It Works!
by Linnie Frank Bailey
I did not look forward to my tenth-grade American History course at George Washington High School in Los Angeles. Neither did my fellow students. We learned the new teacher assigned to teach the course was also a Pastor at one of the local churches.
We envisioned class with a Minister as the teacher: Every lesson would include a Scripture reference; each Monday, in addition to taking roll, he would ask us if we went to church the Sunday before; and, heaven forbid we forget our homework--he would probably stand at his perch in the front of the room and lament our moral shortcomings! We all dreaded the semester.
Mr. Johnson was not what I expected. We covered a lot of subjects in class that semester: the Revolutionary War, the Constitution (including the separation of church and state), Slavery, and the Civil War. I found Mr. Johnson to be an engaging teacher, forcing his students to consider all sides of the issues, while keeping his own opinions to himself. “Surely this man can not be a Pastor?”
On the last day of class he let us have a no-holes barred discussion of the issues we had covered during the semester. Still, he didn’t interject any of his personal feelings, acting instead as a moderator.
Finally, we asked him the questions that had been on our minds all semester.
“Is it true you are a Minister?” he was asked.
“Yes, I am,” he replied.
We then gave him what we considered a compliment: “But, you don’t act like a minister!”
He smiled.
Feeling emboldened, we asked him a question none of us would dare ask our own Ministers, or Sunday School teachers, or even our parents – “Why?” we asked. “Why do you believe?”
“Well,” he said, after pondering the question for a few moments, “I tried a lot of things in my life as a young man, and then I was introduced to Jesus. I guess the only thing I can tell you about Christianity is that it works.”
At first I was taken aback by the brevity of his response. It Works? No dissertation on religion. No invitation to come to his church. No Sermon! Here was his chance to reel us in and that’s all he could come up with? What kind of Pastor was this?
But, over the years, I have come to appreciate the simplicity of it all. Those two words really do sum it up. And while I may have forgotten much of what I learned during my high school years, I can honestly say I’ve never forgotten those two words. Like Mr. Johnson, I learned that when all else fails – It Works!
God on the Job: Salvation from the 9 to 5!
by Linnie Frank Bailey
For all those who leave their faith on the shelf when entering the workplace, comes a new guide which says...YOU NEED GOD AT WORK!
