Everybody
hates splinters... everybody everywhere. Whenever I get a splinter or
thorn in me, it's always in the part of my thumb or finger that
continually irritates; it painfully nags me until I take action on
it. Well, if there was ever such a thing as a 'splinter story', it
had to be the one Bob Button told the teens and their work group,
busy scrapping all the discarded computer parts, that would someday become
missionary teaching kits, headed for Mexico and beyond.
Driving
home after today's teen workshop, Noah Pierson tried to fit together
the story that Bob had told. Noah couldn't think of much else. That
story was becoming a mental splinter; a 'splinter story' that was to
make big changes in Noah's life. Lessons from the story would nag
Noah until something was done. The story went something like this:
[Beginning
of Bob's story]
His
teeth were chattering so bad; Marty couldn’t remember when it’d
been worse. No. It wasn’t cold and he wasn’t scared. It was the
railroad tracks. He said, “Todd. I’m never going to let you take
this train tracks shortcut again while I’m riding on your
handlebars.” When Todd doubled back under the train trestle and
down the embankment, Marty thought he was a gonner for sure.
Surprise
#1 came when the two boys rounded the last curve and spied the house.
Nate and his mom lived in a house that was little more than a shack
in a really remote part of the county. They certainly had no
telephone and there was no evidence they had electricity either. The
questions in Marty and Todd’s minds were really piling up. But the
important thing was that their youth pastor asked that they visit
Nate and invite him to the Computer Missions Club next Thursday.
The
first impressions by the boys were that Nate would be better off not
to be bothered about all this computing stuff since it sure looked
like Nate would never have a computer - let alone use it in missions
and for church. But little did the pair realize the exciting
revelation God had in store for them today - that was to be surprise
#2.
Marty’s
grandfather would caution both the boys, in a situation like this to,
“Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Or he might also say,
“First impressions are most important, but not always correct.”
Only
a couple raps on the rickety screen door and Nate was greeting the
boys with very few words. The three teens sat on the front steps as
Marty and Todd told a little bit about themselves. Nate didn’t talk
much but listened with great interest. Todd started to tell some
about the Computer Missions Club at church with a lot of enthusiasm.
Nate reached out and picked up a piece of scrap paper lying on his
front porch, not far from him. From his ragged shirt pocket he pulled
out a broken off piece of a pencil and began doodling as the boys
talked.
In
no time at all Nate handed Marty the finished sketch he had done
while listening to the boys. It was a simple drawing that included a
cross, a computer, and a couple teenagers. They were arranged in a
way you could almost make an emblem or a logo of it. Marty almost
knocked Todd off the steps in his excitement over the sketch. As Nate
saw the joy his creation had made, he took it back and above it
wrote, “Computer Missions Club”.
The
hoots and excitement prompted Nate’s mom to peer through the
cracked front window. The three boys spent more time bouncing around
ideas about using Nate’s apparent art skills as a tiny business of
creating much needed computer missions clipart.
Peddling
back home took a slower pace amid real remorse in Marty and Todd’s
hearts. When it comes to drawing, they both certainly drew the wrong
conclusions Nate’s home and abilities. Though they were both might
grateful to God for bringing Nate into their friendship, their
continuing thoughts brought examination of other lives that had
crossed their path. Had they been too quick and ‘cruel’ in making
hasty judgments of others? [End of Bob's story]
There
are a number of lessons to learn from Bob's story. Noah touched on
some of them in his mind. But the story was becoming a nagging
'splinter story' to Noah. He tried to put a face on Nate. A face; a
teenage friend he hadn't met yet. Was this 'Nate' in the story, to be
someone that Noah would search out? Did this future 'Nate' have an
aching desire to be used of God, in the same way Noah begged Heaven
for?
All
this was to be answered a few days later, by the phone call, Noah
would never never forget.
