That's one of my favorite phrases to hear. Why? Because it means I'm about to eat a Joey burrito with steak and black beans. Rice, cheese, salsa, and lettuce along with tortilla chips make this meal complete.
Such was the case last Sunday for lunch. After "big church", I changed into shorts and headed to the Moe's at Lee Branch on 280. The plan was to eat, then go to Academy Sports. Yes, that's how I roll.
Anyway. I'm standing in line at Moe's waiting for my turn to order. Behind me are four nicely-dressed college-aged kids; two guys, two girls (hey, I'm 41; college-aged=kids). I can't help but overhear their conversation. One of the guys will be buying everybody's lunch, but he's short on cash. So they are scouring the menu board trying to maximize the amount of food they can get with their limited funds.
They start working up their plan. One of them volunteers, "If we just drink water, we can save almost $8!".
After giving my order to the folks behind the counter, I move on down toward the cash register. The register is backed up with others ready to pay.
One of the girls from the group of four had given her order and was right behind me. The other three were still ten feet behind us. To pass the time, I asked her, "You seem to be part of a group, what are ya'll doing?".
Her answer floored me. Without missing a beat, she replied, "We are part of a group called 'Pray for Birmingham'. Our mission is to go into areas around the city and pray for the people of Birmingham. We want to shine the light of Jesus to the whole city."
Now, let me back up to get a running start. Scott's sermon just 71 minutes prior to this conversation was titled "Don't Shout: Shine". The scripture was Matthew 5:13-16. In it, Jesus tells his followers to be salt and light. God really must have thought He needed to hammer this into me. He used two people to give me the same message within a two-hour time frame.
I told her that Birmingham, and our whole country, could use lots of prayer. And I congratulated her on doing God's work. By then, her friends caught up to us. She dove back into a conversation with them. It was my turn to pay at the register.
I got out my card and paid for my lunch. Then, I reached for my money clip and got out a twenty dollar bill. I quietly told the guy at the register that the twenty was to go toward the group behind me. He nodded and I took my tray.
The restaurant was crowded. The only place for my party of one to sit was just across the half-wall from the register. I'd gotten my drink and salsa, said grace, and was unwrapping my burrito when I heard the next part of the story.
All four of the 'Pray for Birmingham' group had their food and were ready to pay. The guy at the register said, "That will be $14.32". One of the group replied, "Something must be wrong. All four of these meals are on one bill."
The guy at the register said, "Yes. But he already paid for the rest of it" while pointing at me.
Four pairs of eyes turned to me in amazement. They settled their bill, then came to my table. It's the most "God Bless You's" I've ever gotten without sneezing.
I told them to keep doing Christ's work and enjoy your meal.
I thoroughly enjoyed mine.
Now for a preview of this week's class...
The title of our lesson this Sunday at 9:50 am is "God Promises the Messiah". Our scripture passage is Isaiah 53:2-12.
The outline of the lesson is:
1. The Messiah Became One of Us
2. The Messiah Suffered for Us
3. The Messiah Rescues Us
Finish Friday strong. Enjoy Saturday with your family. See you Sunday!
Loyally yours,
Darren Bayne
"What the caterpillar calls the end, the rest of the
world calls a butterfly." -- Lao Tsu
