Quote from Forum Archives on January 19, 2003, 9:25 am

Posted by: bigguyhereagain <bigguyhereagain@...>

<>< The Room The Rest Of The Story ><>

 

This is a follow up to the story posted yesterday called the room.Thank you to everyone that sent e-mail bring this to my attention.

 

Here we have a tale that contains an element of truth, but that element has almost been entirely submerged by a "truth" many apparently would prefer to believe. Moreover, that "truth" masks an unsavory reality not many know about.
Brian Moore did read this essay aloud at a meeting of Christian athletes, and he did claim to his parents that he'd written it as an assignment for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes approximately two months before his death. The 17-year-old Teay's Valley High School student (not "Teary Valley," as claimed in the e-mail) did die on 27 May 1997 in the manner described. All that is true.

 

However, it's the little known story behind the story that proves most worthy of comment. You see, it turns out the deceased was a plagiarist. The piece he'd claimed authorship was actually the work of Joshua Harris, and it appeared in a book Harris published before Moore died. It had debuted two years earlier, in the Spring 1995 issue of New Attitude magazine, which was then edited by Harris.

 

Moore's parents had no reason to suspect the work in question was not their son's, and it was read at the boy's funeral. They and other relatives and friends subsequently broadcast the essay as his work, sincerely believing that it was. Only after the piece was published in The Columbus Dispatch on the anniversary of Moore's death did the truth about its authorship become known, when readers responded with corrections that pointed the newspaper to Harris and his book.

 

It's ironic that an essay describing the author's sense of shame over his personal accumulation of sins would be used by another to add a few file cards to his own stash. The dead boy not only stole someone else's work but also presented it as his own before a Christian fellowship he was part of and lied to his parents about it. That's three of the ten commandments right there (stealing, not honoring parents, and bearing false witness).

 

Barbara "lightning round" Mikkelson

 

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<>< Whispers ><>

 

Not long ago I heard a story about a young man and an old preacher.
 
The young man had lost his job and didn't know which way to turn. So he went to see the old preacher.
 
Pacing about the preacher's study, the young man ranted about his problem. Finally he clenched his fist and shouted, "I've begged God  to say something to help me, preacher, why doesn't God answer?"
 
The old preacher, who sat across the room, spoke something in  reply, something so hushed it was indistinguishable. The young man stepped across the room. "What did you say?" he asked. The preacher  repeated himself, but again in a tone as soft as a whisper. So the young man moved closer until he was leaning on the preacher's chair.
 
"Sorry," he said. "I still didn't hear you." With their heads bent together, the old preacher spoke once more. "God sometimes  whispers," he said, "So we will move closer to hear him." This time the young man heard and he understood.
 
We all want God's voice to thunder through the air with the answer  to our problem. But God's is the still, small voice... the gentle whisper.

 

Perhaps there's a reason.
 
Nothing draws human focus quite like a whisper. God's whisper means I must stop my ranting and move close to Him, until my head is bent together with His. And then, as I listen, I will find my answer. Better still, I find myself closer to God.

 

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<>< This Will Make You Stop And Think! ><>

 

One day a while back, a man, his heart heavy with grief, was walking
in the woods. As he thought about his life this day, he knew many things
 were not right. He thought about those who had lied about him back when
he had a job.  His thoughts turned to those who had stolen his things and
cheated him.  He remembered family that had passed on.

 

His mind turned to the illness he had that no one could cure. His very soul
was filled with anger, resentment and frustration.  Standing there this day,
searching for answers he could not find, knowing all else had failed him,
he knelt at the base of an old oak tree to seek the one he knew would
always be there.

 

And with tears in his eyes, he  prayed, "Lord, You have done wonderful
things for me in this life. You have told me to do many things for you,
and I happily obeyed. Today, you have told me to forgive. I am sad,
Lord, because I cannot. I don't know how. It is not fair Lord. I didn't
deserve these wrongs that were done against me and I shouldn't have
to forgive. As perfect as your way is Lord, this one thing I cannot do,
for I don't know how to forgive. My anger is so deep Lord, I fear I may
not hear you, but I pray that you teach me to do this one thing I cannot
do; teach me to forgive."

 

As he knelt there in the quiet shade of that old oak tree, he felt
something fall onto his shoulder. He opened his eyes. Out of the corner
of one eye he saw something red on his shirt. He could not turn to see
what it was because where the oak tree had been was a large square piece
of wood in the ground. He raised his head and saw two feet held to the
wood with a large spike through them. 

 

He raised his head more, and tears came to his eyes as he saw Jesus
hanging on a cross. He saw spikes in His hands, a gash in His side, a
torn and battered body, deep thorns sunk into His head. Finally he
saw the suffering and pain on His precious face. As their eyes met,
the man's tears turned to sobbing, and Jesus began to speak.

 

Have you ever told a lie, he asked?  The man answered, yes Lord.
Have you ever been given too much change and kept it?  The man
answered, yes Lord. And the man sobbed more and more.  Have
you ever taken something from work that wasn't yours, Jesus asked? 
And the man answered, yes Lord.

 

Have you ever sworn, using my Father's name in vain? The man,
crying now, answered yes Lord.  As Jesus asked many more times,
"Have you ever"? The man's crying became uncontrollable, for he
could only answer yes Lord.

 

Then Jesus turned His head from one side to the other, and the man felt
something fall on his other shoulder. He looked and saw that it was the
blood of Jesus. When he looked back up, his eyes met those of Jesus,
and there was a look of love the man had never seen or known before.

 

Jesus said, I didn't deserve this either, but I forgive you. It may be hard
to see how you're going to get through something, but when you look
back in life, you realize how true this statement is.

 

Read the first line slowly and let it sink in. This is simple, and
important. Read on....This first line is deep. 
"If God brings you toit-He will bring you through it."

 

Have a Blessed Day
Dave and Barbara

 

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