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0 ]( W9 w' R7 @2 l- r7 n* p1 W The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned ; [; Y) @- M& o2 e& a
to their first ministry, to reopen a church - o3 F1 h* J8 ^+ p3 X9 z; X
in suburban Brooklyn , arrived in early October , R4 f) K! }, C. d& }; o" Q2 g& y. V
excited about their opportunities. When they saw
- J/ y ~# N! X7 a' M; u ztheir church, it was very run down and needed
$ T, T; J, W! P+ qmuch work. They set a goal to have everything
) {2 Y! L6 @* fdone in time to have their first service ) t7 p1 o2 O3 Q- Z& V
on Christmas Eve.
/ U, }: @, G6 ^T hey worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls,) K2 J) e; F$ @& b
painting, etc, and on December 18
9 y, r2 J v6 ]; R& o5 j/ Z1 gwere ahead of schedule and just about finished.
" u# P! e1 t) C0 o5 Q$ oO n December 19 a terrible tempest - a driving
8 h) r3 p) ?# i8 Hrainstorm hit the area and lasted for two days. 4 j! V5 g( M2 j7 x
O n the 21st, the pastor went over to the church.4 O" T c( c; a8 [8 R1 e
His heart sank when he saw that the roof had) [2 ~( B2 N& T6 ?; L a3 f0 s5 j
leaked, causing a large area of plaster about
8 g/ U& g4 E1 A1 p20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall
7 P/ v1 F' D$ f$ o9 p/ u ?/ zof the sanctuary just behind the pulpit, " g. H- g/ d7 ?# H: c5 G5 R+ Z
beginning about head high.
$ A. G5 {! P) [% `T he pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor,
- Q" n, j( ]8 v2 gand not knowing what else to do but postpone 7 e6 o& _" S7 [! Q: f' L6 U% `3 E, O
the Christmas Eve service, headed home. % w* @/ v' S5 _3 H. i
On the way he noticed that a local business was 8 R, h3 h) m! Z7 Y, m7 Z
having a flea market type sale for charity, so he % T8 C7 y1 m& b2 Z; a
stopped in. One of the items was a beautiful, $ ?9 d$ O8 x# I/ Q
handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth 2 O. @; i# z# @8 w
with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross
3 X2 T3 c. T3 P6 O5 R) z# cembroidered right in the center. It was just + b, r; N) ~7 h* Y/ H, u9 q
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6 ]4 e# t G6 ?7 {# kthe right size to cover the hole in the front all. He bought it and headed back to the church. ) k. ?" ?- S1 U: C+ |/ r& A0 \
B y this time it had started to snow. An older
1 z9 u. f) w0 f0 d8 T" z6 ~woman running from the opposite direction was 1 G7 D) \1 m; h
trying to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor
! M/ i. w/ l) Q. m1 `* U* p$ binvited her to wait in the warm church for
* E0 S. [/ ~+ W6 ]: M7 I2 N7 Dthe next bus 45 minutes later.
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" o# j- \; z2 f$ F: g4 M5 [# sShe sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor
. P2 | T5 T& gwhile he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put
+ Q; A a o1 m* Kup the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor
! Y6 X! Q. G6 l+ Y) tcould hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area.
; X' X6 o! q0 t* `T hen he noticed the woman walking down the center
$ D; d; o+ c( A) F- ^6 g' saisle. Her face was like a sheet. "Pastor,"
! f+ ^, n/ C% T; ~3 G3 Yshe asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?" 8 k! R7 }) ?$ x8 E
The pastor explained. The woman asked him to check8 u; n" F& C: u2 U
the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into" f1 o3 H) [- ]1 B
it there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had 3 [# a% h3 t) O9 _% A; s' {8 M
made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria .
; a+ ]8 l( s% U+ d, BT he woman could hardly believe it as the pastor
+ z( K4 n7 A: d- U Q: {5 k5 r* rtold how he had just gotten "The Tablecloth". The
+ C& U' N# w( L7 O# H* q1 owoman explained that before the war she and
- l0 z& f" t8 r! {% k; w- C& Rher husband were well-to-do people in Austria .
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1 k8 W. x- x8 L. T4 }/ j0 w5 tWhen the Nazis came, she was forced to leave.
' i8 `; Y# Y" C8 b7 ZHer husband was going to follow her the next week.
: s0 k! f' A* Y! ~; `& kHe was captured, sent to prison and never saw her
# u! X F4 ~* w5 q3 w) yhusband or her home again.
+ Q/ f' G* n, D& A1 k7 Z# B( ET he pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth;3 V: N8 j$ V& L* n5 V. w! O
but she made the pastor keep it for the church.
8 X1 y1 E2 ]* T2 A7 fThe pastor insisted on driving her home. That
9 f* R7 t! Y* G- O5 C, y4 d( kwas the least he could do. She lived on the other
1 m2 L C- O# N- O' ` b1 Yside of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn , L. y/ q$ u$ z' k0 w1 V: R7 |
for the day for a housecleaning job.' G+ ~* z: M. N8 j; P
W hat a wonderful service they had on Christmas 6 e: h3 c, _. Y" y2 A/ I0 ?. g
Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the
. M% K) l6 [2 Q# N1 o3 N6 {0 g/ Aspirit were great. At the end of the service, the 3 X- ~4 Z' H7 F+ Q5 K( w
pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door
( @# o6 b K; _, u: a" ~and many said that they would return..
8 b4 c* v; j0 a: SOne older man, whom the pastor recognized `* y9 x, M' O* F' v( Y0 X$ i
from the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the
* ]1 G. {/ t9 j6 V& tpews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he . e/ C; H1 v" l8 |$ e- R) V( U. i# q2 `
wasn't leaving.
+ ]: O* R" d3 g- m8 r" v+ n4 xThe man asked him where he got the tablecloth on
; J! I0 k* N [% s0 |the front wall because it was identical to one
0 y' V. ]( k$ J& A2 w9 Z, lthat his wife had made years ago when
& _& a: e; @% Xthey lived in Austria before the war and how % v `7 ? b& K& D" X
could there be two tablecloths so much alike? . U7 u/ `3 s& X
H e told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he
9 S3 S; f3 U u5 ?8 kforced his wife to flee for her safety and he was
$ ]- J* u$ @& L7 U* [supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and
% X) u! ]" V X0 U' {+ z3 N# c2 kput in a prison. He never saw his wife or his home1 C* b5 m. g0 N8 v! L% S5 y
again all the 35 years between.
0 n. t# J2 [ D/ @; J$ E" |/ ?T he pastor asked him if he would allow him to 6 Y5 K% ~) v. k3 [/ h% _# e
take him for a little ride. They drove to Staten 7 ^8 A9 x7 Z m! f- H- A, ]
Island and to the same house where the pastor
0 U8 {! T% V( a: a, Uhad taken the woman three days earlier. . L4 x% t* s( q2 l. S" b7 b7 K8 {
He helped the man climb the three flights of$ |* f' x [8 t* p
stairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on- {" u, j! o) v3 q# l
the door and he saw the greatest Christmas
: u6 F4 {( U2 W% | ?/ Xreunion he could ever imagine.2 q1 x/ \ y9 H: }3 G3 ~$ N" [& d
T rue Story - submitted by Pastor Rob Reid # h9 a R) K. k8 X) H- E6 W# _! e" l/ I
who says God does work in mysterious ways.) D/ e# O# w, x- d* w/ u
I asked the Lord to bless you as I prayed for % X, c. [+ _- B, E9 s7 _# l
you today, to guide you and protect you as you go % ]/ {7 y$ g: x% g) G
along your way. His love is always with you. His 0 X3 ~% X5 i& M. s
promises are true, and when we give Him all our : p; N$ \0 h& C6 {, w
cares we know He will see us through.
' X; o' L0 I1 N+ M* ? dS o when the road you're traveling seems . ?( j. b1 S' [' v+ x
difficult at best, just remember I'm here 9 _/ l5 w+ p5 B- w' {
praying and God will do the rest. Pass this on & A; \" g& C; B
to those you want God to bless and remember
0 l+ t5 a; L9 L: Q, N; Eto send it back to the one who asked God to bless ! E+ O3 t- L8 e5 Y( r/ ^2 f. C" ^
you first. , H: p/ E2 R) V7 {' V. x; j# B1 M
W hen there is nothing left but God, that is when5 l6 \' L) r3 d3 a. i7 n
you find out that God is all you need Take 60
% A5 B2 p; E- O% ^0 C2 J8 ?; o3 Bseconds and give this a shot! All you do is simply
, H7 w9 X; B& _say the following small prayer for the person 7 V( @) ~: j: }- h3 {# m" v
who sent this to you.4 Y% P3 i6 E8 b4 O( }
Father, G od, bless all my friends and family in what
8 f3 z7 K" S' e* @# O* V8 fever it is that You know they may be needing this - I i6 H" O P
day! May their lives be full of Your peace, ' W6 C7 O- t$ u+ q, o4 j5 z8 U& ~4 x
prosperity and power as they seek to have a 6 I9 p5 a' ~, A9 J
closer relationship with You. Amen. |
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发表于 2009-10-30 12:04
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