fear, hope, strength

A minister passing through his church
In the middle o= f the day,
Decided to pause by the altar
And see who had come to pr= ay.

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 ki= nda shabby
And his coat was worn and frayed,
The man knelt, he bowe= d his head,
Then rose and walked away.

In the days that followe= d,
Each  noon  time came this chap,
Each time he = knelt just for a moment,
A lunch pail in his lap.

Well, the min= ister's suspicions grew,  
With robbery a main fear,
He decided= to stop the man and ask him,
'What are you doing here?'

The ol= d man said, he worked down the road.
Lunch was half an hour.
Luncht= ime was his prayer time,
For finding strength and power.

'I stay only moments, se= e,
Because the factory is so far away;
As I kneel here talking to t= he Lord,
This is kinda what I say:

'I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, LORD,
= HOW HAPPY I'VE BEEN,

SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHERS FRIENDSHIP <= span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>=

AND YOU TOOK AW= AY 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 f= oolish,
Told Jim , that was fine.
He told the man he was welcome To come and pray just anytime..

Time to go, Jim smiled, said 'Tha= nks.'
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,
H= e repeated old Jim 's prayer:

'I JUST CA= ME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, LORD,
HOW HAPPY I'VE BEEN,

SINCE WE FOUND EAC= H OTHERS FRIENDSHIP

AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN.

I DON 'T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY, =

BUT= I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY.

SO, JESUS , THIS IS ME CHECKING IN TODAY.' <= br>
Past noon one day, the minister noticed
That old Jim hadn't c= ome.
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 w= ith them,
Brought changes in the ward.
His smiles, a joy contagious= .
Changed people, were his reward.

The head nurse couldn't unde= rstand
Why Jim was so glad,
When no flowers, calls or cards came, <= br>Not a visitor he had.

The minister stayed by his bed,
He voi= ced 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 he's = in here all the while .

Everyday at noon He's here,
A dear friend of mine, you s= ee,
He sits right down, takes my hand,
Leans over and says to me:

  <= /o:p>

'I JUST CAME AGA= IN TO TELL YOU, JIM ,
HOW HAPPY I HAVE BEEN, <= /p>

SINCE WE FOUND THIS FRIENDSHI= P,

<= b>

ALWAYS LOVE TO HEAR YOU PRAY,
I THINK ABOUT YO= U EACH DAY ,

AND SO JIM , THIS IS JESUS CHECKING IN TODAY.' =

If this blesses you, pass it on.= Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will = leave footprints in your heart

May Go= d hold you in the palm of His hand
And Angels watch over you. &n= bsp;