Stood up   


       Once there was a nice, quiet restaurant, frequented by many in the
town. Every night, one particular man made a reservation for two at seven. 
He requested the same intimate booth, and brought a single red rose.  
Every night he would come and sit.  Alone.
     The owner of the restaurant was puzzled.  The man was handsome and 
was dressed like a well to do business man.  He always spoke with a gentle
voice, and he had kind eyes.
     One night, after the man had come night after night for weeks without
being joined, the owner approached his table and asked if he might take 
the man's order.  The man smiled slowly and said that he was waiting for
someone. Respectfully, the owner nodded, but did not leave the table.
     "Sir," said the owner, "may I ask a personal question?  You make
reservations ahead of time, you come and sit here every night and you 
bring a beautiful flower, but no one ever comes to join you.  Are you sure 
you didn't get your times confused?"
     The man said, "No, the woman I am meeting knows what time to join me
here.  We have a date for 7pm every night."
     "But sir," said the owner, "she has never come after all these weeks.
Why do you sit and wait?"
     "I always come," said the man, "because some night she will come, and 
I will be waiting."
     "Sir," said the waiter, "you look like a man with many things to do.
Don't you have something better to do besides sitting here, waiting?"  The
man smiled and shook his head.  Not understanding the man's patience with 
the absent woman, the owner said, "Sir, if any woman stood me up weeks in 
a row, I would not be found waiting for her as you do!"
     The man's face grew sad.  He sighed and looked at his watch one last
time.  The clock's hands read close to eight.  The owner watched as the
man's eyes filled with tears and he gazed at the empty chair opposite him.
     "But I want to spend time with her.  I want to talk with her, and 
hear her laugh," he said.  "I want her to tell me about her day, and I 
want her to tell me about her day, and I want to share her joys and 
sorrows."
     The owner's eyes lit up, and he nodded his head in sudden
understanding. "Ah," he said.  "You must love her."
     "Yes, I love her,"  The man said softly.  "I love her more than
anything. I would give my life for her."
     The man slowly pushed back his chair and stood.  He thanked the owner 
for his time.  The owner watched as he lovingly placed the rose on the 
table in front of the still empty chair and made his way toward the door. 
On his way out, the man stopped at the front desk. "I need my 
usual reservation," he said.  "Tomorrow night, seven o'clock."

     Susan burst in the door at ten that evening, out of breath and
laughing, remembering the fun she'd had with her friends.  "See you 
tomorrow."  she called, as the last car drove away.
     She flopped down on her bed and glanced at the calendar hanging on 
the wall.  A time jumped out at her "Seven o'clock: quiet time."  Susan 
sighed in exasperation.  "I forgot again,"  she thought.  "But surely 
Jesus doesn't mind. I have to spend time with my friends.  Anyhow, he 
probably had more important things to do."



                              Nine Year Old Faith 



 Even in the hardest times- have faith. God has His plan.


 The fields were parched and brown from the lack of rain, and the crops 
lay wilting from thirst. People were anxious and irritable as they 
searched the sky for any sign of relief. Days turned to arid weeks. No 
rain came. The ministers of the local churches called for an hour of 
prayer on the town square the following Saturday. They requested that 
everyone bring an object of faith for inspiration.
 
 At high noon  on the appointed Saturday, the townspeople turned out in 
droves, filling the square with anxious faces and hopeful hearts. The 
ministers were touched to see the variety of objects clutched in 
prayerful hands- bibles, crosses.
 
When the hour ended, as if on magical command, a soft rain began to fall.
Cheers swept the crowd as they held their treasured objects high  in 
gratitude and praise.
 
  From the middle of the crowd one faith symbol seemd to overshadow all 
the others: a nine-year-old child had brought an umbrella. 



     IS HEAVEN IN THE YELLOW PAGES? 
      Mommy went to Heaven, but I need her here today, My tummy hurts and 
I fell down, I need her right away.
      Operator can you tell me how to find her in this book? Is heaven in
the yellow part, I don't know where to look.
      I think my daddy needs her too, at night I hear him cry. I hear him
call her name sometimes, but I really don't know why.
      Maybe if I call her, she will hurry home to me. Is Heaven very far
away, is it across the sea?
      She's been gone a long, long time she needs to come home now! I 
really need to reach her, but I simply don't know how.
      Help me find the number please, is it listed under "Heaven"? I can't
read these big big words, I am only seven.
      I'm sorry operator, I didn't mean to make you cry, Is your tummy
hurting too, or is there something in your eye?
      If I call my church maybe they will know. Mommy said when we need 
help that's where we should go.
      I found the number to my church tacked up on the wall. Thank you
operator, I'll give them a call.