Years ago at my brother’s church, a slight, very shy young man was learning to pass the plate for the offering. The pews were far enough apart that he could walk between them with the plate.
However, one day, as he passed the plate, he arrived at two very plump and jolly older ladies. He attempted to get by them but slipped and fell across their laps.
The plate and the money went flying. And because of their silky dresses, the young man slid down to the floor.
He tried to get up several times. His red face would appear briefly above the pew before he’d slide to the floor again, while the two women shook with laughter.
Eventually, the young man got up and collected all the money that was scattered across the front of the church. The good news is that he survived this great humiliation and became a well-respected elder in the church.
Hazel Grace Thompson
My brother was a pastor for many years. He was well-known for his ability to make the stories of the Bible come alive.
At one service, a small boy sat by himself next to the aisle, completely lost in the story of the four men who brought the paralytic to Jesus. When my brother told about their inability to get in the door of the house because of the crowd, he said, “There stood a big, fat Pharisee right in the doorway.”
The boy was so into the story that he immediately turned around to see him. Sure enough, a very large businessman of the town stood framed in the doorway. The boy was so amazed that he fell out of his seat and into the aisle.
Hazel Grace Thompson
