Visitor

You may have read this before but it worth reading a second time.

Jesus!
< <
< <Subject: Keep This Going, If You Can....
< <
< < Ruth went to her mail box and there was only one
< < letter. She picked it up and looked at it before
< < opening, but then she looked at the envelope
< < again. There was no stamp, no postmark, only her
< < name and address. She read the letter:
< <
< < Dear Ruth:
< <
< < I'm going to be in your neighborhood Saturday
< < afternoon and I would like to visit.
< <
< < Love Always,
< < Jesus
< <
< < Her hands were shaking as she placed the letter on
< < the table. "Why would the Lord want to visit me? I'm
< < nobody special. I don't have anything to offer."
< <
< < With that thought, Ruth remembered her empty kitchen
< < cabinets. "Oh my goodness, I really don't have
< < anything to offer. I'll have to run down to the
< < store and buy something for dinner." She reached for
< < her purse and counted out it's contents.
< <
< < Five dollars and forty cents. "Well, I can get some
< < bread and cold cuts, at least."
< <
< < She threw on her coat and hurried out the door.
< <
< < A loaf of French bread, a half-pound of sliced
< < turkey, and a carton of milk...leaving Ruth with
< < grand total of twelve cents to last her until Monday.
< <
< < Nonetheless, she felt good as she headed home, her
< < meager offerings tucked under her arm.
< <
< < "Hey lady, can you help us, lady?"
< <
< < Ruth had been so absorbed in her dinner plans, she
< < hadn't even noticed two figures huddled in the
< < alleyway. A man and a woman, both of them dressed
< < in little more than rags.
< <
< < "Look lady, I ain't got a job, ya know, and my wife
< < and I have been living out here on the street, and,
< < well, now it's getting cold and we're getting kinda
< < hungry and, well, if you could help us, lady, we'd
< < really appreciate it."
< <
< < Ruth looked at them both. They were dirty, they
< < smelled bad and frankly, she was certain that they
< < could get some kind of work if they really wanted to.
< <
< < "Sir, I'd like to help you, but I'm a poor woman
< < myself. All I have is a few cold cuts and some
< < bread, and I'm having an important guest for dinner
< < tonight and I was planning on serving that to Him."
< <
< < "Yeah, well, okay lady, I understand. Thanks anyway."
< <
< < The man put his arm around the woman's shoulders,
< < turned and he headed back into the alley. As she
< < watched them leave, Ruth felt a familiar twinge in
< < her heart.
< <
< < "Sir, wait!"
< <
< < The couple stopped and turned as she ran down the
< < alley after them. "Look, why don't you take this
< < food. I'll figure out something else to serve my
< < guest."
< <
< < She handed the man her grocery bag.
< <
< < "Thank you lady. Thank you very much!"
< <
< < "Yes, thank you!" It was the man's wife, and Ruth
< < could see now that she was shivering.
< <
< < "You know, I've got another coat at home. Here, why
< < don't you take this one." Ruth unbuttoned her jacket
< < and slipped it over the woman's shoulders. Then
< < smiling, she turned and walked back to the street...
< < without her coat and with nothing to serve her guest.
< <
< < "Thank you lady! Thank you very much!"
< <
< < Ruth was chilled by the time she reached her front
< < door, and worried too. The Lord was coming to visit
< < and she didn't have anything to offer Him.
< <
< < She fumbled through her purse for the door key.
< < But as she did, she noticed another envelope in her
< < mailbox.
< <
< < "That's odd. The mailman doesn't usually come twice
< < in one day." She took the envelope out of the box and
< < opened it.
< <
< < Dear Ruth:
< <
< < It was so good to see you again. Thank you for the
< < lovely meal. And thank you, too, for the beautiful
< < coat.
< <
< < Love Always,
< < Jesus
< <
< < The air was still cold, but even without her coat,
< < Ruth no longer noticed.
< <
< < If you love Jesus, send this to ten people.
<
< < Do not keep this message. The mantra must leave your
< < hands within 96 hours. You will get a very pleasant
< < surprise.
< <
< < This is true, even if you are not superstitious.

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A woman went to the post office to buy stamps for her Christmas Cards. "What denomination?" the clerk asked her. "Oh, good heaveans! Have we come to this?" the woman replied. "Well, give me 50 Baptist and 50 Catholic".