Mrs. James asked: “ You did what?” Terry spoke up bravely although her voice trembled: “We gave our hearts to the Lord,” she said. Dr. James asked his wife: “Was this an e v ang e l i s t i c mee t i ng , Laura ?” “ I didn’t know just what it was. It was for young people. There was a big crowd.” She turned to the chil dren again: “What kind of a notion did those people put in your heads? We are not heathen. Haven’t you always been Christians?” Dr. James laid his hand on his wife’s arm. “ Just a minute, Laura. Take it easy. This has been some night! Jim, take your time even if it is late and tell us exactly what happened at that meeting.” Jim loved his parents deeply. Very few times in his life had there been any serious difficulty between them. Now he was really frightened. Dr. James looked so grave and his moth er seemed disturbed. How he needed that third “ C” ! Terry sat in a big easy chair, her head buried in her arms. She had been sleepy but now she was wide awake, and a little scared too. Jim stood up and faced his mother and father on the sofa. Quietly he described the service from beginning to end. Several times his mother tried to interrupt but his fa ther stopped her. When Jim had finished, he sat down. Dr. James then looked at Terry. “ Is that what you did too? Did you go up to the front wi th the other children?” Terry nodded her head. Mrs. James burst out: “Whatever were you thinking o f ? ” but her husband shook his head. He got up and began to pace the rug, as he did when he was troubled. “ I said this was some night for me. Apparently it has been for all of us. You see, when I heard the crash and the scream, I thought it was Jim on his bike!” Everyone gasped. “ In all my experience as a doctor, I never had a worse moment. In the dark I could not tell right away who it was or whether he was dead or alive. Thank God, it was not Jim.” He sat down and then he said something even more astonishing. “When I was twelve years old, I went to a camp meeting and I did just what Jim and Terry did tonight — I accepted Christ as my Saviour.” Dr. James looked at the members of his family with love and sadness. “ I never really did forget it although somehow my Christian testimony got buried under medical training, in my work and in making a living.” He sat down beside his wife and put his arm about her. “ Laura, I think we need God in this family. I know I’ve left everything to you. We’ll have to
do better somehow. Let’s start all over.” ' Mrs. James sat very still. “ Jim,” asked his father, “ do you think it would be all right for a couple of grown-up people like us to go to that meeting tomorrow night?” Terry answered happily, “ Oh, yes, Daddy! There were lots of old peo ple there!” The laugh that followed broke the tension. Impulsively, Terry ran to her mother with a request: “ Could I ask the Gray twins for lunch?” Mrs. James, with a look on her face her family had never seen be fore, said, “ I guess so, honey. But we’ll talk about it in the morning. It is way past midnight! You must get to bed.” With only a quiet, “ Thank you, MERRY CHRISTMAS Multitudes needed a Saviour that day, Earth held no price its redemption to pay, Rich in His mercy, the Father above, Remembered His promise and in His great love, Yielded His Son, the treasure of Heaven, Christ our Redeemer, a gift freely given, Hard was the path of the Saviour on earth, Rejected was He and despised since His birth, Innocent, pure, to the cross He was led. Sinners were cleansed in His blood that was shed; Today whosoever His Word will be lieve, May take His salvation, the free gift receive, A victor He rose when His work here was done, Some day that same Jesus will come for His own. Dad,” Jim went to his room. He knelt beside his bed and in stumbling words prayed his first real prayer. He prayed for his parents and sister and the boy who was injured. “ Let me be really great for You,” he asked. Then like a flash it came to him. “ Great for God and great in helping people — like my father!” Of course, of course! A Missionary Doctor! That was it. To be great just for yourself didn’t make any sense at all, but this was different! Crawling into the sheets, he mur mured sleepily: “What a night of nights! And all I wanted to do was to find out how to be a great man!” Then he grinned in the dark: “Dr. James James — I presume?” T he E nd — Katheryn Finchey (1961 Biola graduate)
AN ACROSTIC Arrange the letters C-H-R-l-S-T- M-A-S one letter below the other. Each letter In the word "Christmas" should suggest some word or words found in the Christmas story. For il lustration, "M " might stand for the "manger." Find words for each let ter, and place beside the word the Scripture verse where each is found. driver. It was a black Ford sedan. Evidently he came around the cor ner so fast he couldn’t stop.” “We’ll get him,” said the other lawman, grimly. Jim held the screen door while the men carried out the stretcher. Terry, her eyes very wide, slipped her hand in her father’s. After the men had gone and the room was put to rights, Dr. James sank down on the sofa with a huge sigh. “Where were you children tonight? Isn’t this past your bedtime?” As Jim explained, his mother came in the back door. “What’s wrong, Bob?” she asked. “ I met an ambulance and squad car down the street.” When her husband told her what had happened, she shook her head. “ I must say that boy knew where to pick out a spot for an accident. You look ‘beat,’ my dear. Here, let me rub the back of your neck,” and she proceeded to do so. She looked at the children, “Well, how was your meeting?” Terry’s f a c e lighted up. “ Oh, Mom! it was just wonderful! The most beautiful music and—and. . . .” Her brother interrupted her. “ Mom and Dad, we have some thing to tell you,” he said so serious ly that his parents looked at him in surprise. “ No more trouble, I hope, Jim. I’ve had quite enough for tonight,” said Dr. James. “ Oh, no, Dad! it’s just that we . . . ” Jim hesitated a moment, and then blurted it out, “We . . . we . . . Terry and I . . . we became Christians to night!” There was a stunned silence. Then JUMBLED WORDS Rearrange the letters in the follow ing words, and the result will be im portant words found in the Christmas story. 1. Eressphdh
6. Rsta 7. Lgdo 8. Yhmrr 9. Kseeninrfcan 10. Tsigf
2. Lhebethme 3. Nawdsldig 4. Grenam 5. Aslnge
■ s^ ig -Q i ,'asuaou!>|u ejj .'cjjjÂyy g .'p|0£) l .' jb js 9 - 'l ^ u y •g '.jaBueyy y ,'6ui|ppeM S £ ,'uiaq -a iq ja g .'s p ja q d a q j ' t :sj3 M S u y
DECEMBER, 1965
41
Made with FlippingBook Online document