27/05/2014
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 EACHDAY,
AND SO JIM, THIS IS JESUS CHECKING IN
TODAY."