Casting Your Bread Upon The Waters

[CAPTAINZING2000]

CASTING YOUR BREAD UPON THE WATERS

ECCLESIASTES 11:1

I grew up about five miles southwest of small-town America. There were a few folks there who’d had the benefit of a college education, but the vast majority of them had little education to speak of. Of those who were "educated", most only had a high school diploma or its equivalent. Now, please don’t misunderstand me, I am NOT knocking non Ivy-leaguers. That was simply the world I came from. But coming from such a background, trying to read or understand the Bible was tough. Add to that, no one spoke Elizabethan English down there and the only available English translation of the Bible being the King James Version, interpretation could be tricky.

When I read about Jesus feeding several thousand people from a small boy’s sack lunch of "loaves" and "fishes", my brain automatically conjured up visions of one-pound loaves of Ideal or Town-Talk bread and four-pound catfish. In fact, rural, Bible-belt America pretty well set the stage and colored the backdrops for all the Sunday School stories I grew up with. It was a critical day in the pool hall the day I realized Peter did not fish with a Zebco, John the Baptist may have eaten locust BEANS (not locust INSECTS!) and wild honey and – Bless the Lord, Jesus was NOT WHITE! If any educated outsider had had the audacity to suggest that Paul did NOT speak King James English, we would have been dropping like flies from massive coronaries.

With this in mind, you can only imagine the address my fertile young mind arrived at when my Sunday School teacher introduced me to Ecclesiastes 11:1: "Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again…" Cast your WHAT upon the waters? Down home, the only conceivable reason you might cast bread upon the water was if you wanted to feed the catfish or to lure the poor suckers close enough to the bank to net them.

This tidbit of wisdom from the Old Testament, which the collector was referring to in this verse goes back to an ancient practice of sowing seeds (not bread) over flooded fields along the riverbanks, such as the Jordan River. When the rains had come, the river swelled and crested its banks and the low lying fields of the Jordan River valley were well under water, the farmer would get into a boat, row out over his fields and sow his seeds upon the face of the water. To the casual observer or the traveler from distant places who witnessed the farmer casting his seed from the boat, that farmer gave every appearance that his elevator did NOT go all the way to the top! The struggles of the every day process of life had taken their toll and that farmer was now Looney-bin material.

What the Palestinian farmer knew that the concerned traveler did not, was that as the seeds sank to the bottom of the water, the current would deposit a rich silt covering over them, almost guaranteeing that farmer of an excellent harvest. Neat, huh? The next time the conversation begins to lag, you can whip this little nugget out and proceed to wow the socks off everyone. Here is the object lesson. When you chose to become a Christian, you joined the ranks of an elite, faith-walking organization. The God you now live for wants you to believe in Him. He wants you to have FAITH in Him. He expects you to stop leaning on YOUR understanding and depending upon YOUR muscles and YOUR smarts. Climb out on the limb. Step out on faith. Put your weight on His strength. Lean on His insightfulness and His wisdom and upon His knowledge. You may have been the sharpest knife in the drawer, but when you became a Christian, you invited Him to become not only your personal Savior, but the Lord of your life. Now back off and let Him be that. God has an interest in every facet of your life. He has a will and a purpose for you. Let Him make your decisions. Let Him be the one to choose your directions. Let Him establish your purpose and your priorities. Did He not conclude the thought by saying, "…for after many days you will find it again…"? You are risking nothing! Think about it.

There will always be those curious, casual and critical observers who think that you have flipped your waffles because you have chosen to yield your life to Jesus Christ. There will always be those folks who scrutinize your life with raised eyebrows because you choose to live by faith. But that’s okay. Just step on into the boat and row out over the waters. You will win some of them. Meanwhile, you have bread to cast…

[Live]

Thanks, I learned some interesting facts from that! Isn't it funny how our interpretation is based on the life or culture we know.
I always interpreted casting bread upon the water in a more metaphorical manner. The conclusions being more or less correct, but I had no idea about the literal practice.
Cool!
I am getting ready to study Jerusalem next. I wonder what I will find there?

[jlu]

Cap, I grew up in a VERY small town in the eastern part of Washington state. The same as you most people had little education and were farmers. I grew up going to church EVERY Sunday and got a little lost along the way. Now that I am finding my way back to God I still find that I understand little. I know most of the stories from the Bible but really couldn't tell anybody how they relate to REAL life.

Now that story makes total sense!!! Thank you!

[CAPTAINZING2000]

[Live]

Sometimes talking to you makes me a little homesick in a sweet way.
I sure could go for a plateful of catfish, or bluegill, or crappie.

Wall-eye? Any wall-eye there?

Gluttony is my favorite sin, it is the one you can talk about in public.

[CAPTAINZING2000]

Not Sure If The Kaskaskia Has Any Flowing Down It Or Not. You Know, There Was Always Channel Cat Swimming Around There. Never Asked If, You Partied On The River. That Is God's Country You Know

[Live]

And in the spring you will be gathering morels. Oh, be still my heart!
Ever tried the oyster shelf mushrooms in the fall, they are even better.!

I wanted to go out fishing with my brother last time we were all home, but was forbidden, it was guys only.

Party, no. Good food source.
I was mad at my brother that night, they just played catch and release!

[CAPTAINZING2000]

DIFFERENT FOOTSTEPS

Imagine you and the Lord Jesus are walking down the road together. For much of the way, the Lord's footprints go along steadily, consistently, rarely varying the pace. But your footprints are a disorganized stream of zigzags, starts, stops, turnarounds, circles, departures, and returns.

For much of the way, it seems to go like this, but gradually your footprints come more in line with the Lord's, soon paralleling His consistently. You and Jesus are walking as true friends! This seems perfect, but then an interesting thing happens: Your footprints that once etched the sand next to Jesus' are now walking precisely in His steps. Inside His larger footprints are your smaller ones, you and Jesus are becoming one.

This goes on for many miles, but gradually you notice another change. The footprints inside the large footprints seem to grow larger. Eventually they disappear altogether. There is only one set of footprints they have become one. This goes on for a long time, but suddenly the second set of footprints is back. This time it seems even worse! Zigzags all over the place. Stops. Starts. Gashes in the sand. A variable mess of prints. You are amazed and shocked. Your dream ends.

Now you pray: "Lord, I understand the first scene with zigzags and fits. I was a new Christian; I was just learning. But you walked on through the storm and helped me learn to walk with you."

"That is correct."

"... And when the smaller footprints were inside of Yours, I was actually learning to walk in Your steps; followed you very closely." "Very good. You have understood everything so far."

"... When the smaller footprints grew and filled in Yours, I suppose that I was becoming like you in every way."

"Precisely."

"So, Lord, was there a regression or something? The footprints separated, and this time it was worse than at first."

There is a pause as the Lord answers with a smile in his voice. "You didn't know? That was when we danced."

To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: A time to weep, a time to laugh, a time to mourn, and a time to dance.

[CAPTAINZING2000]

JUST CHECKING IN

Author unknown

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 TODAY."

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 altar,
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 TODAY."

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 TODAY."

If this blesses you, pass it on ...

May God hold you in the palm of His hand and Angels watch over you.

But for those of us who are already His, He not only holds us in the palm of His hand, but has engraved our names there, and we are continually in His sight (Isaiah 49:16)

Yes, I do love God. He is my source of existence and Savior. He keeps me functioning each and everyday. Without Him, I will be nothing. Without him, I am nothing but with Him "I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me." Phil 4:13

[jlu]

Cap, once again... that was wonderful.

[best]

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

Least we become like children.

I would say ole Jim sure knows how to pray.

[CAPTAINZING2000]

NO JACKET REQUIRED"

I shook my head in disbelief. This couldn't be the right place. After all, I couldn't possibly be welcome here. I had been given an invitation several times, by several different people, and had finally decided to see what this place was all about. But, this just couldn't be the right place.

Quickly, I glanced down at the invitation that I clutched in my hand. I scanned past the words, "Come as you are. No jacket required" and found the location. Yes, I was at the right place. I peered through the window again and saw a room of people whose faces seemed to glow with joy. All were neatly dressed, adorned in fine garments and appeared strangely clean as they dined at this exquisite restaurant.

Ashamed, I looked down at my own tattered and torn clothing, covered in stains. I was dirty, in fact, filthy. A foul smell seemed to consume me and I couldn't shake the grime that clung to my body. As I turned around to leave, the words from the invitation seemed to leap out at me ... "Come as you are. No jacket required."

I decided to give it a shot. Mustering up every bit of courage I could find, I opened the door to this restaurant and walked up to a man standing behind a podium. "Your name, sir?" he asked me with a smile. "Jimmy D. Brown," I mumbled without looking up. I thrust my hands deep into my pockets, hoping to conceal their stains.

He didn't seem to notice the filth that I was covered in and he continued, "Very good, sir. A table is reserved in your name. Would you like to be seated?" I couldn't believe what I heard! A grin broke out on my face and I said, "Yes, of course!" He lead me to a table and, sure enough, there was a placard with my name written on it in a deep, dark red. As I browsed over a menu, I saw many delightful items listed. There were things like, "peace," "joy," "blessings," "confidence," "assurance," "hope," "love," "faith," and "mercy." I realized that this was no ordinary restaurant! I flipped the menu back to the front in order to see where I was at ... "God's Grace," was the name of this place!

The man returned and said, "I recommend the 'Special of the Day'. With it, you are entitled to heaping portions of everything on this menu." You've got to be kidding! I thought to myself. You mean, I can have ALL of this! "What is the 'Special of the Day' I asked with excitement ringing in my voice. "Salvation," was his reply. "I'll take it," I practically cried out.

Then, as quickly as I made that statement, the joy left my body. A sick, painful ache jerked through my stomach and tears filled my eyes. Between my sobs I said ... "Mister, look at me. I'm dirty and nasty. I'm unclean and unworthy of such things. I'd love to have all of this, but, but, I just can't afford it."

Undaunted, the man smiled again. "Sir, your check has already been taken care of by that Gentleman over there," he said as he pointed to the front of the room. "His Name is Jesus."

Turning, I saw a man whose very presence seemed to light the room. He was almost too much to look at. I found myself walking towards Him and in a shaking voice I whispered, "Sir, I'll wash the dishes or sweep the floors or take out the trash. I'll do anything I can do to repay you for all of this."

He opened His arms and said with a smile, "Son, all of this is yours if you just come unto me. Ask me to clean you up and I will. Ask me to take away the stains and it is done. Ask me to allow you to feast at my table and you will eat. Remember, the table is reserved in your name. All you must do is accept this gift that I offer you." Astonished, I fell at his feet and said, "Please, Jesus. Please clean up my life. Please change me and sit me at your table and give me this new life."

Immediately, I heard the words, "It is finished." I looked down and white robes adorned my squeaky clean body. Something strange and wonderful had happened. I felt new, like a weight had been lifted and I found myself seated at His table.

"The 'Special of the Day' has been served," the Lord said to me. "Salvation is yours." We sat and talked for a great while and I so enjoyed the time that I spent with Him. He told me, me of all people, that He would like for me to come back as often as I liked for another helping from God's Grace.

He made it clear that He wanted me to spend as much time with Him as possible. As it drew near time for me to go back outside into the "real world." He whispered to me softly, "And Lo, I am with you always." And then, He said something to me that I will never forget. He said ... "My child, do you see these empty tables throughout this room?" "Yes, Lord. I see them. What do they mean?" I replied. "These are reserved tables ... but the individuals whose names are on each placard have not accepted their invitations to dine. Would you be so kind as to hand out these invitations to those who have not joined us yet?" Jesus asked.

"Of course," I said with excitement as I picked up the invitations." "Go ye therefore into all nations," He said as I turned to leave. I walked into God's Grace dirty and hungry. Stained in sin. My righteousness as filthy rags. And Jesus cleaned me up. I walked out a brand new man ... robed in white, His righteousness. And so, I'll keep my promise to my Lord. I'll go. I'll spread the Word. I'll share the Gospel ... I'll hand out the invitations. And I'll start with you.

Have you been to God's Grace? There's a table reserved in your name, and here's your invitation ... "Come as you are. No jacket required." "For by grace are ye saved through faith: and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast." - Ephesians 2:8,9.

[greenmeadow]

Thanks Chris!

I am looking for a "boat", some "seeds" and some "water"......

Beautifully explained that was.
Greenmeadow

[larrynboys]

rock on Brother

[CAPTAINZING2000]

Prayers Which God May Not Answer

Lord help me forego insignificant details...
beginning at the Staff Meeting tomorrow at 11:41.23 am EST


God help me to consider other people's feelings...
Even if most of them are too damn sensitive


God help me to take responsibility for my actions...
Even though they're usually not my fault anyway


God, help me to not try to run everything and everyone...
But, if You need some help, just ask


Lord, help me to be more laid back and relaxed...
And help me to do it exactly in the right way


Lord, help me to stand up for my beliefs and convictions...
And always keep me in sync with the majority


God help me to appreciate all of your gifts...
And take things more seriously, especially football


God grant me the patience to get thru this life...
And I mean right now ! Got it ?


Lord help me not be so prejudiced...
Until you get all those other races of people back where they belong


God, provide me with the strength and courage
to finish everything I sta


God, help me to keep my mind on one th --
Look at her ! Whew !!! -- ing at a time


God help me to do only what I can...
And trust you for the all the rest -- please confirm ASAP


Lord help me to keep my mind open to others' ideas;
Stupid and incorrect though they may be


Lord help me be less independent...
But let me do it my way and in my own time


Lord, help me slow down...
andnotrushthrougheverythingthatIdoallthetime


Lord help to me tolerate others' religious beliefs...
Even if You and I know they're wrong


Dear God, thank you for not making me like
the rest of these sinners down here


Please Bless all our lil' "In Crowd".
God and keep them safe from the great unwashed


Lord help me to remember the less fortunate
may not appreciate the finer things of life anyway


Lord reveal to my wife that it's totally selfish
not to want to share me with the other women of the World


Thanks too for all my earthly treasures
And please keep them increasing in value


Lord, let the uneducated "see the light"
And vote Republican as You intended


God, thank you for your gifts of patience and wisdom...
So that I may await the fame and glory rightly mine


And God, please hasten the day when my faith
will be known as the one true Church on earth


Lord, I revel in the knowledge that the golf course
is better than a stuffy building for worship


And God, bless my humble 17 room home and
the lush acreage which you provided as a retreat from the world


Lord, continue to confound my enemies...
And let their stocks plunge


God, continue to separate me from the poor & downtrodden...
As you know how it depresses me


Lord, please restore the proper order of women's ways
And abolish all feminist groups and notions


And Lord, grant to those who would better themselves
Beyond their assigned stations, peace in their menial tasks

[CAPTAINZING2000]

I Miss My Time With You

© Carol Jackson Ministries

*Used With Permission*


This time I am coming to you with a heavy heart. I even regret having to write these words to you because I was so hoping that you would miss your time with Me as much as I have missed My time with you.

I have made every attempt to reach you though acts of My love, Mercy and Grace, but they have not been enough to draw you closer to Me. Will you tell Me what else is left for Me to do for those that I so love after having died for you?

Can you comprehend that I gave My life to
be close to you? All I ever wanted was people to love Me of their own free wills. That is why you were given free wills – to love and to choose not to love. I have showered you with knowledge of who I Am so that you can be drawn; for with loving-kindness have you been drawn. I MISS MY TIME WITH YOU.

Many of you have experienced the pain of
loving someone so much and not having that love returned; or having someone tell you how much they love you but never show it. I Am in both of these places as I write this to you.

Sometimes it seems as though the more I reach out, the further people distance themselves from Me. The more I Bless people the less they think of Me. Many of the Blessings are more honored than
Me the One Who gave the Blessings. Do you not know how much it breaks My heart when those who I love more than life want to spend more time with the “things” I gave them rather than Me?

I become torn because I don't want to stop
the Blessings but sometimes I have to so you will regain your focus. The worse thing that happens to My people, which so often does, is that they become backslidden in heart.

My people worship Me with their mouths but their hearts are far from Me. They don’t even know that I am not present in their daily lives because they have pushed Me away and I will not infringe upon the will of those that I love.

Who would want love from those they have
to beg and force? You would not want it and neither do I. Does what I am saying to you burn within you at all? Can you feel My heart at all? Can you hear what I am saying to you at all? I MISS MY TIME WITH YOU.

Everyone wants to be loved and I am no
exception. Just as Faith without works is dead Love without action is dead. When words that are spoken to Me, I look past the words and look at the heart. It is not so much what comes out of the mouth but what comes out of the heart.

What the hearts speak to Me is what really
hurts. If you could hear the words of many of the hearts, the words would be denied because they are so far from Me. Hearts speak such hurting words as, “I have not thought about My God today;”

I will go to this place or do this thing now and spend time with God later, “I will read the Word after this television program goes off.” Another day that I did not spend with God, I will do better tomorrow and the next day, and the next day, and the next but those days never come. The later never comes. The after this or that never comes.

So I am left all day waiting for you…all day
hoping for you…. I wait for the sun to rise to wake you hoping that your first thoughts will be of Me and your first breath will be to thank Me for waking you. I watch the sun set and the moon come out in the darkness hoping that you will think of Me as the day ends…think of how I carried you through the day and be so very grateful that we
will commune together.

I dream of you telling Me how thankful you are for all the things I do for you and I dream of telling you that it is My pleasure to do them. I MISS MY TIME WITH YOU.

What does spending time with Me mean?
What are the results of spending time with Me? You will have My mind as you are instructed to do ”having the mind of Christ”… you would walk in My ways…You would know and feel My heart…

You would have unending revelation of My Word because I am the Word…You would have Peace that the world does not know You would have Joy because I would make your Joy full…You would have wisdom because you would be Full of
God’s Spirit.

Your paths would be directed by Me because you would not be able to help but to acknowledge Me in all of your ways You would be the light of the world because I Am the Light of The World. You would bask in love because I Am Love.

Your words would be My Words because God’s Spirit would give you the things that you should say…We would walk and talk together, and fellowship together. I want for us to cry together; I want to share pain together. I died for these things.

I deserve this type of relationship because I suffered and died for every one of the things that you would never have to endure and even for the things you may never have to endure.

I want to hold you and rock you to sleep when you need comfort…I want to wipe away the tears when they are released from your souls…I want to experience joy with you and be able to laugh together, smile together, enjoy the full abundant
life that I have given you together. I want you to know that I am listening to your every heartbeat and I want you to feel Mine. You can only do this if you are close to Me.

You can only be close to Me if we spend personal quality, and desired time together. You have to desire Me and I will always be there waiting for you. You have to need Me and I will always be there to
fulfill your needs. You have to want Me and I will always be there to fulfill your wants. I have always been here, waiting, hoping, hurting, crying, lonely very lonely.

There was a time when you used to say, “Who Have I in Heaven but Thee” and I delighted in those words. Now the words have faded away. Come back to Me My loved Ones…Let this be the first day of the
rest of our lives. Let not another moment pass where we are distanced. Let us get to know each other in so many ways…so intimately. There is nothing more intimate than a relationship between The Creator
and His creation…between A Potter and His clay.

It does not get any deeper than that. I Am asking You, I Am provoking you, I Am
Waiting for you to come to Me this moment in every way. You belong to Me because I bought you with a price. You are Mine and I say to My own…
My very own….
I MISS MY TIME WITH YOU.

Love Jesus

[CAPTAINZING2000]

Come as you are...

One Sunday morning the congregation of a ritzy church (with vaulted ceilings, handcarved oak pews, stained glass windows and deep plush carpet had a stir. A man came in just minutes before the service was to begin and he was dressed horribly. He had on boots, overalls, a flannel shirt, and a cowboy hat.

The congregation was aghast! Many quickly sent notes to the minister about this concern. At the end of the service the minister greeted the humbly dressed man and asked him if he enjoyed the service. The man exclaimed that he enjoyed it very much. The minister asked the man to consider possibly dressing differently, and told him to pray to Jesus about how he would have him dress if he should return again.

The next week the man returned. He was dressed the same and once again the congregation was disturbed. At the end of the service the minister greeted the man again and asked him what he had been told by Jesus concerning his how to dress for church. The man exclaimed, "I spoke with Jesus about this but Jesus said he didn't know how I should dress for this church because He has never been here."

[CAPTAINZING2000]

Hands
A basketball in my hands is worth about $19.
A basketball in Michael Jordan's hands is worth about $33 million.
It depends on whose hands it's in.

A baseball in my hands is worth about $6.
A baseball in Mark McGuire's hands is worth 19 million.
It depends on whose hands it's in.

A tennis racket is useless in my hands.
A tennis racket in Pete Sampras' hands is a Wimbeldon Championship.
It depends on whose hands it's in.

A rod in my hands will keep away a wild animal.
A rod in Moses' hands will part the mighty sea.
It depends on whose hands it's in.

A sling shot in my hands is a toy.
A sling shot in David's hands is a mighty weapon.
It depends on whose hands it's in.

Two fish and Five loaves in my hands is a couple of fish sandwiches.
Two fish and five loaves in God's hands will feed thousands.
It depends on whose hands they're in.

Nails in my hands might produce a bird house.
Nails in Jesus Christ's hands will produce salvation for the entire world.
It depends on whose hands they're in.

So put your concerns, your worries, your fears, your hopes, your dreams, your families and your relationships in god's hands because,
It depends on whose hands they're in.

[CAPTAINZING2000]

The Can Man
I work in a major US factory. We make refrigerators. Four thousand five hundred new refrigerators every day. It is a union shop and it's gradually shrinking as many union blue collar factories seem to be but that is not what this story is about.

This story is about one man who works in this huge factory. I've seen him around for years but never paid much attention. He always seemed just a little odd. A little short. A little ...scruffy. Always the same old red ball cap. And always a garbage bag in one hand. He walks around this big old factory on his breaks and his lunch time collecting aluminum cans. Day after day, month after month on hot days and cold days. Over the years I've followed him as he walked to his old pickup truck on the coldest day with snow blowing and everyone with their collars turned up and their hands in their pockets. He would be there with a 40 gallon garbage bag full of aluminum cans. He'd toss it into the back of his truck and jump in and I'd reach my car and jump in and we'd all race to the exit of this big half empty parking lot.

Today I was working on a broken machine in this factory and the can man came by with his bag picking up cans. Our manager was standing there because the machine I was working on had been "down" for a couple of hours and he was getting worried that we might run one of the assembly lines out of the parts. I was finishing and I stood up just as the manager asked the can man what he did with all those cans. I'd never thought to ask him that question because I always just assumed he cashed them in at the recycle center.

The can man said "I give them to my neighbor, he's epileptic and can't hold a job".
I blurted out, "you mean you've been collecting all those cans for all these years to give to your neighbor??"
"It ain't much" he said "but I give them to him. He can't hold a job, he has too many seizures".

Right then and there in that factory I found myself looking smack at the face of Jesus. He was wearing a T-shirt and an old red ball cap and he had a garbage bag full of aluminum cans in his hand and it WAS Jesus!
It was one of the most humbling moments of my entire life.

"Dear Lord, I offer my prayer for the can man. I don't even know his name but You do. Lord, I lift him up to You. Bless him and watch over him for his is surely one of your best foot soldiers. He is a man whose feet I am unworthy to wash!! Thank you God for sending the can man to help his neighbor and for the lesson he taught me. May I remember it long after today!
Amen!"

Dan Dobson, Louisville Emmaus 22

[CAPTAINZING2000]

WHAT A WONDERFUL WAY TO EXPLAIN IT...

A sick man turned to his doctor, as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said, "Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side?"

Very quietly, the doctor said, "I don't know."

You don't know? You, a Christian man, do not know what is on the other side?

The doctor was holding the handle of the door; on the other side of which came a sound of scratching and whining, and as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him with an eager show of gladness. Turning to the patient, the doctor said, "Did you notice my dog? He's never been in this room before. He didn't know what was inside. He knew nothing except that his master was here, and when the door opened, he sprang in without fear. I know little of what is on the other side of death, but I do know one thing... I know my Master is there and that is enough."