i just checked my email today and just got an email from bettina:


A minister passing through his church
in the middle of the day,
decided to pause by the altar
and see who had come to pray.


Just then the back door opened,
a man came down the aisle.
The minister frowned as he saw
the man hadn't shaved in a while.


His shirt was kinda shabby
and his coat was worn and frayed,
the man knelt, he bowed his head,
Then rose and walked away.


In the days that followed,
each noon time came this chap,
each time he knelt just for a moment,
a lunch pail in his lap.


Well, the minister's suspicions grew,
with robbery a main fear,
He decided to stop the man and ask him,
"What are you doing here?"


The old man said, he worked down the road.
Lunch was half an hour.
Lunchtime was his prayer time,
For finding strength and power,


"I stay only moments,
because the factory is so far away;
as I kneel here talking to the Lord,
This is kind a what I say:


"I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU LORD,
HOW HAPPY I HAVE BEEN,
SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHER'S FRIENDSHIP
AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN.


DON'T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY,
BUT I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY.
SO JESUS, THIS IS JIM
CHECKING IN TODAY."


The minister feeling foolish,
told Jim that was fine.
He told the man he was welcome
To come and pray just anytime.


Time to go, Jim smiled, said "Thanks."
He hurried to the door.
The minister knelt at the altar,
he'd never done it before.


His cold heart melted, warmed with love,
and met with Jesus there.
As the tears flowed, in his heart,
he repeated old Jim's prayer:


"I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU LORD,
HOW HAPPY I HAVE BEEN,
SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHER'S FRIENDSHIP
AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN.


DON'T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY,
BUT I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY.
SO JESUS, THIS IS ME
CHECKING IN TODAY."


Past noon one day, the minister noticed
that old Jim hadn't come.
As more days passed without Jim,
he began to worry some.


At the factory, he asked about him,
learning he was ill.
The hospital staff was worried,
But he'd given them a thrill.


The week that Jim was with them,
Brought changes in the ward.
His smiles, a joy contagious.
Changed people, were his reward.


The head nurse couldn't understand
why Jim was so glad,
when no flowers, calls or cards came,
Not a visitor he had.


The minister stayed by his bed,
He voiced the nurse's concern:
No friends came to show they cared.
He had nowhere to turn.


Looking surprised, old Jim spoke
up and with a winsome smile;
"the nurse is wrong, she couldn't know,
that in here all the while


everyday at noon He's here,
a dear friend of mine, you see,
He sits right down, takes my hand,
Leans over and says to me:


"I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU JIM,
HOW HAPPY I HAVE BEEN,
SINCE WE FOUND THIS FRIENDSHIP,
AND I TOOK AWAY YOUR SIN.


ALWAYS LOVE TO HEAR YOU PRAY,
I THINK ABOUT YOU EACH DAY,
AND SO JIM, THIS IS JESUS
CHECKING IN TODAY."


i think God works in really cool ways.the past few days have just been an absolute killer. everyone's so stressed out over the musical and all and there's just no time to relax at all. we're not even confident its gonna work out. i mean, i know i shouldnt think this way, but the way the directors work is really so difficult. i mean, it's just tough. we're students after all, we're newbies. they demand so much from us. they make it difficult, they expect us to know everything and they dont give clear instructions and they're just so many things to do. plus, we're short of manpower. its really difficult and now i understand why a few of the cast members wanna pull out. its a whole lot of commitment. and im not so sure im up to it. well, too late to back up now.


but today was sorta bad and well i wont post it here, but generally, it was bad. but when i read that email, i was really encouraged for some reason. i mean, ive read it before but this time it really affected me. God's always there even if we dont see him. he's always there no matter what. sometimes we dont feel his presence whatnot, we feel alone, we feel that there is simply no one you can trust, he's always there. it doesnt matter when, where, why, he's just there, waiting for you to go to him, to seek refuge in him.


i guess i just gotta trust him. that he will provide and that "everything will fall into place" eventually. "it just takes time." "a lot of time."


well, maybe im just inexperienced. i need to be able to cope with stress. seriously cant work under stress. im still wondering how we're gonna pull through. the responsibility is sometimes too big. the whole production is just huge. and its difficult. but i think imma leave it to God. its in his hands, he's got a plan.


hm. tough. but hopefully our efforts will pay off.


afterall, last night was fruitful. at least.