A Devotional / Inspirational message from Bob Creamer

About this month’s Son Shine Line from Bob Creamer:

 

I received this from a dear friend from years gone by. I thought it was worth using for this month's column.

 

Thanks Judy.

 

 

 

THE SPARROW AT STARBUCK'S

 

It was chilly in Manhattan but warm inside the Starbucks'  shop on 51st Street and Broadway, just a skip up from Times Square .   Early November weather in New York City holds only the slightest  hint of the bitter chill of late December and January, but it's enough  to send the masses crowding indoors to vie for available space and  warmth.. 
 
For a musician, it's the most  lucrative  Starbucks' location in the world, I'm told, and consequently, the tips  can be substantial if you play your tunes right. Apparently, we were  striking all the right chords that night, because our basket was almost  overflowing. 
 
It was a fun, low-pressure gig - I was  playing keyboard and singing backup for my friend who also added rhythm  with an arsenal of percussion  instruments. We mostly did pop songs  from the '40s to the '90s with a few original tunes thrown in. During  our emotional rendition of the classic, 'If You Don't Know Me by Now,' I  noticed a lady sitting in one of the  lounge chairs across from me.  She was swaying to the beat and singing along. 
 
After the  tune was over, she approached me. 'I apologize for singing along on that  song. Did it bother you?'  she asked. 
 
'No,' I  replied. 'We love it when the  audience joins in. Would you like to  sing up front on the next selection?' 
 
To my delight, she  accepted my  invitation. 
 
'You choose,' I said. 'What  are you in the mood to sing?' 
 
'Well. .. Do you know any  hymns?' 
 
Hymns?  This woman didn't know who she was  dealing with.  I cut my teeth on hymns. Before I was even born, I  was going to church.  I gave our guest singer a knowing look.   'Name one.' 
 
'Oh, I don't know. There are so many  good ones. You pick one.' 
 
'Okay,' I replied. 'How about  'His Eye is on the Sparrow'?' 
 
My new friend was silent,  her eyes averted. Then she fixed her eyes on mine again and said, 'Yeah.  Let's do that one.' 
 
She slowly nodded her head, put down  her purse, straightened her jacket and faced the center of the shop.  With my two-bar setup, she began to sing. 
 
"Why should I be  discouraged?  Why should the shadows come?" 
 
The  audience of coffee drinkers was transfixed. Even the gurgling noises of  the cappuccino machine ceased as the employees stopped what they were  doing to listen. The song rose to its conclusion. 
 
"I sing  because I'm happy;  I sing because I'm free.   
For His eye  is on the sparrow,  And I know He watches me." 
 
When  the last note was sung, the applause crescendos to a deafening roar that  would have rivaled a sold-out crowd at Carnegie Hall. Embarrassed, the  woman tried to shout over the din, 'Oh, y'all go back to your coffee! I  didn't come in here to do a concert! I just came in here to get  somethin' to drink, just like you!' But the ovation continued. I  embraced my new friend. 
 
'You, my dear, have made my whole  year! That was beautiful!' 
 
'Well, it's funny that you  picked that particular hymn,' she said. 
 
'Why is that?'  
 
'Well ..' she hesitated again, 'that was my daughter's  favorite song.' 
 
'Really!' I exclaimed.  
 
'Yes,' she said, and then grabbed my hands. By this time,  the applause had subsided and it was business as usual.  'She was  16. She died of a brain tumor last week.' 
 
I said the first  thing that found its way through my stunned silence. 'Are you going to  be okay?' 
 
She smiled through tear-filled eyes and squeezed  my hands. 'I'm gonna be okay. I've just got to keep trusting the Lord  and singing his songs, and everything gonna be just fine.' She picked up  her bag, gave me her card, and then she was gone. 
 
Was it  just a coincidence that we happened to be singing in that particular  coffee shop on that particular November night? Coincidence that this  wonderful lady just happened to walk into that particular shop?  Coincidence that of all the hymns to choose from, I just happened to  pick the very hymn that was the favorite of her daughter, who had   died just the week before? I refuse to believe it.  
 
God has been arranging encounters in human history since  the beginning of time, and it's no stretch for me to imagine that he  could reach into a coffee shop in midtown Manhattan and turn an ordinary   gig into a revival. It was a great reminder that if we keep  trusting him and singing his songs, everything gonna be okay.  
 
The next time you feel like GOD can't  use you, just  remember... 
Noah was a drunk, 
Abraham was too old,
Isaac was  a daydreamer 
Jacob was a liar,

Leah was ugly,
Joseph was  abused 
Moses had a stuttering problem,
Gideon was afraid  
Sampson had long hair and was a womanizer 

Rahab was a  prostitute,
Jeremiah and Timothy were too  young 
David had  an affair and was a  murderer,
Elijah was suicidal   
Jonah ran from God,
Naomi was a widow 
Job went  bankrupt,
John the Baptist ate bugs,
Peter denied Christ 
The  Disciples fell asleep while praying,
Martha worried about everything  
The Samaritan woman was divorced, more  than once 
Zaccheus  was too small,

Timothy had an  ulcer....
AND, Lazarus was dead! ! 
No more excuses now!! 
God  can use us to our full potential. Besides we aren't the message, we are  just the  messenger. 
'Let your LIGHT so SHINE...'Matt 5:16