The Good Side of Fear

　　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, sleet1 or snow, Bill was barefoot. This was literally2 his wardrobe for his whole four years of college.

　　He was brilliant and looked like he was always pondering the esoteric. He became a Christian3 while attending college. Across the street from the campus was a church full of well-dressed, middle-class people. They wanted to develop a ministry4 to the college students, but they were not sure how to go about it.

　　One day, Bill decided5 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 aisle6 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 squatted7 and sat down on the carpet right up front. (Although such behavior would have been perfectly8 acceptable at the college fellowship, this was a scenario9 this particular congregation had never witnessed before!) By now, the people seemed uptight10, 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 sanctuary11. 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, dignified12 and courtly. He walked with a cane13 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 utterly14 silent except for the clicking of his cane. You couldn’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.”