A minister passing through his church
in the middle of the day, decided
to pause by the altar and see who
had come to pray.

Just then the back door opened,
a man came down the aisle,
The minister frowned as he saw
the man hadn't shaved in a while.

His shirt was kinda shabby and
his coat was worn and frayed.
The man knelt, he bowed his head,
then rose and walked away.

In the days that followed, each
noon time came this chap, each
time he knelt just for a moment,
a lunch pail in his lap.

Well, the minister's suspicions grew,
with robbery a main fear,
He decided to stop the man
and ask him, "What are you doing here?"

The old man said, he worked down the road.
Lunch was half an hour.

Lunchtime was his prayer time,
for finding strength and power.

"I stay only moments, see, because
the factory is so far away;
As I kneel here talking to 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 AWAY MY SIN.

DON'T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY,
BUT I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY. SO,
JESUS, THIS IS JIM CHECKING IN."

The minister feeling foolish, >told Jim, that was fine.
He told the man he was
welcome to come and pray just anytime.
Time to go, Jim smiled, said "Thanks."
He hurried to the door.
The minister knelt at the alter
he'd never done it 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 EVERYDAY. SO,
JESUS, THIS IS ME CHECKING IN."

Past noon one day, the minister
noticed that old Jim hadn't come.
As more days passed without Jim,
he began to worry some.
At the factory, he asked about him,
learning he was ill.
The hospital staff was worried, but
he'd given them a thrill.
The week that Jim was with them,
brought changes in the ward.
His smiles, a joy contagious.
Changed people, were his reward.

The head nurse couldn't understand why
Jim was so glad, When no flowers,
calls or cards came, not a visitor he had.
The minister stayed by his bed,
he voiced the nurse's concern:
No friends came to show they cared.
He had nowhere to turn.

Looking surprised, old Jim
spoke up and with a winsome smile;
"The nurse is wrong, she couldn't know,
that in here all the while
everyday at noon He's here, a dear
friend of mine, you see, He sits
right down, takes my hand, leans
over and says to me:

"I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, JIM,
HOW HAPPY I HAVE BEEN, SINCE WE
FOUND THIS FRIENDSHIP, AND I TOOK AWAY YOUR SIN.

ALWAYS LOVE TO HEAR YOU PRAY, I THINK
ABOUT YOU EACH DAY, AND SO JIM,
THIS IS JESUS CHECKING IN."

by Sonny Salsbury