Interlude for Thanksgiving

[HKHaugan]

This is a very good example of a "God-incidence." (similar to what many 
people call a "co-incidence"). I'm sending this to those who truly 
appreciate the difference between the two terms.
 
If you take the time to read it, you will be glad you did.
 
The SPARROW at STARBUCKS - The song that silenced the cappuccino 
machine.
 
It was chilly in Manhattan but warm inside the Starbucks shop on 51st 
Street and Broadway, just a skip up from Times Square. Early November 
weather in New York City holds only the slightest hint of the bitter 
chill of late December and January, but it's enough to send the masses 
crowding indoors to vie for available space and warmth. For a musician,
it's the most lucrative Starbucks location in the world, I'm told, and 
consequently, the tips can be substantial if you play your tunes right.
 
Apparently, we were striking all the right chords that night, because 
our basket was almost overflowing. It was a fun, low-pressure gig - I 
was playing keyboard and singing backup for my friend who also added 
rhythm with an arsenal of percussion instruments. We mostly did pop 
songs from the '40s to the '90s with a few original tunes thrown in.
During our emotional rendition of the classic, "If You Don't Know Me by 
Now," I noticed a lady sitting in one of the lounge chairs across from 
me. She was swaying to the beat and singing along.
 
After the tune was over, she approached me. "I apologize for singing 
along on that song. Did it bother you?" she asked.
 
"No," I replied. "We love it when the audience joins in. Would you like 
to sing up front on the next selection?" To my delight, she accepted my 
invitation. "You choose," I said. "What are you in the mood to sing?"
 
"Well. ... do you know any hymns?" Hymns? This woman didn't know who 
she was dealing with. I cut my teeth on hymns. Before I was even born , 
I was going to church. I gave our guest singer a knowing look. "Name 
one."
 
"Oh, I don't know. There are so many good ones. You pick one."
 
"Okay," I replied. "How about 'His Eye is on the Sparrow'?"
 
My new friend was silent, her eyes averted. Then she fixed her eyes on 
mine again and said, "Yeah. Let's do that one." She slowly nodded her 
head, put down her purse, straightened her jacket and faced the center 
of the shop. With my two-bar setup, she began to sing, "Why should I be 
discouraged? Why should the shadows come?"
 
The audience of coffee drinkers was transfixed. Even the gurgling 
noises of the cappuccino machine ceased as the employees stopped what 
they were doing to listen. The song rose to its conclusion.
 
"I sing because I'm happy; I sing because I'm free. For His eye is on 
the sparrow and I know He watches me."
 
When the last note was sung, the applause crescendoed to a deafening 
roar that would have rivalled a sold-out crowd at Carnegie Hall. 
Embarrassed, the woman tried to shout over the din, "Oh, y'all go back 
to your coffee! I didn't come in here to do a concert! I just came in 
here to get somethin' to drink, just like you!"
 
But the ovation continued.. I embraced my new friend. "You, my dear, 
have made my whole year! That was beautiful!"
 
"Well, it's funny that you picked that particular hymn," she said. 
 
"Why is that?"
 
"Well," she hesitated again, "that was my daughter's favorite song." 
"Really!" I exclaimed.
 
"Yes," she said, and then grabbed my hands. By this time, the applause 
had subsided and it was business as usual... "She was 16. She died of a 
brain tumor last week."
 
I said the first thing that found its way through my stunned silence. 
"Are you going to be okay?"
  
She smiled through tear-filled eyes and squeezed my hands. "I'm gonna 
be okay. I've just got to keep trusting the Lord and singing his songs, 
and everything's gonna be just fine." She picked up her bag, gave me 
her card, and then she was gone.

Was it just a coincidence that we happened to be singing in that 
particular coffee shop on that particular November night? Coincidence 
that this wonderful lady just happened to walk into that particular 
shop? Coincidence that of all the hymns to choose from, I just happened 
to pick the very hymn that was the favorite of her daughter, who had 
died just the week before? I refuse to believe it.
 
God has been arranging encounters in human history since the beginning 
of time, and it's no stretch for me to imagine that he could reach into 
a coffee shop in midtown Manhattan and turn an ordinary gig into a 
revival. It was a great reminder that if we keep trusting him and 
singing his songs, everything's gonna be okay.
  
The next time you feel like GOD can't use YOU, remember, Noah was a 
drunk, Abraham was too old, Isaac was a daydreamer, Jacob was a liar, 
Leah was ugly, Joseph was abused, Moses had a stuttering problem, 
Gideon was afraid, Samson had long hair and was a womanizer, Rahab was
a prostitute, Jeremiah and Timothy were too young, David had an affair 
and was a murderer, Elijah was suicidal, Isaiah preached naked, Jonah 
ran from God, Peter denied Christ, The Disciples fell asleep while 
praying, And Lazarus was dead!
 
No more excuses now!! God can use you to your full potential. Besides 
you aren't the message, you are just the messenger.