Three Little Birds

< < The Three Little Birds . . .
< <
< < There once was a man named George
< < Thomas, a pastor in a small New England
< < town. One Easter Sunday morning he came
< < to the Church carrying a rusty, bent, old bird
< < cage, and set it by the pulpit. Several
< < eyebrows were raised and, as if in response,
< < Pastor Thomas began to speak. "I was
< < walking through town yesterday when I saw a
< < young boy coming toward me swinging this
< < bird cage. On the bottom of the cage were
< < three little wild birds, shivering with cold and
< < fright. I stopped the lad and asked, "What you
< < got there son?"
< <
< < "Just some old birds," came the reply.
< <
< < "What are you gonna do with them?" I asked.
< < "Take 'em home and have fun with 'em, he
< < answered. I'm gonna tease 'em and pull out
< < their feathers to make 'em fight. I'm gonna
< < have a real good time."
< <
< < "But you'll get tired of those birds sooner or
< < later. What will you do then?"
< <
< < "Oh, I got some cats, said the little boy.
< < They like birds. I'll take 'em to them."
< <
< < The pastor was silent for a moment. "How
< < much do you want for those birds, son?"
< <
< < "Huh??!!! Why, you don't want them birds,
< < mister. They're just plain old field birds.
< <
< < They don't sing - they ain't even pretty!"
< <
< < "How much?" the pastor asked again.
< <
< < The boy sized up the pastor as if he were
< < crazy and said, "$10?"
< <
< < The pastor reached in his pocket and took out
< < a ten dollar bill. He placed it in the boy's
< < hand. In a flash, the boy was gone. The
< < pastor picked up the cage and gently carried
< < it to the end of the alley where there was a
< < tree and a grassy spot. Setting the cage
< < down, he opened the door, and by softly
< < tapping the bars persuaded the birds out,
< < setting them free. Well, that explained the
< < empty bird cage on the pulpit, and then the
< < pastor began to tell this story.
< <
< < One day Satan and Jesus were having a
< < conversation. Satan had just come from the
< < Garden of Eden, and he was gloating and
< < boasting. "Yes, sir, I just caught the world full
< < of people down there. Set me a trap, used
< < bait I knew they couldn't resist. Got 'em all!"
< <
< < "What are you going to do with them?" Jesus
< < asked.
< <
< < Satan replied, "Oh, I'm gonna have fun! I'm
< < gonna teach them how to marry and divorce
< < each other, how to hate and abuse each
< < other, how to drink and smoke and curse. I'm
< < gonna teach them how to kill each other. I'm really gonna
< < have fun!"
< <
< < "And what will you do when you get done with
< < them?" Jesus asked.
< < "Oh, I'll kill 'em, Satan glared proudly.
< <
< < "How much do you want for them?" Jesus asked.
< <
< < "Oh, you don't want those people. They ain't
< < no good. Why, you'll take them and they'll
< < just hate you. They'll spit on you, curse you
< < and kill you!! You don't want those
< < people!!"
< <
< < "How much?" He asked again.
< <
< < Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, "All your
< < tears, and all your blood."
< <
< < Jesus said, "DONE". Then He paid the price.
< <
< < The pastor picked up the cage he opened the
< < door and he walked from the pulpit.
< <
< < Notes:
< <
< < Isn't it funny how simple it is for people to
< < trash God and then wonder why the world's
< < going to hell.
< <
< < Isn't it funny how we believe what the
< < newspapers say, but question what the Bible
< < says.
< <
< < Isn't it funny how everyone wants to go to
< < heaven provided they do not have to believe,
< < think, say, or do anything the Bible says.
< <
< < Isn't it funny how someone can say "I believe
< < in God" but still follow Satan (who, by the
< < way, also "believes" in God).
< <
< < Isn't it funny how you can send a thousand
< < jokes through e-mail and they spread like
< < wildfire, but when you start sending
< < messages regarding the Lord, people think
< < twice about sharing.
< <
< < Isn't it funny how the lewd, crude, vulgar and
< < obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but
< < the public discussion of Jesus is suppressed
< < in the school and workplace.
< <
< < Isn't it funny how when you go to forward this
< < message, you will not send it to many on
< < your address list because you're not sure
< < what they believe, or what they will think of
< < you for sending it to them. <<
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