"When you are deluded and full of doubt, even a thousand books of scripture
are not enough.
"When you have realized understanding, even one word is too much."
~ Fen-Yang, Zen Master
=========================================================
"Outside of a dog, a man's best friend is a book.
"Inside of a dog, it's very, very dark."
~ Groucho Marx, GonzoZen Master
===========================================================
The Gospel According to Bubba
~A Parable on Giving~
Bubba Jones was a young man who had the great fortune and good sense to be born in the American South, where one of our cultural, recreational and spiritual activities is an event known as the Revival Meeting.
Revival Meetings are generally held in the late spring or summer, and feature all-day sermons that nourish your soul while testing your endurance.
Now, a famous E-vangelist (that's how it's pronounced down here) announced he was bringing a Revival Meeting to Bubba's corner of the world, and Bubba was determined not to miss it. His momma packed him a lunch of fried catfish and cornbread.
"Bubba," his momma said, "You take this here catfish and cornbread with you, I reckon you all gonna get mighty hungry before that preacher gets done."
Momma was a smart one, she had been to her share of Revival Meetings, and would have gone to this one if her lumbago hadn't been so bad. And if this preacher had been the healin' instead of the preachin' kind, she woulda gone anyhow.
Now, this preacher commenced his sermon in the morning, standing on top of a hill with a congregation of people spread out beneath him. He preached a powerful message that just kept getting more powerful. And it went on.
The sun was past noon and sliding down before the preacher paused to take a breath. By then, you could hear stomachs rumbling and growling throughout the crowd, and Bubba was sure glad his momma had packed him that lunch.
"Friends," the preacher shouted, "We're gonna break for a morsel of dinner. I plumb forgot to bring anything myself, and I know some of you out there are in the same shape. So, if there's anybody with a little something to share, why, bring it on up here and let God bless it."
Nobody moved. Nobody said a word.
Bubba looked around and thought, "Dang! I guess I'm the only one what brought something. Reckon what I oughta do?"
Now, Bubba had been raised right, and he knew what he had to do. So he steps forward and hollers, "Preacher! I got me some cornbread and catfish here! It ain't much, but everybody's welcome to share!"
Now, right now you might be thinking a miracle occurs and that catfish and cornbread multiplies. And you'd be right, but not exactly the way you think.
Right after Bubba announced he would share his lunch, and he started up the hill, there was a lot of whispering and mumbling among the assembled. People were nudging each other and saying, "If that Jones boy is willing to give up his lunch, we might had oughta, too."
So, they started opening up baskets and pails and pulling out ham and corn and what have you, and pretty soon there was a whole crowd of folk with food coming up the hill. And you know, there was so much food that everybody ate until they were full, and they still had food left over. So they took it over to the homeless shelter, and everybody there got fed as well. And it got to where they started making it a regular thing, that the folks would just cook up a little extra to take to those who needed it.
The miracle was, and is, that one person, one gift, can make a difference. That first gift inspires others to give, and the gift multiplies.
A lead gift is made by a leader. Leaders inspire, they motivate. Leaders are generous with their time, with their resources, with their knowledge and experience.
A leader is a gift, and a miracle.
are not enough.
"When you have realized understanding, even one word is too much."
~ Fen-Yang, Zen Master
=========================================================
"Outside of a dog, a man's best friend is a book.
"Inside of a dog, it's very, very dark."
~ Groucho Marx, GonzoZen Master
===========================================================
The Gospel According to Bubba
~A Parable on Giving~
Bubba Jones was a young man who had the great fortune and good sense to be born in the American South, where one of our cultural, recreational and spiritual activities is an event known as the Revival Meeting.
Revival Meetings are generally held in the late spring or summer, and feature all-day sermons that nourish your soul while testing your endurance.
Now, a famous E-vangelist (that's how it's pronounced down here) announced he was bringing a Revival Meeting to Bubba's corner of the world, and Bubba was determined not to miss it. His momma packed him a lunch of fried catfish and cornbread.
"Bubba," his momma said, "You take this here catfish and cornbread with you, I reckon you all gonna get mighty hungry before that preacher gets done."
Momma was a smart one, she had been to her share of Revival Meetings, and would have gone to this one if her lumbago hadn't been so bad. And if this preacher had been the healin' instead of the preachin' kind, she woulda gone anyhow.
Now, this preacher commenced his sermon in the morning, standing on top of a hill with a congregation of people spread out beneath him. He preached a powerful message that just kept getting more powerful. And it went on.
The sun was past noon and sliding down before the preacher paused to take a breath. By then, you could hear stomachs rumbling and growling throughout the crowd, and Bubba was sure glad his momma had packed him that lunch.
"Friends," the preacher shouted, "We're gonna break for a morsel of dinner. I plumb forgot to bring anything myself, and I know some of you out there are in the same shape. So, if there's anybody with a little something to share, why, bring it on up here and let God bless it."
Nobody moved. Nobody said a word.
Bubba looked around and thought, "Dang! I guess I'm the only one what brought something. Reckon what I oughta do?"
Now, Bubba had been raised right, and he knew what he had to do. So he steps forward and hollers, "Preacher! I got me some cornbread and catfish here! It ain't much, but everybody's welcome to share!"
Now, right now you might be thinking a miracle occurs and that catfish and cornbread multiplies. And you'd be right, but not exactly the way you think.
Right after Bubba announced he would share his lunch, and he started up the hill, there was a lot of whispering and mumbling among the assembled. People were nudging each other and saying, "If that Jones boy is willing to give up his lunch, we might had oughta, too."
So, they started opening up baskets and pails and pulling out ham and corn and what have you, and pretty soon there was a whole crowd of folk with food coming up the hill. And you know, there was so much food that everybody ate until they were full, and they still had food left over. So they took it over to the homeless shelter, and everybody there got fed as well. And it got to where they started making it a regular thing, that the folks would just cook up a little extra to take to those who needed it.
The miracle was, and is, that one person, one gift, can make a difference. That first gift inspires others to give, and the gift multiplies.
A lead gift is made by a leader. Leaders inspire, they motivate. Leaders are generous with their time, with their resources, with their knowledge and experience.
A leader is a gift, and a miracle.
No comments:
Post a Comment