His name is Bill. He has wild hair,
wears a T-shirt with holes in it, jeans and no shoes. This was literally
his wardrobe for his entire four years of college. He is brilliant, kind
of esoteric and very, very bright. He became a Christian while attending
college. Across the street from the campus
is a well-dressed, very conservative
church. They want to develop a ministry to the students, but are
not sure how to go about it.
One day Bill decides to go there.
He walks in with no shoes, jeans, in T-shirt, and wild hair. The service
has already started and so Bill starts down the aisle looking for a seat.
The church is completely packed and he can't find a seat. By now people
are really looking a bit uncomfortable,
but no one says anything. Bill gets
closer and closer and closer to the pulpit and when he realizes there are
no seats, he just squats down right on the carpet. (Although perfectly
ac ceptable behavior at a college fellowship, trust me, this had never
happened in this church before!) By now the people are really uptight,
and the tension in the air is thick.
About this time, the minister realizes
that from way at the back of the church, a deacon is slowly making
his way toward Bill. Now the deacon is in his eighties, has silver-gray
hair, and a three-piece suit. A godly man, very elegant, very dignified,
and very courtly. He walks with a cane and as he starts walking toward
this boy, everyone is saying to themselves, "You can't blame him for what
he's going to do. How can you expect a man of his age and of his background
to understand some college kid on the floor?"
It takes a long time for the man
to reach the boy. The church is utterly silent except for the clicking
of the man's cane. All eyes are focused on him. You can't even hear anyone
breathing. The people are thinking. The minister can't even preach
the sermon until the deacon does what
he has to do.
And now they see this elderly man
drop his cane on the floor. With great difficulty he lowers himself
and sits down next to Bill and worships with him so he won't be alone.
Everyone chokes up with emotion. When the minister gains control
he says, "What I'm about to preach, you will
never remember. What you have just
seen, you will never forget. Be careful how you live. You may be
the only Bible some people will ever read."