Dr. Fred Craddock, professor of New Testament and Homiletics at Emory University in Atlanta, tells about his growing up years in Middle Tennessee. Craddock's father did not go to church. In fact he was very critical of the church.

Once in a while the minister would come by to try to talk to Mr. Craddock. It did no good. He would say: "I know what you fellows down there at the church want. You want another name and another pledge. Right? Isn't that the business you're in? Another name and another pledge."

This always embarrassed Craddock's mother, who would retreat to the kitchen to cry. Occasionally an evangelist would come with the minister. Even the two of them could not get through to Craddock's father. He would always say: "You don't care about me! You want another name and another pledge. That's how the churches operate. You don't care about me."

He must have said that a thousand times, but there was one time he did not say it. The last time Fred Craddock saw his father was in a Veteran's Hospital. He was down to seventy-four pounds. They had taken out his throat. Radiation therapy had burned him badly. They had put in a tube so he could breathe, but he couldn't speak.

Around the room flowers were everywhere--on the table, in the windows and even on the floor. There were potted plants, cut flowers, and every sort of arrangement. They even had flowers on the table that you swing out over your bed to put food on. That was just as well since he couldn't eat anyway. Little cards were sprinkled in all the flowers and every one of them read something like this--Men's Bible Class, Women's Fellowship, Children's Division, Youth Fellowship. Every organization you could imagine in the church had sent flowers along with stacks of cards from persons in the church.

Craddock's father saw him looking at the cards. Unable to speak, he picked up a pencil and wrote on the side of a Kleenex box a line from Shakespeare's Hamlet: "In this harsh world, draw your breath in pain to tell my story."

Fred Craddock read it and asked his father: "Dad, what is your story?" The speechless old man took the Kleenex box back and wrote a confession: "I was wrong! I was wrong!"

Where do we begin to be a part of God's new world order? Right here, right now, with people your church can bring into His family. God has chosen a special people, and revealed to them an eternal plan, to bring into unity everything in heaven and on earth.

Ron Newhouse