughter of a friend of his died suddenly one night.  Early the next morning the man heard a knock on his door, and, when he opened it, there was Mr. Rayburn standing outside.

The Speaker said, "I just came by to see what I could do to help."

The father replied in his deep grief, "I don't think there is anything you can do, Mr. Speaker.  We are making all the arrangements."

"Well," Mr. Rayburn said, "have you had your coffee this morning?"

The man replied that they had not taken time for breakfast.  So Mr. Rayburn said that he could at least make coffee for them.  While he was working in the kitchen, the man came in and said, "Mr. Speaker, I thought you were supposed to be having breakfast at the White House this morning."

"Well, I was," Mr. Rayburn said, "but I called the president and told him I had a friend who was in trouble, and I couldn't come."

- Charles L. Allen, Perfect Peace (Fleming H. Revell Co., 1979)

A Not-So-Easy Task

A young mother left her two preschool children for the day in the care of their less experienced father on his day off from work.  At the end of the day, she returned home to find her husband exhausted from a day with his children but trying to hide the fact.

The mother gently asked her husband: "Did everything go okay?"

The father answered, "Oh, sure, it was fine."

"Did you have any trouble?" she explored.

"Just a couple of times the kids were a bit unmanageable."

"And when did these episodes take place?"

Her husband confessed, "The first time was the first four hours after you left, and the second was the five hours before you returned."

- The Pastor's Story File (Saratoga Press, May 1994)

More Than The External

John Blanchard visited a secondhand book store and selected a book that interested him.  When he began to browse the book, however, it was not the words of the book that intrigued him, but the notes penciled in the margin.  The soft handwriting reflected a thoughtful soul and insightful mind.  In the front of the book he discovered the previous owner's name, Miss Hollis Maynell.  It didn't take long to locate her address -- she lived right there in New York City.  He wrote her a letter introducing himself and inviting her to correspond.  The next day he was shipped overseas for service in World War II.

During the next year the two of them grew to know each other through the mail.  Each letter was a seed falling on a fertile heart.  A romance was budding.  Blanchard requested a photograph, but she refused.  She felt that if he really cared about her, it wouldn't matter how she looked like.

When the day finally came for him to return from Europe, they scheduled their first meeting -- 7:00 pm at the Grand Central Station in New York.  "You'll recognize me," she wrote, "by the red rose I'll be wearing on my lapel."

So at 7:00 he was in the station looking for a girl whose heart he loved, but whose face he'd never seen.  Blanchard wrote about what happened that night:

"A young woman was coming toward me, her figure long and slim.  Her blonde hair lay back in curls from her delicate ears; her eyes were blue as flowers.  Her lips and chin had a gentle firmness, and in her pale green suit she was like springtime come alive.  I started toward her, entirely forgetting to notice that she was not wearing a rose.  As I moved, a small, provocative smile curved her lips.  'Going my way, soldier.' she murmured.

"Almost uncontrollably I made one step closer to her, and then I saw Hollis Maynell.  She was standing almost directly behind the girl.  A woman well past 40, she had graying hair tucked under a worn hat.  She was more than plump, her thick-ankles feet thrust into low-heeled shoes.  The girl in the green suit was walking quickly away.  I felt as though I was split in two, so keen was my desire to follow her, and yet so deep was my longing for the woman whose spirit had truly companioned me and upheld my own.  And there she stood.  Her pale, plump face was gentle and sensible; her gray eyes had a warm and kindly twinkle.

"I did not hesitate.  My fingers gripped the small, worn, blue leather copy of the book that was to identify me to her.  This would not be love, but it would be something precious, something perhaps even better than love, a friendship for which I had been and must ever be grateful.  I squared my shoulders and saluted and held out the book to the woman, even though while I spoke I felt choked by the bitterness of my disappointment.

"'I'm Lieutenant John Blanchard, and you must be Miss Maynell.  I am so glad you could meet me; may I take you to dinner?'

"The woman's face broadened into a tolerant smile.  'I don't know what this is about, son,' she answered, 'but the young lady in the green suit who just went by, she begged me to wear this rose on my coat.  And she said if you were to ask me out to dinner, I should tell you that she is waiting for you in the big restaurant across the street.  She said it was some kind of test!"

- Wayne Rice, Still More Hot Illustrations For Youth Talks (Christian Literature Crusade, 1999)

Whatever Your Work Is, Do It Happily With Excellence

There is a story that when the famed English architect, Sir Christopher Wren, was directing the building of St. Paul's Cathedral in London, some of the workers were interviewed by a journalist who asked them, "What are you doing here?"

The first said, "I'm cutting stone for three shillings a day."

The second replied, "I'm putting ten hours a day in on this job."

The third replied,  "I'm helping Sir Christopher Wren build the greatest cathedral in Great Britain for the glory of God."

- Robert Fulghum, It Was On Fire When I Lay Down On It (Villard Books, 1990)

Be Careful What You Admire

A hip young man bought one of the best cars around: a Ferrari GTO. He took it out for a spin and stopped at a red light. An old man on a moped pulled up next to him. The old man looked over at the sleek, shiny car and asked, “What kind of car ya got there, sonny?”

“A Ferrari GTO. It cost half a million dollars.”

“That’s a lot of money,” said the old man. “Why does it cost so much?”

“Because this car can do up to 320 miles an hour!” said the young man proudly.

“Mind if I take a look inside?”

“No problem,” replied the owner.

The old man poked his head in the window and looked around. “That’s a pretty nice car, all right!”

Just then the light changed, and the driver decided to show the old man just what his car could do. He floored it, and within thirty seconds the speedometer read 160 miles per hour. Suddenly he noticed a dot in his rearview mirror. He slowed down to see what it could be, and — whoosh — something whipped by him going much faster.

“What on earth could be going faster than my Ferrari?” the young man said to himself. Then, ahead of him, he saw a dot coming toward him. Whoosh! It went by again, heading the opposite direction — and it looked like the old man on the moped.

Couldn’t be, he thought. How could a moped outrun a Ferrari?

Once more, though, he saw the dot in his rearview mirror, followed by a bang as the speeding object crashed into the back of his car.

The young man jumped out and saw the old man lying on the pavement. He ran to him and asked, “How can I help?”

The old man whispered, “Unhook . . . my suspenders . . . from your side-view mirror.”

The moral of the story: Be careful what you admire!

 — Brett Kays, Brownstown, Michigan

Kindness Instead Of Revenge

There was a sheep-raising farmer.  Next to him there was another farmer who was raising wheat, children, and large dogs.  The dogs were scaring the sheep.  The sheep farmer did not know what to do.  He could shoot the dogs or poison them, be nasty to his neighbor, or even take him to court.

He prayed about it...

As soon as some new lambs were born he gave each of his neighbor's children one of the lambs as a pet.  The children were thrilled.  But their father could no longer allow his dogs to run rampant as before.  He restrained them for the sake of the pet lambs.  The two farmers became friends.  Kindness won.

- submitted by Dennis Kamper, Parables, Etc. (July 1992)

We Take Turns In Caring

A young mother was sick in bed when her nine-year-old daughter walked in from school.  Thinking her mother was asleep, she quietly unfolded the blanket at the foot of the bed and gently tucked it around her mom.  The mother stirred, then whispered, "It wasn't too long ago that I was tucking you in.  And now you're covering me."

The little girl, bending over her mother, replied, "We take turns."

- Robert J. Morgan, Preacher's Sourcebook of Creative Sermon Illustrations (Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2007)

Temporary Goodbye

As he reflected on the death of his beloved wife, Margaret, Lyman Coleman wrote the following:

The most painful decision of my life was asking God to take her home. She had been suffering from repeated brain seizures and her body was wasted. I whispered in her ear: “Honey, I love you. I love you. Jesus wants you to come home. We are going to be all right. We give you permission to let go.” She closed her eyes and fell asleep. . . .

As I write this letter, I realize I am without my editor. My greatest critic. My teammate. Soul mate. Prayer mate. Partner in everything. We traveled the roads less traveled together in hard times and good times.

Honey, I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I will keep the light on for the kids. I will be there for friends. And one day we are going to join you. All of us. Because Jesus promised it.

“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints” (Psalm 116:15).

 — Bill Donahue and Russ Robinson, Building a Church of Small Groups (Zondervan, 2001)

Reward Gone Means No More Insults

If we come to view ourselves as working for an external reward, we will no longer find the activity worth doing in its own right.

There is an old joke that illustrates this.  An elderly man, harassed by the taunts of the neighborhood children, devised a scheme.  He offered to pay them a dollar each if they would return on Tuesday and yell their insults again.  The children did so eagerly and received the money.

Then he told them he would pay only twenty-five cents on Wednesday.

When they returned, insulted him again, and collected their quarters, he informed them that Thursday's rate would be just a penny.

"Forget it," they said -- and never taunted him again.

- Alfie Kohn, Boston Globe, submitted by Dr. William T. McConnell to The Pastor's Story File (October 1995)

Hoping Mommy's Home

A wife was diagnosed with breast cancer.  After two operations and radiation treatment, she showed signs of improvement.  There was hope that she might beat this dreaded disease.  But three years later, her small body succumbed to the insidious growth.  She was survived by her husband and two children who were only three and five at the time of her death.

Immediately after the funeral, the three went for a brief vacation.  When they were pulling the car into the driveway upon their return, the three-year-old boy expressed the hope of everyone in the car, "Maybe Mommy's home."

- Craig A. Smith, Sermon Illustrations for an Asian Audience (OMF Literature Inc., 2004)

Don't Miss the Beautiful Things Around

When Frank Lloyd Wright was nine, he went walking across a snow-covered field with his uncle. As the two of them reached the end of the field, his uncle stopped him. He pointed out his own tracks in the snow, straight and true as an arrow’s flight, then young Frank’s tracks meandering all over the field. “Notice how your tracks wander aimlessly from the fence to the cattle to the woods and back again,” his uncle said. “See how my tracks aim directly to my goal? There is an important lesson in that.”

Years later, the world-famous architect told how this experience had greatly contributed to his philosophy in life. “I determined right then not to miss most things in life, as my uncle had,” he said.

 — Jeff Arthurs, “Life Goals,” 
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