A Man Named Bill



His name was Bill. He had wild hair, wore a T-shirt
with holes in it, blue jeans and no shoes. In the entire
time I knew him I never once saw Bill wear a pair of shoes.
Rain, sleet or snow, Bill was barefoot. This was literally
his wardrobe for his whole four years of college.
He was brilliant and looked like he was always pondering
the esoteric. He became a Christian while attending college.
Across the street from the campus was a church full of
well-dressed, middle-class people. They wanted to develop a
ministry to the college students, but they were not sure
how to go about it.


One day, Bill decided to worship there. He walked into the
church, complete with his wild hair, T-shirt, blue jeans and
bare feet. The church was completely packed, and the service
had already begun. Bill started down the aisle to find a place
to sit. By now the people were looking a bit uncomfortable,
but no one said anything.
As Bill moved closer and closer to the pulpit, he realized
there were no empty seats. So he squatted and sat down on the
carpet right up front. (Although such behavior would have been
perfectly acceptable at the college fellowship, this was a
scenario this particular congregation had never witnessed before!)
By now, the people seemed uptight, and the tension in the air was
thickening.



Right about the time Bill took his “seat,?a deacon began slowly
making his way down the aisle from the back of the sanctuary.
The deacon was in his eighties, had silver gray hair, a three-piece
suit and a pocket watch. He was a godly man -- very elegant,
dignified and courtly. He walked with a cane and, as he neared the
boy, church members thought, “You can’t blame him for what he’s
going to do. How can you expect a man of his age and background
to understand some college kid on the floor??



It took a long time for the man to reach the boy. The church was
utterly silent except for the clicking of his cane. You could’t
even hear anyone breathing. All eyes were on the deacon. But then
they saw the elderly man drop his cane on the floor. With great
difficulty, he sat down on the floor next to Bill and worshipped
with him. Everyone in the congregation choked up with emotion.
When the minister gained control, he told the people, “What I am
about to preach, you will never remember. What you’ve just seen,
you will never forget.?



Author: Rebecca Manley Puppet