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WITandWISDOM(tm) - November 21, 2005 ISSN 1538-8794 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: For fast-acting relief, try slowing down. - Lily Tomlin Source: Carol's Thought for Today, http://users.adelphia.net/~mrs.carol ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: I was a college student and was selling religious books in Dayton, Ohio. I lived in Dayton. One morning my team leader asked me to work in one of the rougher areas of Dayton. It was an area known for drug traffic, crime, even murder. I suppose I should have had some trepidation, but I was happy to go. Besides, no one else seemed willing to. The people there were neglected. Even most church members wouldn't venture into that neighborhood. As the day went on, I discovered that the people were wonderful. It seemed that everyone invited me into their home, and many wanted me to pray for them. By afternoon I had sold many books and prayed with lots of families. About 4:00 I approached a tattered door. I knocked loudly. There was no response. I knocked again. After a few moments I heard a man's voice: "Who is it?" The words were more like a demand than a question. "Benjamin," I replied, using my name as if he knew me. "Who?" "Benjamin." "What do you want?" I thought, lf l say "I want you to buy a book," chances are slim to none that the door will open. So I decided to go with some mystery. "I want to show you something," I said with conviction. Suddenly the door flew open. But I was not greeted by a face; I was staring down the barrel of a sawed-off, double-barrel shotgun. I couldn't see the man's face clearly, only the gun, which was aimed directly at my head. I followed the barrel to the trigger. His finger was on it. Amazingly, I wasn't afraid. "What do you want?" the man asked. "Sir," I began, "I'm a Christian, and I want to show you some books about Jesus." "Show me one." I had not expected that response. I quickly grabbed one from my valise. "Slowly!" he yelled. Of course. As I offered him the book he snatched it from my hand. It seemed as if the gun lowered a bit. "What's this about?" "It's about how you can become friends with Jesus." All of us had a memorized speech that we were supposed to say when asking someone to buy a book, but I decided that this wasn't the situation for that. "How much?" he asked. "Whatever you want to give, sir." Why did I say that? Why didn't I just give him the book as a donation and scram? To my surprise, he fished some money out of his pocket and handed it to me. "Thank you, sir," I managed to reply. He mumbled something and shut the door. I thanked God right there. Not only had He protected me, but this man had received a book that over the years has been instrumental in changing many people's lives. While walking away from the house I prayed that the man would go on to know and love Jesus. Later, while I was talking to some of the neighbors, they said that without question or exception, the man with the gun was the meanest man in the neighborhood. They informed me that no one dared knock on his door out of fear of being shot. They couldn't believe that I had knocked and lived to tell about it. They couldn't believe that he had bought one of my books— a fact that I am sure helped me sell even more books that afternoon. I often think about that man and that afternoon in Dayton. I like to think that one day I will see that man in heaven. Benjamin Baker Adapted Source: Adventist Review, ISSN 0161-1119, (c) October 2004, http://www.adventistreview.org/ Submitted by Mary Thayne ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: Wisdom From Your Co-Workers (Quotes overheard in the office) "The problem is we have too many Indians and not enough chickens." "Just because he's our landlord doesn't mean he owns the place." "We want this to be effective with a capital A!" "We have to go back and look at each other in the mirror." "She used enough Scotch Tape to feed a Third World country." "There is enough water here to sink a fish!" "What part of 'no' don't you understand? Is it the 'n' or the 'zero'?" From: Scott Adams' Dilbert Newsletter 55 Source: Mark Mail, http://mrhumor.net/ ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: Living Will A man and his wife are sitting in the living room and he says to her: "Just so you know, I never want to live in a vegetative state dependent on some machine. If that ever happens, just pull the plug." His wife gets up and unplugs the TV. Submitted by B. B. ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: When Sir Walter Scott was a boy he was not considered very bright. As a result, most folks ignored him. When he was twelve, he went to a social gathering where a number of literary figures were present. Robert Burns, the famous Scottish poet, was admiring a painting under which was written a couplet of poetry. He asked about the author but nobody knew who had written the lines. That was when Scott very shyly quoted the rest of the poem and gave the author's name. Burns placed his hand on the young boy's head and said, "Son, you will be a great man in Scotland someday." Years later, Scott remembered Burns' encouraging words as the turning point in his life. Pulpit Pieces Weekly, http://www.net153.com/best.htm