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; X6 d) h$ D6 f# \# u% m& Y4 e0 \8 o The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned % G' r% n. \% i% ]
to their first ministry, to reopen a church % \8 m& e+ y" A% x4 |$ i
in suburban Brooklyn , arrived in early October
' y! I7 a5 I, U- }7 xexcited about their opportunities. When they saw
6 Z7 A/ f! M; Y, ktheir church, it was very run down and needed
( ^2 O4 r; P8 n2 Tmuch work. They set a goal to have everything
2 W' a3 B" n* f* R: s' z5 Ydone in time to have their first service 4 o3 v9 ]& m% F- w
on Christmas Eve.
/ o% l( D* E/ }- A' N) H$ XT hey worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls,. a6 \; A/ e, L3 K5 X2 E
painting, etc, and on December 18 # a W% k: G' T
were ahead of schedule and just about finished. : u5 C7 E4 L9 L8 L
O n December 19 a terrible tempest - a driving
3 D0 P7 b5 \* w( |" _5 Prainstorm hit the area and lasted for two days. - e' P4 a8 L* A. F, u# c5 }
O n the 21st, the pastor went over to the church.
z- h; j! |+ _( EHis heart sank when he saw that the roof had
" z9 s) M; [( a2 k3 @leaked, causing a large area of plaster about
% [" a( d6 O6 ~20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall ) m" Y! |, [! T5 W
of the sanctuary just behind the pulpit,
: K0 R2 ~& b% b, E3 ubeginning about head high. ( u) _7 Z7 @2 Q. Y/ h" g
T he pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor,
) ~/ C0 ?$ Q# ~5 B, V: Rand not knowing what else to do but postpone
6 w2 r5 p* W$ P3 C+ Zthe Christmas Eve service, headed home. 8 s+ U$ ^8 f" Z% Y
On the way he noticed that a local business was ( V4 f# ^- t! D% h2 L% g
having a flea market type sale for charity, so he / \2 f" N- n7 [- ^* s }/ k- ?
stopped in. One of the items was a beautiful,
" T, K& ?) K% n$ b/ N7 h' Shandmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth , j! A2 ^+ m7 D) v2 }
with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross
, @7 f4 N4 ^" J9 t+ K0 fembroidered right in the center. It was just - p! B! _: {8 W; B) O, ~/ a
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J0 a z! z5 [$ p; Z& tthe right size to cover the hole in the front all. He bought it and headed back to the church.
$ |8 r, k6 V% e7 ~) KB y this time it had started to snow. An older
~" U/ i$ [2 \6 X2 X2 Awoman running from the opposite direction was d4 M# M# X. |' ]
trying to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor
1 k" B& q; G) p( g+ B, \( tinvited her to wait in the warm church for . G0 r9 W/ @7 N
the next bus 45 minutes later. 3 L! ` g+ E8 U+ ]. O
x+ }1 F. G+ s" BShe sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor 8 s- E, g" N& U9 I8 S
while he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put
; l' x! J, b5 Q8 _, F4 Y0 q7 v: Zup the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor
' j3 Z7 k, ]( Ecould hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area. : W/ Y h% y0 P+ ^$ n: O4 y- v& r
T hen he noticed the woman walking down the center8 G+ {6 b5 L) h% f6 d* ?- A
aisle. Her face was like a sheet. "Pastor,"
1 Q* k# |% R- W% _; ~7 p- Pshe asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?"
8 y' X0 T# R* G+ b& ?* `4 S: zThe pastor explained. The woman asked him to check
4 C7 J! f# j* `. C9 Jthe lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into0 Z1 Q+ e9 v4 V, n, B' j# H
it there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had $ y9 S% o+ D e8 q6 M& d }0 O
made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria .
2 X* p! h% H1 d, m8 c/ J- lT he woman could hardly believe it as the pastor
, c u/ K* W' B3 H) Z9 k0 g2 |/ F1 etold how he had just gotten "The Tablecloth". The
; m3 ^3 | W8 i" V8 c% Kwoman explained that before the war she and
4 X* n' y) N; T( _& B& A3 Z# Z' \her husband were well-to-do people in Austria .
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When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave.
( P. D+ b( v$ k- KHer husband was going to follow her the next week.
( a& r3 c. W( W# l( G1 A; ^ y0 j& e8 @He was captured, sent to prison and never saw her 6 c! h o9 i9 s) F5 D
husband or her home again.
$ |7 F) b! ]+ a$ MT he pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth;/ e+ a, B; q& w4 U, s, h( z( ]0 N" s
but she made the pastor keep it for the church.: }! ?2 }3 L5 {. j! \& i3 q# ~
The pastor insisted on driving her home. That
' R" ]$ X; _' J7 s1 C0 cwas the least he could do. She lived on the other$ r+ z8 k" M' ]( Z |; @8 `! N
side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn
4 I4 B. D$ t/ F# S* J8 t- Ofor the day for a housecleaning job.
2 U& ~! q T! u! [. X6 MW hat a wonderful service they had on Christmas $ Q+ X$ j2 H7 m; Q
Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the
8 P% h1 d- V; t2 Pspirit were great. At the end of the service, the
1 I9 G' B# @; o6 w" a' q ^pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door
) c% `! A2 C6 j0 Rand many said that they would return.. 1 u- I6 v1 B' N4 F
One older man, whom the pastor recognized ! m) ?+ R9 x( ^2 n9 q$ L1 X1 m* z
from the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the
. I+ {; |1 J( Wpews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he P) } B# |- c0 S) m" B$ O
wasn't leaving.
$ A. l0 c, O0 X" P0 d" n tThe man asked him where he got the tablecloth on 8 O- }; @6 ]2 a: ?# g# N
the front wall because it was identical to one $ {. x( U% p- R. u. N
that his wife had made years ago when
7 N% M/ b3 [( vthey lived in Austria before the war and how
: f( y! J& O' D8 z/ e2 Fcould there be two tablecloths so much alike?
% t: ]/ m# W2 B* _/ |8 VH e told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he ! E {2 Q7 u. ]; P+ ^$ t" H4 B6 c
forced his wife to flee for her safety and he was
1 [- T: g; D# A6 r+ {supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and
& }: Z8 H6 H: ]# x! w! Sput in a prison. He never saw his wife or his home/ I8 j8 W, K: e# F7 E7 Y# g, _! S: o
again all the 35 years between. ) O1 _8 v- G* ]8 J) y, P: q
T he pastor asked him if he would allow him to
( B* |7 O+ E8 l( Mtake him for a little ride. They drove to Staten
) A Z# ]$ s+ D' M+ p4 y0 EIsland and to the same house where the pastor 5 Q: K( M s4 V1 M/ ~% d
had taken the woman three days earlier.
! U7 a% P/ K+ c T6 J0 {9 x6 m5 PHe helped the man climb the three flights of
% {8 T; G# ~% f: u/ ]5 J) |0 @stairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on
+ E& g( P- W2 s8 Y( |9 r8 Vthe door and he saw the greatest Christmas . ?, X( B0 }- v
reunion he could ever imagine.* F9 o# W' R1 [
T rue Story - submitted by Pastor Rob Reid
" }. g V8 R0 _ C! zwho says God does work in mysterious ways.. k% B7 H8 C: W% V. p1 R
I asked the Lord to bless you as I prayed for 1 ]2 j: t9 Y1 ^) v
you today, to guide you and protect you as you go . i" H, i1 B/ p$ U
along your way. His love is always with you. His
2 c, c/ f$ ~) R4 i: r$ gpromises are true, and when we give Him all our 3 e9 k7 J1 B% n, u' j0 W
cares we know He will see us through. , L! a# x6 Q5 g6 B2 ^4 _
S o when the road you're traveling seems
; v7 ^' w$ m4 r9 v+ ddifficult at best, just remember I'm here % U9 M7 O2 F' _5 D0 H/ y
praying and God will do the rest. Pass this on ' M) ^1 l, e! v ?. `& f7 D" P3 c
to those you want God to bless and remember 2 N! w% i0 k% v
to send it back to the one who asked God to bless
, s- v! D0 r) W" `' @, x, t! Ayou first. ' r/ l" ]2 N$ @% z, D, j' c K8 l
W hen there is nothing left but God, that is when
1 v, c# i: R5 [6 ^5 m4 n l# J) tyou find out that God is all you need Take 60
7 y7 \- }1 C! y( x. I' I8 o$ `seconds and give this a shot! All you do is simply2 D. F s |- g. f8 O+ ?8 H
say the following small prayer for the person ! x# z. H% h. c; J
who sent this to you.2 X) F0 }, C p- a8 a: T
Father, G od, bless all my friends and family in what
7 n" D3 V1 _/ m4 dever it is that You know they may be needing this
# c4 Z$ D5 P" Pday! May their lives be full of Your peace,
3 D7 u9 t$ ?: W0 Q& v# G% ^prosperity and power as they seek to have a $ J8 C+ _3 N0 Z, l
closer relationship with You. Amen. |
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发表于 2009-10-30 12:04
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